The Menu (June 21, 2010):
Ada's Chuck Roast- pg 67
Squash Casserole- pg 110
Biscuits
Cantaloupe
Frozen Caramel Crunch- pg 132
This night we had Jake, Julie, Brad and Connor over for dinner. I was excited for this meal. First of all because it was the first time we had "the crew" over for dinner. Secondly, because we had just gotten our dinning room chairs back from being recovered. Thirdly, it was the first meal we served to guests sitting at the dining room table! I decided I wanted to try the pot roast my mom always makes, it serves plenty, plus it's delicious! I told my mom I was going to attempt the roast and her response was, "That is one recipe I would not try for the first time when I was having guests over." Small problem, I had already bought the meat and it would have gone bad if I didn't cook it. So, my mom offered to come over and help get it started. She came over around 11:30, brought lunch and then we started the roast. I did all of the steps on my own, she just gave me a few pointers and some guidance throughout the preparation steps. I realized after we finished preparing the roast to cook for 4-6 hours, it really wasn't that difficult. That was definitely due to the fact that Mom was there to walk me through the steps, but I am encouraged to know that next time I cook roast I will know exactly what to do. I never knew who Ada was, but I definitely knew I liked her because her roast is delicious! Mom taught me today that she was my great grandmother's (Bubba) maid, pretty much part of the McDade family (my grandmother's side), and also a great cook! Knowing that this recipe is old, tried and true and passed down from our family made it even more special to try. Although it is a little tricky to prepare for the first time, once you do it the first time it really isn't very difficult. I was very pleased with the way it turned out! The meat fell right apart, no need for a knife, and the potatoes and carrots in it were soft but not so soft they fell apart before you could put them on your fork. Everyone seemed to enjoy it!
The squash casserole is my aunt, Louise Hunt's, recipe. I absolutely love squash, so I was very excited about this recipe! Although, when I told Daniel about it, he informed me that he didn't really like squash, and he didn't think Brad or Jake did either. But, again, I had already bought the squash and needed to go ahead and use it before it went bad. So, I decided to go ahead and make it anyways since there was enough of other things to keep them full if they didn't want squash. Boy am I glad I did make it! It was absolutely delicious! I found out during dinner that Julie love's squash too, I was glad to hear someone would enjoy it! Daniel and Jake both humored me though, and tried at least a little bite. Jake said it was good (although he may have just said that to be polite, but I appreciated his attempt to like it, haha) and Daniel liked it so much he even got seconds! This recipe is very easy as well, except for the directions are not very specific. There are very few measurements given, normally not a problem, I'm sure, for experienced and good cooks like Louise, but not so much for a beginner like me! So, I decided to call my aunt and ask for more specifics. She was great help, and even ended up coming over later that day and gave her approval of a well prepared recipe! So, for those of you who need specifics, I wrote them down, and hope this helps those beginners out there like me:
8 oz grated cheddar cheese
2 tbsp butter
couple of shakes of seasoned salt
2-3 tbsp worcestershire (I used 3, I really like worcestershire)
couple of shakes of tabasco
couple of shakes of black pepper
The frozen caramel crunch is a recipe from Janet Gossum. Janet is a family friend of my parents from Fulton and she and her husband helped host a wonderful party for Daniel and me at my great-grandmother's old house in Fulton. This recipe was SO good, and made lots, which means plenty extra to enjoy for the rest of the week! Keep in mind with this recipe though, that you have to prepare it the night before or earlier in the day so it can have time to freeze. I went to my grandmother's (Annie) the next day for lunch and took this for desert, as well as enjoying it every night for desert for the rest of the week.
Thank you Ada, Louise and Janet for wonderful recipes!! Also, thank you to Allison and Denise Hinson who gave me the pot that I used to cook the roast, Mrs. Patricia and Mr. Carl Gruenewald who gave me the sauce boat, stand and ladle I used to serve the gravy and Mom for helping me cook roast for the first time! Also, a huge thank you to Mrs. Patsy, Daniel's mom, who gave me the teaspoon/tablespoon measuring cups! I realized the week before when I began cooking that I did not have these, so I had been attempting to measure using a spoon. We were in Brownsville this past weekend and I mentioned this to her. Mrs. Patsy said she had extras and kindly gave them to me. Needless to say, this meal was prepared much easier with actual measuring cups!!
First meal with guests at our dinning room table = success!!
Happy Cooking!
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