CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?

Thinking of our supermarkets today it is amazing to think of the following facts from the early 1900s:

• Tuna was first put in cans to be sold on store shelves.
• Sugar was 4 cents a pound.
• Butter was 25 cents a pound.
• Eggs were 14 cents a dozen.

I can remember as a young girl going with my grandma to a neighbors farm and buying eggs for some change. This was in the 1950s.

THREE SPAM RECIPES FROM HAWAII

I got these recipes years ago, Wednesday, March 21,1984 to be exact, from the Indianapolis Star newspaper. The article was about the popularity of SPAM as a food in Hawaii. It was a Chronicle Publishing Co. article.

SPAM AND PINEAPPLE PUPUS
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons mustard
1 can (12 ounces) SPAM, cut in 1-inch cubes
1 can (15 ounces) pineapple chunks, drained

Combine brown sugar and mustard. Mix in cubes of SPAM and toss to coat evenly. String alternately with pineapple cubes on 6-inch bamboo skewers. Arrange the kebabs on a broiler pan so that they are not touching one another. Spoon any extra sauce over them. Broil 4-inches from heat source for 5 minutes on each side, turning once.  Stick the kebabs in a fresh pineapple and use as a center-piece for the buffet table at your next cocktail party. "Pupus" in Hawaiian means hors d' oeuvre

WIKI WIKI CORNED BEEF STEW
(Makes 4 To 6 Servings)
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium potato, cut in 1-inch chunks
1 medium carrot, cut in 1/2-inch chunks
1/4 cup minced onion
1 bay leaf
2 cups boiling water
2 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
1 can (12 ounces) corned beef, cut in 1 1/2-inch chunks
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Add the celery, potato, carrot, onion and bay leaf to boiling water. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Add the tomato sauce, corned beef, sugar, salt and pepper, cover and continue cooking for 4 minutes.

PS I'm not sure how that in an article about SPAM. I think it's because the corned beef is also a canned meat.

SPAM AND CABBAGE
1 can (12 ounces) SPAM, cut into 1-by 2- by 1/4-inch pieces
2 tablespoon salad oil
1 2-pound head cabbage, quartered, sliced crosswise in 1-inch-wide pieces
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Brown SPAM in hot oil over high heat for 2 minutes. Add cabbage and cook about 5 minutes uncovered, stirring occasionally as the cabbage cooks down. Mix in the soy sauce, salt and pepper, and simmer for an additional minute or so.

picture was with the article

HOMEMADE SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK

When using this in a recipe, remember when a can is called for in a recipe that is equal to 12-ounces.

1 cup boiling water

1/2 cup butter

2 cups sugar

2 cups powdered milk

Boil water with butter. Add the sugar and powdered milk.

This is a hand-written recipe someone gave my late mother many years ago. Based on the paper, I believe it was given to hear in the early 1960s.

file photo for reference

HOMEMADE COOKED MAYONNAISE

This is another old recipe from my childhood in Southern Indiana.

2 cups sugar
1 tsp prepared mustard
2 tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbsp butter
1 cup vinegar
1 cup boiling water

In a large saucepan, stir together the sugar, salt, pepper, and flour; add mustard. Add the butter and vinegar; stir to moisten. Add 1/4 cup of the boiling water and stir. Turn heat to low and add the eggs. When eggs are mixed in well, slowly add the remaining boiling water and increase the heat to boiling. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Makes one quart of mayonnaise and may be kept in the refrigerator indefinitely.

file photo used for reference only.

HOMEMADE SOFT PRETZELS

This recipe is from an old Texas newspaper clipping.

2 pkgs active dry yeast
2 cups warm water
5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups enriched cornmeal
2 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
Coarse salt, optional for garnish
TOPPING:
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp water

Dissolve yeast in 2 cups water in large mixing bowl. Add 5 cups of the flour, cornmeal, eggs, sugar, and salt. Beat with electric mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes; stir in enough additional flour to make the dough stiff.

Shape dough to form a ball and place in a greased large bowl. Turn once to coat the surface of the dough. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in volume. Punch dough down. Divide dough in half on a lightly floured surface; shape each half to form a ball. Flatten one ball and cut into 16 wedges. Roll each wedge to form an 18-inch-long rope; shape to form a pretzel. Place on lightly greased baking sheet. Repeat the process with the second ball of dough.

Combine the topping ingredients and brush over the tops of the pretzels. Sprinkle with coarse salt, if desired. Let rise in warm place for 30 to 45 minutes or until double in size. Bake at 425 degrees for 12 to 13 minutes or until golden brown.

 File Photo

CORN DOGS

2/3 cup corn meal

1 egg, beaten
1 tsp baking powder
milk
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
Hot dogs

Mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt together in a shallow dish; stir in the egg and enough milk to make a stiff batter. Remove hot dogs from package, dry with paper towels, and insert a wooden skewer in one end and over halfway through the hot dog. Dip in batter to coat well. Deep fry at 400 degrees until golden brown. Drain on a cookie sheet lined with paper towels.

file photo

CORNMEAL MUSH

When I was a little girl I always wondered why my grandmother loved cornmeal mush. I am in my seventies now and I still wonder about that. Do any of you readers like cornmeal mush or have memories of family members who ate it?

1 quart boiling water

1 quart cold water

2 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal

1/4 cup white flour

1 1/4 tsp salt

1 1/4 tsp sugar

Put the cold water into a heavy 4-quart saucepan. Combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar and salt; stir into the cold water. Slowly add the boiling water while stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Cover and cook slowly for 1 hour until mixture glops slowly. Add 1/2 cup cornmeal 5 minutes before removing from the heat.

HIBACHI CHICKEN KABOBS

This is a recipe from a small "Fresh Mushroom Cookbook" from 1967.  This is exactly as written.

Total elegance is achieved in at-the-table hibachi cooking.  This charming Oriental manner of serving is really quite simple.  The most important thing is pre-planning.  Prepare kabobs in advance, place on decorated trays.

4 whole chicken breasts, boned
3/4 cup shoyu (soy) sauce
3/4 cup semi-sweet sherry
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
40 small to medium mushrooms
20 cocktail onions
2 red bell peppers, cut in squares

Cut boned chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes, making about 40 cubes.  Combine soy sauce, sherry, sugar, and ginger in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Simmer until reduced about 1/4.  Cool and add chicken.  Marinate at least an hour.  Using bamboo skewers which have been soaked in water to prevent burning, thread a chicken cube, a mushroom, an onion, a piece of pepper, a mushroom and a chicken cube.  Just before grilling, brush each skewer with sauce and grill on hibachi until lightly browned, turning once.  20 servings.

file photo for reference only - not this exact recipe

DID YOU KNOW?

Did you know that a Mr. Jay Fowler of Baltimore, Maryland patented self-rising flour in 1842? I had no idea self-rising flour had been around for so long.

Not a brand recommendation.

INDIAN PUDDING

 Another old Southern Indiana recipe.

4 1/2 cups milk
5 tbsp cornmeal
2/3 cup molasses
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter

Scald 4 cups of the milk and place in a double boiler.  Add the cornmeal and cook for 20 minutes.  Mix molasses, ginger, salt, and butter; add to the cornmeal-milk mixture.  Pour mixture into a baking dish.  Pour remaining milk over the pudding.  Bake in a 325 degree oven for 3 to 4 hours.  Serve with whipped cream, hard sauce, or vanilla ice cream if you want.

Yield: 8 servings

clipart

EARLY 1900S MEALS REVOLVED AROUND MILK

It is amazing when you think about how government guidelines change regarding advice on food, meals, nutrition over time. Check out this poster from the early 20th century to see what the government thought was a healthy dinner. How about a dinner of milk, bread, and cookies? Can you imagine sitting your family down to a dinner like this today? I believe this government poster was from around 1912.

U.S. Dept of Agriculture States Relations Service Poster 

CHRISTMAS PICKLES

1-gallon of whole dill pickles

2-oz Tabasco sauce
3 garlic cloves. chopped
5 lb granulated sugar

Drain pickle juice and discard.

Slice the pickles lengthwise and place back in the jar.  Add the Tabasco sauce and the garlic.  Add approximately 1 1/2 pounds of the sugar.  Screw lid tightly back on the jar.  Gently tip the jar back and forth several times to allow the sugar, garlic, and Tabasco to blend.  Leave sitting out a room temperature for a week.  As the sugar dissolves, add more until all the sugar has been used.  Tip jar each time you add sugar so it can mix in.  By the time all the sugar has dissolved, the pickles will be bright green and crisp.

This is not a brand endorsement. It is to show you the pickles you start with.

CAMPBELL'S SOUPS FIRST MAGAZINE AD

 This ad first appeared in Good Housekeeping Magazine in 1905.

1963 YEAST COUPON

An 8-cent coupon today wouldn't be worth much.  But in 1963, this was quite a savings.  Don't know why my late mother never used the coupon.  This coupon was good during my Junior year of high school!

Old Coupon

1957 DISNEYLAND AD

 Anyone visit Disneyland in 1957? If so, what was the best thing you ate there?

OLD TIME SUGAR CREAM PIE + BONUS CLIPPING

This is another of the old recipe clippings from my late mother's recipe shoe boxes.  This clipping for Mrs. Mills' Old Time Sugar Cream Pie also has a note directly under it on how to handle stains on "men's shirt collars to remove the dark stains around the neck."  It used to be that how a woman allowed her husband to go out in public said a lot about what kind of wife she was so these little things were very important to housewives.

Click on the picture to enlarge for easier reading.

OLD FASHION BAKED FONDUE

Today I came across an old Kraft Grocery Store Recipe Flyer I have had since 1977.  This is the first recipe in the flyer.

1 cup milk
8-oz jar Cheese Whiz Pasteurized Process Cheese Spread
3 cups French or Italian bread cubes
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dry mustard
dash of pepper
4 eggs, separated

Heat milk and cheese spread over low heat; stir until cheese spread melts.  Add remaining ingredients except eggs; remove from heat.  Gradually add slightly beaten egg yolks; cool.  Fold into stiffly beaten egg whites; pour into a 1 1/2-quart casserole.  Bake at 325 degrees, 50 to 55 minutes or until set.  Serve immediately.  6 to 8 servings.

BANANA BUTTER

This is another old Hoosier Recipe. If you are wondering what Banana Butter is, it is a canned butter like apple butter, for instance.

6 clean hot half-pint canning jars
6 hot flat canning lids and rings
3 1/2 lbs ripe bananas
3 cups sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup finely chopped red maraschino cherries
1 tsp butter

Thoroughly mash bananas; measure 4 cups into a large kettle or Dutch oven. Add the sugar, lemon juice, cherries, and butter; mix together well. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil while stirring constantly. Reduce the heat and simmer gently, uncovered for 20 minutes while stirring often. Pour into the hot canning jars, leaving a half inch of headspace. Tighten the lids onto the jars. Process the jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Remove jars from the hot water and set on countertop to cool.

This is a file photo used for reference only.

OLD REVERE WARE AD

Does anyone else remember Revere Ware? My grandma had a saucepan she loved. She had a special polish to keep the bottom shiny. I loved getting to "shine" it up. I'm sure she called it shining rather than polishing so I would consider it fun, not work.

INTERESTING INFORMATION FROM EARLY 1900s

I know most of my regular readers enjoy old bits of information as much as I do.  Today I came across the following information from the early 1900s (1900-1909): Thought you might be interested to know that in 1900 sugar was 4 cents a pound!  

Eggs were selling for 14 cents per dozen and butter was 25 cents a pound.

The Minnesota Valley Canning Company in Le Sueur began packing peas and corn in cans.  (Have you ever wondered how Le Sueur peas got their name?)

Auguste Escoffier of London's Carlton Hotel stated that coffee should only be served at the end of the meal.  In his wisdom he also added that fruit is the only appropriate food to serve after pastries.

Honeydew melons were introduced in the United States.

The United States' first pizzeria opened.  It was in New York City.

James Beard was born in 1904.

Very important timesavers for cooks debuted including the electric toaster and drip coffeemakers!

The first recipe for the now popular Devil's Food Cake appeared in print.

The United States Government enacted the first law to protect America's food supply.  It was known as The Pure Food and Drug Act.

An early, possibly first, toaster.