Monday, February 6, 2012

Pot Roast Stroganoff, Confetti Dressing, Mocha Roll

Better Homes and Gardens Blender Cookbook [1971]



This book is special for its insistence that everything, everything, can be made in a blender. Of particular note is the chapter entitled "Timesaving Breads." I also like the title of "Jam and Relish Jamboree"; but that may just be because I feel that jamboree is an excellent and underused word, as well as my love of weak puns.

I have never been more thankful for this important blender tip: if you squeeze some dish soap in after use, then fill halfway up with hot water and blend, you will have a clean blender. This is useful when one is using a blender four times in the same meal.

Menu:
Pot Roast Stroganoff
Hot Noodles
Lettuce
Confetti Dressing
Mocha Roll
Beverage



Pot Roast Stroganoff
2- to 2 1/2 pound beef chuck roast
3 tablespoons salad oil
1 10 3/4 ounce can condensed tomato soup
1 cup cream-style cottage cheese
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 small onion, but into pieces
1 clove garlic
1 3-ounce can mushrooms, drained
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/3 cup water
Hot cooked noodles

Trim meat; season. Brown in oil in Dutch oven. Put next 5 ingredients in blender; blend smooth. Add mushrooms; pour over meat. Cover; cook at 325 degrees about 2 hours. Place meat on platter. Skim fat from sauce. Combine flour and water; add to sauce. Cook and stir till thick; season. Serve on noodles. Serves 6.



Confetti Dressing
Stir dressing before serving so tiny bits of onion, olive, green pepper, and celery are dispersed throughout the zippy dressing--
1 cup salad oil
3/4 cup vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon sald
2 green onions with tops, sliced
1/4 cup pimiento-stuffed green olives
1/2 small green pepper, cut in pieces
1 stalk celery, sliced

Put all of the ingredients into the blender container; blend till vegetables are finely chopped. Chill mixture. Stir the mixture before using. Spoon mixture over salad greens. Makes approximately 2 1/3 cups dressing.



Mocha Roll
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup packaged pancake mix
Confectioner's sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
1 4 1/2 ounce package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder [I left this out]
Sifted confectioners' sugar
Shaved chocolate

Place eggs and salt in blender container; blend till frothy. Add sugar and vanilla; blend till smooth and thick. Add pancake mix; blend to combine. Spread in greased and floured 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 1-inch pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. Loosen sides; turn out onto towel dusted with confectioners' sugar. Starting at narrow end, roll cake and towel; cool.

Place milk; instant chocolate pudding mix, and coffee powder in blender container; blend till ingredients are thoroughly combined.

Unroll cooled cake; spread with mocha filling. Reroll and chill. At serving time sprinkle with sifted confectioners' sugar and top with shaved chocolate. Makes 10 servings.

Verdict:

Pot Roast Stroganoff: Fine. It was nice and tender, and the sauce was fine. Not great, but within the bounds of reason.

Confetti Dressing: Sort of watery and bland. It is canola oil, white vinegar, and some bits, really. I suppose it looks kind of festive. The name leads one to expect more joy and celebration, though. It is the 70's, so maybe this would be better with a high degree of inebriation. There IS a cocktails section of the book. Anyone want a go? Only one of them has sauerkraut juice!

Mocha Roll: I was most skeptical of this one. Pancake mix and instant pudding? Really? I like pancakes and pudding, so I figured it couldn't be too bad. And it wasn't. It was really tasty. Nice and smooth and filled with pudding. Pudding! I didn't have any chocolate to shave, but I found some chocolate covered raisins in the back of the cupboard and proclaimed it Good Enough. Four of us polished off the whole thing in short order. It was actually better than a lot of real cake rolls I've had, not counting my sister's pumpkin cake roll with cream cheese filling. All of us would eat it again, and one person said that lemon pudding would be fantastic in it. Ooh, maybe with a raspberry sauce over the top...

I will confess though, I did not make the pudding in the blender. Why would I, when I have this?




15 comments:

Kathleen said...

So if you didn't add the coffee powder, it isn't really a mocha roll, right? It's a chocolate pancake roll? I like your vintage pudding shaker dealio.

Kathleen said...

More importantly.
Did you use your blender that allows you to Rule The Kitchen?

Jana said...

Yes. Now your task is to think of a fancier name than Chocolate Pancake Roll. Maybe something Frenchy. That usually works.

Sadly, no Ninja blender was available on this occasion. Which is a pity, because I'm pretty sure it'd make everything 50x more awesome.

Nonna said...

Now you have me hungry except for the dressing...too chunky for me but the meal as a whole looks great. I may have to try the pancake roll with the grandkids sometime...they love making off the rails stuff in the kitchen. ( maybe vanilla with food coloring thrown in, maybe a Rainbow Pancake Roll !!!

I haven't seen one of those pudding shakers in years...pretty cool !

Jana said...

Please do. They would probably love it, if they are anything like the pancake- and pudding-loving kids I know.

Linda said...

You had me nervous for a moment.........I thought you were going to put the roast in the blender.

Jana said...

Not THIS day. On another day, a less fortunate day, who can say?

Lisa said...

I'm laughing because I had the same idea (fear) as Linda :D

Jackie said...

Skeptical of pudding and pancakes is something I would not have been. I mean, they're my two favorite breakfast foods!

Kathleen said...

My vote for a rename would be, Chocolate Breakfast Roll. (or Lemon Breakfast Roll)

I feel this would make people eat it for breakfast which is an appropriate thing to do with pancakes.

Jana said...

Plus, you can eat a cake roll for breakfast with no guilt! Genius.

Glenda in Co said...

Does that blender cookbook have a muffin recipe? I used to have one and then must have given it away (unbelievable) and it had a great coconut/carrot/??? breakfast muffin recipe that I have been trying to find now for YEARS!

Thanks so much for your posts, thoroughly enjoy your site.

Jana said...

Well, it has got a carrot muffin recipe! No coconut, though.

1 3/4 c flour
2 1/2 t baking powder
1 t salt
2/3 c milk
1/3 c salad oil
1 egg
1/4 c sugar
2 medium carrots, slices

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together in mixing bowl, set aside. Place milk, oil, egg, sugar, and carrots in blender container, blend until carrots are very finely chopped. Pour carrot mixture over dry ingredients. Mix just enough to moisten dry ingredients. Spoon mixture into greased muffin pans, filling 2/3 full. Bake in a 425 degree oven for about 25 minutes. Makes 8 to 10 muffins.

"the delicate fresh carrot flavor nd golden hue give these muffins special appeal"

The Mad Gamer said...

I actually came up with that same blender cleaning thought around 20 odd years ago when my parents made me clean up after dinner. If necessity is the mother Of invention, then laziness is the father.

Jana said...

Most excellent.