Author: Andi Cohen-Rabiner

I'm a home cook and baker taking on the recipes of old. I collect vintage cookbooks and glassware and combine my collections to cook vintage recipes plated on vintage glassware.
Potato Pancakes No. 2

Potato Pancakes No. 2

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A Recipe from Tempting Kosher Dishes from the B. Manichewitz Co. (1930)

About the Recipe

It’s wintertime holiday season, which means it’s time for some latkes! And who better to give Becky and I a perfect latke recipe, than the Manichewitz Company? This is a basic, excellent recipe and hit the latke craving spot just right. Since it’s not Passover, we subbed in flour for the matzoh meal which worked just fine. We also splurged a little bit and fried it up in schmaltz, and I’m not going to lie – it’s divine!

Pro tip: To keep your oil / fat from going wonky and getting brown and burnt, stick a mini carrot or part of a full carrot in your pan. It sounds odd, but it really does keep everything tasting great.

For more recipes from my Weekend at Becky’s click here!

About the book

This book is cool for a number of reasons. We’ll start with the book itself. This is the third edition of the 1930 book and comes with one half in English, and the other half in Yiddish. We can imagine that at that time Yiddish may have still been spoken in the home. As the unifying language of the Jewish people, it was guaranteed that whether you were a recent immigrant or first generation American, you were able to enjoy all of the recipes. (Author’s Note: an earlier version of this blog incorrectly described the language as Hebrew.)

Now the history of this particular book. It belonged originally to Becky’s namesake – the original Rebecca, and her great-grandmother on her mother’s side. She was born in 1891 in Poland, and lived in Brooklyn according to her naturalization record, dated April 18th, 1939 on Ancestry. It’s just so cool that this book has made it 2 generations down the line.

About the glassware

It’s only fitting that a family book should have its recipe plated on a family plate. This plain, lovely white dish came from Becky’s Dassie (grandma), and was passed down to enjoy in her kitchen. We don’t know much about it, but it’s pretty and it does an outstanding job as a latke platter.

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

5 or 6 grated raw potatoes (about 3 cups)
1 grated onion
2 eggs
3/4 cup Manischewitz’s Matzo Meal
1 T salt
1/2 t pepper

Directions:

Drain off most of the liquid from the grated potatoes, then mix them with the other ingredients. Drop by tablespoonfuls into deep fat heated to 375*. Fry until golden brown. Makes 10-12 pancakes.

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Molly Goldberg’s Noodle Cheese Casserole

Molly Goldberg’s Noodle Cheese Casserole

by Andi Cohen-Rabiner ♥ 2 Comments

A Recipe from The Golden Jubilee Recipe Book (1959)

About the Recipe

Growing up, my mother always brought the kugel to family gatherings. And it was always the same (delicious, let’s be real) kugel – noodles, eggs, cinnamon, sugar, pineapple. As I got older, I discovered that there were other kugels in the world, and that a Jewish family’s kugel is just like an Italian family’s red sauce – personal, treasured, and shared over and over again.

This kugel is light and fluffy, unlike its heavier cousins. Separating and whipping up the eggs results in a light soufflé around the noodles. You’re left with this lovely, savory kugel with the snaps of sweetness from the raisins. A definite winner in the grand scheme of kugels. Molly Goldberg should be proud!

For more recipes from my Weekend at Becky’s click here!

About the book

This book came from my favorite cookbook shop in the East Village in Manhattan. When my husband and I bought a house out on Long Island and started to say “goodbye for now” to our East Village apartment, this was one of the places we stopped by. I asked the proprietor specifically for a vintage, Jewish book and pulled this one out of a stack of them.

The book celebrates the 50th anniversary of the B’nai B’rith. It’s a compilation of recipes from earlier fundraising books and is just delightful. It’s sectioned out into traditional Jewish holiday menus, treats, and even has a special section for Passover. I feel so lucky to have given it another Jewish home and can’t wait to dive into it again.

About the glassware

This is the second time I’ve co-opted Becky’s Spice of Life dish for a kugel. It belonged to her grandmother and has been lovingly passed down. She’s got the whole set and I can’t resist using it whenever I can. This dish is a little bit larger than the average square pan (it’s 9 3/4 x 9 3/4) which usually results in a little more crispy top to go around, and who can get mad about that?

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

1 T butter, creamed
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup raisins
Grated rind of 1/2 lemon
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 lb. of broad noodles, cooked and drained
4 eggs, separated

Directions:

Blend butter, sugar and salt together well. Add the cottage cheese, sour cream, raisins, lemon rind and juice. Blend. Add the noodles. Beat egg yolks until very thick and lemon-colored. Fold into cheese and noodle mixture. Beat egg whites stiff and fold into all. Put into buttered casserole. Put casserole into a pan of hot water, and bake in a moderate oven 350F about an hour. Should serve 6 generously.

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Chicken Tetrazzini

Chicken Tetrazzini

by Andi Cohen-Rabiner ♥ 2 Comments

A Recipe from Betty Crocker’s Dinner in a Dish Cookbook (1965)

About the Recipe

This is one of those recipes that all of a sudden starts to come together and smell amazing as you’re cooking it. It was so quick and simple (don’t let the roux scare you!) and super tasty and comforting on a chilly northeastern night.

Becky and I substituted frozen peas for the mushrooms to great success. I would actually say that you can sub in any veggie here that you’d like and it’ll be equally as tasty. We also added some extra mozzarella to the top. because – why not? And finishing it off in the broiler is definitely the perfect finishing touch.

For more recipes from my Weekend at Becky’s click here!

About the book

When I got to Becky’s house this time around, I was presented with a big, silver-wrapped box. Inside that box was a cornucopia of vintage cookbooks, this one included. I was so excited to see this particular book mixed in with the rest. I’ve been eyeing these Betty Crocker books for awhile and I’m so excited to have it.

Any Meal in a Dish book is good to have on your shelf – this one is great. If the recipes don’t get you, the gorgeous mid-century modern illustrations will. If nothing else, if you see this book give yourself a few minutes to thumb through and enjoy.

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup whipping cream
2 T sherry
7 oz. spaghetti, broken into small pieces, cooked and drained
2 cups cubed cooked chicken or turkey
1 can (3 oz.) sliced mushrooms, drained
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Heat oven to 350*F. Melt butter over low heat. Blend in flour and seasonings. Cook, stirring until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in broth and cream. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil 1 min. Add sherry. Stir in spaghetti, chicken, and mushrooms. Pour into a square baking dish, 8x8x2″. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake 30 min. or until bubbly in center. If desired, brown top by placing briefly under broiler. Garnish with parsley and green olives, if desired.

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Seven Minute Frosting

Seven Minute Frosting

by Andi Cohen-Rabiner ♥ 1 Comment

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

About the Recipe

This marshmallow fluff frosting is so light and delicious. I don’t do corn syrup in my house, so I substituted real maple syrup instead, and it gave it just a hint of warmth that really balanced out the rest of the sweetness. It was the perfect frosting for this Confetti Christmas Cake. Don’t let the double boiler scare you – dive in and you’ll be rewarded with a delightful addition to your next cake.

About the Cookbook

This book came in a set of Good Housekeeping booklets that I bought for myself as a housewarming present. As with the other books, it’s a great set of recipes. The mid-century modern graphics and accents are so much fun. There are some truly creative recipes in this book, and I can see putting it to good use each year during the holiday season.

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

2 egg whites
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1 T white corn syrup
1/2 t salt
1 t vanilla extract

Directions:

In double-boiler top, combine egg whites, sugar, water, corn syrup and salt. With electric mixer at high speed, beat over rapidly boiling water until mixture holds peaks – about 7 or 8 min. Turn into bowl; add vanilla; beat until mixture forms stiff peaks.

Confetti Christmas Cake

Confetti Christmas Cake

by Andi Cohen-Rabiner ♥ 1 Comment

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

About the Recipe

I had a mighty need to bake yesterday, and when my favorite vintage cookbooks Facebook group declared this week’s challenge to be Christmas Cakes, this seemed like the perfect recipe to turn to. As cakes go, this one is quick and easy to execute.

The most challenging part is stirring in the nonpareils. No really! If you’ve never done it before, as quickly and with as few spoon strokes as you can fold them in. If you can get it done without streaking, the results are magical!

The result is a fluffy, sweet confetti cake that would be the perfect addition to any dinner party, not just for Christmas. And when all was said and done, this one was for sure husband approved, and just what the chef ordered for a slushy Sunday afternoon.

About the Cookbook

This book came in a set of Good Housekeeping booklets that I bought for myself as a housewarming present. As with the other books, it’s a great set of recipes. The mid-century modern graphics and accents are so much fun. There are some truly creative recipes in this book, and I can see putting it to good use each year during the holiday season.

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

2 cups sifted cake flour
3 t double-acting baking powder
1 t salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup soft shortening
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs, unbeaten
1 t vanilla extract
1/4 cup multi-colored nonpareils
Flaked coconut
green and red maraschino cherries, halved and drained

Directions:

Start heating oven to 350*F. Grease, then flour, bottoms of 2 1 1/4′-deep 8″ layer pans.

Into large mixer bowl, sift flour, baking powder, salt, sugar. Drop in shortening; pour in milk. With electric mixer at low to medium speed, beat 2 min, scraping bowl and beaters as needed. Drop in eggs; pour in vanilla; beat 2 min.

Sprinkle batter with nonpareils; then, with spoon, gently fold them in. Quickly turn batter into prepared pans.

Bake 30-40 min., or until done. Cool in pans on wire racks 10-15 min. Remove from pans; finish cooling on racks. Fill and frost with Seven Minute frosting. Sprinkle with flaked coconut; press maraschino cherry halves into sides and top of cake.

Roast Duck a l’Orange

Roast Duck a l’Orange

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A Recipe from Simple French Cookery (1958)

About the Recipe

On an impulse at the grocery store with the fancy butcher shop, my husband and I decided to buy a duck. And from the moment I bought that duck, my husband started going on about how he wanted duck… a l’orange! So, I asked him to find a recipe and told him I’d make it happen.

This recipe is (as the cookbook title would suggest) very simple to make. Admittedly, I basted every 10 minutes, not every 5, both to give me a little bit of respite as the cook, as well as to allow the bird to actually cook. I’ve had too many Thanksgivings with enthusiastic basters make the turkey take 3 hours longer than it should.

I also used homemade turkey stock, leftover from simmering my Thanksgiving bird. If you have the opportunity to make your own stock, I highly recommend it. Otherwise, any good broth will probably work well.

Other than that, I followed the recipe to the letter. And my husband was all too happy to carve it up!

My husband, Michael gleefully carving the bird and anticipating the completed dish

About the Book

This is another (earlier) Peter Pauper book, and one of many many others. These little books are great additions to any cookbook shelf. The recipes are exactly as they promise – simple to follow – and the illustrations are just beautiful. If you see one, snag it!

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

Whole duck

Orange Sauce:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups stock
1/2 t salt
1/2 cup orange juice
2 T Sherry
1 orange rind, grated

Directions:

Dress, clean, and truss duck. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on rack in roasting pan; bake in 450* oven 12-15 minutes to the pound. Baste every 5 minutes in orange juice. A 6-pound duck will serve 4.

Orange Sauce:
Brown butter, add flour and salt, and stir until well browned. Add stock gradually and just before serving add orange juice, sherry, and rind. Heat thoroughly and pour over duck.

 

Baked Fillets of Haddock or Cod with Potatoes

Baked Fillets of Haddock or Cod with Potatoes

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A Recipe from The Art of Dutch Cooking (1961)

About the Recipe

I’ve always been a bit hesitant to try cooking white, flaky fish. I have no good reason why, other than no one ever taught me how to cook it, so I’m relying simply on the recipe. The good news is – this is a great, easy to follow recipe.

This particular try was a lesson in the quarantine classic – make it work with what’s on hand. I used small potatoes and ended up substituting plain yogurt for the sour cream. I mixed in some shallots with the single onion that I had on hand. Lo and behold – it definitely works. The top is a nice, fluffy soufflé with a little crisp from the breadcrumbs. The inside is like a flaky fish stew, savory and delicious. This one will go into regular rotation for sure.

About the Book

This is a newer book to my shelves, and I was so delighted when it came and was even better than I had thought. The illustrations are so beautiful. Take a deeper look at it here:

From the two fisherman to their fishing basket, the details are just so lovely. While the recipes are a little bit vague, the book is wonderful. I love learning about a culture through their food, and this book is perfect for that kind of journey.

About the Glassware

Officially this dish is called the Deluxe Cinderella Casserole dish, but most folks call the pattern Golden Hearts. It was released only in 1959 and in its full set comes with a lid (not pictured) and a cradle with a double candle warmer. A dream for any aspiring hostess!

This was a gift from a close friend to warm my new home and kitchen. Lucky me – when she brought it over it was filled with her signature mashed potatoes. YUM!

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

2 onions, chopped
3 T butter
6 fillets of haddock or cod
1 pound potatoes
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
Bread crumbs

Directions:

Fry the onions in the butter. Flatten out the fish. Boil the potatoes for 10 minutes and slice them. Put in a greased ovenproof dish a layer of fish, cover with a layer of potatoes and some of the fried onions; then a layer of fish, and so forth. End with a layer of potatoes. Beat the eggs with the salt for a few minutes. Add the sour cream and pour over the fish. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and bake in a moderate oven (350*F) for about 3/4 hour. Any kind of fish can be used for this recipe.

 

Grandma’s Apple Pie

Grandma’s Apple Pie

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A Recipe from Grandma Jones’ recipe box & my Bridal Shower Cookbook

About the Recipe

My grandma was the wife of a doctor. As such, she knew how to host! When we went to holidays at her house growing up, there were a few things that you could depend on – a fantastic table setting, my Zaydee (grandpa) taking photos every 5 minutes, my father and his sister fighting over the best parts of the turkey, and grandma’s apple pie.

I truly believe that my love of baking came from years and years of getting to her house, putting on an apron, and getting floury in the kitchen with this pie and this pie crust. Making it each Thanksgiving for my family and friends has become a ritual that I hope to pass on some day as well.

I’ve made some small filling adjustments over the years. I soak raisins in whiskey or bourbon and pour them and the soaking liquor into the filling. I’ve added ground clove and other spices here and there. But the core of the pie – apples, cinnamon, sugar, nutmeg – is classic and delicious.

For more of my family recipes, click here!

About the Cookbook

This book is not old in and of itself, but it is filled with old family and friend recipes. For my bridal shower, my cousin Becky (yes, the same Becky from A Weekend at Becky’s) compiled this book full of them. There are recipes from folks no longer with us, and recipes that traveled halfway across the world. I will always treasure this very special book. But, sadly, there’s only one.

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

Pie crust:
2 sticks of butter
2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup, or a little more *ice* water

Filling:
6-8 apples, peeled & cut up
cinnamon
sugar
raisins (if you want)
dash of nutmeg

Directions:

Add butter to flour, break up into small pieces. Add water to form a ball. Refrigerate for 1 hour+.

Remove to flour surface, divide in 2, and roll out! Line pie tin with bottom crust.

Peel and cut the apples. Add cinnamon, a little sugar. You can add raisins if you want. A dash of nutmeg.

Add to bottom crust. Top with other half of crust rolled out. Poke holes in the top & bake at 400* for about an hour.

Corn Bread

Corn Bread

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A Recipe from the Mary Margaret McBride Encyclopedia of Cooking (1959)

About the Recipe

A friend of mine sent me a text the other day with a mission – She decided to give back this holiday season by stocking full Thanksgiving dinners-for-four in the community fridges in her neighborhood in Brooklyn. Did I have any interest in helping? Of course I did!

So I set my sights on baking 12 mini corn bread loaves for her Thanksgiving trays. Because of the volume of baking to be done, I picked a simple recipe and went to town! I’m not eating it this time around, so all I can say is, these smell amazing, and the batter was delicious!

In order to turn the tray bake into loaves, I got 6×2.5×2″ loaf pans (mine are paper) and I baked them for 40 minutes at 350*F, rotating the tray once during the bake to keep everything even. A knife comes out clean – these are good to go to fill some bellies this Thursday.

Interested in the fridges or in how you can get involved to give back to hungry families this holiday season? Check out Clinton Hill Fort Greene Mutual Aide for more information on the fridges, or to donate today.

About the Book

This Mary Margaret McBride Encyclopedia is a freaking god-send. When I went looking for a corn bread recipe, I found around 20 different regional variations on the corn bread to take my pick from. It’s such a go-to resource, and I know I’ll be cooking again from it frequently. Check out more recipes in the Mary Margaret McBride Collection here!

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
3 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup yellow corn meal
1 cup milk
1 egg, well beaten
1 T melted shortening

Directions:

Mix and sift flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Stir in corn meal.

Add milk to beaten egg and stir into first mixture. Add shortening and blend.

Turn into shallow, greased 8-inch pan. Bake in hot oven (400*F) about 20 minutes. Cut into 6 squares. Serve hot.

Pork Chops, South Seas

Pork Chops, South Seas

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A Recipe from Simple Hawaiian Cookery (1964)

About the Recipe

Pork chops are one of my husband’s favorite things to eat, and in truth this is the first time I’ve ever cooked them. This recipe, with its simple execution and easy to find ingredients felt like a good place to start. And actually – it was!

The slow cooking on the pork chops almost stews them so they come out super juicy. The fruit slow cooks into the chops themselves, bringing out a simple sweetness that’s so complimentary to the pork. Definitely a winner here.

One adjustment from me: I substituted half the water out for juice from the can of pineapples.

To make the gravy (just in case!) add about a teaspoon of flour plus a little more as needed and stir it in to thicken.

About the Book

I saw this book in a store and thought – how freaking cute! It’s part of a large (very large) set of cookbooks put out by publisher Peter Pauper in the ’60s. All of the books are this cute, with great illustrations and even better recipes. If you see a Peter Pauper book, snap it up! It’s a great addition to the shelf.

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

4 loin pork chops
salt and pepper
Flour
4 slices canned pineapple
4 pitted prunes
4 carrots
1/3 cup water

Directions:

Wipe chops and season with salt and pepper. Dust with flour, and place in pan. Upon each chop place a ring of pineapple with a pitted prune in the center. Between chops, place whole carrots, and add water.

Cover. Cook slowly for 1 1/2 hours. Remove to hot platter. Make a gravy from mixture in pan. Pour over chops. Garnish with parsley. Serves 4.

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