ONION-MUSHROOM CHUCK ROAST

This is a recipe from my childhood in Southern Indiana during the 1950s.

3 lb chuck roast
salt and pepper to taste
1 pkg dry onion soup mix
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced

Sprinkle the chuck roast with salt and pepper to suit your taste. Rub the dry onion soup mix onto the top of the roast and top with the sliced mushrooms. Wrap the roast in foil, seal, and put into a 350 degree oven. Bake for 2 hours.

BUFFET CARROT CASSEROLE

12 carrots, cleaned and sliced diagonally
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter
1/4 tsp tsp dry mustard
1/8 tsp celery salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 lb sliced American cheese
3 cups bread crumbs
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp salt
2 cups milk

In a large saucepan or large deep skillet, melt the butter, add the onion and cook until transparent. Stir in the flour, salt, and mustard. Slowly stir in the milk while stirring constantly. Cook until smooth. Add the celery salt and pepper. Stir in the sliced carrots. Grease a baking dish and make alternate layers of the carrots and the cheese. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top of the casserole. Bake in a 350 degree oven until until the crumbs are browned, about 25 minutes.

Note: File Photo

CHOCOLATE MINT DRINK

This is an old recipe from my childhood.

1 cup hot milk
1/2 cup chocolate malt powder
3 cups cold milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp peppermint extract
1 pint vanilla ice cream

Combine the hot milk and the chocolate malt powder, stirring until the malt powder is completely dissolved. Add the cold milk, vanilla, salt, and peppermint extract; refrigerate to chill. Before serving, add a pint of vanilla ice cream and stir until frothy. Great refreshment on a hot day!

VERGIE'S MOM'S FRIED CHICKEN

This is another old "church" recipe from the old "Dinner on the Grounds" days.

1 fryer (about 2 1/2 to 3 lbs), cut up
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup fine bread crumbs
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp dried sage
buttery shortening for frying

Combine the flour, bread crumbs, salt and pepper in a paper or plastic bag. Dip the chicken pieces into the beaten eggs and then place in the bag of flour mixture. Shake to coat well (only do a couple of pieces at a time). Heat the shortening in a big, heavy skillet (cast iron is best) until a drop of water sizzles in the hot oil. Place the chicken pieces in the hot oil and sprinkle with the sage. Brown on both sides (about 15 to 20 minutes). Reduce the heat and cover tightly. Cook until tender; about 30 minutes. Remove lid the last 10 minutes to allow chicken to crisp up.

CANNING OR FREEZING RESULTS

In our latest survey, those of you who preserve your own fruits and vegetables are evenly divided between the preferred method of canning and freezing.

JIFFY BLACK WALNUT CAKE

This is a very old recipe from a little town in Missouri. My uncle married a gal from Missouri when he was stationed at Ft. Leonard Wood during the Korean War. She brought a lot of her family's recipes to our family.

2 cups sugar
2 sticks butter, softened
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
5 large eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup black walnut halves
1 tsp lemon extract
1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl and beat at high speed of an electric mixer for 5 minutes. Pour the batter into a well-greased tube pan (10-inch size) and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

PRESERVING FRUITS AND VEGETABLE POLL RESULTS

On our pole asking if you preserve fruits and vegetables found our readers to be evenly split. 50% said no while 50% said yes. Of the "yeses" all of you preserve vegetables from your own gardens.

BREAD AND BUTTER PICKLES WITH BELL PEPPERS

As a child in Southern Indiana, we had big gardens and grew lots of cucumbers, peppers, and other vegetables. We canned them and ate them all through the winter. This is one of our canning recipes.

4 qts sliced cucumbers
6 medium onions, diced
3 garlic cloves
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 cups white vinegar
5 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp mustard seed
1 1/2 tsp celery seed

Put the cucumbers, onions, garlic, and bell peppers in a large pan or bowl and cover with ice. Let stand for three hours. Drain all the water from the vegetables and pack the vegetables into hot, sterilized quart or pint jars, leaving room for the liquid.

In a large saucepan, combine the vinegar, sugar, turmeric, mustard seed, and celery seed. Bring the mixture to a boil. Pour the mixture over the vegetables leaving some air space at the top of each jar. Seal with hot steriled lids.

Before storing check to be sure jars have sealed. Top should have a slight indention and as the jars cool that should have made popping sounds. Any jars that haven't sealed should be refrigerated and used first.