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Cook of the Week: Martha Brock

NAME: Martha Brock

HOME: Hanover Township

WORK: Retired from Fort Hamilton Hospital, in Hamilton.

HOW LONG COOKING: Primarily self-taught, Brock's been cooking for 45 years. When she got married in 1960, she didn't know how to cook anything. So her husband, Golden Brock, who knew a little about cooking, helped her with her first dishes.

HOW OFTEN COOKS: She cooks nearly every day. She and Golden go out to eat about once a month for a Richard's steak sandwich.

COOKING MENTOR: None. She'll go-by-the-cookbook with any new recipe; then she'll change it to suit her taste.

COOKING SPECIALTY: Brock loves to bake and make cookies and candy for family and friends, especially at Christmas. She likes to entertain and fix some of her favorites: chicken and dumplings, potato salad or spaghetti casserole.

FAVORITE COOKBOOK OR CULINARY RESOURCE: The 1916 edition of "The Whys Of Cooking," by Janet McKenzie Hill, published by Procter and Gamble Co.

FAVORITE RESTAURANT: Smokey Bones in West Chester Township.

SPECIAL INTERESTS: Brock likes to visit friends and family, travel, and obtain older cookbooks to add to her collection.

TWO FAVORITE RECIPES: Easy crock pot roast beef and Chocolate Icebox pie.

Easy crock pot roast beef

1 4 to 5-pound rump roast

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 cup A-1 Steak Sauce

1 medium onion, sliced thin

Place roast in crock pot. In a bowl, combine garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and steak sauce. Brush the sauce mixture over the meat, covering well. Put onion slices on top of the meat. Cook for 4 hours on high. (Note: Brock got this recipe from her sister, Melva Shephard, of Hamilton, about six years ago.) You can also bake this in a 350-degree oven for 11/2 to 2 hours, or until an inserted meat thermometer reaches 140 degrees.

Yield: 8 - 10 servings.

Chocolate icebox pie

1 9-inch pie shell, baked

1 cup sugar

5 tablespoons corn starch

3 tablespoons cocoa

3 beaten egg yolks

2 cups milk

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 envelope Dream Whip

chocolate sprinkles, to garnish

In a deep saucepan, mix sugar, corn starch, and cocoa well; then add egg yolks, milk, butter, and vanilla. Cook on the stove top over a medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened. Refrigerate until cool. Pour pudding mixture into the cooled, baked pie shell. Prepare 1 envelope of Dream Whip, following directions on the package. Spread Dream Whip over top. Sprinkle top with chocolate sprinkles.

Yield: 1 pie; 4 - 8 servings.