Gourmet Steaks, Sweet Peas di Florencia, Orange Pineapple Salad, Chocolate Easy Loaf Cake, Milk

A lovely lovely reader [thanks, iamspartan!] sent me a cookbook! It is a collection of meal plans produced by Safeway in the 1960's, by Jane Ross, Home Economist. It is pretty sweet. It may be my new favorite.

Also, I wonder if I can start adding H.E. after my name. This merits investigation*.

Gourmet Steaks
Sweet Peas di Florencia
Orange Pineapple Salad
Chocolate Easy Loaf Cake
Milk, Coffee

Gourmet Steaks
1 pound ground round
1/2 bulk pork sausage
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon CROWN COLONY parsley flakes
1 teaspoon CROWN COLONY ground oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup SAFEWAY grated parmesan cheese
1/4 loaf, 15 oz., day old French bread, soak, squeeze dry
1 package, 4 oz., Birds Eye frozen French fried onion rings, baked

Combine all the ingredients except the onion rings in a mixing bowl. Mix with wooden spoon until well blended [and then smoosh with your hand because that spoon is never going to get the job done properly]. Form into four steaks. Heat 2 tablespoons cooking oil in a shallow skillet or griddle. Fry steaks as you would hamburgers [probably 'cause they are]. Remove steaks to a warm serving platter. Garnish with French fried onion rings.

I did not make this, but I provide the recipe so that you may. As of course you will.

Sweet Peas di Florencia (Serves 4 to 6)
1/2 cube LUCERNE butter
1/2 medium onion, sliced thin
1 can, buffet, TOWN HOUSE tomato sauce
1 medium potato, cubed
2 tablespoons cooking or olive oil

Melt butter in a 1 1/2 quart size saucepan. Stir in onions. Cover and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until sauce becomes thick. Meanwhile heat cooking oil in small skillet. Stir in cubed potatoes. Cook on low heat until half done and remove from heat. To the tomato sauce mixture add 1 can, No. 303, TOWN HOUSE sweet peas, undrained and the half-way cooked potatoes. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Orange Pineapple Salad (Serves 6)
1 cup boiling water
1 package, 3 oz., orange-pineapple gelatin
1 can, No. 211, LALANI crushed pineapple, drained
1 can, buffet, TOWN HOUSE mandarin orange segments, drained
1 cup combined drained pineapple and orange syrup
1 firm banana, sliced thin
1/4 cup lemon juice and 1/4 cup cold water

Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Stir in drained fruit syrup. Chill until slightly thickened. Pour lemon juice and water over banana slices to keep slices from discoloring. FOld drained orange segments, crushed pineapple, and banana slices into the slightly thickened gelatin. Pour into 6 x 10-inch shallow dish. Chill until set. Cut into squares and serve on chilled salad plates garnished with crisp lettuce leaves.

Chocolate Easy Loaf Cake
Sift 1 1/2 cups cake flour, 1 1/4 cups sugar, 1/2 cup cocoa, 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda and 1 teaspoon salt into mixing bowl, cut in 2/3 cup shortening.

Add 1 cup buttermilk or thick sour milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla; beat 200 strokes (2 minutes by hand or low speed of electric mixer). Add 2 unbeaten eggs; beat for 2 minutes more.

Bake in greased and floured 9x5x3-inch pan at 350 degrees for 45 to 55 minutes.

Remove from pan; cool and frost with a mocha or a fudge frosting. Serve with plenty of LUCERNE vanilla ice cream.

Verdict:

Gourmet Steaks: "Guess what, Husband! This week for time travelly meal, I am making you Gourmet Steaks!"

"...They aren't steaks, are they."

"The recipe's name is 'Gourmet Steaks.', honey. Gourmet Steaks."

"I am filled with suspicion."

Indeed, they are by no means steaks (unless you hail from Salisbury), but they are certainly an above-average hamburger. Husband, once he got over the disappointment caused by the recipe name, felt that this recipe should be used to make grilled hamburgers this summer. The French bread was a little fussy, and a little much. When I make this again (Yes, "when." It's always a pleasant surprise on this blog, isn't it?), I'm going to use a smaller amount of pre-packaged bread crumbs. Future Jana said it turned out great anyway, but she could be lying just to mess with me. If this turns out to be the case, I'm eating an entire carton of ice cream to pay her back.

Sweet Peas di Florencia: I hate canned peas. We had frozen green beans. I used the excuse of not knowing what a "buffet size" can is, but that didn't stop me from making the salad recipe below. I think it is just a regular sized can. If one of you wants to make this recipe and send me a picture and review, I will happily fill in this gap. I would be disappointed in Italy for this, but I did make (and yes, enjoy) those pizza potatoes, so I guess I shouldn't cast stones. They probably aren't responsible anyway. Sadly.

Orange Pineapple Salad: Jello is a traditional dish of my people, and oh my heck, this one is pretty good as Jello goes. I really love mandarin oranges. If you don't have a time machine, you probably won't be able to find orange-pineapple Jello. That is okay. Just use orange. It will be all right.

Chocolate Easy Loaf Cake: Either I failed, or the recipe did. For the sake of the shreds of dignity I have left, I will say it was the recipe. The piece of cake in the picture above was the end piece. The piece of cake in the picture below came from the middle.

Such shame I feel. Perhaps it is better to think of it as a trencher of cake to hold large amounts of chocolate whipped cream. There are no mistakes, only discoveries.

Milk: Lots of meal plans include beverages, for some reason.


*Oh hey, I forgot, I'm a B.H.E.! Awesome.