Tag: 1950's Recipes

Potatoes Fried with Bacon

Potatoes Fried with Bacon

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

About the Recipe

The request from my friend was to make a potato dish that would go well with ribs and a veggie dish – so potatoes fried with bacon it was! It’s so simple, but so delicious. I used an extra piece of bacon (because who doesn’t like more bacon?) and a well seasoned cast iron pan to cook the potatoes on the stove top, which worked just fine.

I blanched the potatoes this time around, resulting in the hash-brown look that you see in the photo. The second time around I’ll skip that part which should result in more crispy discs rather than more mushed.

Worth noting – these were also epic leftovers the morning after. Reheat them in the cast iron, and top with a fried egg for the best hangover breakfast.

About the Book

This book is a new acquisition to my collection – and I almost cried when I found it. There are nearly 1,500 pages of recipes gathered together in one spot.

Mary Margaret McBride was a radio show host that focused her content on keeping a good home. Initially these recipes were released in a series of books that were then all pulled into the big encyclopedia. I can’t wait to cook out of it again.

About the Platter

This platter belongs to my good friend at whose house we were enjoying our meal. It belonged to her great-great-aunt who had passed them down to her mother who promptly put it storage. Years later, after her mom had moved to England, the storage was cleared out – and here was this lovely old Wedgwood china!

It’s called Pink Bramble and it’s from about 1949. While not quite appropriate for our barbecue, it’s certainly lovely and might have been used for this very purpose a time ago. Thanks for letting me borrow it, Sara!

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

4 slices of bacon
4 large potatoes
1 t salt
1/4 t pepper

Directions:

Fry bacon in heavy skillet; remove and crumble.

Pare potatoes; slice very thin. Place in bacon drippings; add salt and pepper.

Fry until almost tender and quite brown. Then cover and move to edge of grill (or turn stovetop to low). Add bacon bits and fry until tender. 

Sour Cream Oatmeal Cookies

Sour Cream Oatmeal Cookies

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A Recipe from 50 Wonderful Ways to use Sour Cream (1955)

About the Recipe

This dairy-centric twist on the classic oatmeal cookie results in cookies with the texture of clouds. These come out light and fluffy on top, with a little bit of crunch from the nuts and the bottoms.

I like whole raisins in my cookies, so I didn’t chop them up. For future batches, I would sub out the nutmeg for something a little bit more interesting – maybe half nutmeg half ginger, or some pie spice. All in all – this recipe is easy cookie perfection just as it is.

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

About the book

When I asked Becky about this book, she said it had come from her mom, Bonnie. When I asked Bonnie about the book she said “oh you know, you just used to send away for them!” I love that this was an original to our family book that’s now been passed down a few generations, and I can’t wait to use it again.

About the platter

This little dome platter came to Becky from her Dossie & Pop-Pop, and was originally used to hold cheese or other such small appetizers. I have no clue what it’s make is as there are no markings on it. But it was so cute and just the right size for the cookies.

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup sifted flour
1 t baking powder
1/4 t soda
1/4 t salt
1/4 t nutmeg
1 t cinnamon
1/4 cup butter
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla
1/2 cup dairy sour cream
1/2 cup chopped raisins
1/2 cup chopped nuts
2/3 cup quick cooking oatmeal

Directions:

Sift dry ingredients together. Cream butter and sugar, add egg and blend. Add vanilla. Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with sour cream. Lastly fold in raisins, nuts, and oatmeal. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a greased cooky sheet and bake in a 425*F oven for 8-10 minutes. Remove from cooky sheet and cool on cake racks.

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Shrimp Louisiana

Shrimp Louisiana

by Andi Cohen-Rabiner ♥ 2 Comments

A Recipe from 250 different FISH and SEA FOOD Recipes (1950)

About the Recipe

As I pulled the shrimp out of the freezer this morning I thought – gee I’m bored with my usual shrimp recipes – so I pulled out a new old one! In full truth, I’ve never been to Louisiana, so I can’t speak to whether this tastes like shrimp from Louisiana or not, but it certainly is a shrimp dish with a kick!

It was so quick and easy to come together, which is not always the case with recipes from the Culinary Arts Institute. Quick tip – I added more onion (always add more onion) and I used butter for my fat (because yum).

There’s a tip hidden just above the photo in the book about pairing creamy shrimp dishes with potato nests. I improvised with some instant mashed potatoes left over from the Potato-Pan Burger. All in all – a win!

About the book

I have several of these booklets released by the Culinary Arts Institute in the 50’s. They’re always a weird mix of really challenging and super simple dishes. This fish one was a new acquisition and I was excited to have more variety to add to my fish game. Based on this recipe, it won’t disappoint!

About the glassware

This Hazel Atlas Ivy bowl is part of a set that I got with a friend in North Carolina. I’ve not had the opportunity to use this small one yet, and it’s so cute! The perfect dish for this savory, creamy shrimp.

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

1 t minced onion
1/4 cup fat
2 cups Boiled Shrimp*
1/4 cup flour
1 t salt
1 t chili powder
2 cups milk
1/4 cup tomato catchup
2 T minced parsley

Directions:

Cook onion in fat until tender; add shrimp broken into pieces; brown. Stir in flour, salt and chili powder. Add milk gradually; cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add catchup and parsley; cover and heat thoroughly.

Note:

*While this recipe calls to have the shrimp pieces pre-boiled, I find that shrimp so easily overcooks that in dishes like this one it comes out better if you throw in the raw shrimp pieces. Use your judgement!

Berry Pie

Berry Pie

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A Recipe from Praise for the Cook (1959)

About the Recipe

Okay, so technically this is berry pie and not specifically strawberry pie. The good news is, that means I have plenty of opportunity to make it again this summer as different berries come into season. The better news is that – oh my goodness, this pie is amazing. I’ve included the recipe for the fail-proof Crisco Crust below as well so that you can make the whole thing from scratch. It’s well worth the extra effort.

This recipe is part of the Strawberry Season collection.

About the Book

Praise for the Cook was released in 1959 by the Proctor and Gamble company specifically to promote the use of Crisco. I found this little gem hiding on a shelf in my favorite antiques barn, and it’s been in regular rotation.

Keep the recipe for this crust and use it liberally. It’s so easy to make and spot on when it comes to the bake… just like most other things in this handy booklet.

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

3 cups drained canned berries OR 4 cups fresh fruit
2/3 cup berry juice or water
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 t salt
4 T flour OR 3 T minute tapioca

Crisco Pastry for 9″ double crust:
2 cups sifted enriched flour
1 t salt
3/4 c Crisco
4 T water

Directions:

Combine berries and juice in saucepan and bring to boil. Stir in sugar, salt, and flour. Cook over low heat until thickened. Cool while making pastry. Line 9″ pie plate with bottom crust and pour in filling. Place top crust over filling, trim and seal. Prick to allow for escape of steam. Bake in hot oven, 400*, about 30 minutes or until crust is nicely browned.

Crisco Pastry for 9″ double crust:
Combine flour and salt in mixing bowl. Cut in Crisco with pastry blender or two knives until mixture is uniform. Sprinkle water over the mixture, a tablespoon at a time, tossing lightly with a fork. When all water has been added and mixed, work dough into a firm ball with the hands.

Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberry Shortcake

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A Recipe from How to get the most out of your new Deluxe Sunbeam Mixmaster (1957)

About the Recipe

Confession time – I’ve never made strawberry shortcake from scratch before. Growing up, we used to get strawberries, whipped cream from a can, and those little yellow mini sponges that tasted just a little bit like actual yellow sponges. I don’t mean any offense to my parents, because as a kid it was great – but oh my goodness is this cake delicious.

It’s really a very savory cake until you decide how much sugar you really want in it. The shortcake itself is very crumbly and savory, and I used minimal sugar to coat the berries and even less in my whipped cream. The result is a light, fluffy cake that had the whole table going back for seconds.

This recipe is part of the Strawberry Season collection.

About the Book

Brand name booklets are my favorite. That said, this one is so so specific to this particular Sunbeam mixer. There’s a certain amount of know-how that you have to bring to the table for these recipes… unless of course you have the actual mixer. That said, it’s a great little booklet so far, and the photographs and illustrations are so fun. Can’t wait to dip into it again!

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

2 c sifted all-purpose flour
3 t baking powder
3/4 t salt
1/4 c sugar
1/2 c shortening
1 egg
1/3 c plus 1 T milk
2 pts. strawberries, crushed and sweetened
1/2 pt. heavy cream, chilled

Directions:

Clean strawberries, mash lightly, sweeten. Save a few pretty ones for garnish. Set oven at 450*F to preheat. Sift flour, baking powder, salt and sugar into large Mixmaster bowl. Add shortening. Put egg into small Mixmaster bowl. Beat on No. 12 speed 1/4 min. Add milk. Remove from Mixer. Blend shortening and flour on No. 1 speed until like cornmeal, then add milk mixture. Beat only until blended. Pat dough into greased 9″ layer pan. Bake about 15 min. or until browned. Split shortcake, brush with melted butter. Put strawberries between and on top. Pile on the whipped cream or pass the cream pitcher. Garnish with whole berries.

Can also be baked as individual – pat dough out on floured surface, cut with 3″ cutter, put on cookie sheet. Bake 12 min.

Strawberry Jam

Strawberry Jam

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A Recipe from Culinary Arts Institute Encyclopedic Cookbook (1950)

About the Recipe

This is a delightfully simple strawberry jam recipe. It’s a little bit on the sweet side for me, but other than that, sheer perfection. Put it on a little bit of fresh or crusty bread and you’ve got a breakfast fit for a king!

This recipe is part of the Strawberry Season collection.

About the Book

This was actually the first vintage cookbook in my collection. It’s still my go-to and favorite. I am the third person to own it, having met the second person at the yard sale from which I bought it. I love this book so much. There are several editions, this one is from 1950.

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

3 cups large firm berries
3 cups sugar

Directions:

Wash strawberries carefully, hull and measure. Crush berries in large kettle. Heat slowly to boiling, stirring constantly. Add sugar and continue cooking rapidly until mixture gives sheeting test for jelly or spoon leaves a mark across the center of pan. Pour into sterile glasses and seal. Makes about 3 (6-ounce) glasses.

Gourmet Spinach

Gourmet Spinach

by Andi Cohen-Rabiner ♥ 1 Comment

A Recipe from Quick Dishes for the Woman in a Hurry (1955)

About the Recipe

This is a delightful creamed spinach recipe, and as it says a truly quick dish. A friend of mine compared it (much to my delight) to the creamed spinach at Peter Luger’s. While I’m not that talented in the kitchen, this was a lovely way to eat spinach.

One quick note – really really drain that spinach. I didn’t drain it enough and the end result was a little liquid-y for my taste. But the flavor was good, and I’ll make it again, especially given as quick and easy as it was.

About the Book

I happened upon this book in a set called Cooking Magic released by the Culinary Arts Institute at a flea market here in High Falls. The set I have includes several booklets, clearly lovingly collected over time. While the recipes themselves can be a challenge, I’ve not yet had one that’s turned out poorly.

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

1 lb. spinach
1/4 cup cream
2 T butter or margarine
1 T minced onion
1 t prepared horse-radish
1/2 t salt
1/4 t monosodium glutamate
1/8 t pepper

Directions:

Remove stems, roots, and bruised leaves from spinach. Wash thoroughly by lifting up and down in cold water. Lift leaves out of water each time. When free from sand and gritty material, place spinach in heavy saucepan. Cook in a partially covered pan with only the water which clings to the leaves after final washing for 8-10 minutes.

Drain cooked spinach and chop. Return spinach to saucepan. Add cream, butter, onion and horse-radish, and the mixture of the salt, monosodium glutamate, and pepper, and stir to blend. Return to heat; cook until heated thoroughly.

Olive Cheese Nuggets

Olive Cheese Nuggets

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A Recipe from 100 Grand National Recipes Collected for You at Pillsbury’s Best 8th Grand National (1957)

About the Recipe

Quick confession – I love weird recipes. And this one falls into the “this is very odd, but it just might be delicious” category. The cheese crust is so tender and yummy. And it provides the perfect wrap for the olives (I used ones stuffed with pimentos, but trying different stuffings would work well).

A few quick notes if you give this one a try – the dough wraps around the olives way better if you take some time to really work it with your hands and give it a few kneads. I chose to put them in the oven right away, however if given the option I would definitely make these ahead of time and refrigerate them before the bake. If nothing else, it gives the butter time to reconstitute, so that you end up with even more flake when it comes out of the oven.

All in all, this was actually a really fun recipe, and a total hit at the socially distanced barbecue!

For more recipes in the Pillsbury Challenge, click here!

About the book

This book was a gift from a very generous fellow member of a cookbook group I belong to. Every day I marvel at these humans all around the world who preserve and enjoy these old books and recipes. We come from all walks of life, but really do come together over food, and it’s just so amazing.

Of note on this one – there was one male senior contestant and four teenage boy contestants! The recipes they entered with were a little outside of what I was looking for this time around, but I’ll circle back and try them in the future.

About the glassware

Spring Blossom is my favorite Pyrex pattern, and this little guy came from my mother. She got it as a gift, and when she saw my passion for the old glassware growing she decided to gift it, along with two others to me. It’s a little odd, but it hold memories of crab dip and steamed greenbeans and late night dinners and snacks. Thanks, mom!

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup soft butter
3/4 cup flour
1/8 t salt
1/2 t paprika
medium sized stuffed green olives

Directions:

Blend together cheddar cheese and butter in mixing bowl. Sift together flour, salt and paprika into cheese-butter mixture. Mix together to form a dough. Shape around olives, using about a teaspoonful of dough for each olive. Place on ungreased baking sheet.**

Bake in moderately hot oven (400*F) 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Serve hot or cold.

Cranberry Whirl Ham Dinner

Cranberry Whirl Ham Dinner

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A Recipe from Pillsbury’s 7th Grand National Cookbook (1956)

About the Recipe

At first glance, this is a very complicated recipe. But then, if you start getting into the 1950’s of it all, it’s not so bad. And let me tell you, I quarantine cooking / 1950’s post war’d the heck out of this thing! I used canned everything and it was freakin’ delicious. 10/10 will make again.

This recipe is like Christmas dinner in a casserole. To Mrs. Frank J. Neeley of New York, NY – you are a mad casserole genius. The biscuit came out perfectly flaky and tender, and with all of the juices and flavors bubbling up around it as it baked, they absorbed some of that flavor. Sheer perfection.

If you’re looking for a yummy, tender biscuit this might just be the one to try. It’s going in the “experiment with me” bank for sure.

For more recipes in the Pillsbury Challenge, click here!

About the book

This was the other Pillsbury book from the wonderful Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks in the East Village, Manhattan. There’s absolutely nothing that can replace a good, independent book seller and cookbook enthusiast. The more I speak to these fantastic humans, the more my passion for cooking out of the old books grows.

One note of interest on this one – Pillsbury starts going through a bit of an identity crisis with what to call the contest itself. This is the first year that they’ve shortened it to “Grand National.”

About the glassware

This 2.5 quart Pyrex Butterfly Gold casserole dish came to me from a friend as part of a set. The dishes belonged to their grandmother and you can feel all of the love that’s been baked into them over the years.

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

1 No. 2 (20 oz.) can pineapple chunks or tidbits
3 c (2 lb.) cubed cooked ham
2 c sliced cooked sweet potato (canned or 4 medium potatoes)
1/3 c firmly packed brown sugar
1 1/2 T cornstarch
1/2 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon
1/8 t ground cloves
2 T butter

Cranberry Whirl Biscuits:
3/4 c fresh cranberries, ground or chopped fine
3 T sugar
1 T + 1 1/2 c flour, divided
3 t double-acting baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/3 c Crisco
1 beaten egg
1/3 c milk

Directions:

Drain the pineapple, reserving juice. Measure 1 cup pineapple; add ham. Prepare the sweet potatoes if not canned. Alternate layers of the ham-pineapple mixture and sweet potato in greased 2-quart casserole, starting with the ham mixture.

Combine brown sugar, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, and cloves in medium saucepan. Add 1 cup of the reserved pineapple juice and butter. Cook until thick, stirring constantly. Pour over mixture in casserole.

Bake in moderately hot oven (400*F) 15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare Cranberry Whirl Biscuits.

Cranberry Whirl Biscuits:
Combine cranberries, sugar, and 1 T of the flour. Set aside.

Sift together remaining flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in Crisco thoroughly until particles are fine. Add egg and milk. Stir until dough clings together in a ball. Knead lightly 10 strokes on floured pastry cloth or board.

Roll out to a 12″-square. Spread with the cranberry mixture. Roll as for jelly roll. Cut into 1 1/4″ slices; arrange cut side down on hot mixture in casserole. Bake 25-30 minutes at 400*F until biscuits are golden brown.

Banana Luncheon Bread

Banana Luncheon Bread

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A Recipe from 100 Prize-Winning Recipes from Pillsbury’s 2nd Grand National $100,000 Recipe and Baking Contest (1951)

About the Recipe

Okay – I know the last thing everyone needs at this point is yet *another* banana bread recipe, but hear me out! For the 2nd Grand National Contest, Pillsbury allowed junior contestants for the first time. So when I selected a recipe, it had to be a junior winner.

To top it off – this is actually really superb banana bread recipe. Even though it’s on the more complicated side of the quick breads equation, it’s extremely forgiving. A little too much banana? No problem. A little too much baking powder? It’ll do fine. A little longer than necessary in the mixer? You’ll still get a nice, crumbly quick bread.

The long, slow baking time allows for some of that give and take. It also makes the entire house smell so yummy that you can hardly wait to take it out of the oven. Sorry, junior winner Gracy Zeppenfield – we cut it before it cooled!

For more recipes in the Pillsbury Challenge, click here!

About the book

As my grandmother would say – the best laid plans never seem to work out. This book came to me slightly later than the rest of the books in the challenge, so we’re going a little bit out of order here. I’m sure you’ll forgive me.

This book came from the wonderful Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks in the East Village, Manhattan. To keep curious cooks busy during the pandemic, she’s doing mystery boxes that she’s shipping all over the country. I was fortunate enough to have this gem hidden inside.

As an early book, there a tons of basics in this one, including obviously the banana bread. If you can get your hands on it, I highly recommend it!

About the glassware

This Fire King Anchor Hocking loaf pan came from an antiques mall in North Caroline where I was visiting a friend. It’s one of many little treasures that I grabbed that day and every time I use it I think of day. The pattern is Meadow Green, I believe from the 1970’s. Certainly the avocado hue seems to fit that time.

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 t double-acting baking powder
1/2 t soda
1 t salt
1/2 c shortening
1 c sugar
2 eggs
1 c mashed banana (about 2 medium bananas)
1/2 c chopped nuts

Directions:

Sift together flour, baking powder, soda, and salt.

Cream shortening. Add sugar gradually, creaming well.

Blend in 2 eggs, one at a time. Beat well.

Add mashed banana. Mix well.

Blend in sifted dry ingredients. Fold in chopped nuts.

Pour into greased 9x5x3-inch pan. Push batter up into corners of pan, leaving the center slightly hollowed. For well-rounded loaf, allow to stand 20 minutes before baking.

Bake in moderate oven (350* F) 60-70 minutes. Cool thoroughly before slicing.