Pharm Cooking: Boston trip both business and pleasure
By LOU GREENHAW
Contributing writer
I had to go to Boston last week on business so I took my husband, Steve, and exchange student, Francesca, along with me. While I sat in classes and meetings, they toured the city. However, they did join me for a few events.
The opening speaker was George Bush, the former president. He was very entertaining and certainly, unlike many newscasters that have been speakers, was a humble man. He made light of himself, told stories about Barbara, as well as told about being faced with difficult decisions.
The second day speaker was Mike Eruzione, the captain of the Olympic hockey team that beat the Russians in 1980. That game is the subject of a recent movie. He was also down-to- earth and told many interesting stories about how the team of nobodies came together to surprise the world.
If I understood it right, if the team had not won, they would have not medaled because they would have been 6th place. So the team was playing to get a medal — not necessarily the gold — as well as beat our major cold war enemy. The country focused just on the enemy. Either way, the team was certainly motivated and Eruzione had many good things to say about their very tough coach.
The closing night dinner featured Patty Loveless but the best part was the comedian before her named Jamal. I had never seen him before but he was very funny. His whole act was appropriate for children, too, which I appreciate in a comedian. So many acts are disgustingly immoral.
We ate one evening in the little Italy section of Boston. We had a great dinner. I had octopus and clams. You don't get those often in Marion County! We were really hungry because we turned the wrong way coming out of the subway and walked for blocks and blocks when the restaurant was actually only about three blocks from the subway. We saw some areas of Boston that I'm sure most tourists never see.
Francesca told her coordinator about her trip when we were at the exchange student potluck dinner. I had a full day planned so I took a crock-pot dish. There was nothing left when it was over so I guess it was well liked. The best part was that it used a chuck roast which was on sale. I needed to save money after all those $4 cups of coffee in Boston.
CROCKPOT BEEF AND VEGETABLES
8 ounces whole or sliced mushrooms
8 ounces baby carrots
1 green pepper, cut into strips
1 boneless chuck roast, about 2 pounds
1 can golden mushroom soup
1/4 cup red wine or water
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 package dry onion soup mix
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons cornstarch
Hot cooked noodles
Place mushrooms, carrots and pepper in crock-pot. Remove as much fat as possible from roast and place on top of vegetables. Combine soup, wine, Worcestershire sauce, soup mix, and pepper and mix well. Pour over roast. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Remove roast and cover with foil. Blend water and cornstarch until smooth. Stir into crock-pot mixture. Turn crock-pot to high and cook, stirring often until sauce thickens. Slice the roast and return it to the crock-pot. Serve over hot cooked noodles or stir noodles into crock-pot if you are taking to a potluck dinner.
