A Recipe Revival

Not too long ago, I read an online article about seven forgotten dishes that should be brought back to life.  Over the years, I've written about three of these dishes.

Meat Loaf:  The Sweet and Sour Meat Loaf recipe I shared in 2014 is a twist on the classic.  It's not your grandmother's meat loaf!

Salisbury Steak:  A fancy name for a humble hamburger patty.  The version I wrote about three years ago calls for the sauce to be baked with the meat.  Mix, shape, bake and serve.

Tuna Noodle Casserole:  I shared this classic six years ago.  Unlike the recipe from years gone by, this one is cooked in the microwave, except for the pasta.

Click here to see the rest of the list and rediscover a dish or two you might have forgotten about.

© Margaret's Morsels

Cook it Slow

January is cold; a month to make and break resolutions; the month bills from Christmas start arriving.  It's also National Slow Cooking Month, something I'm slow writing about this year!

I love cooking with a slow cooker -- or what my family refers to by the trademark name -- crock-pot.  I use a crock-pot for appetizers, chili, sauces, stews, entrees, entire meals and even a sandwich.  Some of the recipes were specifically for the crock-pot but others, like the one I'm sharing today, I adapted from the oven to the crock-pot.

My husband loved eating at my mother's house.  One of the entrees she cooked that he really enjoyed was round steak smothered with onions, tomatoes and seasonings and baked a couple of hours until tender.  That entree -- Swiss Steak -- was never one of my favorites.  My mother used a lot more tomatoes and onions than I liked, plus she only added water to the ingredients which made for a flavorless gravy.  Shortly after we got married, my husband asked if I would make Swiss Steak for supper sometime.  I told him I would, but I'd need to find a recipe first.

I don't remember where I found it, but my husband deemed the first Swiss Steak recipe I tried a keeper and I've been cooking it ever since.  The recipe was actually very similar to my mother's recipe.  The round steak was pounded, coated with flour and browned in a skillet, but it used fewer tomatoes and onions and, instead of water, a jar of beef gravy.  For years, I cooked it in the oven but, on a particularly hectic day, discovered it was equally delicious cooked in a crock-pot.

One day in the late 1990s, I realized I had a late afternoon appointment the same day I'd planned to cook Swiss Steak for supper.  The meat had been thawing in the refrigerator for two days so it had to be cooked that day.  I could fix the Swiss Steak according to the recipe which would make for a very late supper, or I could try cooking it in the crock-pot.  Suppertime is always a stressful time of day for me even under the best of circumstances, so I opted for the latter.

Since crock-pot cooking is different from cooking in an oven, I had to make a few changes to the recipe.

• I don't pound the meat because low and slow cooking in the crock-pot tenderizes even the toughest cut of meat.

• The first couple of years, I skipped browning the meat because I'd read it was an unnecessary step in crock-pot cooking.  One day, on a whim, I decided to see what would happen if I browned the meat first.  I don't think browning the meat improved the flavor, but I think it made the finished product prettier.  If I have time to brown the meat, I do; if not, I don't.  It's delicious either way.

• When I cook Swiss Steak in the oven, my baking pan is big enough to hold the ingredients in one layer.  Due to the size and shape of my crock-pot, I have to layer the ingredients.  To compensate for that, I put some tomatoes, onions and gravy over each layer, instead of putting everything on the top layer.

Two layers of ingredients.

Layered and ready to cook.

Cooking Swiss Steak in the crock-pot takes longer, but it makes suppertime so much easier for me.  All that's left for me to do is fix a couple of sides -- baked potatoes and steamed broccoli in the winter and fresh corn-on-the-cob and a salad in the summer -- and supper is ready.

January might be National Slow Cooking Month, but crock-pots are wonderful to use all year long.  After all, what's better than coming home to a hot cooked meal any month of the year?

Swiss Steak

4 to 6 Servings

1 (2 lb.) round steak, cut into 8 pieces

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/4 cup vegetable oil*

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 (14 1/2 oz.) can diced tomatoes

1 (12 oz.) jar beef gravy

Mix flour, salt and pepper in a large resealable plastic bag.  Add meat, two pieces at a time, tossing to coat thoroughly.  Heat oil in a large skillet.  Add meat and cook one minute; turn meat over and cook the other side for one minute.  Put a layer of meat in the crock-pot; put some onion, tomatoes and gravy over meat.  Continue layering until all ingredients are used, ending with gravy.  Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.  

*If you don't brown the meat first, omit the oil and proceed as directed.

© Margaret's Morsels 

Spotlight on Summer: Won't Heat up the Kitchen

The last two weeks, I've shared recipes that were cool and creamy, picnic fare and quick cooking.  For the series finale, I'm sharing recipes that won't heat up the kitchen.  Click the words in bold to go to the page with the recipe.

Grilled Peppered Steak:  This is my favorite way to cook steak and the only recipe I have that's cooked on the grill.  The steak is seasoned with a dry rub before grilling.  The dry rub infuses the meat with flavor which intensifies during cooking.      

Barbecue Chicken:  This recipe takes five hours to cook, but it won't heat up the kitchen. The secret is to cook the chicken and barbecue sauce in the crock-pot.

Chicken a la King:  This crock-pot version takes longer to cook, but it's still easier than the traditional recipe.  The chicken and peas don't have to be cooked; the onion, celery and green pepper don't have to be sauteed; the sauce doesn't have to be cooked and thickened.  If you want to serve it with rice, you'll need to cook it separately, but that doesn't take long and won't heat up the kitchen.

French Dip Sandwiches:  This crock-pot recipe takes all day to cook, but it's worth the wait!  An advantage to crock-pot cooking is you can use cheaper cuts of meat; they'll get tender during the cooking process.

Coleslaw:  Coleslaw is a great warm weather side since it's served cold.  If you want to save time, forget about grating the cabbage and use a package of coleslaw mix instead.

Pickled Beets:  This recipe only uses three ingredients and, since it starts with a can of sliced beets, you don't have to cook or peel beets.  You do have to turn on the stove, but just long enough to dissolve sugar in the vinegar.  The beets are a great summer dish because they're served cold straight from the fridge.

Corn-on-the-Cob:  There's no vegetable I look forward to in the summer more than corn!  My mom always cooked fresh corn in a pot of boiling water, but I cook it in the microwave.  Not only is it quicker, the corn retains more flavor than when boiled in a pot of water.  

Microwave Brownies:  These brownies are great when you want something sweet, but don't want to heat up or spend a lot of time in the kitchen.  The brownies can be cooked and cooled in less time than it takes to make something from a mix!

© Margaret's Morsels

Grilled to Perfection

Every spring when gas grills start appearing in stores, my husband and I discuss whether or not we should buy one.  We know, thanks to friends with gas grills, how good food is when cooked outdoors.  However, neither one of us grew up in families that grilled so we're not sure we'd use a grill enough to justify the expense.


Although we don't own a gas grill, we do have a George Foreman electric countertop grill.  Unlike a gas grill, it has a slope so fat drains from the food.  It's also a contact grill so food cooks on the top and bottom at the same time, eliminating the need to turn food over.

My George Foreman grill.

One of my favorite recipes to grill is Grilled Peppered Steaks.  Although I cook it on my George Foreman grill, it can be cooked on a gas or charcoal grill.


When it comes to grilling steaks, choose ones that are 1 to 1 1/2-inches thick.  Thinner steaks can dry out during the grilling time.  Four steaks that are good for grilling are:

• Rib-eye:  A rib steak with the bone removed that's tender, juicy and flavorful.

• T-Bone:  This tender steak, named for its shape, has a T shaped bone with meat on each side.  The larger side is strip steak; the smaller side is tenderloin.

• Porterhouse:  A huge T-bone, except it has a larger tenderloin. It is one of the most expensive steaks.

• New York Strip:  A tender and flavorful cut of meat known in some parts of the country as strip loin, shell steak or Kansas City steak.

I always use New York strip steak.

Remove the steaks from the refrigerator 30 to 60 minutes before you're ready to cook.  Room temperature meat cooks more evenly and browns better than cold meat.  While the meat is coming to room temperature, combine the ingredients for the dry rub.

A dry rub is a combination of spices, seasonings and herbs that is put on the meat before it's cooked.  The rub infuses the meat with flavor which intensifies during cooking.  The rub for this recipe consists of three ingredients:  onion salt, garlic salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Don't substitute preground pepper; freshly ground pepper adds a lot more flavor.

If you don't have a peppermill, you can still use freshly ground pepper.  Put the peppercorns on a cutting board and crush them using the edge of a skillet.  Or, use a mortar and pestle to crush the peppercorns.

My husband crushing the peppercorns with a skillet.

Thoroughly coat the steaks, including any meat on the ends and sides, with the rub.

The dry rub on the steaks.

Place the steaks on the grill and cook, turning once on a gas or charcoal grill, until they reach the desired doneness.  Medium-rare has a very pink center and is slightly brown toward the exterior.  Medium has a center that is light pink and the outer portion is brown.  Medium-well has meat that is light pink surrounding the center.  Well done is uniformly brown throughout.

Every fall when gas grills go on clearance, my husband and I discuss whether or not to buy one while they're on sale.  We always decide it's too late in the year to be of much use and agree to discuss it again in the spring.  Until we buy one, I'll continue to use my George Foreman grill.  I can use it in the comfort of an air conditioned house and don't have to worry about rain or bugs.  Given the comforts of grilling indoors, it makes me wonder why we want a gas grill in the first place!

Grilled Peppered Steaks

2 Servings

1 1/2 to 2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. onion salt

1 tsp. garlic salt

2 (1/2 lb.) steaks

Combine the first 3 ingredients in a small bowl.  Rub onto both sides of the steaks, including meat on the ends and sides.  Grill covered until meat reaches the desired doneness.

If the steaks are larger than 1/2 pound, make 1 1/2 batches of the rub (I double it).

© Margaret's Morsels