Below the recipe updates is the comment to The Haven of Home post.
Yesterday I posted an untried recipe, and Aunt Amelia commented with a recipe. I made both. They were wonderful! THANK YOU :)
Here they are again with some editing/comments:
(See yesterday's post for source) Slap a hunk of beef in the slow cooker (I think I had a 3lb rump roast), sprinkle on some Italian dressing mix (the powder stuff)* and then add 12oz of beer. Cook on low for 10ish hours. We ate it with some of the jus and I'm gonna make burritos and something else with what's left over!! * The powder stuff - I used Good Seasons brand. Ingredients are in this order are: sugar, salt, sodium citrate, garlic, onion, spice, red bell peppers, carrots, monosodium glutamate, xanthan gum, green onion, guar gum, natural flavor, apocarotenal. Do we really need all that extra "stuff"? Next time I'll make my own.
Because I had a large chunk of beef it wouldn't fit (as it was cut) in the 2.5 quart Crockpot, so I used the 4 quart slow cooker. Well, after 10 hours, the roast was still hard as a rock. It had now shrunk in size, so I transferred it to the 2.5 quart Crockpot and turned it on high. It took another 1-1/2 hours, but it finally got done. It was so tender and tasty.
What I should have done: I should have used twice the amount of liquid (to cover most of the meat) and started the roast on high and then turned it to low to simmer, OR I should have cut the roast in half and put it in the Crockpot. The Slow cooker evidently doesn't get as hot as the Crockpot?What I could have done: added onions, potatoes, carrots, celery.
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Aunt Amelia's recipe for beer bread - with my editing:
It's a very quick bread with only 3 ingredients... 3 cups of self-rising flour (or 3 cups all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon baking powder) , 3 teas. sugar and 1 can of beer. Stir just until mixed. Put in greased loaf pan in oven at 350 for 1 hour. :-) It is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. My bread was done at 50 minutes, so be sure to check (carefully - you don't want it to fall if it isn't done!). ****
Roxanne at
The Haven of Home posted about
Sunday dinners. It sure brought back memories.
Here is my comment:
Our Sunday dinner was usually between 2:30 and 4:00, depending on what time Grandpa had to go to work Sunday night. There was always company, or we ate someone else's house.
Sunday (dinner) prep actually started during the week.
Sunday dishes and "silverware" were used every week, so they were already clean. (Unless there was lots and lots of company, we only used the real silver and china on holidays so then it all had to be washed and polished.)
Table cloth or cloths would have already been "spotted", washed, and ironed.
Any yard work done. When I got to be about 11, I had to do this on top of cleaning the house, sewing, ironing, baking, etc. (I think that is why I'm so lazy now. I worked my butt - excuse me - off when I was young.)
Church clothes would have been prepared during the week, too, but there still seemed to be some minor disaster on Sunday morning. LOL
The older children helped fetch and carry, watch younger children, sweep front steps and sidewalk, hang up guests' coats, etc. Young children helped by picking up toys and fetching and carrying, too.
Saturday:
-Saturday morning clean house from top to bottom - except kitchen.
-Wash sheets and remake beds.
-Bathrooms - check toilet paper supply, check hand soap supply, clean whole room thoroughly, wash combs and brushes.
-Saturday, after housework was done, bake cookies, cakes, pie, breads, and make any other desserts (except pudding or cream pies - unless going to be eaten on Sunday) for the whole week.
-Saturday afternoon or evening make Jello salads or other for Sunday.
-Saturday morning or afternoon squeeze in the week's grocery shopping.
-Saturday afternoon or evening clean kitchen. Mop and wax floors. (After baking and the groceries were put away.)
-Saturday evening while preparing supper cut up the chicken (if necessary). (It was almost always fried chicken until I was 14!)
-Clean, polish and buff all shoes
-After baths Saturday night: scrub tub again, wipe up floor again, put out all clean towels.
(We did all this and still had some time to play. How did we do it???? Wellllll, we were limited to 1 hour of TV per day and this was only if parents allowed it.)
Sunday after church: have big breakfast and clean up, read paper (adults) (I usually had homework to do), then start dinner preparations.
Someone would coat the chicken - a child usually did this.
Put chicken in skillet.
Someone else would be peeling potatoes. Sometimes this was done ahead and the potatoes kept in ice water. These would be put on to boil.
Someone would peel carrots, cut celery sticks - sometimes this was done on Saturday.
Someone else would be setting the table. (This could be done ahead if there aren't pets in the house. We usually did it while the meal is cooking.) This included any condiments, butter, jellies, pickles (served in dishes not jars), salt and pepper. Napkins were folded and placed under the forks. Young children would help with this.
Put bread in to warm. OR, mix up biscuits and get them in to bake.
Put vegetable(s) on to cook. (These were cooked forever. I think it went back to the time when people had to worry about botulism.)
Make coffee.
Check potatoes. Drain if done. Mash if that is what you want.
Last minute: (This is where older children really come in handy. lol)
set out salads and/or relish tray
make gravy (when meat was done)
dish up
take food to table
pour drinks (never alcoholic)
Rules at our house (which my dad and brothers have completely forgotten):
No one started eating until everyone was seated
Everything was passed around the table (with exception of something very hot and/ or very heavy)
No clearing of the table until everyone was finished eating. We sat and visited while everyone finished snacking on olives, carrot sticks, that last dinner roll, etc.
Table was cleared except glasses/coffee cups (We never had enough to clear those and set out clean ones.) Children helped or older children did it all.
Depending on schedules dessert was served immediately or later.
No matter what, another pot of coffee was started. lol
If dessert was to be served immediately, we did that then cleaned the kitchen afterward.
If dessert was served later, the food was put away and dishes started.
It was a lot of work, and I was always exhausted on Sunday evening. If we ate again, it was something very light and simple. The dishes were always done, again. The kitchen and dining room floors were swept no matter what and mopped if necessary. Then I had to do homework. (I had tons of it!)
But, I remember those days as being filled with family and friends, lots of laughter, visiting, and over-hearing things we young people were probably not supposed to hear. :)
