Garage Sale Treasures

How does a box of 6 binders full of clipped and hand-written recipes from the 40s thru to the 80s sound? My idea of treasure. Thank you Lois Tollefson, whoever you are, for your painstaking collecting and preservation over the years. Many of these recipes are from friends, so I'll start with one of those:

Kathryn's Layered Salad
Layer 1 --> etc.
1) 1/2 head lettuce broken up
2) 2 pkg frozen peas cooked and cooled
3) 8 medium carrots grated
4) 1 large onion diced
5) 2 c. diced celery
Do not stir above. Mix 1 c miracle whip and 1 T vanilla and 1 T vingar and 1 T sugar and put on top of layers. Cover with saran wrap and ref 24 hrs. She makes double recipe dressing.

It was the vanilla in the dressing that caught my eye with this. I would never have thought of that. Without trying it, I won't pass judgement.

Here's the next recipe on the page, just called "Esther's".

Esther's
1 head lettuce
1 lg red onion
1 lb bacon cooked, crumbled
1 head cauliflower flowerets
Break lettuce - layer in pan - onion sliced thin layer - bacon layer - cauliflower layer - cover with dressing.
1/4 c sugar
2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 c parmesan
Cover and refrigerate overnite.

Actually Donna or Susan gave her one more recipe written below those. It's just titled "Donna or Susan." Since Donna's name is underlined, Lois must have decided it was Donna's recipe after all. Or maybe they both make it but Donna makes it better.

Donna or Susan
1 2 lb can french green beans
1 2 lb can baby peas
1 large onion chopped
1 bunch celery chopped
1 green pepper chopped
1 sm jar pimento
Mix above and salt.

1 1/2 c sugar
1 c vinegar
1/2 c salad oil
1 T water
Pou over veg and marinate 24 hr.

Dinner is Late

About 7 months late. That's how long since my last post. Eh. Been busy. Here's another for old time's sake. I set dinner on the table and got out the camera. "This is going on the internet, isn't it," my partner stated. "Yup."

I don't have names or recipes cuz these are 'inspired' by various recipes I've looked at over the last week but I didn't follow anything. This is ranier cherries and fontina cheese on a pizza crust with a hefty dose of rosemary and tarragon from the plants my mother gave me for mother's day this year. Fabulous. 

Pork chops marinated in hard cider, black and red pepper, garlic, and onion. I used my panini grill--another big thank you, Mom, for getting me that for Christmas. I use it constantly.

Cucumber, tomatoes, red lentils, mung bean seeds, red onion, feta, and mint, in a dressing of raspberry vinegar, honey, oregano, basil, olive oil, and a pinch of salt, over a pile of spring greens.

If only my children would eat what I cook.

Going Meatless--sorta

More from Foods That Will Win The War And How To Cook Them, by C. Houston Goudiss and Alberta M. Goudiss, 1918, this time on the subject of meat.

“As a nation we eat and waste 80 per cent. more meat than we require to maintain health. This statement, recently issued by the United States Food Administration, is appalling when we consider that there is a greater demand for meat in the world to-day than ever before, coupled with a greatly decreased production. The increase in the demand for meat and animal products is due to the stress of the war. Millions of men are on the fighting line doing hard physical labor, and require a larger food allowance than when they were civilians. To meet the demand for meat and to save their grains, our Allies have been compelled to kill upward of thirty-three million head of their stock animals, and they have thus stifled their animal production. This was burning the candle at both ends, and they now face increased demand handicapped by decreased production. America must fill the breach.”

“Although most persons believe that protein can only be obtained from meat, it is found in many other foods, such as milk, skim milk, cheese, cottage cheese, poultry, eggs, fish, dried peas, beans, cow peas, lentils and nuts. […]It is our manifest duty to learn how to make the best use of these foods in order to save beef, pork and mutton, to be shipped across the sea. This means that the housekeeper has before her the task of training the family palate to accept new food preparations. Training the family palate is not easy, because bodies that have grown accustomed to certain food combinations find it difficult to get along without them, and rebel at a change. If these habits of diet are suddenly disturbed we may upset digestion, as well as create a feeling of dissatisfaction which is equally harmful to physical well-being. The wise housekeeper will therefore make her changes gradually.”

“So the housekeeper who goes to her task of training the family palate to accept meat substitutes and meat economy dishes, who revolutionizes her methods of cooking so as to utilize even "the pig's squeak," will be doing her bit toward making the world safe for democracy.”

There is a flaw in this argument that I am contrary enough to point out: if these other sources of protein are so wonderful, why would we not conserve THEM to be sent overseas to the Allies? I mean wouldn’t it be easier to ship a sack of lentils than a side of beef? Especially in 1918 when preservation and transportation would have been so much trickier. But I’ll cease playing devil’s advocate and post some of the recipes, which really, are not a bad thing to try for both nutrition and economy’s sake.

MOCK DUCK

1 flank steak

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 cup breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon onion juice

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1 pint boiling water

1/3 cup of whole wheat flour

Reserve the water and the flour. Mix other ingredients. Spread on steak. Roll the steak and tie. Roll in the flour. Brown in two tablespoons of fat. Add the water--cover and cook until tender.

Wait, a minute, we’re eating steak in order to conserve DUCK for the Allies? Actually, hand me that steak, those Europeans can have all the duck they want.

BATTLE PUDDING

BATTER

1 cup flour

1/2 cup milk

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 egg

4 tablespoons water

1/2 teaspoon salt

FILLING

2 cups coarsely chopped cold cooked meat

1 tablespoon drippings

1 medium-sized potato

1 cup stock or hot water

salt and pepper

1 small onion

Any cold meat may be used for this. Cut it into inch pieces. Slice the onion and potato and fry in drippings until onion is slightly browned. Add the meat and stock, or hot water, or dissolve in hot water any left-over meat gravy. Cook all together until potato is soft, but not crumbled; season with the pepper and salt. Thicken with a tablespoon of flour and turn into a pudding dish.Make a batter by sifting together flour, baking-powder and salt; stir in the egg and milk, mixed with the water. Beat hard until free from lumps, then pour over meat and vegetables in the pudding and bake until brown.

MEAT SHORTCAKE

1-1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons shortening

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 cups chopped, cooked meat

1 teaspoon onion juice

1/2 cup gravy or soup stock

Salt and pepper

3/4 cup milk and water

Mix flour, salt and baking powder. Rub in shortening, and mix to dough with milk and water. Roll out to quarter of an inch thickness, bake in layer cake tins. Put together with the chopped meat mixed with the onion and seasoning, and heated hot with the gravy or stock. If stock is used, thicken with a tablespoon of flour mixed with one of butter, or butter substitute. Serve as soon as put together. Cold cooked fish heated in cream sauce may be used for a filling instead of the meat.

NUT AND CHEESE CROQUETTES

2 cups stale breadcrumbs

1 cup milk

1 yolk of egg

1 cup chopped nuts

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 cup grated cheese

Shape and roll in dried breadcrumbs. Bake 20 minutes.

BOSTON ROAST

1 teaspoon onion juice

1 cup grated cheese

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

1 cup beans (kidney)

About 1 cup breadcrumbs

Soak and cook beans. Mix all ingredients into loaf. Baste with fat and water. Bake 30 minutes. Serve with tomato sauce.

MEATLESS SAUSAGE

1 cup soaked and cooked dried peas, beans, lentils or lima beans 1/2 cup dried breadcrumbs

1/4 cup fat

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sage

Mix and shape as sausage. Roll in flour and fry in dripping.

Tacodile

Who can predict what recipe is destined to become a classic? Back in the 80s, on a visit to relatives in Oklahoma, my Aunt Linda made this layered taco dip for us and my mom promptly acquired the recipe. What was new and attention-getting then has become such a staple you can find a version ready-made in any grocery store deli section.

Taco Dip or Salad

First Layer

2 cans bean dip

Second Layer

4 mashed avocados mixed with 2 t lemon juice

Third Layer

8 oz. sour cream

½ c mayonnaise

1 pkg taco seasoning

Fourth Layer

Shredded cheddar cheese

Diced tomato

Chopped lettuce

Fast-forwarding to my daughter’s 2 birthday party, a time she was completely fascinated by Teletubbies and crocodiles--only she pronounced it “taco-dile”. So we had a polka-dotted cake made like Dipsy’s hat, tubby custard, and this layered dip shaped into a crocodile with tortilla chip scales down its back and olive claws. Hmmm, looking at it now it bears more of a resemblance to a road kill possum.

Lentils with sausages

1 lb. dried lentils

1 T salt.

¾ c minced onion

3 T diced celery

1/8 t pepper

½ clove garlic

18 small sausages

Pick over, wash, then soak lentils overnight in cold water to cover. Drain and cook, covered, in 2 qts boiling water, to which the salt, onion, celery and pepper have been added, for 1 hour or until tender. Drain. Rub a baking pan with the garlic and grease or oil lightly. Place beans in pan; arrange sausages over top, and broil under low broiler heat until sausages are browned and cooked through—about 20 minutes, turning sausages once. Serves 6 as a main dish.

Tried this in the crockpot with andouille sausage for a creole twist. Easy Yum!

The Good Housekeeping Cook Book, 1942. 

Creole Bean Soup

2 c. dried pea beans

1 ham bone

1 ½ qts cold water

1 sliced medium onion

1 scraped whole carrot

2 scraped carrots, shredded

1 medium green pepper, minced

½ c chopped celery

1 No. 2 ½ can tomatoes (3 ½ c.)

Salt and pepper

Soak beans overnight in cold water to cover. Drain. Combine beans, ham bone, water, onion, and whole carrot; cover, and simmer over low heat for about 2-2 ½ hours, or until beans are very tender. Remove ham bone; mash beans with potato masher until broken up. Add shredded carrots, green pepper, celery, and tomatoes. Simmer covered for 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serves 6-8, as a hearty soup.

The Good Housekeeping Cook Book, 1942.

I'll try it, but think I'll use ham hocks and add the pulled meat back in with the carrots, etc. Bet it would work in a crockpot too.

Baked Lima Beans with Marshmallows

Baked Lima Beans with Marshmallows

I was thumbing through an old card box of recipes at a garage sale and when I hit this one, I knew I had to buy them. I've never dared try it though.

Soak beans over night. Boil one pound of lima beans and add while cooking 1 1/2 oz. butter, pinch of garlic, and salt and pepper to suit taste. After beans are boiled, place in oven pan to brown. Add 1 1/2 oz butter and 1 1/2 oz. brown sugar. Place several strips of bacon on top of beans and bake. Keep juicy while baking by adding hot water if necessary. Dot top with whole marshmallows, place under broiler flame until toasted a golden brown.

What's in the crockpot?

Foul Medames that's what. It's an Arab dish, called the national dish of Egypt. And that's pronounced fool not foul. Don't ask me why it's transliterated that way. Okay, maybe I have a guess why. There are some things my Dad makes that are to die for, but the first time he ever made foul--my first introduction to foul too--I don't know what he did, but it stank so bad that my mother made him eat it standing outside on the front porch. The smell left a lasting impression on me and I didn't try foul until I was an adult and discovered I quite like it. So here's what you do:

Get a bag of dried fava beans, medium or large, doesn't matter. Put them in a crockpot and add water til its an inch over the top of them. (I like to throw a handful of dried garbanzo beans in too.) Let them soak overnight. In the morning, add more water so they again have an inch of water over them, throw in at least one or two cloves of crushed garlic, okay, maybe three or four (I like garlic), the juice of half a fresh lemon, a couple slurps of olive oil, and sprinkle of cumin. Turn it on low, cover, and let it cook for 9-10 hours. If you want, take a bit out, mash it up, and return it to the crock to thicken the liquid. How whole or mushed they are is personal preference. Add salt and more cumin or lemon as you wish too.

Now let it cool and put it in the fridge overnight. The next day, reheat it and serve it with any or all of the following: chopped fresh tomato, greek yogurt, sunny-side up egg, hot sauce, tahini, green onion, and, of course, flat bread. That's it, easy peasy, or easy beany. Makes a great breakfast or have it for lunch with a nice chianti.