Tag: Beef

Frankfurter-Corn Bread Shortcake

Frankfurter-Corn Bread Shortcake

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A Recipe from Pyrex Prize Recipes (1953)

About the Recipe

Okay friends, it’s time for some good, old-fashioned mid-century nonsense! I’ve actually made this recipe a few times, including once for my mother-in-law. I hate to say it, but it’s actually really really good.

That said, I’ve modernized it over the past couple of years of making it. Here’s how:

  • I use fresh veggies instead of the canned tomatoes. I like using the colorful cherry tomato medley, but any fresh tomato will give you better flavor than the canned version.
  • The husband doesn’t like celery, so I substituted broccoli in. Honestly, use the vegetables you like. Make sure you have the onion, but otherwise – have fun!
  • I like to add 2 T of sugar to the cornbread mix when I make it myself. The sweet and savory combination is really nice.
  • There is so much salt in this dish. Please feel free to cut it down. Your body will thank you.

Cooking with hot dogs is weird. But folks did it for a reason! And this recipe is a good one if you’re feeling a bit brave. Enjoy!

About the book

I had forgotten how lovely this little cookbook is. For each recipe, there’s a recommendation or photo of what Pyrex to use. The photos are, well honestly they’re awful. But I kind of love them. And this dedication is everything for those of us who like to cook vintage dishes in vintage dishes.

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/4 cup fat
2 1/2 cups tomatoes (#2 can)
8 frankfurters
1/2 t salt

PACKAGED TOPPING:
1 package corn muffin mix (11 3/4 oz.) or

HOMEMADE TOPPING:
3/4 cup flour
3 t double-acting baking powder
1 t salt
3/4 cup corn meal
2 T shortening
1 egg, well beaten
2/3 cup milk

Directions:

Brown celery, onion, and green pepper (or veggies of your choice) in fat in a PYREX Flameware Saucepan. Remove the saucepan from heat; add tomatoes, frankfurters cut into eighths, and 1/2 t salt. Pour into greased PYREX bowl.

Packaged Topping. If you use corn muffin mix, prepare according to directions on the package.

Homemade Topping.  Sift together flour, baking powder, and 1 t salt. Stir in corn meal. Cut shortening into flour mixture until well blended. Add well-beaten egg and milk, and mix until dry ingredients are moistened. 

Pour corn meal batter on top of tomato-frankfurter mixture in the PYREX bowl. This topping may be garnished with additional small slices of frankfurters. 

Bake uncovered about 35 minutes in a moderate (375*F) oven. 

6-8 servings. PYREX 2 1/2-quart bowl

Cranberry Meat Loaf

Cranberry Meat Loaf

by Andi Cohen-Rabiner ♥ 1 Comment

A Recipe from Ground Beef Cookbook (1967)

About the Recipe

It’s another Husband’s Choice! When this fun little cookbook arrived in the mail, my husband immediately grabbed it and started paging through. He’s a sucker for cranberry sauce. Not the good cranberry sauce made from scratch. Nope, my husband likes the kind in a can. The kind that this recipe seemed to be crying out for.

The end result? Holy wow was this delicious. Instead of cooking in a ketchup or bbq sauce mix, this loaf cooks in the cranberry sauce. It was juicy and the perfect combination of salty and sweet.

My only note: Don’t use a loaf pan. Use something a little bit bigger so that your pan doesn’t overflow like mine did. There’s some value to having the sauce squished against the loaf. That said, I’ll use a bigger pan next time to avoid the overflow.

Also (don’t tell my husband…) I’ll probably use the homemade stuff next time.

My husband is super supportive of my weird recipe habit. Every now and again, I let him pick the recipe out of a vintage book. Find more of his picks on the Husband’s Choice page.

About the book

Oh my goodness, this booklet is so darn cute. There are little handmade dolls on the front cover. Illustrations of the dolls take you on your ground beef culinary journey throughout the book. It feels like such a snapshot of its time. Enjoy!

  • This whole section is recipes from first ladies, senator’s wives, governor’s wives… I love it.

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef
1 cup cooked rice
1/2 cup tomato juice
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 t salt
2 cups whole cranberry sauce
1/3 cup sugar
1 T lemon juice

Directions:

Combine beef, rice, tomato juice, egg, onion and salt. Shape into loaf; put into pan. Mix remaining ingredients; pour over loaf. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Yield 6-8 servings

Yummy Porcupine Meatballs

Yummy Porcupine Meatballs

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A Recipe from A Campbell Cookbook Cooking with Soup (1970)

About the Recipe

It’s Memorial Day weekend, which means the kiddo and I are hanging out with Aunt Becky – and it’s time for another Weekend at Becky’s recipe! This one was a perfect, easy addition to dinner that everyone enjoyed.

Porcupine meatballs are actually a depression era recipe combining ground meat, rice, and canned soup – all inexpensive staples. They’re called “porcupine” not because we’re eating cute little spiked animals, but because traditionally when cooked the meat shrinks. That leaves the little rice grains spiking out of the meatballs, giving them the appearance of small porcupines.

For these we did an easy substitute of ground turkey for the beef (neither of us are red meat eaters, generally). It was absolutely successful. I’ll give my usual recommendation here to use the ground meat or “meat” of your choice. I have no doubt that any would work. But honestly – that’s it! This recipe is very easy, and very delicious. Sure to be a staple in my house in the future.

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

About the book

This is another family book, owned by Becky’s grandma, and clearly very well used. She put little check marks next to recipes she made. And in this book, she left a little list of page numbers at the front of the book. The meatballs came from one of her indexed pages, and it’s clear to understand why.

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

1 can (10 3/4 oz.) condensed tomato soup
1 lb. ground beef (or any ground meat or “meat” of your choice)
1 cup packaged pre-cooked rice
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 t salt
1 small clove garlic, minced
2 T shortening
1/2 soup can water
1 t prepared mustard

Directions:

Mix 1/4 cup soup with beef, rice, egg, onion, and salt. Shape firmly into 16 meatballs. Brown meatballs and garlic in shortening; pour off fat. Blend in remaining soup, water, and mustard. Cover; simmer for 20 minutes or until done. Stir now and then. 4 servings.

Beef-Eggplant Skillet

Beef-Eggplant Skillet

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A Recipe from Shortcut Cooking (1969)

About the Recipe

This recipe is going to be the start of a new collection I’m calling “Husband’s Choice.” This is where I give the hubs a random selection of books and let him pick what we’re making next. This was his first choice – what he ended up calling “a taco with eggplant on top!” For more Husband’s Choice recipes, click here!

This feels like such a classic mid-century recipe. The ingredients are common and clean with a touch of canned goodness to shortcut the recipe. The result is warm and flavorful, and just a little bit too salty. Classic.

A few quick notes and suggestions:

  • I used my cast-iron skillet instead of an electric one (which I don’t have). Honestly, any skillet will do. It’s medium-high heat to cook your beef, and then reduce to a simmer at whatever temp works best.
  • I also used plain tomato sauce because that’s what I had. It worked just fine.
  • Watch the salt levels on this one. It was a little on the salty side, and I’ll cut back for the future
  • If you season the eggplant first, it will bring some of the liquid in it to the surface, which you can pat dry. That will give you a little less liquid in the pan and a thicker meat sauce.

About the book

I can’t remember where I found this one, but it’s just such mid-century magic. The serving dishes are all just a little bit fancy. And the description of the pictures and dishes are just a little bit flowery.

The book is published by the Meredith Corporation, best known for the Better Homes and Gardens cookbooks and magazines. Indeed, if you look at this booklet side by side with a BH&G cookbook, they reflect each other in style. Interesting to note that Meredith Co. published several different brands of grocery store checkout line cookbooks, and I can see this one fitting right in!

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground lean beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 T all-purpose flour
1 8-oz. can (1 cup) seasoned tomato sauce
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1 t oregano
1/2 to 1 t chili powder
1/2 t salt
1 small eggplant, cut in 1/2-inch slices (pared or unpared)
1 cup shredded sharp process cheese
Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat electric skillet to about 375*F. Brown beef and onion in small amount hot fat. Spoon off excess fat. Sprinkle flour over meat; stir.

Add tomato sauce, water, green pepper, oregano, chili powder, and salt. Mix well. 

Season eggplant with salt and pepper; arrange slices over meat. Cover; simmer at about 230*F till eggplant is tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Top with shredded cheese. Pass Parmesan. Serves 4.

Skillet Spanish Rice

Skillet Spanish Rice

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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

Coney Sauce

Coney Sauce

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A Recipe from Better Homes & Gardens Barbecues and Picnics (1963)

About the Recipe

It’s barbecue season, and my husband invited his oldest friends over to our house to enjoy some outdoor dining on our deck. I needed something to go with hot dogs and hamburgers, and this sauce was perfect for these native New Yorkers! It’s a simple version of a chili sauce, and while it was created to go on frankfurters or Coneys, it did very well on the hamburgers as well. And I think I won a few points with the crew:

Some quick notes about the recipe – while you can certainly make it as is, I would take a little bit of time to brown the onions and garlic before adding the ground beef, just to get a little more flavor out of the whole thing. This is also super versatile, so feel free to substitute your ground meat. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, try adding a little cocoa to get closer to the Cincinnati favorite Coney Sauce. And don’t be too scared of the MSG. I’m not sure what magic it is, but it does add a little bit of punch. I use Accent whenever called for.

About the book

I’ve been absolutely chomping at the bit to use this book and haven’t had the right occasion. It’s broken into different sections, and this recipe falls in the “hobo” section. The hobos in question are, of course, small children sitting in trees and enjoying an outdoor treat.

About the glassware

It’s not often I get to make good use of this milk glass measuring cup. It’s difficult to see through, which kind of defeats the purpose. But it’s absolutely lovely, and I was excited to give it an opportunity to shine this weekend.

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. ground beef  
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 8-oz can (1 cup) seasoned tomato sauce
1/2 to 3/4 chili powder
1/2 t monosodium glutamate
1/2 t salt

Directions:

Brown beef slowly but thoroughly, breaking with a fork till fine. Add remaining ingredients; simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Makes sauce for 12 Coneys (hot dogs).

Corn-Frankfurter Soup

Corn-Frankfurter Soup

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A Recipe from Woman’s Day Encyclopedia of Cooking Vol. 11 (1966)

About the Recipe

It’s cold in the northeastern United States which means one thing – soup season! I was in the mood to try something new, so I pulled out this horrifyingly delightful mid-century concoction. I looked at my husband, read him the recipe, and said, “it’s either going to be delicious… or it’s going to be terrible!”

Spoiler alert – it’s so, so good. The creamy base and sweet corn is the perfect counterpoint to the salty franks. I used Sabrett’s for that authentic ball park flavor, sliced super thinly. I also went for fire-roasted, diced tomatoes from Muir Glen. I’m not usually a brand queen, but sometimes a little extra flavor infused into an MCM dish is never a bad thing.

All in all, this soup grew on us! The first few sips were okay, but the more we got into the bowl, the better it got. And, like many good soups, it was even better on the second day.

About the book

This book is one of a full set that came from my grandma. There are little handwritten notes and envelopes tucked into pages throughout the set. She was a doctor’s wife, and I imagine that she used these books to try new recipes for dinner guests over the years.

The book is part of a set of 22 books published in 1966. They literally start at A and end at Z with recipes in alphabetical order in between. The soup section here, is in volume 11, along with the Spaghetti Cook Book, souffles, stews, South American Cookery… and so much more. Each section or book starts with a mini essay considering the cuisine, methodology, history, culture, etc. They’re gems, and I can’t wait to cook more out of them.

About the glassware

I don’t have words to express how delightful this little Hazel Atlas cereal bowl is. It’s part of a circus animal set that also includes a milk glass mug, though they’re rarely found together at this point. I found it tucked away in a corner of a small antique store upstate, and couldn’t wait to take it home. As it’s from the 1950’s, it’s entirely possible that this bowl has seen this soup before!

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

1 onion, minced
1/3 cup diced celery
1 bay leaf
1/2 t crumbled dried basil
2 T shortening
1 cup boiling water
2 cups cream-style corn
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup canned tomatoes
1 lb frankfurters, sliced
2 t salt
1/8 t pepper
1/2 cup shredded process American cheese
Chopped parsley

Directions:

Cook onion, celery, bay leaf, and basil in shortening for 5 minutes. Add water and corn; cook, covered, for a few minutes longer. Remove bay leaf. Add remaining ingredients except parsley; heat until cheese melts, stirring constantly. Garnish with parsley. Makes about 2 quarts.

Chafing-Dish Meat Balls

Chafing-Dish Meat Balls

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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.
He was happy to help make this dish come to life!

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.

Yorkshire Burger

Yorkshire Burger

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A Recipe from 9th Grand National Cook Book (1958)

About the Recipe

It’s been a long time since I’ve had a real Yorkshire pudding. When I saw this recipe for the first time, it didn’t actually occur to me that this would be the closest that I’d ever get to making one myself! The texture of the breading around the meatballs is like a British pudding – eggy, buttery, slightly salty. It’s absolutely delightful.

When I put it out on the table, my husband took a giant piece, grabbing 4 meatballs in one go – exactly like the picture above! Mr. Kellogg notes that his high school baseball teammates like to dig into this dish, and after seeing the excitement in my husband’s eyes when it landed on the table, I don’t doubt that they did!

One quick adaption here – we don’t eat ground beef in my house, so I substituted ground turkey. It worked really well, and I would imagine any ground meat would do fine. It was even noted at the table that some salmon or other fish based balls would also be delicious in the eggy pudding.

For more recipes in the Pillsbury Challenge, click here!

About the book

In 1958, the Bake-Off moves across the country from New York to Pennsylvania. If the photos in the book are any indication, it seems the participants had a wonderful time. Indeed, the publishers of this years book seemed to have too much fun to cram into one little volume. The front cover has the customary letter from Ann Pillsbury, and is surrounded by smaller photos of the event itself. With the 10th Anniversary to follow, they dedicate more space than usual (4 whole pages!) to the following year’s event. So exciting!

About the glassware

I just got this beautiful Butterfly Gold lasagna pan a few weeks ago (the day after I made lasagna, of course). It came from the little antiques store that I love in New Paltz, NY. I’d had my eye out for a pan like this one, and I was so excited to see it. While it’s a little shallow for casseroles (other than lasagna) in general, it’s perfect for dishes like the Yorkshire burger, and will be exactly right for bar cookies and the like.

The gravy dish was a birthday present from my husband. Spring Blossom is my favorite, and I honestly just love every excuse to bring it out of hiding.

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1/4 cup chili sauce
1 package dry onion soup
2 T chopped parsley
1/4 t pepper
1/4 t poultry seasoning
5 egg
1 T water
1 1/2 cups sifted flour
1 1/2 t double-acting baking powder
1 t salt
1 1/2 cups milk
3 T melted butter

Beef Gravy:
1/4 cup Crisco or butter
3 T flour
1 T beef extract
2 1/2 cups milk

Directions:

Combine in a mixing bowl the ground beef, chili sauce, dry onion soup, parsley, pepper, and poultry seasoning. Blend 1 of the eggs and the water. Add to meat mixture; mix well. Form into 24 small meat balls. Place in well greased 12×8-inch baking dish.

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat 4 eggs until foamy. Add milk and melted butter; mix well. Add dry ingredients all at once to egg mixture. Beat with rotary beater (or low speed on mixer) only until smooth and well blended.

Pour over meat balls.

Bake in moderate oven (350*F) 50-60 minutes until golden brown. Serve hot with Gravy.

Beef Gravy:
Melt butter or Crisco in saucepan. Blend in flour and beef extract. Add milk. Cook, stirring occasionally, until gravy is smooth and thickened.

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Hot Dog Fiesta

Hot Dog Fiesta

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A Recipe from America’s BAKE-OFF Cookbook 100 winning recipes from BAKE-OFF 27 (1976)

About the Recipe

The hot dog casserole, I think, is one of the great lost recipe trends of the 1960’s/70’s. Every one that I’ve tried has looked absolutely disguising on paper, but has ultimately been unbelievably delicious. This one is no different. The note on the recipe says to “hear [the kids] ask for seconds,” and I have no doubt that they will with this one!

Side note – this does one of my favorite things when it comes to biscuit toppings. The biscuit dough bakes in the casserole, and sops up the juices as it does. Then you have the crunchy top that you can than dip in the remaining sauce. It’s just so good.

Additional side note – if you’re not into beef, please take a chance and try this recipe with tofu or turkey dogs. It should work just as well.

For more recipes in the Pillsbury Challenge, click here!

About the book

It’s 1976 and it’s the United States Bi-Centennial! Pillsbury takes this opportunity to re-christen themselves to America’s Bake-Off. We get some lovely patriotic graphics, and the contestants were treated to a Boston clam bake! I love the little bit of extra nostalgia and cheese.

About the glassware

This 2.5 quart Butterfly Gold casserole came to me from a close friend who inherited it from their Nana. It’s so special and you can feel the love that went into every dish every time it’s used. I have the set of two – small and large – and they hold a special place in my heart.

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

2 T butter or margarine
1 lb. pkg. wieners, cut in 1/2 inch slices
10 3/4 oz. can condensed cream of potato or celery soup
8 oz. package frozen mixed vegetables with onion sauce, thawed
1 cup milk
1/4 t marjoram leaves
10 oz. can refrigerated biscuits
1/2 to 1 cup (2-4oz.) shredded cheddar or American Pasteurized Process Cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375*F.

In 10-inch ovenproof fry pan, brown butter and wieners. Stir in soup, mixed vegetables, milk and marjoram; heat until hot and bubbly.

Separate biscuit dough into 10 biscuits; cut each into 4 pieces. Arrange over hot wiener mixture with points up.

Bake 20-25 minutes until biscuits are golden brown. Remove from oven; sprinkle with cheese. Serve immediately. (Refrigerate any leftovers.)

TIP: Hot meat mixture may be transferred to a 2-quart casserole. Top with biscuits; bake as directed.

To reheat, cover loosely with foil; heat at 375*F for 20-25 minutes.

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