How I brought the 50's into 2011

Remember pot roast with dry onion soup mix and a can of mushroom soup concentrate? Well, I do and made the original about a year ago. You probably could find my post by searching for "50's-style".

Last night I brought it into the modern world. A large sliced onion tossed with onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper took care of the onion side of things. A thick mushroom gravy with a variety of flavorings I could find in my host's kitchen gave it good flavor.

Then it was just a matter of assembly - layer of onions, seasoned chuck roast, more onions, mushroom gravy, finally enough chicken stock to come halfway up the sides of the meat. 3 1/2 hours in a 300 degree oven brought it to perfection - you didn't need a knife to cut it! The final flavor was distinctly like the original. And what fun it was to dream this up.

Cooking in someone else's kitchen with an eclectic collection of cooking pots and utensils (and nary a sharp knife among them) was a challenge. But if you can get the stuff together and onto the heat, miracles can happen.

My camera is in a moving container (POD) awaiting our move to an apartment - very soon we hope. In the meantime I just needed an excuse to get back to the blog. I look at all of yours daily. It helps me maintain a sense of normalcy in a non-normal period of my life.

"See" you again soon.