On Friday, I pause and remember a single, wordless moment from the past week – inspired by The Warden’s Log.
A Good Lenten Meal
For the next six weeks, this will be our lunch on Friday – salmon patties, macaroni and cheese, and scalloped tomatoes
Pause and Remember – 2/24/2012
A Birthday Lunch with My Favorite Cousins
Buddy and Carol Ann, ca 1942
When I was growing up in the 1940s, my favorite aunt was my mother’s sister, Mabel. Her two children, 9 and 6 years younger than I, were my favorite cousins. They were the babies of the family and I loved watching them grow up.
Carol, Buddy and Mabel
Every year on Washington’s Birthday, February 22, we had a holiday from school and went to Mabel’s house to celebrate her little girl’s birthday which fell on February 23. Mabel would have a cake purchased at the grocery store and decorated with the little hard sugar flowers and letters to spell out Happy Birthday, Carol Ann.
Carol Ann, Third Grade
Yesterday, for the first time in over 60 years, I enjoyed a birthday lunch with my cousins. My daughter and I invited them to meet us at the Cracker Barrel where we lingered for a couple of hours reminiscing. As it turned out, it appeared to be a party for me because of all of the gifts Carol brought. She has been an antique dealer for years and chose some special items from her personal collection that she thought I would like….
A tiny nesting hen covered dish…
A Jadeite hobnail bowl with handles…
A Snowbabies ornament, a Bakelite Scottie button, and a notebook dated 1939, filled with handwritten recipes.
In addition, she brought a stack of greeting cards that my family had sent to them in the 1940s and 50s ….
All of the things I love the most.
After all these years, they’re still my favorite cousins. Happy Birthday, Carol.
Cut Out Sugar Cookies – a 1940s Recipe
One of my Christmas gifts this year was a small 4-½ x 6 inch leather bound book engraved “Cooking Recipes”, purchased at an antique mall in Sugar Creek, Ohio. The pages are edged in gold and there are 10 index tabs for food categories.
The real gold in this book, though, is the collection of handwritten recipes. There aren’t a lot of recipes – just 25, 22 of which are desserts. The book itself could have been from the 1930s, but I believe the recipes are from the 1945-1950 era. This is based on a lot of recipes calling for shortening, for using the word “oleo” rather than margarine in most recipes and the attention given to oven temperatures. I believe it’s post-World War II because of all of the sugar-laden desserts.
The handwriting is clear and ingredients are listed correctly, although most of the recipes give no idea of how the item is to be prepared, what kind of pan to use or how long to bake. That’s why I’ve decided to make each of the recipes, using the products specified, and adding my own instructions. I like to think that the woman from the 1940s kitchen (who would have been about my mother’s age) would enjoy having someone fuss around with these recipes again and turn out some delicious food for the family.
I cut this recipe in half and then increased the flour so the dough would be easier to handle. This recipe gave me a good opportunity to use my vintage hatchet cookie cutter just in time for Washington’s Birthday.
These cookies are like so many from that era – plain, good, inexpensive and easy to make.
CUT OUT SUGAR COOKIES
- ½ cup shortening
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ cup sour milk*
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- ½ tsp. salt
- 3-½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. soda
- Colored sugar for sprinkling on top
*To make sour milk: Place ½ Tblsp. white vinegar in a one-cup measure. Add milk to make ½ cup. Let stand 5 minutes before using.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Cream shortening, sugar, egg, sour milk and vanilla. Whisk together salt, flour and soda. Add gradually to creamed mixture, blending well.
Roll out to 1/8 inch thickness on a lightly floured board and cut out with desired cookie cutter.
Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet and sprinkle with colored sugar.
Bake @ 375 degrees F for 7-8 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
Makes about 3 dozen cookies, depending on the thickness and size of cutter.
I’m displaying the cookies on a handkerchief commemorating Washington’s Birthday in 1932 – the year I was born.
Jacob’s Ladder Quiltalong
Back on October 3, 2011, I joined a Jacob’s Ladder Quilt-along hosted by
http://imperamagna.blogspot.com/2011/09/ladies-start-your-engines_28.html
I explained in my post how I had started out to make a sofa topper but received a cute mini-quilt rack and decided to make a piece to fit it. The original blocks were to be 9 inches finished and the mini-quilt blocks were 2-1/4 inches.
I used the original 9 inch block to make a backing.
The blocks were a devil to make and join in such a small size, but I have finished the quilt and in spite of a lot of “iffy” places, I like it. The finished size is 10-1/2 x 12-1/2 inches.
The quilt-along is continuing with plenty of time to join and make something in the very pretty Jacob’s Ladder pattern.
Pause and Remember – 2/17/2012
On Friday, I pause and remember a single, wordless moment from the past week – inspired by The Warden’s Log.
Lunch with my daughters on Valentine’s Day
Poulet d’Artichoke
The recipe for this chicken and artichoke dish is adapted from a recipe in a favorite cookbook, Southern Sideboards, published in 1978. It makes a nice luncheon dish when my daughters and I get together.
POULET D’ARTICHOKE
- One 14 oz can artichoke hearts (not marinated)
- 2 cups diced cooked chicken breast
- One 10-1/2 oz can cream of chicken soup
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- ¼ tsp curry powder
- ½ cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese
- ½ cup bread cubes
- 1 Tblsp. butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Oil a 9×9 inch baking dish
Drain artichoke hearts and arrange in an oiled 9×9 inch baking dish. Spread cooked chicken on top.
In a medium bowl, combine soup, mayonnaise, lemon juice and curry powder and pour over chicken. Sprinkle with cheese.
In a small skillet, melt butter and toss bread cubes to coat.
Place cubes on top of chicken mixture. Bake uncovered @ 350 for 25 minutes.
4 to 6 servings
To My Valentine Cookies – a 1940s Recipe
One of my Christmas gifts this year was a small 4-½ x 6 inch leather bound book engraved “Cooking Recipes”, purchased at an antique mall in Sugar Creek, Ohio. The pages are edged in gold and there are 10 index tabs for food categories.
The real gold in this book, though, is the collection of handwritten recipes. There aren’t a lot of recipes – just 25, 22 of which are desserts. The book itself could have been from the 1930s, but I believe the recipes are from the 1945-1950 era. This is based on a lot of recipes calling for shortening, for using the word “oleo” rather than margarine in most recipes and the attention given to oven temperatures. I believe it’s post-World War II because of all of the sugar-laden desserts.
The handwriting is clear and ingredients are listed correctly, although most of the recipes give no idea of how the item is to be prepared, what kind of pan to use or how long to bake. That’s why I’ve decided to make each of the recipes, using the products specified, and adding my own instructions. I like to think that the woman from the 1940s kitchen (who would have been about my mother’s age) would enjoy having someone fuss around with these recipes again and turn out some delicious food for the family.
This is a big, thick, old-fashioned oatmeal cookie. It’s not fancy – just sweet and good. With the lack of directions, I wasn’t sure until I had the dough mixed whether they would be drop cookies or rolled cookies. I was glad the dough turned out to be very easy-to-roll so I could use my vintage heart cookie cutters.
TO MY VALENTINE OATMEAL COOKIES
- 2-½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 cup oats (quick cooking)
- ¾ cup margarine
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
Lightly grease cookie sheets
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and oats.
In a large mixer bowl, cream the margarine, sugar, egg and vanilla.
Add the whisked dry ingredients gradually to the creamed mixture and beat until blended.
Roll dough on lightly floured surface to ¼ inch thickness.
Cut out with 2-inch to 3-inch cookie cutters.
Place on greased cookie sheets, two inches apart.
Bake @ 375 degrees F for approximately 10 minutes until cookies are golden brown.
Remove cookies to a wire rack to cool.
Makes 2-3 dozen cookies, depending on size.
I also liked them with a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar before baking.
These cookies are also good rolled 1/8 thick and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, and baked until crisp (8-10 minutes).
I like to think about this mother in the 1940s, having these cookies waiting for her kids when they came home from school with their penny Valentines.
Valentine’s Day in my February Kitchen
With the dreary weather we often get in February in southwestern Ohio, I’m happy to put up the cheery Valentine decorations that I’ve accumulated through the years. The little red and white enamelware plate was from a set I had as a child over 70 years ago.
Most of the items were handmade by members of the family: decorative painting on wooden pieces….
….some are quilted, appliquéd, crocheted.
Two pieces call to mind Valentine’s Day in the 1940s and my grade school parties.
The story of our Valentine’s Day celebrations at old Raschig School in the 1940s and a Valentine wall hanging are here…
Pause and Remember – 2/10/2012
On Friday, I pause and remember a single, wordless moment from the past week – inspired by The Warden’s Log.
Roseville White Rose
Because I don’t mind a chip hidden in the back, I have a bargain-priced Roseville console.
Cute Valentine Bookmarks
Karen at Sew Many Ways has a a great tutorial for a heart bookmark that is perfect for Valentine’s Day.
http://sewmanyways.blogspot.com/2012/01/tool-time-tuesdayfabric-heart-bookmark.html
These literally take minutes to cut and sew. The only change I made was to trim the seams and do some decorative top-stitching. I made these to enclose with my Valentines to the family this year.
Red fabric is good for Valentine’s Day but I couldn’t resist making one in an animal print for a daughter who loves it.
The back has a little pocket which slips over the bottom corner of a book page to keep your place.
To accompany the bookmark and to help explain how to use it, I looked through my collection of vintage cards for something with a book and came up with this one.
I scanned it and added the caption, “A Valentine Bookmark just for you”. The bookmark was slipped onto the bottom edge…
….and I wrote a personal message on the back of the card.
I think this will be a nice surprise as I continue the tradition of sending Valentines to special people.
This Valentine was sent to my mother by her first grade teacher in 1923
