Skillet Spanish Rice

July 5, 2024 by Andi Cohen-Rabiner ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

A Recipe from Easy One-Dish Meals with Hunt’s Tomato Sauce (196?)

About the Recipe

I was having a busy day and I needed something that would be quick, easy, and didn’t require me standing at the stove for a long period of time. Not only did this fit the bill, but sheesh! It was so tasty! I love a good one-dish meal, and these little advertising booklets never fail to deliver.

I have almost no notes on this one. You could make it exactly as is, and it will come out delicious. Alternative ground meats to beef will work in this one, though be careful with poultry which will easily overcook and become dry. If you’re going to use poultry, I recommend cooking the dish as directed, but without the ground meat, and then cooking and adding the meat as a finishing touch. I’ll also add some more veggies to this in the future for added nutrition. A winner!

About the book

Anyone who reads my posts regularly knows that I love an advertising booklet. While there’s no date on this one, based on the design, the recipes, and the illustrations, my best guess is sometime in the late ’60’s. There were three of these little Hunt’s booklets that came out around the same time. While I don’t have the other two (yet!), you can bet that I’ll be on the lookout.

I also love how the booklet cheers on the home chef. Saucery! Tempting tomato flavor! New flavor combinations! You’re a creative cook! Thanks, Hunt’s. I am a creative cook!

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup pure vegetable oil, such as Wesson Oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1/2 medium green pepper, chopped
1/2 lb. ground beef
1 cup regular rice, uncooked
2 8-oz cans Hunt’s Tomato Sauce
1 3/4 cups hot water
1 t prepared mustard (optional)
1 t salt
Dash of pepper

Directions:

Heat oil in skillet. Add onion, green pepper, beef and rice. Stir over high heat until lightly browned. Add Hunt’s Tomato Sauce and remaining ingredients. Mix well. Bring quickly to a boil. Cover tightly and simmer 25 minutes. Makes 4 servings.

For packaged precooked rice: Use 1 1/2 cups water for 1 1/2 cups rice; and simmer, uncovered, only 5 minutes

Dating Up Chocolate Brownies

May 12, 2024 by Andi Cohen-Rabiner ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

A Recipe from Aunt Cora’s Book of Unusual Cakes, Cookies and Pies (1961)

About the Recipe

It’s Mother’s Day here in the United States! This week, to help celebrate, my son brought home a card. His teacher asked him what his favorite thing to do with Mommy was… and he said “make cookies.” There was no way I was going to let Mother’s Day go by this year without indulging in his favorite thing to do with me!

These are super chewy, yummy brownies. Folks in the know always say that dates are the secret to really rich, delicious brownies, but I’d never had the chance to try until now. I used a food processor to grind my dates up, and Maxx lent a hand chopping the pecans.

The recipe could survive without the nuts, though they give a really nice break to the otherwise gooey texture. The recipe calls for 15 minutes in 8″ x 8″ pans. I did the whole batch for 25 minutes in my 9″ x 13″ without any problems. We also used cocoa over chocolate squares. Quick reminder that each square was 1 oz. of chocolate when this recipe was written (they tend to be 0.5 oz. today).

About the book

Advertising cookbooks are my favorite. I love the little details put into each one that show off the product and all the ways that maybe you just didn’t think about using it! This one is for sugar, and I love the call out for the extra bit of powdered sugar on top of the brownies. It’s a very sweet little pamphlet and I’m looking forward to joining the (fictional) Aunt Cora for some cooking again.

Celebrating with my Sous Chef

I try not to make these blog posts too long, but I can’t resist a special section for this one:

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

2 squares (2 oz.) unsweetened chocolate, melted, or 1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, well beaten
1/2 t vanilla
1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup dates, finely chopped
2/3 cup sifted flour
1/4 t salt
Powdered sugar

Directions:

If chocolate is used, melt over hot water and cream with shortening. If cocoa is used, it should be mixed and sifted with the flour and salt.

Cream shortening until soft; gradually add granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla, pecans and dates. Work in flour and salt.

Spread in 2 buttered 8″x 8″ square layer cake pans. Bake at 375*F for 15 minutes.

Cut in squares before removing from pan. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or spread with a thin white frosting or Chocolate Butter Frosting.

Royal Coconut Cookies

February 3, 2024 by Andi Cohen-Rabiner ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

A Recipe from Quaker Surprise Recipes (195?)

About the Recipe

My family and I were invited to join a close friend / auntie for dinner tonight, and I was asked to bring dessert. I wanted to grab a recipe that was fairly simple so that my 2-year-old son, Maxx could help. These sweet, crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside cookies were exactly the right choice!

The recipe is written very simply, so I’ll offer a few reminders:

The year is now 2024, and stand mixers exist. Please feel free to use one. I forgot at first, and was wondering why I was having some difficulty getting everything to come together. An electric beater will also work, or you can go old school and pull out a hand beater!
There’s a ton of sweetness already in this recipe. Unsweetened coconut flakes will do just fine if you can find them.
I used vanilla extract, which worked well, but I think this recipe would really come to life with the almond extract.

All in all, this was the perfect recipe to make with Maxx. And he was so excited to try them with his friend Weatherby!

About the book

This little booklet is so stinkin’ cute! It comes from the Mary Alden Test Kitchen in partnership with Quaker Oats/Mother’s Oats (according to this article, acquired in 1911). Dating the book was challenging, but I’m guessing mid/late 1950’s. That seems to be the height of Mary Alden’s other cookbooks. Instant oats are also nowhere to be found in this booklet, and they were introduced in 1961. Any other marketing/brand name collaboration would have highlighted that kind of new product innovation. Anyway – enough of the history! Enjoy the book!

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups sifted enriched flour
1 t baking powder
1 t soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or shortening, soft
1 egg
1/2 t almond or vanilla extract
1 cup Quick Quaker or Mother’s Oats, uncooked
1 cup coconut

Directions:

1. Sift together flour, baking powder, soda and salt into bowl. Add sugars, butter, egg and flavoring. Beat until smooth, about 2 minutes.

2. Fold in rolled oats and coconut.

3. Shape dough into small balls; place on greased baking sheet.

4. Bake in a moderate oven (350*F) 12 to 15 minutes. Makes 3 dozen cookies

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.

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.

Tuna-Cheesettes

March 9, 2021 by Andi Cohen-Rabiner ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

A Recipe from preparing foods with Reynolds Wrap pure aluminum foil (195?)

About the Recipe

Imagine a tuna-melt. Now imagine that the tuna salad part has a few more ingredients than it really should. Now imagine that instead of quickly grilling it up, you’ve got to put it on a bun, wrap it in tinfoil, and bake it for a half hour. Voila! The Tuna-Cheesette is born!

This has all of the trappings of a classic post-war recipe – canned ingredients, using a war material for something other than artillery, a vaguely brown and smushy end product that tastes great, but just will not photograph well, no matter how hard you try. It’s worth the effort, though watch the salt levels. Both the husband and the brother commented on how salty the end result was (though it heartily got the husband seal of approval).

Aside from that – enjoy! These are great make-ahead sandwiches, and I could even see them working really well for sticking on charcoal for a camping trip or barbeque.

About the Book

I was so excited to get this booklet along with some of the Culinary Arts and Pillsbury booklets. It’s got great illustrations, and is so illustrative of that particular brand of re-marketing that was happening after the war. The advertising company that decided this booklet was a good idea took great pains to go through literally every use you can possibly imagine for aluminum foil.

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

1/4 lb. processed American cheese, cubed
3 hard cooked egg yolks, chopped
1 7-ounce can tuna, flaked
2 T chopped green pepper
2 T minced onion
2 T chopped sweet pickle
1/2 cup salad dressing
2 T chopped stuffed olives
1/2 t salt
1/8 t pepper
6 hamburger or other thick buns

Directions:

Combine ingredients except buns, mixing lightly. Split buns, spread with softened butter or margarine and fill. Wrap buns in Reynolds Wrap. Place on shallow pan and bake in slow oven (325*F) 35 minutes, until filling is heated and cheese melts. Serve hot.

Zucchini Lasagna

January 31, 2021 by Andi Cohen-Rabiner ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

A Recipe from The Wonderful World of Cheese (1979)

About the Recipe

With so many cheesy, delicious recipes to choose from out of this book, my husband opted for the lasagna. This is a super simple lasagna recipe, if you’re looking to break the ice and try one for the very first time. The sausage provides a punch of flavor, and the zucchini is timed just right so that it’s slightly crunch, adding great texture to the dish.

The recipe itself kind of tricks you into making a meat sauce – brown the meat and onions, add the tomatoes / sauce and spices, simmer for a bit to let everything blend together. Rather than using their quick sauce, I used this Basic Red Sauce from the New York Times cookbook that’s become a staple in our home. You could absolutely feel free to use your favorite jarred sauce as well for a nice short-cut.

About the Book

This is everything I love about advertising booklets from the 1970’s: Swirly, ridiculous fonts. Weird suggestions on what to do with the product in question. Colored photographs that are supposed to look appetizing, but somehow… miss the mark. It’s a total winner!

This booklet was produced by the American Dairy Association. It eschews the value of a good cheese, and gives a thorough list of the 200 different variations available in the United States in 1979. It’s a total treasure, and came again from the giant box from my cousins. Only fitting, since Becky and I have been munching on cheese together since the beginning of time.

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

1 lb. mild Italian sausage, casing removed
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1/4 t salt
1/4 t oregano
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 T flour
8 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
4 cups zucchini slices, cut 1/4″ thick
12 oz. sliced Mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Brown sausage with onion; drain. Stir in tomato sauce, water and seasonings. Simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Preheat oven to 375*F. Combine Parmesan cheese and flour. Layer half of the lasagna noodles on bottom of buttered 13×9-inch baking dish. Top with half the zucchini, half the Parmesan mixture, half the meat sauce and half the Mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers of noodles zucchini, Parmesan mixture and meat sauce. Bake 20-25 minutes or until zucchini is tender. Add remaining cheese; return to oven until cheese begins to melt. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

NOTE: Option to use your favorite jarred sauce or make your own with this Basic Red Sauce from the New York Times instead of using ingredients 2-6 above.

Fish Soufflé

January 23, 2021 by Andi Cohen-Rabiner ♥ 2 Comments

A Recipe from Westinghouse automatic Electric Range Book (195?)

About the Recipe

I’m so excited for this post – we have a guest chef in the house! My husband, Michael picked out this recipe to spear head for our supper this week… and promptly started to freak out. The word “soufflé” while exciting at first, started to pop images of beautifully risen desserts falling into miserable sunken heaps after coming out of the oven, and he just didn’t want to let me down. Thankfully, we’re a great team and he perservered:

He’s just the cutest, and I’m so lucky to have a partner who supports my hobbies and cooking the way he does.

At any rate – back to the recipe – we used canned salmon for our fish flakes, although any good flaked fish would do in this case. The recipe is a touch salty, but other than that the flavor is fantastic. And, as with most things, much easier to execute than we expected.

About the Book

Westinghouse started publishing spiral bound booklets to promote the use of their new electric ranges in the 1940’s. I believe my copy is from the 1950’s, and it’s super well loved. The cover is falling apart. There are notes and pieces of paper shoved between the pages. Per the note at the top of the Index – “Favorite dishes are checked.”

This came from the giant box from my cousins, and I know it’s going to be one that gets good use in my kitchen in the future.

About the Glassware

The dish is a Friendship casserole that we picked up at our little flea market in High Falls, NY. My mother-in-law spotted it when she was visiting (pre-pandemic) and bought it for me. It was only fitting that this one take center stage when Michael picked the dish. It’s one of my favorites!

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

2 T butter
2 T flour
1/4 t pepper
1 t salt
1 T minced parsley
1 1/2 cups milk
1 large can fish flakes
1 t grated onion
3 eggs, separated

Directions:

Make a white sauce of the fat, flour, pepper, and salt. Add to this the onions, parsley, and fish flakes, the latter picked apart with a fork. Beat egg yolks until light, then add to this mixture. Fold in stiffly-beaten egg whites. Pile in buttered casserole.

Temperature: 350*-375*F; baking time 45-60 minutes

Apple Cinnamon Waffles

January 16, 2021 by Andi Cohen-Rabiner ♥ 1 Comment

A Recipe from WAFFLES how to make ’em and take ’em (1938)

About the Recipe

Waffles are a special treat in my house. In a year, we’re lucky if we do waffles once. With this recipe – that might change.

As recipes go, this one is a little bit more complicated than perhaps we’re used to for breakfast. That said, it’s definitely worth the work. The end result is a light, fluffy, slightly sweet waffle. It has a great rise to it and was full of lovely air bubbles throughout.

Take the note about it taking a little bit longer to cook. The apples add moisture, which means that you’ll see a ton of steam coming from your iron (don’t be nervous when you see it) but it also means that it takes a bit longer to cook. But trust me on this – it’s worth the wait.

About the Book

This is another treasure from the giant box from my cousins. Produced in 1938 by the Manning-Bowman Company (a purveyor of fine waffle irons), this book has 24 waffle recipes, and a dozen or so games that you can play with friends. This is clearly marketed toward more wealthy members of society, as the average waffle iron advertised is $9 – $160 in 2020! I guess if it’s 1938 and you’ve got money, there’s not much more to do than eat waffles and play games!

Rather than go farther this time around, I’m going to let this book speak for itself…

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1 t sugar
2 t baking powder
2 eggs
1 cup milk
2 cups diced apple
4 T melted shortening

Directions:

Mix and sift the dry ingredients. Beat yolks of eggs until light and add milk. Combine the mixtures, beating until smooth, and add the finely diced apple. Add shortening and then fold in whites of eggs which have been beaten until stiff. Serve with butter and brown sugar.

Note: It is necessary to bake these waffles a little longer than other waffles.