Mark Sohn, in his book, Hearty Country Cooking, says: “To ‘pot-roast’ is to braise. Using several cups of liquid and a covered pot, I steam a poor cut of beef slowly until it is tender. The moist heat inside the closed pot will draw out every drop of natural juice. I solve the problem of a dry roast by slicing the roast thinly and across the grain and then moistening it with gravy. In addition to the potatoes, carrots, and onions that I use in this recipe, consider adding cabbage, tomatoes, turnips, sweet potatoes, and celery. For flavor, add whole cloves of garlic, ground cinnamon, leftover coffee, green peppers, and hot banana peppers.” Mark calls the recipe “lazy day” pot roast because you may do half of the work the first day. But he adds, when rating the recipe as easy, moderate, or difficult, “No doubt, however, I also think this recipe is rather difficult.” 

Adeline Bronson’s recipe for Chicken and Yellow Rice comes from the publication “What’s Cookin’ in Apopka?” compiled by The Apopka Woman’s Club and copyrighted 1964. With maybe a salad or vegetable on the side, this recipe looks like a main-dish meal! 

From FoodNetwork.com, we have Roasted Potato Wedges from Eddie Jackson. They received a 5-star rating! For potato lovers (such as yours truly), this looks like a wonderful treat for any meal! 

How about a Crustless Spinach Quiche? It looks pretty good. You can freeze it and reheat it without thawing! We thank Mary Akerman Barnes for this recipe that we found in Treasures and Pleasures cookbook. 

We have a recipe for Apple Crisp that looks simple and delicious from Bettyann (Morris) Vakauza from a compilation of memories titled, THE JONES-MORRIS FAMILY TREASURY. Bettyann was the sister of our dear friend Susan who retired several years ago after many years of being an employee of The Apopka Chief newspaper. Susan tells me, ”I love being retired and all that goes with it.” I think of Susan fondly though, and I miss her. 

POT ROAST (LAZY DAY POT ROAST) 
From: Mark F. Sohn’s Hearty Country Cooking 

One 5-pound rolled and tied bottom round or chuck roast 
2-1/2 cups beef broth 
10 large carrots, peeled 
10 medium potatoes, peeled 
4 medium onions, peeled 
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 
1 cup sour cream 

Yield: 10 servings 

1) Preheat the oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the roast in a very large roasting pot. Add the broth, cover, and bake for 4 to 7 hours. Add the carrots, potatoes, and onions, cover, and bake another 1-1/2 hours. 2) Separate the vegetables, roast, and stock. Cool and refrigerate. 3) The next day, or when the roast is cold, make the brown gravy. Remove and discard the fat from the stock. Pour the broth into a measuring cup, and, if needed, add water to make 3 cups. 4) In a small bowl, make a cold roux by moistening the flour with broth, adding 1 tablespoon of broth at a time. Do not add more broth until the flour is smooth. Continue adding cold broth to the flour until it is as thin as tomato juice. 5) Add this back into the broth, and pour into a saucepan. Boil for 1 minute, and remove from the heat. 6) Stir in the sour cream. 7) Lay the chilled roast on a cutting board, and slice it across the grain, about 1/4-inch thick. 8) Cut the potatoes in half and the carrots into thirds. 9) Arrange on a platter, top with half of the gravy, and reheat, covered in the microwave or a warm oven. Reheat the remaining gravy, and serve. Healthy choice alternative: Omit the sour cream. Note: This is a meal in one pot. Serve on a platter and offer rolls, real butter, and a green salad. For a big group, add green beans and corn bread. 

ADELINE BRONSON’S CHICKEN AND YELLOW RICE 
WHAT’S COOKIN’? IN APOPKA, FLORIDA 
THE APOPKA WOMAN’S CLUB 

2 chicken fryers, halved 
1/2 cup olive oil 
2 cups chopped onion 
1 green pepper, cut up 
2 cloves garlic 
2-1/2 cups rice 
2 cups canned tomatoes 
5 cups hot water 
2 bay leaves 
1/2 teaspoon saffron 
1 cup green peas 
2 teaspoons salt 
1/4 teaspoon pepper 

Brown chicken in olive oil. Remove to casserole. Brown onions, green pepper and garlic for about 5 minutes. Add to chicken in casserole along with all remaining ingredients. Cover and bake in 400-degree oven for 1 hour. 

EDDIE JACKSON’S ROASTED POTATO WEDGES 
RECIPE COURTESY OF FOODNETWORK.COM 

2 large russet potatoes 
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter  
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley  
1 clove garlic, finely minced 
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 

1) Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or use a nonstick baking sheet). 2) Cut the potatoes into 8 wedges and arrange on the prepared baking sheet. 3) Melt the butter over low heat, add the parsley and garlic and give the mixture a quick whisk. 4) Brush the butter mixture over all sides of the potato wedges. Reserve the remaining butter mixture for serving time. 5) Season all sides of the potato wedges with salt and pepper. 6) Bake until the potatoes are golden brown and easily pricked with a fork, 40 to 50 minutes. 7) About halfway through the cooking time, be sure to flip the potatoes over. 8) Drizzle the remaining butter mixture over the cooked potatoes and serve. 

MARY AKERMAN BARNES’ CRUSTLESS SPINACH QUICHE 
Treasures and Pleasures, 1990 Presbyterian Women  
First Presbyterian Church, Apopka 

10-ounce pkg frozen chopped spinach 
1 pound shredded Cheddar cheese 
1/2 cup chopped onion 
1 cup flour 
1 teaspoon salt 
1 teaspoon baking powder 
2 eggs, beaten 
1 cup milk 
1/4 cup melted butter 

Cook spinach and drain well, squeezing out excess water. Combine with the cheese and onion. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, saltand baking powder. Add eggs, milk, and butter. Mix well. Add spinach and cheese mixture. Pour into lightly greased 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Let cool slightly; then cut into 1-inch squares. Can be frozen and reheated (without thawing) at 300 degrees for 15 minutes. Yield: 12 squares. 

BETTYANN MORRIS VAKAUZA’S APPLE CRISP 
Recipe from THE JONES-MORRIS FAMILY TREASURY 

4 cups apples, peeled and sliced 
1 tablespoon lemon juice 
2/3 cup flour 
2 cups oats 
1 cup brown sugar 
1 teaspoon salt 
2/3 cup melted butter 

Sprinkle lemon juice over the sliced apples. MIx the next five ingredients together and spread over apples. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. This apple crisp can be served as breakfast.