monkees-composite02

I look like a natural on the cover. Don’t you think? Thanks for reading with me. It’s so good to read with friends. — Suzanne Beecher, Suzanne@EmailBookClub.com

recipe-motiff_01

Suzanne's Simple Swiss Steak

This is the recipe that I used when I was a kid. I just made it up as I went along. You can use a little more of this or that to suit your taste. It goes great with mashed potatoes.

1 1/2 pound round steak
Vegetable shortening for frying
All purpose flour (for pounding meat)
1 medium onion sliced
1 can tomato sauce
Garlic, 2 cloves minced
2 teaspoons Italian spice seasoning
(or use a bit of oregano and basil)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
8 -12 fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 diced fresh tomato (optional)

Cut round steak into serving-size pieces. Sprinkle flour over meat and pound the flour into both sides of the meat. Put shortening in frying pan and brown the meat, onions, and mushrooms. Pour off fat. Add remaining ingredients. Cover; simmer 1 1/2 hours or until done. Stir frequently.

recipe-motiff_07

The cookie jar, sitting on the table, is the same one that I used to sneak cookies out of when I was a kid.

I got a little rambunctious one time when I was in the kitchen “on stage” with the Monkees. The plan was to jump off the kitchen wall at the end of the song, but instead of a cute little bounce, my foot went right into the wall.

I was really worried. I figured I was going to be in big trouble now. When you’re an only child there isn’t anybody else to blame anything on. But my mother didn’t really mind, because she’d been bugging my dad about expanding the kitchen. And so he finally did.