When I was putting together my menu for this week, I had a definite plan in mind...  I wanted some stuff from Norway so I could do a proper Disney Chef sendoff of Maelstrom, I wanted a lot of dinner foods, some desserts, and I wanted a lot of hearty, fall food.  Around here, it's been dipping into the 30's at night, not getting above 55 or 60 during the day, so some heart warming food was a really good idea I thought.

And yesterday, when I made it...  The high unexpectedly reached 82.  So much for the warming soul food for a cold night...

Regardless, making this made me so happy.  This is the kind of meal that I love to make.  A little bit of prep then you stick it in the oven and you're done.  And 50's Prime Time Cafe is such a great restaurant that really does American-style home cooking in a funky and fun kind of way.  I haven't been there in a few years, but I remember the food was fantastic, so it was nice to get a taste of a meal from a place I don't generally get to see on our trips.  In fact, it made me go through and re-do my reservations for November and try to grab a
table...  As far as good food, themed dining, and crazy guest experiences, 50's Prime can't be beaten!

I don't say it often, but this recipe is literally foolproof.  Even people who're not so great at making meat dishes will find that this one is super easy and just about impossible to mess up.  Plus, the oven does 90% of the work!  No turning, basting, tweaking, or otherwise messing with it.  I'd even say if you don't feel like browning it, you could probably skip that step...  I don't generally brown pot roast, and it comes out fabulous...  Though I have to say I liked browned meat and that nice little crust it formed.

This is such a nice, homey recipe...  Perfect for a fall or winter day where all you want is warming comfort food with little hassle.  And, as it turns out, it's apparently great for a surprise summer day in the smack middle of fall...

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Pot Roast

As is served at 50's Prime Time Cafe, Disney's Hollywood Studios

 

°o°  5 pound top or bottom round roast  
°o°  salt to taste
°o°  olive oil
°o°  pepper to taste
°o°  1 medium onion, diced  

°o°  2 carrots, peeled and chopped  

°o°  2 stalks of celery, chopped  

°o°  3 cups beef broth  
°o°  4 tablespoons flour

Trim excess fat off of the roast and season with salt.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a heated pan with a liberal drizzling of olive oil, brown the roast on all sides until evenly browned and put in a large, deep roasting pan.  In the olive oil, saute the vegetables until the onion is translucent and the carrots are a vibrant orange, but beginning to brown.  Add beef broth and scrape the bottom of the pan to bring up the caramelized vegetables and beef bits (deglazing).  Pour over the roast.

Using aluminum foil, cover the entire roasting pan tightly.  Roast in preheated oven for 35-45 minutes a pound, 2.5-3.75 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 160.  When done, remove from the oven and allow to stand in juices 15 minutes before serving.

To make gravy (if desired), add 1/4 - 1/2 cup drippings to a shallow skillet, add flour and whisk over high heat vigorously until the flour has broken up and the liquid begins to thicken.  If the liquid is boiling but not thickening, add a tablespoon more of flour and whisk vigorously.  When liquid has thickened considerably, add additional drippings (1-2 cups) or until gravy is the desired thickness.  Serve warm over pot roast.  

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Unknown

I have a hard time thinking of a more polarizing meal than meat loaf.  Some people love it, some people hate it.  Some are haunted by memories of Mom threatening the end of the world if they don't finish it...  Perhaps that's why it makes meat loaf a perfect signature meal at 50's Prime Time Cafe.

Meat loaf isn't hard to make, but making good meat loaf seems to throw people for a loop.  In fact, when I talked to folks about meat loaf, the common complaints I heard was that their meat loaf has soggy sides, the corners are dried out bricks, the meat loaf itself is too dry, the meat loaf is too soft and falls apart, it's impossible to get that crunchy top because the fat pools on top...  And believe it or not, the solution to almost all of these problems is how the meat loaf is put in the pan.

Wrong!

It seems most people simply push the meat loaf into the bread pan, pat perfectly flat on the surface, and mash the loaf so that it fills every square inch of the pan.  However, by doing this, the fat that cooks out of it has nowhere to go but on the top of the loaf (ruining your nice glaze), and the corners of the meat loaf get double cooked as they're exposed to two sides of the hot pan.  No fun!

The absolute best way to make meat loaf is to shape it in a long, rounded mound, something that doesn't fill every corner of the bread pan.  This way, the fat that comes out of the top of the meat loaf during cooking rolls down the top and sides of the meat, creating that delish crust, and making sure that the meat is actually cooking, not simply boiling in its own fat.  It also makes it easier to drain the pan, which I like to do about halfway through cooking, so I can use fattier ground beef (which makes the loaf more moist).  Also, make sure you really dice your peppers and onions very, very small.  The larger they are, the more likely your now super-moist meat loaf will crumble when you take it out of the pan.   

Right!

Using that trick, along with the recipe for Mom's Meat Loaf from 50's Prime Time Cafe, I got two amazing meat loafs...  One for dinner and one for the freezer for later.  And I love a recipe that gives me leftovers I can freeze!

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Mom's Meat Loaf

As is served at 50's Prime Time Cafe, Disney's Hollywood Studios

 

For the meat loaf~ 

°o°  1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
°o°  1/2 cup finely chopped onion

°o°  1/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper

°o°  1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

°o°  2 pounds ground beef

°o°  1 pound ground pork

°o°  4 large eggs, lightly beaten

°o°  2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

°o°  1/2 teaspoon coarsely cracked black peppercorns (or to taste)

°o°  1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt (or to taste)
 

For the glaze ~

°o°  1/2 cup ketchup

°o°  1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

°o°  1/2 cup brown sugar

°o°  1 teaspoon Dijon mustard  

Preheat the oven to 350 and lightly oil or spray with non-stick spray 2 medium sized loaf pans (about 8.5 inches by 4.5 inches).  

In a large bowl, combine bread crumbs, onion, and bell peppers until completely mixed.  Add beef, pork, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, and salt.  Using your hands, combine until all ingredients are completely combined, but take care to not overmix (overmixed meat will become overly mushy).  Divide the meat mixture in half and shape into two, rounded loafs.  Place in loaf pans.

Place loaf pans in oven and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until juices run clear and a meat thermometer says the inner temperature is 155 degrees.  Brush meat loafs with glaze (preparation instructions below) and bake an additional 10 minutes.

 

Remove the meat loaves from the oven and allow to stand 5-10 minutes before serving.  To serve, slice and serve warm with additional glaze or gravy on top.

To prepare glaze, while meat is cooking, prepare the glaze by combining ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, and mustard and stirring until combined.  

 

Yield: 8 Servings 

 

I left mine in a little longer than suggested...  I love that crust!

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Unknown

I have a confession to make.  I don't eat peanut butter.  I don't eat sandwiches.  I don't eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  When I first heard about this shake, I got queasy.  Try as I might, no part of this sounded good.  But it is a signature drink, I had the authentic recipe, so I suppose that obligated me to try it.

It was painfully easy to make and I was willing to tackle it with an open mind...  And I have to say, when all was said and done, this was actually pretty darn good.  It was more of a peanut butter flavor then a PB and J, but still the fear that I had that it'd be this nasty jumble of yuck was completely unfounded.

I will say though, if I were to do it again (and who am I kidding, I probably will), I'd up the jelly to 4 tablespoons (or 1/4 cup) for just a bit more jelly flavor.  I'd also ditch the blender and go for my handy, dandy hand blender.  Honestly, when I was making it I knew that I should have used it, but I think the excitement of rediscovering that I actually owned a blender made me throw caution and good sense to the wind.  The other observation I heard was that maybe slightly less peanut butter may make it taste slightly better...  The nice thing with shakes is that its so easy to tinker with the basic recipe that you can make something for every taste with little-to-no effort.  

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Peanut Butter and Jelly Shake

As is served at the 50's Prime Time Cafe and Tune-In Lounge, Disney's Hollywood Studios

 

°o°  1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
°o°  3 tablespoons grape jelly

°o°  1/4 cup milk
°o°  3 cups vanilla ice cream
 

Combine peanut butter and jelly in a small bowl and mix until completely blended.  

In a separate bowl, container, pitcher or blender, combine ice cream and milk.  Top with the peanut butter and jelly mixture.  Using a blender or a hand mixer (I strongly suggest the hand blender), blend until combined and slightly frothy on the surface.  Serve immediately in tall glasses with a straw and spoon.

 

Yield: 4 Servings 

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Unknown

This week is 50's week!  Why?  Because all week I'll be featuring dishes from my favorite place to eat in Disney's Hollywood Studios...  50's Prime Time Cafe.

 

This is a great place to check out.  The food is more cafe, 50's-inspired down home cooking, with a menu featuring everything from fried chicken to pot roast, malts, milkshakes, even smores.  But 50's Prime Time has one major claim to fame that extends beyond what they offer to eat...

The dining room in the 50's Prime Time Cafe

The entire cafe is designed to mimic a 50's-style home like you'd see in a 50's sitcom.  The woman who calls you to dinner calls you to your table by yelling "Kids!  Dinner is ready!  Come on, let's go!  Your cousins are waiting on you!"  Your server, a "cousin" from out of town, takes your order and brings you the meal...  But he or she will also scold you for ordering a malt instead of a milk, command you to finish all your vegetables, cause a scene if you forget to put your napkin in your lap, and let me warn you now, don't ever leave your elbows on the table...  Unruly guests have even grounded, even sent to stand in the corner.  It's like eating at Don and Betty Draper's house when Betty is on the warpath, only with less alcohol (hopefully anyway...) and more of a sense of humor.

The bar...  The only thing missing is Don Draper

I personally love it.  It's more like interactive dinner theater then casual dining.  The last time I went, my cousin Jason refused to bring me a malt until I'd finished my vegetables, scolded me for ordering more food than I could eat, complained I never called my mom and never came to visit unless somebody was serving food, then complained when I left that I was leaving him all the dirty dishes to sort through while I went and had fun. 

I love interactive dining, even if it is a long-lost cousin asking me why I never call or write. 

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