Novel Uses for America's Favorite Meats

This is volume 8 of the Good Housekeeping 1958 series. On this one, a 39 cents sticker is still on the front. There is no logic to this series, which I assume was mailed one a month or something like this. Before this is a dessert one, a few later than this ice cream and drinks. That is hard for me to follow as a librarian. At least I keep them in numerical order.

My blog title today is actually the subtitle for this volume. I've mentioned a fascination with frankfurters in the vintage books, and this one features them in half of the volume. Also featured are several raw recipes like the one on the cover. Not really raw, but I can't see this on a cover today! That's mushroom stuffed meatloaf. Also on the recipe page is a drawing of an old viewfinder. Why - so people can take photos of their cooking and look at them? I suppose it could be more interesting than some vacations, unless one is going to Disney.

Mushroom-Stuffed Meat Loaf

1/4 cup butter

1 lb. mushrooms, sliced (leave 7 whole) (Why on Earth?)

1 tsp. lemon juice

1 medium onion, minced

4 cups fresh bread crumbs (Is that like a loaf's worth?)

1 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. dried thyme

1/4 cup snipped parsley

2 eggs

3 lb. ground chuck (oh boy)

1 Tbsp. salt (more salt?)

1/4 cup milk

1/3 cup catchup (really, that's how it is spelled)

1 1/2 tsp. dry mustard

Early in day: (because of course no one making these recipes would have time to work) For stuffing, saute in butter, all but 7 small mushrooms, with lemon juice and onion 3 min. Toss in bread, tsp. salt, pepper, thyme and parsley. Beat eggs with fork, lightly mix in chuck (all 3 pounds?), then add 1 tablesp. salt, pepper, milk, catchup and mustard. Pack half chuck into loaf pan, pack stuffing on top, then rest of chuck. Press 7 mushrooms into top. Refrigerate.

About 1 hr. 25 min. before serving: Start heating oven to 400 F. Bake meat loar 1 hr. 10 min. If desired, brush top with heated currant jelly. **YIKES** With 2 broad spatulas, lift onto platter.

*That last instruction kills me. Do they even sell chuck in the 3 pound packages?

Yesterday, my very nice neighbors had loud radio going from 1:30 p.m - 11:00 p.m. Very odd, and very unlike them. I told my husband I thought they were all dead over there, and the noise covered the murders. He asked when I'd be done reading my mysteries to get ready for Love is Murder this weekend. I said soon. Tonight I'm reading Gail Lukasik's Destroying Angels. It's set in Egg Harbor, Door County. Last night I was reading J.D. Webb's Sheperd's Pie. Great by flashlight while wondering about neighbors (who were fine).