posted on November 21, 2000 04:23:50 PM new
Jeez, nothing but food and politics
Anyway, I know I can't be the only one out there who's entertained by weird recipes. I've got a huge lot of 1930-1945 cook booklets I keep meaning to list but, of course, every time I start to write the description I get bogged down reading the recipes for sweet-and-sour beef heart and....sigh...I just can't part with 'em. Brings out the anthropologist in me.
A couple years back - 1996? - my boss, who was both a foodie and a bibliophile, got me "Fashionable Food: Seven Decads of Food Fads" (Sylvia Lovegren). Great HC book on food ration coupons, chafing-dish meals, and the effects of Jell-o and electric refrigerators on American gastronomy. Lots of truly edible (and some frighteningly INedible) recipes, including a swanky version of green been casserole and a swell sweet potato pie. One of the most pathetic has to be the "French" casserole c.1941 using canned corn, cracker crumbs, and vienna sausages (and that's about it), or the red, white and blue carrot-nut ring with lima beans. Mmmmmmmm.
If you've got a cookbook collector or foodie on your gift list, this might be a thought.
posted on November 21, 2000 04:38:41 PM new
I know what you mean hcq - I love going through old cookbooks and reading some of the ingredients that they used - and some of them sound so good! Once I start looking through those old cookbooks I find myself making out a list for the grocery store so I can try out one of the recipes. You mentioned sweet potato pie......yummm....I'm fixing sweet potato crunch Thursday.
posted on November 21, 2000 04:43:04 PM new
Well as long as your talkin food
Some of those recipes like the 'French' cassorole one, (canned corn etc) were they because of the food rationing?
I remember my grandmother cooked some really really good food, but was very very thrifty, and her recipes were handwritten, from the depression era times.
I don't have any of those, she's gone, my mothers gone, and my sisters are too, um, well 'cosmopolitian' ? LOL about cooking.
I've been trying for years to find out how to make stuffed carrots, time consuming one, scooping out partly cooked carrots, using the scooped out carrot, crackers, eggs, and ????? and then baking. One of those old ones. They were so good too.
Lima beans and Jello gag me but rutabagas like my grandmother made, I love!
posted on November 21, 2000 07:29:30 PM new
At a garage sale this past summer, I picked up a small box full of recipes. There are four old spiral notebooks, where this woman had meticulously cut out recipes she liked and pasted them into the books...many look to be circa 30s - 40s...and several handwritten recipes in there as well. Then there is a tiny cardboard box, sized like a card file, stuffed full of more. I bought them, thinking I would list it as a lot, but can't bring myself to do it. An interesting look at food in NW Wisconsin during and just after the depression.
posted on November 21, 2000 07:38:43 PM new
I am lucky to have literally hundreds of handwritten recipe cards that belonged to my Great Aunt, her two sisters (one of which was my Grandmother), and a few that were their sister-in-law's. Some are hard to read as they were written in pencil and it has faded. The measurements crack me up, "1 large cup of sugar" etc.
Many of them I remember from my childhood, and one of my goals is to sort them and organize them somehow.
My Great Aunt was the youngest in a large family, she was born in 1914, and married in 1935. She had a habit of dating the recipes too, so maybe I should put them in chronological order...
posted on November 21, 2000 08:10:20 PM new
LOL at the green bean casserole!!! I remember those. My grandmother (born in 04) taught me to cook, and I have her old cookbooks.
posted on November 21, 2000 08:43:15 PM new
I have some great old cookbooks too. I've tried a couple of times to make something from them, but always seem to not quite get it right.
I remember one called for just enough salt to fill the center of your hand. I'm still wondering how much salt that is....
posted on November 21, 2000 09:34:59 PM new
I have my grandmothers cookbooks, some dating back to 1916 when she got married. Some neat recipes, but everything has SO much fat in it. And lard, and suet.(Can you tell she was southern?) I suppose I could try to "update" them substituting ingredients to cut down the fat, but it seems like so much trouble. I don't like to cook that much anyway...maybe someday when the kids are gone, and I don't HAVE to.
posted on November 22, 2000 05:48:55 AM new
For Shelly's edification (BTW, this is dated 1945, from The American Woman's Cookbook", so it's just barely postwar):
7 Vienna sausages, cut up
1 #2 can corn, drained
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 1/2 cups cracker crumbs
2 cups medium white sauce
2 tablespoons butter
Mix sausages, corn, pepper. Layer alternately with crumbs and white sauce, topping with crumbs. Dot with butter, bake until browned.
Imagine a blob of this congealed stuff on your plate. I'm trying not to gag.
Mix Crisco and Kitchen Bouquet together. Spread over the whole bologna, and grill or spit roast until browned and hot through. Cut into thick slices and serve on rye bread. This is known as "Barbecued Bologna for Men a la Crisco" - presumably the gender reference is to warn women that (a) it's safe for her beloved to make as it's done outdoors and (b) not to eat it.
Kinda makes Hamburger Helper (one of those things-I-loved-as-a-kid-and-now-wonder-why foods) look highbrow and healthy.
There's also a Fruit Cocktail-Spam Buffet Party Loaf (served cold), bologna pie (to be served with cocktails), a wonderful (?!?) recipe for Lobster Flambe using lobster, truffles, and cream of mushroom soup and canned hollandaise, and Tang Pie - if anybody's interested
[ edited by HartCottageQuilts on Nov 22, 2000 05:52 AM ]
posted on November 22, 2000 06:00:28 AM new
Decided to go get my 1932 "Household Searchlight Recipe Book." (I don't know how to underline, so used quotation marks.)
posted on November 22, 2000 06:29:38 AM new
I remember in the early 1970s making my mother her favorite delicacy for Sunday lunch every week: Fried pork brain sandwiches. I tried it once, but it had the texture of breaded, fried, soft scrambled eggs, and no taste. Wasn't gross, just "why bother?"
posted on November 22, 2000 06:59:31 AM new
I was going to tell KatyD to live a little and keep the fat in as it was intended, then I read the barbecued bologna for men a la Crisco recipe and decided to rethink that advice. BTW, is it okay to substitute Spam for the bologna?
posted on November 22, 2000 06:03:41 PM new
Ummm...aahhh..might one of you have a Fire King Casserole Recipe Booklet... about 50 or pages...really cheap paperback thing.... I would really love to buy it...if you have one....aah...let me know...
posted on November 23, 2000 06:26:08 AM new
Actually, if memory serves, Vinegar Pie is PA Dutch in origin, isn't it? And something on the line of shoo-fly, I believe. Do post it.
As for the awful offal recipes...I admit to LOVING sauteed sweetbreads with beurre blanc, as well as grilled marrow on toast, pref with a good Bordeaux. But I was quite relieved this AM when I disemboweled the turkey (in typical milennial fashion -removing 2 white plastic sacs) and found I was the proud purchaser of a mutant: no gizzard (sigh of relief), 2 livers (cats are delighted).
As to the lard/suet question: Cholesterol and "heebies" aside, there's really no substitute for either. Tortillas made with lard are heavenly, and Christmas (plum) pudding and Clootie Dumpling just don't taste right unless you use beef suet. When I lived near Haymarket in Boston, I'd go down to these truly scary old-time butchers to get suet. If I recall it was usually right next to the display of goat ribs.
posted on November 23, 2000 10:29:50 AM new
Wow! I also have the Household Searchlight recipe book. Some real winners in there.
Actually, I love old cookbooks because they sometimes have the much more basic recipes I need rather than the exotic ones that I get when I purchase new cookbooks. I will never forget when I first moved out on my own and spending 20.00 on one cookbook only to find that every recipe contained stuff like pineapple juice in meat dishes, kiwi in vegetable dishes, chile peppers in muffin recipes, etc. There is nothing wrong with experimenting but I would have preferred to get the basics of American food down first before getting to all these exotic additions. I cook Indian, Thai, and Cuban food regularly but when it comes to American food I like it traditional (errr....traditional meaning before American food became so processed).
Also, earlier recipes (if you avoid the ones that include a lot of canned food or spam type recipes) can often result in eating much less processed food. Since I have been medically advised to do so I like the cookbooks that include fresh vegetables, whole grains, etc. I love buying vegatarian cookbooks from the 60s and 70s (although I eat meat) because they include so many cool vegetable recipes.
I was lucky enough to find fresh rhubarb at my local farmers' market a few weeks ago. I bought some and used one of my vintage cookbooks to make the most divine rhubarb crisp. Used half a box of sugar so I won't claim it's healthy, but God in heaven it was good. I ate half of it before it was cool and my roommate polished off the other half.
posted on November 23, 2000 10:50:56 AM newbrighid868: I've been looking for rhubarb to make a strawberry-rhubarb pie with whole wheat pastry from one of my old veggie cookbooks. Rhubarb crisp sounds MMM!
posted on November 23, 2000 07:00:29 PM new
What's wrong with 'vinegar pie'??? It's delicious (doesn't taste like vinegar at all). I went through an Amish phase several years ago (don't ask) and made it several times - it was a big hit!!!
posted on November 24, 2000 04:19:19 AM new
Here ya go.
Vinegar Pie
2 C boiling water
1/4 C vinegar
1 C sugar
3 Tbs flour
3 eggs
1 tsp lemon flavoring
1/3 tsp salt
3 Tbs sugar
Beat egg yolks until thick. Add 1 C sugar, flour and salt. Mix thoroughly. Add boiling water slowly, stirring constantly. Add vinegar. Cook over hot water until thick and smooth. Add salt and flavoring. Pour into baked pastry shell. cover with meringue made of egg whites and 3 Tbs sugar. Bake in slow oven (325 degrees F) 20 minutes - Mrs. E. A. Walker, Miller, S. D.
Well, it says to add salt twice, but I copied directly so don't know what to tell you about that.
brighid, I agree with the whole cookbook issue. My brother was talking about it last night too. He decided to make chili while he was in the grocery store. Trying to figure out what was in chili, he thought of ground beef and beans. He got a package of ground beef. He went to the canned beans area and discovered how many different types of beans there are. Decided to go check a can of chili to figure out what kind of beans and couldn't figure it out from that. Decided to go over to the cookbooks and look there. Said he looked through all of the cookbooks and couldn't come up with a recipe for plain old texmex chili. Said he even saw one that had pineapple in it. So, he put the ground beef back.
One of the best wedding shower gifts I've come up with is to give a copy of a really basic cookbook. Better Homes and Gardens type and a copy of Colorado Cache. The second one was put out by the Junior League here and has some of the best recipes in it. I've yet to fix anything from that cookbook that wasn't outstanding.
[ edited by UpInTheHills on Nov 24, 2000 05:11 AM ]
posted on November 24, 2000 07:00:48 AM newUpInTheHills what a great idea for a wedding gift. I'm always stumped when it comes to wedding gifts so I appreciate this terrific idea.
Your Colorado Cache sounds great. Those Junior Leagues do a wonderful job with cookbooks, as a rule. One of my favorite cookbooks that I turn to again and again is from the late 60s -- America Cooks, filled with Junior League recipes from around the country. Everything from good basic recipes and cooking info to exotic recipes (well, exotic for the time) to regional to things that are just a little above the grilled bologna recipe. I remember a recipe for "Eggless, Milkless, Butterless Cake," which is surprisingly good (tho I'd probably not make it anymore because it uses shortening), and no doubt originated in the Depression. Often there are several versions of the same dish, which is interesting and sometimes helpful.
A garden club in my rural area put out a cookbook a few months ago, and it's got some interesting recipes in it too. But they didn't bother to proof the recipes let alone test them, so as a result some recipes are simply unusable. But plenty aren't, so it's an interesting book. Interesting also to see what some people think are recipes worth passing along to posterity. LOL.
I love cookbooks, but hate cooking. I guess I figure if I just owned enough cookbooks it would make me want to cook, or like it or something -- ??????? Hasn't worked yet. Cooking is just too danged daily for ME to enjoy it.
posted on November 24, 2000 08:07:58 AM new
Good morning! First things first...for Shelly:
Stuffed Carrots
--12 medium to large carrots, trimmed and scraped
--1/2 cup cooked, regular rice
--1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
--1/3 cup (1 1/2 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese
--1/2 tsp. salt
--1/8 tsp. pepper
--1 tsp. finely chopped onion
--1 tsp. finely chopped green pepper
--2 T. butter or margarine, melted
--fresh chopped parsley
--garnishes (optional)--carrot curls, parsley sprigs
Cut the carrots 3 inches from the top, reserving the smaller end for another use. Cook carrots in a small amount of water 20 minutes or until tender, but firm. Let cool completely. Scoop out the center of each carrot. Combine rice, breadcrumbs, cheese, salt, pepper, onion, green pepper, and butter; toss to mix. Stuff carrots with mixture; place in a 13 X 9 baking dish. Cover and chill up to 24 hours. Remove from refrigerator; let stand 30 minutes. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 15 minutes or until carrots are hot. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Garnish with carrot curls and parsley sprigs, if desired. Yield: 6 servings.
UpInTheHills, I love Vinegar Pie, but I make mine without a meringue...I bet that I'll like it even more with a meringue! The Denver Junior League followed up the (most excellent!) Colorado Cache with two other very good cookbooks, Creme de Colorado and Colorado Collage. Another good Junior League cookbook find, particularly for high-altitude-ready cooking, is Nuggets from the Colorado Springs Junior League. I used to live in Aurora, and these cookbooks, along with some great pamphlets from the state home extension service (about high altitude cooking and recipe modifications to accommodate it) were "essentials" in my life.
brighid, one of the very best "fundamental" cookbooks that I've ever owned is a paperback called The Pocket Cookbook. Seriously...if I had to cut back from the 400 or so cookbooks I own (I collect cookbooks...regional cookbooks a specialty, and the Junior Leagues are the cream of that crop) to only one...I would be left with my now beat up and taped together copy of The Pocket Cookbook.
posted on November 24, 2000 11:00:10 AM newhellcat, I'll have to look for the Nugget cookbook. I have the Creme de Colorado as well as the Colorado Collage. Neither are anywhere near as good as the first IMO.
Really excited about the Nugget one....gotta go find it NOW.
Having lived here all of my life, the only time I have trouble converting for altitude is when I go down to the flat land. Haven't figured out how to go the other way with my standbys.
posted on November 24, 2000 02:17:14 PM new
Here is the recipe for the Rhubarb Crisp:
This crisp is made up of the "filling" and the "topping". The filling goes into a 9 x 13" pan, the topping is spooned on top of the filling and creates a crispy top layer when baked. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Filling:
1 pound rhubarb, washed and chopped into 1 inch pieces
3/4 cup flour
1 cup sugar
Mix the three ingredients together and put the filling into the ungreased pan. Then prepare topping:
Topping:
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 egg
Mix the three ingredients together until crumbly. Spoon them on top on the filling. Don't worry about getting the topping even. That is the beauty of a crisp. It is more casual than a pie. Then:
Melt 1 stick butter. Pour all over the top of the topping (it will run down into the filling).
Bake 45-60 minutes until top looks golden brown. Served with whipped cream, it's absolutely divine!!
posted on November 24, 2000 03:16:25 PM newbrighid868: I copied that one down. . I thought of you today out on my hunt- found an old Singer sewing machine in great shape with old wooden case.
posted on November 25, 2000 09:51:17 AM new
This is the best thread I have read in a while, I am LMAO at these recipes - especially the Bologna ala Crisco! I have collected old cookbooks and recipe pamplets for about 10 years. The Fire King booklet is elusive and while it has a book value of 100.00, I have heard that it has sold for more (especially if in great condition).
Having one of those would make many a collector happy
Some other early cookbooks that go for good $$ are early Jell-O pamplets (early 20th century) especially the one with the Rose O'Neill kewpies illustrations and the Pillsbury Bake Off Number 1 does well. Many of the early pamplets are artistic and have pictures of early dinner ware, depression glass dishes and cookware that is collectible. Collectors pay more for these, they appeal to the collectors of the dinnerware. I once sold a pamplet with Fiesta dishes in it and made good money on it.
Another good hint - if you have early cookbooks or pamplets is to do a search on ebay. And remember ... condition, condition, condition.
Now I don't feel bad about my weird food cravings like breaded, sauteed shad roe with fresh lemon squeezed on it.
posted on November 25, 2000 09:54:26 AM newbrighid
thank you, I copied that recipe too. I love rhubarb and you really do need a lot of sugar with it, it is real tart. I am going to try it as soon as rhubarb comes to my local markets.
posted on November 25, 2000 03:20:15 PM newmcjane
I had thought about that but then I remembered this recipe I have for Strawberry - Rhubarb Pie that says to use fresh Rhubarb only (not frozen), I think it becomes stringy or something.
I can remember my Mom making rhubarb as a little girl and she would cook it (with lot's of sugar) until it was all stringy and I just loved it, so maybe it won't make a difference to me at all.
