Goody Gumdrops

December 26, 2023 by Andi Cohen-Rabiner ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

A Recipe from Good Housekeeping’s Christmas Cook Book (1958)

About the Recipe

This is the type of recipe on first glance that creates that kind of gut reaction that says, this was definitely a mid-century recipe, and maybe it needs to stay in the mid-century and not make its way to our modern palates. Super sticky, sugary gumdrops – in a cookie? Really? The result is absolutely delicious.

These come out like fancy oatmeal cookies, with a little bit of snap and crunch, but actually not too much sweetness. They’re just sweet enough that they feel like a treat, but not so sweet that it cracks tastebuds.

A few quick tips to ensure that yours come out great:

These cookies spread! I made them a bit too large (only got just over 2 dozen out of them using a Tablespoon measure), and a bunch of them ran into each other.
Use a teaspoon to eye the amount of dough. As is usual for these older recipes, our eyes are used to bigger serving sizes and you won’t get the full 4 dozen if you make them too large.
I creamed the shortening and added the sugar slowly, and then beat until fluffy. Then I added the egg, water, and vanilla.

About the book

I got this book in a stack of Good Housekeeping booklets all published around the same time. I’ve been meaning to page through and make something out of it for a very long time, but there have always been other books that won the day. All in all, this is such a delightful example of mid-century artistry. The illustrations tell the story of a family Christmas, complete with snow and mistletoe. Worth the grab if you see it floating around somewhere.

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 T water
1 t vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups uncooked rolled oats
3/4 cup gumdrops, cut into small pieces
About 1 1/2 cups flaked coconut (optional)

Directions:

Start heating the oven to 350*F. Sift together, into a bowl, flour, baking powder, soda, salt. Add shortening, sugars, egg, water, vanilla; beat until smooth. Fold in rolled oats and gumdrop pieces.

Shape mixture into walnut-size balls; if desired, roll in coconut. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 12-15 min.

Lemon Squares

December 17, 2023December 17, 2023 by Andi Cohen-Rabiner ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

A Recipe from Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book (1963)

About the Recipe

I’ve been on a baking kick lately and I was looking for something new, but maybe outside of the normal flavors of the season. There is a point where there is too much ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon, and it’s possible I’ve hit my limit a little early this year. So when I went looking for a dessert, I wanted something that would lift up an otherwise heavy meal. Clearly lemon squares are the answer.

Sometimes lemon squares or lemon bars can be complicated. These are some of the easiest and most effective and delicious that I’ve made. The bottom is buttery and crumbly and just melts in your mouth. The whole thing took about an hour from start to finish and makes 16 squares. It was perfect for a quick and yummy dessert to make on the fly.

This recipe is a little on the sparse side. Betty seems to bank on the baker knowing certain technical skills and best practices when it comes to cookies and bars. I’ll offer a few tips to make this recipe really a success:

Use refrigerator cold butter to cut into your flour and confectioner’s sugar. Cut it into smaller pieces, and then toss it in. It makes it much easier to blend.
I used a pastry blender to get the base mix down to a sand-like texture. It would be just as easy to pop it all into a food processor and pulse until you get the same texture. This helps to create that buttery, crumbly base that no one can resist.
My husband loves a lemony lemon bar, so I added a little bit more juice than recommended. Next time, I’ll also add some fresh zest or dried lemon peel to really make it zing.
Wait until it cools to cut it! If you don’t you risk the top kind of coming apart on you. I also recommend keeping a wipe nearby to clean your knife as you cut, just to make it a little bit more neat.
The recipe doesn’t call for the confectioner’s sugar on top, but who doesn’t love a little dusting on the top of a lemon bar?

About the book

The Betty Crocker Cooky Book is a staple of any mid-century cookbook collection. It seemed like everyone had a copy… except for me. But lo and behold, my favorite Antiques Barn in New Paltz, NY came through again! I found it hiding on a cart, just waiting for me to grab it up.

It’s worth the reminder here that Betty Crocker was not a real person, but a very complex (and effective) marketing scheme. I love the detail that they give to her character in these books. Worth a read to really get yourself in the mood for some vintage baking:

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
2 T lemon juice

Directions:

Heat oven to 350*F. Measure flour by dipping method or by sifting. Blend flour, butter, and confectioners’ sugar thoroughly. Press evenly in square pan, 8x8x2″. Bake 20 min.

Beat rest of ingredients together. Pour over crust and bake 20 to 25 minutes more. Do not overbake! (The filling puffs during baking but flattens when cooled.)

Chafing-Dish Meat Balls

December 29, 2022 by Andi Cohen-Rabiner ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

A Recipe from Good Housekeeping’s Complete CHRISTMAS COOKBOOK (1967)

About the Recipe

Each year for Christmas, my husband and I host what we call Orphan Christmas. We invite friends who are Jews (like us), who are unable to really travel, or who just have no where else to go to join our holiday gathering and table. We cook a big meal and sit down together to make merry. It’s basically heaven.

This year, I dipped into a new-old cookbook to create these meatballs, and they did not disappoint! They remind me of the Swedish meatballs a friend used to make for various festivities (and maybe for Christmas once or twice). The meatballs themselves are fantastic. It’s a great, easy recipe. I can easily see making a batch of them and then freezing them for a day when I don’t feel like cooking but want good spaghetti and meatballs.

In lieu of canned tomato juice, I opted for some bloody mary mix which I had on hand. I paired that with some original Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce, a favorite in our household, to make the sauce. I’ll go ahead and say, use whatever you really enjoy. It’s hard to miss on this one as long as you have the sweet in the barbecue sauce and the savory in the tomato juice.

My husband, Tarik has been making meatballs for years.

About the book

I got this book as part of a set from my secret holiday gifter on my team at LinkedIn! I mentioned that I collect and cook out of vintage cookbooks, and this delightful set arrived on my doorstep. The Good Housekeeping Complete Cookbooks come in a set of 15 books, along with a plastic holder. This book is one of the set. As with so many of these MCM cookbooks, it comes complete with terrible food photos and delightful illustrations. I’m so excited to cook some more out of these books.

About the glassware

This barbed wire pattern divided dish is one of my favorite finds. It was a limited release in 1958 and I found it complete with a lid and in perfect condition. The cradle it’s in didn’t come with it, but is a partner to another divided dish that I have. It was the first pattern released on a divided dish, originally called the Cinderella Divided Serving Dish – delightful!

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs chuck, ground
1/2 cup finely-sifted dried bread crumbs
1 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup shortening
2 cups canned tomato juice
2 T regular all-purpose flour
3/4 cup bottled barbecue sauce
1/4 cup water
1 1-lb. 4 1/2-oz. can pineapple chunks, drained

Directions:

Early on day:
1. In bowl, with 2-tined fork, toss together chuck, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, egg, and milk until well blended. Shape into 1/2- to 3/4-inch balls. Place in shallow pan with shortening; refrigerate.
2. In saucepan combine tomato juice and flour until sooth. Add barbecue sauce and water; blend well.

About 1 hour and 30 minutes before serving:
1. Start heating oven to 350*F.
2. Bake meat balls 30 minutes; now drain off excess fat then pour on tomato sauce; bake 45 minutes longer.
3. To serve, spoon meat balls and sauce into chafing dish or serving dish, with pineapple chunks here and there.

Makes 48 meatballs.

Macaroni with Paprika-Mushroom Sauce

August 7, 2022August 7, 2022 by Andi Cohen-Rabiner ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

A Recipe from Recipes by Rakusen’s (195?)

About the Recipe

When a friend brought this (along with 2 other also amazingly vintage Rakusen’s books) back from England for me, I couldn’t wait to give it a go. These recipes are classics, and this one didn’t disappoint.

This comes together almost like an easy macaroni and cheese without the cheese. The sauce is rich and delicious, and pairs delightfully with the mushrooms. That said, both the husband and I agreed that more vegetables and even small bites of meat (I would go chicken or steak) would go well with this, and there’s more than enough sauce to make it happen. All in all, an excellent start to cooking with these little booklets. And hey – this was fully Maxx approved, so you know it’s gotta be good!

What do we think, Maxx?

OMNOMNOM!

About the book

I try to keep these entries short and sweet to let you get to the recipe quickly, but forgive me on this one while I wax poetic a little bit about this book. As I said, it came from a friend who brought them from England for me. Rakusen’s is like the Manischewitz of England. It was founded in Leeds in 1900 and is a top provider of Kosher ingredients throughout the country. It was just so fun to look through these booklets, clearly designed to enjoy Rakusen’s fine line of products throughout the year.

There’s no date on the booklet, but it looks to be about 1950’s/60’s, and online listings of them seem to be in line with that as well. The illustrations and funky fonts lean more toward late ’50’s/early ’60’s, but regardless are everything that just works for these old advertising booklets. As per usual though, I remain grateful that food photography has come a long way since that time period.

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1 large onion
1/2 lb. mushrooms
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 t paprika
1/2 t salt
1/8 t pepper
8 oz. macaroni

Directions:

Melt butter in frying pan. Chop onion and sauté in butter until light brown. Remove onion. Slice mushrooms and sauté in same fat until tender. Add remaining ingredients (including onion), except macaroni. Mix well and heat. Cook macaroni in boiling, salted water until tender. Drain. Place in serving dish and pour sauce over. Serve at once. Serves 6.

Mrs. Cohen’s Kosher for Passover Cookies

April 15, 2022 by Andi Cohen-Rabiner ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

A Recipe from the Koppelman Family archives

About the Recipe

This recipe comes from Mrs. Cohen – not my mother (though she makes them every year), my Aunt Harriet’s mother. See, my mother was a Koppelman who married a Cohen, and Aunt Harriet was a Cohen who married a Koppelman. Every year we would gather at Mr. and Mrs. Cohen’s house (AH’s mom and dad) and sit around a huge table for our Passover Seder. As we cousins grew up, the Cohens were less and less an extended arm of the family, and more another set of grandparents.

Every year, Mrs. Cohen made these cookies.

There’s not a ton to really love about kosher for Passover baking in general, but wow are these cookies delish. They’re kind of like a snickerdoodle crossed with an oatmeal raisin cookie, but with matzah instead of flour and oats. The recipe has been passed from Mrs. Cohen to Mrs. Cohen to Mrs. Rabiner-Cohen (me!) and I can’t wait to pass it down to my son one day.

A few quick notes on changes and adaptations – you can use the dried fruit of your choice in this. I used the Trader Joe’s Berry Blend this time around, and the variety of flavor seems promising. My mom swore by golden raisins. Mrs. Cohen’s original was regular raisins. Any nut is fine in this as well. I prefer walnuts, my mom is more of an almond gal.

Quick tip: Use a metal tablespoon or scoop to shape the cookies. They’re very, very sticky and just get worse and worse if you try to do it with your hands. Chag Sameach!

For more of my family recipes, click here!

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

2 cups matzah meal
2 cups matzah farfel
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup white raisins
1 cup chopped nuts
1/2-1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup vegetable oil
5 eggs
2 tsp. orange juice

Directions:

Combine dry ingredients. Beat in eggs, oil, and orange juice. Drop by the teaspoon or tablespoon, or roll in hands. Place on very greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350*F for 15-20 min.

Brownie Pudding

March 27, 2022 by Andi Cohen-Rabiner ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

A Recipe from Better Homes & Gardens Dessert Cook Book (1960)

About the Recipe

My friend Antonella had a birthday last week. As such, she had a (Covid responsible) birthday party yesterday. I asked two questions: Hot or cold? Fruit or chocolate? Her answer: Hot, and chocolate! So, I dove into my favorite dessert cookbook and BEHOLD! Brownie Pudding.

Now I know, it kind of looks like poop on a plate. That happens with chocolate dishes sometimes. But with that out of the way, holy crow is this a delicious dessert. It’s kind of like a sponge cake on top and that wonderful, gooey Jello chocolate pudding (not the instant, the one you actually have to cook) from childhood. Just check out Antonella’s very enthusiastic first taste:

And all in all, this wasn’t that hard to make. There are a lot of parts and pieces to the ingredients, so read the recipe carefully. But from there, go forth and enjoy, because this one’s a winner.

About the book

The Better Homes & Gardens series of cookbooks was, and continues to be, one of the best. The recipes are designed for the home cook, and I’m not sure that I’ve had one so far that hasn’t turned out fantastically. This dessert cook book is a particular favorite. On top of the winning recipes, the illustrations and tone of the book always make me smile.

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

1 cup sifted enriched flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 T cocoa
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 cup milk
2 T salad oil
1 t vanilla
3/4 to 1 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 3/4 cups hot water

Directions:

Sift together first five ingredients. Add milk, salad oil, vanilla; mix smooth. Add nuts. Pour into greased 8x8x2-inch pan. Mix brown sugar, and 1/4 cup coca; sprinkle over batter. Pour hot water over entire batter. Bake at 350*F about 45 minutes.

Maple Candied Sweet Potatoes

March 23, 2022 by Andi Cohen-Rabiner ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

A Recipe from Cast Iron Cookbook (1969)

About the Recipe

There’s nothing like the combination of sweet potatoes and maple syrup. When my husband issued the challenge to cook us more of this delectable root vegetable, I happily took it on. I landed on this recipe to try to break in our new cast iron skillet, a most welcome addition to the Cooking Vintage kitchen.

This is actually a really simple recipe that I think celebrates the sweet potatoes themselves. I would even be so bold in the future as to turn this into an easy tzimmes recipe, substituting some of the potatoes with carrots and squash, and adding some dried prunes and raisins into the mix. But all that said, this recipe is perfect as is and will definitely find its way to my plate again.

We combo’d the potatoes with a green salad and some slow cooked salmon (pop it in with the potatoes at the 35 minute mark!) for a delicious dinner.

About the book

The Cast Iron Cookbook is part of the Nitty Gritty line of cookbooks. I know collectors who just collect these books, and now I understand why. It’s a delightful little book full of great illustrations, and even better recipes. They’ve broken down the recipes into different types of cast iron cookware, and of course there’s an index in the back. I think I may have another series to track down…

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

6 large sweet potatoes, unpeeled
2/3 cup maple syrup
1 t salt
2 T butter, melted
1 cup apple cider
1/3 cup water

Directions:

Heat oven to 300*F. Wash potatoes and boil until nearly tender. Drain and cool enough to handle. Peel and slice about 1″ thick, and place in greased skillet. Add salt and butter to maple syrup, then add cider and water. Bring to a boil and pour over the potatoes. Bake about 1 hour. Baste from time to time with syrup.

Hamburg Upside Down Pie

March 14, 2022March 14, 2022 by Andi Cohen-Rabiner ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

A Recipe from Jane Ashley’s Newest Recipes for Better Meals (1952)

About the Recipe

Happy Pi Day 2022! With the chaos of a new baby in the house, and time at a premium, I only had time for one pie this year, and wow is this a good one. One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it’s thrifty as heck. Most ingredients I had on hand, and everything I didn’t cost just over $7. The result? A delicious, easy meal that had my husband going back for seconds and thirds!

A few quick adjustments and substitutions on this one – feel free to cut the salt in half. There’s plenty in the sauce and the biscuit, and it was a little much. I used spicy ketchup that I had on hand, which I think gave the whole dish an additional depth of flavor. In the future, I’ll probably substitute the beef for turkey, and maybe throw in some blocks of cheese to get all melty in the middle. A little roasted garlic would also be a big taste add on this one. All in all though, feel free to make it as is and you won’t be disappointed.

Find more Pi Day Recipes here!

About the book

This is actually an advertising book for the Corn Products Refining Company, which includes brands like Karo, Mazola, and Argo, still in use today. Shortly after this book was published, they became the Corn Products Company. Then in 2014, after some mergers and acquisitions activity, they became Ingredion which still exists today.

Jane Ashley seems to have been someone who you might have seen on television sponsoring and cooking with these corn ingredients. There are at least 2 books that she published on behalf of CPRC, this being the later of the two.

Regardless of its origins, this recipe alone has made me want to try more from this book. Interestingly, when I was looking at another cookbook dated in the 1960’s I found 2 recipes from this book, including this one, printed under similar but different names. It makes me wonder where else there may be similar cross pollination.

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

2 slices bacon
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can (10 1/2 oz.) condensed cream of mushroom soup

1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 lb ground beef
1/4 cup salad oil
1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
2 T catsup
1 t chili powder
1 t salt
1/4 t pepper

1 recipe “Easy-Mix” Flaky Biscuits:
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3 t baking powder
1 t salt
1/3 cup salad oil
2/3 milk

Directions:

Sauté onion, green pepper and beef in salad oil in 9-inch frying pan, having oven-proof handle. Separate beef into small pieces as it cooks. Add tomato sauce, catsup, chili powder, salt and pepper.

Prepare biscuit dough as directed in recipe below. Roll biscuit dough to fit frying pan. Place on top of meat mixture.

Bake in hot oven (400*F) for 25 minutes, or until biscuit topping is lightly browned. Turn out on serving plate, crust side down. Serve hot. Makes 6 servings.

“Easy Mix” Flaky Biscuits:

Mix and sift dry ingredients together. Combine salad oil and milk. Pour all at once over surface of flour mixture. Mix with fork to make a soft dough. Shape lightly with hands to make a round ball. Place on wax paper and knead lightly ten times or until smooth.

Pat out to 1/2 inch thickness or roll between 2 squares wax paper (about 12 inches square). Remove top sheet of paper; cut biscuits with unfloured 2-inch biscuit cutter. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake in hot oven (450*F) 12-15 minutes. Makes 20.

Cook bacon. Remove and crumble. Cook onion in drippings until tender. Stir in soup, water, salt, and pepper; add potatoes and green beans. Pour into 1 1/2-quart casserole. Stand up frankfurters around edge of casserole. Bake at 350*F for 30 minutes. Garnish with bacon.

Frankfurter Crown Casserole

January 14, 2022 by Andi Cohen-Rabiner ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

A Recipe from Easy Ways to Delicious Meals, a Campbell’s Cookbook (1968)

About the Recipe

It’s been awhile since I’ve had an opportunity to crack open a cookbook, so I thought I’d come back with a mid-century bang! I love a recipe that strikes me as so crazy it just might work, and thankfully this one does.

It’s deceptively simple to make, and as a new mom who was worried about too much time spent in the kitchen, I was thrilled when it came together much more quickly than expected (about an hour from start to finish, and only because I had to cook the potatoes). I used frozen green beans, which worked just fine. In the future, I’ll probably use the veggie medley instead to give it a little more depth of flavor, or even just throw some fresh veggies in there. This dish would be well served with some broccoli florets or diced mushrooms thrown into the mix. Just sauté them with the onions a little bit to soften them up.

One more thing – cut the salt in half at least. The soup adds plenty of salt on its own, and combined with the frankfurters, it’s a lot.

About the book

I love these mid-century Campbell’s soup cookbooks. I’ve made a few recipes out of them before, and they never disappoint. My favorite part is this combo of full color photos and cute little illustrations. For this dish in particular, I was amused that they snuck in the full color photo of the Frankfurter Crown in the first section of the cookbook. And then (just in case that didn’t sell you), there was an illustration as well. It was truly a no-brainer to pick this particular recipe out of the lot.

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

2 slices bacon
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can (10 1/2 oz.) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup water
1/2 t salt
Dash pepper
3 cups sliced cooked potatoes
1 cup cooked cut green beans
1/2 lb. frankfurters, split and cut in half

Directions:

Honey Cake

September 6, 2021 by Andi Cohen-Rabiner ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

A Recipe from The Golden Jubilee Recipe Book (1959)

About the Recipe

Tonight (September 6, 2021) at sundown, is the start of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish holiday celebrating the new year. It’s one of my favorite holidays. It means time with family, getting a little bit of wine even when it wasn’t supposed to be allowed, and of course – delicious food. One of the traditional dishes to celebrate is honey cake, so of course I went looking for a good one!

This one is delicious! Light and fluffy, and just the right amount of sticky sweet for a sweet new year. It’s already bubbling and rising by the time the batter goes into the pan, which is exactly what one looks for in a great honey cake. It’s got a very traditional flavor to it, without all the density that sometimes comes along.

Two quick changes – throw this one in a 9×13 pan. Otherwise you’ll end up with batter everywhere! And I went a little bit lighter on the added sugar, maybe a 1/4 cup less. I find the balance is a bit better.

L’shana tovah! And happy 5782!

About the book

This book is the gift that keeps on giving. As it turns out, this little B’nai B’rith book has filtered down all over the New York metro area. A friend of mine found the noodle kugel recipe that I shared previously and noted that it was the same one she used in childhood. The dishes in it seem to be all of the regional favorites of Jewish New York, and I’m not even a little bit upset about it.

On a more personal note, one of the ladies who submitted a “Similar recipe” above is Rose Dubinsky. My paternal grandmother was a Dubinsky. Her family came over through Ellis Island and lived in New York for awhile before relocating to the Baltimore/DC area. I can’t help but wonder if an old family recipe has just come back around to find me this time around…

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 lb. honey
1 t baking soda
1 cup strong coffee
4 cups flour
2 t baking powder
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Juice of 1/2 orange
1/4 cup almonds

Directions:

Mix eggs and sugar together; add honey.

Dissolve soda with a little hot water and add.

Sift flour and baking powder; add alternately with coffee; add the juices; stir in almonds.

Line 8″ x 10″ (I used a 9×13 and barely had enough room) baking dish with foil; pour in batter and bake in 350*F oven one hour.