Five Good Vintage Finds

In the past week or so, I’ve had good luck in finding five vintage pieces to add to my ever-growing collections.  The first was from eBay – a 1930s era paper fan with artwork by Fern Bisel Peat (1893-1971).  I collect vintage scottie pieces and this one is in near-mint condition.

The back shows an advertisement for Triena children’s laxative (Allied Drug Products of Chattanooga) that was for sale by Farmers Mercantile in Nelagoney, Oklahoma.

I found three wonderful items in antique malls – a Homer Laughlin gravyboat ….

….a Jadeite bowl with lip ….

…. and a set of chubby pre-WWII made-in-Japan bird salt/pepper shakers.  I’m particularly drawn to these birds which were sold in dime stores in the 1930s.

The last item, and the biggest bargain, was found in a Goodwill thrift store for less than $3.00.  This Roseville child’s plate is well worn and faded, obviously used a lot, which I prefer in my pieces.  There was one in almost identical condition selling on eBay for $25.

It’s unusual for me to buy this many pieces in a short period of time, even at good prices, but when I see them, I grab them.

 

Click on pictures to enlarge.

Collectibles of the Week–Time to Make Concord Grape Pie

I  have so many wonderful collectibles acquired over the last 80+ years.  Some were gifts, some were part of my life growing up, some were inherited, some were purchased at antique malls, gift shops or thrift stores  – all are precious to me.  Some items are kept up year-around while others are brought out seasonally and on holidays.  Unfortunately, many priceless-to-me objects go undisplayed and unseen for years, so each week, I’m going to pull out an item and post a COLLECTIBLE OF THE WEEK.

Once a year, if I’m lucky, I find Concord grapes at a farm market and make Streusel Concord Grape Pie.  It’s probably my favorite pie and I get out my vintage pie-baking utensils to make it.

There’s a little bit of work involved, including putting the cooked grape pulp through a food mill ….

The dough is rolled out with a one-piece rolling pin my mother gave me over 40 years ago.

I use a pie pan that my toddler children gave me for Christmas in 1956 after they carefully saved up enough Wilson evaporated milk labels to get it.

Actually, I don’t use the pastry blender at all but have it among my collection of depression-green handled utensils.  I once heard Alton Brown, TV food expert, say that mixing with the hands provided exactly the right amount of warmth for making good pastry and that’s the way my grandmothers, mother and I had been doing it all along.

I used my vintage kitchen items to make a Streusel Concord Grape Pie on this past Sunday and it’s still my favorite.

 

If you’re fortunate enough to find some Concord grapes and don’t mind spending a little time peeling them, here is my recipe.  https://lillianscupboard.wordpress.com/2007/09/24/streusel-concord-grape-pie/

Collectible of the Week–Dime Store Items from 1952

I  have so many wonderful collectibles acquired over the last 80+ years.  Some were gifts, some were part of my life growing up, some were inherited, some were purchased at antique malls, gift shops or thrift stores  – all are precious to me.  Some items are kept up year-around while others are brought out seasonally and on holidays.  Unfortunately, many priceless-to-me objects go undisplayed and unseen for years, so each week, I’m going to pull out an item and post a COLLECTIBLE OF THE WEEK.

When I was newly-married and setting up my first apartment in 1952, I had loads of beautiful wedding gifts to use, but I felt I was lacking something.  I stopped after work as a secretary for P&G  in downtown Cincinnati and went to Newberry’s 5&10 store to buy three items:

 

A baking rack which I did not receive among my many gifts

 

A vase to match my lovely wedding gift Poppy Trail china

And for no particular reason other than it matched my newly-painted kitchen, a chubby yellow pig planter.

I still use the rack and vase all of the time, but had to borrow the pig back from my youngest daughter who had claimed it for her kitchen when she married 19 years ago.

For dime-store purchases, these three items have held up very well.

Some Very Nice Collectibles

I’ve been wanting a Harker Hotoven rolling pin for a long time  and finally found one at an antique store in Lebanon, Ohio, for a reasonable price.

When I got it home, I realize I already had a pie plate in the same pattern.  It is quite discolored and crazed, which I don’t mind.  It shows that it has been used to bake a lot of pies.  My daughter found the rack at a thrift store for $4 and it’s perfect for displaying the two pieces.

Today, we visited a local thrift store and found a Universal water bottle with a beautiful marigold pattern.  I love these vintage patterns for china and pottery.

I also found a lovely pale pink and green Hull vase which is perfect for displaying while I’m waiting for spring to arrive.

These two items were only $15 each – a bargain even with a few imperfections.

To add to a week of very nice collectibles, my daughter gave me this darling 2-inch high pitcher for St. Patrick’s Day.

It was  a very good week for collectibles.

Sweetest Day 2013

My oldest daughter and I are the only ones in the family who celebrate Sweetest Day.  We give small bags of candy to my other daughter and her family, but we try to have something special for each other.  My daughter made this wonderful mosaic of pieces of a favorite Roseville vase that I had dropped and shattered along with slate-like remnants from my old childhood home which had been torn down.   The center picture is one of me with my mother, sister and if you look closely, our beagle Sissy, taken in 1945 near the back porch of the now-demolished house.

She also gave me a vintage gravy boat with a wonderful design.  Today it held some premium toffee from a local candy shop but in the future it will hold one of her sweet fresh flower arrangements.

We went out for lunch and then stopped at a favorite antique mall where I picked up a few more small pieces for my daughter to use for flowers:

There’s no lid for the sugar bowl, but that really doesn’t matter since I only want the pieces used for decorative purposes.

I couldn’t resist a more practical bowl for my kitchen.  I like the 1930s-40s Hot Oven bowls which measure about 4 inches in diameter and I especially like the vintage design on this one.

Now, we’ll settle in on this rainy night to watch a show from the Lewis and Hathaway  series via Netflix.  It was a very good Sweetest Day.

Click on pictures to enlarge.

Mendets – The 1930s-40s Way to Repair Pots and Pans

I recently posted something about a 1940s era junkman who visited my neighborhood and how my mother always looked for old pots and pans which she would repair with little pieces of metal.  My daughter found this card of Mendets on eBay and bought it for me.  This is exactly what my mother used, except sometimes she bought them in a small box.

Mendets were patented in the early 1900s and the dress/hairstyle of the lady on the card makes me think this might be from the 1930s.  The back of the card has instructions as well as suggesting some other uses such as repairing a hot water bottle, using on campfire utensils and even shows a lady perched precariously on a ladder repairing a gutter (“Saved the cost of a tinsmith”).

Until World War II was over, I believe every pot, pan and kettle in our kitchen had a Mendet or two helping to give a bit more life.

Click on photos to enlarge.

Welsh Rabbit and Beer Bread Rolls

I first made this recipe in 1993, adapted from one in Susan Branch’s Heart of the Home, 1988.  It became a favorite lunch for my two daughters and me, served on a split homemade yeast roll.

In 2008, I had made this dish for my youngest daughter’s birthday and since I had some beer leftover, made a good beer bread from an internet recipe (source forgotten).  I thought this bread would be ideal to serve with the Welsh Rabbit – sturdy enough to stand up under a generous helping of this delicious cheese concoction.  It turned out to be the perfect combination.  The recipe for Welsh Rabbit makes 4 helpings (could easily be doubled) and the bread recipe makes 8 large rolls (leftover rolls are good for dishes like Mom’s Tuna Melt and Balsamic Chicken Melt – or simply toasted for breakfast.

EASY BEER BREAD ROLLS

• Servings: 8 rolls
• Print

• 3-3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 3 Tblsp granulated sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 package dry fast-acting yeast (1 Tblsp)*
• 8 oz. beer, room temperature
• 1 Tblsp butter
• 1 egg, room temperature

*The “Instant“ or “Quick Rise” yeast is especially formulated to be used mixed with the dry ingredients and can withstand the hot water.  Rising time is cut in half

In a mixer bowl, place 1 cup all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, salt and yeast.  Blend.

Heat beer and butter in microwave to 130 degrees F.

Insert paddle beater and add beer/butter mixture to flour mixture.  Mix on medium speed for 3 minutes.  Add egg and beat for 30 seconds more.

Insert dough hook and add 1 cup of flour and beat at medium speed.  Continue beating for 6-1/2 minutes longer,  adding additional flour as needed until dough is elastic and no longer sticky.

Place dough in a large greased bowl, turn once, cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Punch with your knuckles to deflate dough and divide into 8 pieces …

and form each piece in your hand to make a rustic roll about 3 inches diameter.

Place on a greased baking sheet, cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Bake @ 375 degrees F for 12-14 minutes until bread is browned over the top surface.   Cool on a wire rack. 

WELSH RABBIT

• Servings: 4
• Print

• 1 lb. sharp cheddar cheese, diced
• 2 Tblsp. butter
• 1 tsp. dry mustard
• ½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• dash cayenne
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 8 oz. beer, room temperature
• 4 Easy Beer Bread Rolls, split and toasted

My first step is to get out my vintage Kreamer copper-bottom double boiler which I bought at an antique store about 30 years ago.

Melt cheese & butter in top of double boiler over simmering water.

Stirring constantly, add mustard, Worcestershire, and cayenne.  Beat in egg; stir in beer, and stir until hot.  Do not boil.  Serve over split, toasted Beer Bread Rolls.  Serve piping hot.

4 servings 

Note:  Leftover Welsh Rabbit can be used to supplement cheese in any dish such as macaroni and cheese or added to a cream soup.

Time for Easter in my April Kitchen

I’m lucky to have a lot of display areas in my kitchen.  I have one large primitive shelf…

…four window sills…

…two small corner shelves ….

…and a small decorative cabinet.

There’s a place to hang a handmade bunny dishtowel….

…and to display a 1970s cottage cheese container.  Yes, we did love our shades of orange back in the ‘70s.

One item I’m going to be displaying for all of the Easters to come is this wonderful spring-like picture of my youngest granddaughter.  The pink is just so perfect.

Peanut Butter 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 the very popular peanut butter cookie kids have been eating for generations.  Our book writer got this recipe from her friend, Shirley, and probably made the cookies a lot for her own family.  My version is half of the original recipe and makes about 2 dozen 3-inch diameter delicious, peanut-buttery cookies.

I have a small collection of vintage oven thermometers and although I love to see them displayed, I’m so grateful I have an oven with a reliable thermostat to do my baking.

• Servings: Approximately 2 doz. 3-inch cookies
• Print

• ½ cup shortening
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1-½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• Dash salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Cream shortening, granulated sugar and vanilla.  Add egg, brown sugar and peanut butter.  Mix until smooth.

Whisk together the flour, soda and salt.

Add to creamed mixture and mix until well blended.

Form a measuring tablespoon of dough into a ball and place on ungreased baking sheet.

Press a cross-hatch pattern on top of the cookie with a fork dipped in flour.

The unbaked cookies will be 2 inches diameter.  Place cookies 2 inches apart on the sheet and bake @ 375 degrees F for approximately 10 minutes until golden brown.

Remove immediately to a wire rack to cool.

Yield:  Approximately 2 dozen 3-inch diameter cookies