Thursday, January 6, 2011

Scenic Salisbury Steak - Route 66 Postcard Recipe


I love food and I love to travel, so it's only natural that as a seasoned veteran I've learned to travel light going, and not weigh myself down with souvenirs returning; such items that will only end up stored away and forgotten over the course of time.  So, collecting recipe postcards satisfies my curiosity about local cuisines, provides me with an excellent remembrance of my trip, and a way to recreate the tastier part of it to share with friends once I get home.

Click on this recipe to enlarge it and make it readable.  The only change I made was to add a packet of dry onion soup mix to the sauce in order to give it a more complex, richer flavor.

Today's dinner came from a Route 66 postcard from a collection that I acquired locally at the Missouri History Museum.  I've made this any number of times and each time we've throughly enjoyed this tasty meal of comfort food, and a bit of local history.

Served on an Inca Restaurantware (something else I collect) grill plate to be extra authentic.
I have a bit of a funny story about this recipe.  When I was recovering from an illness, my husband offered to make dinner.  Now he is an excellent chef, so something simple like this would normally pose no problem.  But, he is also a scholar and professor emeritus, who is constantly involved in one project or other and, well to be blunt, is the typical absent-minded professor.  When it came time to serve the meal he put before me the biggest piece of Salisbury steak I'd ever seen. I looked at him and said, "Oh, you made meat loaf!  I can't eat a whole meatloaf." He denied this and said it was the Salisbury steak recipe that I'd given him. Ummm, no, I'd made it before and it never looked anything like this rather challenging mound of meat.

I looked in the baking dish and asked where the other patties were.  "Others?" he asked.  "There were no others, the recipe said to 'form in 2 patties'."

I stared at him, mouth agape.  "No," I said, in my most diplomatic voice.  "You would not turn one and a half pounds of ground beef into two patties.  No."

He continued to insist, so I pulled out the recipe and as I read it a smile crossed my face.  The recipe read "form into patties."  INTO not TWO.  But knowing my dear husband as I do I'm sure he was involved in a number things at the time he read the recipe, his thoughts elsewhere.  And as he was working, repeated to himself "form into patties...form into pattie...form in two patties" and that's how he ended up with Salisbury meat loaves instead of Salisbury steak.

We laugh about this to this day.  As it turned out, the meatloaf thing wasn't half bad.  We froze one and split the other and both meals were equally delicious.


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11 comments:

Mary said...

What a hoot! I love that you collect recipe post cards from your travels! I've never noticed them during my trips~ What great morsels to remember your trip by!

Lisa@The Nourishing Homemaker said...

That is a great idea! Any time you want to remember a trip, you just pull out your recipe card and make some food. Taste & smell bring back memories we'd might not be able to recall otherwise.

http://nurturedfamilylife.blogspot.com

Designs on 47th Street said...

Such a cute story about your husband! :) I love your thoughts on bringing back keepsakes that will tucked away and forgotten about.

Your recipe looks like simple comfort food.
Thanks!
Donna

Elizabeth said...

Collecting recipe post cards is a great idea!

What a funny story about your husband. It's fun to laugh together about moments like that, isn't it?

A Kitchen Witch said...

That's a cute story...sounds like something any one of my family members would do ;) Thanks for sharing!

SavoringTime in the Kitchen said...

Funny story! I love your idea of collecting recipe cards. I usually try to collect whole cookbooks from my travels.

Your Salisbury steak looks wonderful!

Donnie said...

That was so funny and that recipe looks delicious.

cocoa and coconut said...

That's great that you were able to use that postcard recipe. That way you can always remember your travels whilst eating a lovely dish!

Tiffanee said...

I have been looking for a good salisbury steak recipe! So thank you! Love the story. You will always remember that whenever you make this again! What a great memory!!

Keetha Broyles said...

I believe your hubby could give Amelia Bodelia a run for her money!!!

The dinner looks delicious - - - and HEARTY!!!!

Especially hearty when made in two patties. Oh my goofy brain knew IMMEDIATELY even before you explained EXACTLY what the problem was!

Oh well - - - that goodness your hubby is willing to cook.

Chari at Happy To Design said...

Hi Pattie...

Okay...I am still giggling from reading the story about your husband fixing this recipe! How cute! My friend, if my husband would have attempted to cook this...it's hard telling what would have been the end result! Hehe! Mmmm...your Route 66 Salsbury steak recipe does sound good! I'll have to give it a try! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe with us...as well as the sweet but funny story about your husband! Thanks for joining in with Sunday Favorites this week, my friend!

Have a wonderful week, Pattie!
Chari @Happy To Design