This is me on the left, and one of my oldest and dearest friends, circa 1970, in our hometown in Ohio...toothless wonders in 2nd grade, I believe. We now live miles apart, but we still talk for hours about everything and nothing at all...about boys, men, kids, movies, songs, all things 70's, and of course FOOD!....the Hot Dog Shoppe, our mothers' recipes, our love of Suzy Q's & Oreos which we used to eat for breakfast (seriously there's nothing better), frosted raspberry pop-tarts...I could go on and on. I hope everyone has a friend like her. We talked yesterday, and she had recently made the Strawberry Pretzel Dessert below, which is the inspiration for today's post.
But for dinner today, I will be using my slow cooker to make a good old fashioned pot roast. I still have the tattered recipe book that came with my mom's slow cooker she bought in the 70's. She didn't use it much, and somehow I ended up with it after I got married. That thing was a pain, because the crock was not removable, but some of my first meals were made with it. I cherish that tattered leaflet, although most of the recipes seem a bit outdated. It was very sexist, even though most women worked at that time...Magic Meatloaf..."it cooks while you loaf", and my favorite, One Pot Dinner..."makes a big hit, especially with the men!"
This recipe isn't in the leaflet, but it's one everyone knows. I've been making it so long I don't know where it came from. I just know everyone used cream of mushroom soup and dried onion soup in the 70's, and most people still use these products today. If I were cooking this for people who appreciate them, I would use mushrooms also, but my kids have yet to acquire a mushroom taste, so I will spare them for a few more years.
The cast of characters.
Geez, look at the size of these potatoes! Yikes! Bought these and the roast at the warehouse club...everything comes in extra large!
Slow Cooker Pot Roast
1 3-4 pound beef roast, any cut
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 packet dried onion soup mix
1 1/2 cups water
1 onion sliced
1 small bag baby carrots
4-6 potatoes, peeled and quartered
salt & pepper
Brown roast with a small amount of oil in a skillet, season with salt and pepper.
Add 1 can of cream of mushroom soup to the bottom of a large slow cooker.
Place the browned roast in the slow cooker.
Place the onion, carrots, and potatoes around the roast.
Mix the second can of cream of mushroom soup and the dried onion soup with the 1 1/2 cups water.
Pour over the top of the roast and veggies.
Cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4. My roast was large ( over 4 lbs, so I cooked it on high for 6 hours, then for 2 hours on low).
My friend said this next recipe is a refreshing treat on a cold winter's day. I remember it well from picnics and pot lucks in the 70's and 80's, mostly in the summertime, though. To my surprise I had all the ingredients in my pantry, so I whipped it up last night. It does taste better in the winter!
Strawberry Pretzel Dessert
2 cups crushed pretzels
1 stick butter, melted
1 TBSP sugar
Mix together, and place in a 9 x 13 pan
In a large mixer bowl, whip 1 8oz. package cream cheese with 2 cups powdered sugar.
Add 2 cups mini marshmallows, and 1 8 oz. container frozen whipped topping, thawed.
Mix together, pour over crust, and chill.
Dissolve 2 3oz. boxes of strawberry gelatin with 2 cups boiling water. Add 1 16 oz. container of frozen, sweetened, sliced strawberries. Pour this mixture over the chilled crust. Chill the whole thing for at least 2 hours, so gelatin will set.
A variation with raspberry gelatin and frozen raspberries would be scrumptious too! I also think this will be a new addition to my Holiday table, so pretty and festive...I love all things red this time of year.
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