Tag: dinner

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

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.

Susan’s Turketti

Susan’s Turketti

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A Recipe from Good Housekeeping’s Casserole Book (1958)

About the Recipe

Today is husband’s birthday! In honor of his day, we have another Husband’s Choice. This one is a play on turkey tetrazzini – pasta and turkey in a warm, savory sauce topped with cheese. Y’all know I love a casserole, and this one is pure magic. It’s a make-ahead, so I made it on a Sunday afternoon when I had some time. The time spent in the refrigerator allows the pasta to really soak up the broth and soup. The result is a super savory, comfort casserole, perfect for a cozy family dinner.

The “Susan” mentioned here is yet another fictional cook that came out of this advertising trend. She’s a teen cook who loves to whip up easy to follow recipes in the kitchen. My feeling is that any recipe labeled with Susan’s name is probably a little bit more simple than the average recipe in this book. But that’s just my gut feeling. If anyone has any more information about Susan, I’d love to hear about it!

A few quick notes to help make it amazing:
– I used turkey breasts that I marinated in salt, pepper, and a little bit of olive oil for a few hours before cooking them up in a skillet. You could also use Thanksgiving leftovers or rotisserie chicken to make this really quick and easy.
– Any short pasta will work in this recipe. Don’t use the full strands of spaghetti without breaking them as it’ll be difficult to mix and serve.
– Any sort of broth will work in this recipe as well, including a bullion cube dissolved in water. I love Penzey’s soup bases and use the turkey one for literally every recipe that calls for a poultry based broth.
– Because I salted my turkey and the broth and mushroom soup are already high in sodium, I didn’t add the additional salt in the recipe. Trust me when I say it was salty enough.

For more Husband’s Choice recipes, click here!

About the book

I love these little Good Housekeeping booklets. They’re the ones that used to live in the grocery store aisles. There’s a whole set of them, and usually you see them at antique or vintage stores for $1 or so each. If you see one, grab it. The recipes are easy to follow and use common ingredients. The illustrations are so mid-century it hurts.

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups (about 3 oz.) spaghetti, broken into 2″ pieces
1 1/2 to 2 cups cut-up, cooked or canned turkey (or chicken or cooked veal)
1/4 cup diced pimentos
1/4 chopped green pepper
1/2 chopped small onion
1 can condensed cream-of-mushroom soup, undiluted
1/2 cup turkey broth or water
1/2 t salt
1/8 t pepper
1 3/4 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese (about 1/2 lb.), divided

Directions:

Early in the day or night before, if preferred:
Cook spaghetti as package directs; drain. Place turkey, pimentos, green pepper, and onion in 1 1/2 quart casserole. Pour in mushroom soup and turkey broth; add salt, pepper, 1 1/4 cups of grated cheese, and spaghetti. With two forks, lightly toss until all is well mixed and coated with sauce. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup grated cheese on top of turkey mixture; refrigerate.

About 1 hour before serving: 
Start heating oven to 350*F. Bake casserole mixture 45 min, or until bubbly throughout. Makes 4 servings

PS. – If you’re having 8 for dinner or a help-yourself supper, early in day make twice above recipe, using 3-qt casserole; refrigerate. At mealtime, bake about 1 hr. or until bubbling hot.

Chicken Hawaiian (Simplified)

Chicken Hawaiian (Simplified)

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A Recipe from Simple Hawaiian Cookery (1964)

About the Recipe

Y’all – look at this mid-century nonsense. Beige on beige on beige. Canned Campbell’s soup, canned pineapples, and slivered almonds. When we sat down to the table to try it, we all had that apprehensive look on our faces. That look that says – this might have been a mistake. I prepared to start writing a “Danger, Will Robinson!” post. And then we tried it.

Friends – it was absolutely, unequivocally delicious. Even my toddler, Maxx said “Mm, mm! Delish!”

A few quick notes on this one:
– I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs. I marinated them in a little salt, pepper, and olive oil and then cooked them in a skillet. A rotisserie chicken will work really well. Great use for any chicken leftovers that don’t have a super strong flavor.
– Go a little heavy on the pineapple if you can. The extra acidity and sweetness cut really well through the heavy soup. I used about 3/4 of a 20 oz. can.
– Mushroom chunks will make a great addition to this in the future. I’ll add them with the garlic and peppers.
– Pour the pineapple juice in first to deglaze the pan. You’ll get better flavor out of it.
– I’m pretty sure that if you don’t want to use the pre-made soup, you could make a velouté with a roux and some chicken stock and it would work just as well (and maybe a little bit better). Use 2 T flour and 2 T butter to make your roux and then add 2 cups stock.

About the book

I’m so in love with these little Peter Pauper books. There are folks out there who specifically hunt them, and I definitely understand why. The mid-century illustrations and little poetic touches are just so wonderful. Enjoy!

  • Poultry Section Illustration

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

1 large green pepper, cut in strips
1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T salad oil
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 (13 oz.) can pineapple tidbits with juice
2 cups cooked chicken, cubed
2 T soy sauce
3 cups cooked rice
1/4 cup toasted almonds, slivered

Directions:

In saucepan, cook green pepper with garlic in oil until tender. Blend in soup and pineapple juice; add chicken, pineapple tidbits, and soy sauce. Heat, stirring now and then. Serve over rice. Top with almonds. 6 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.

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).

Baked Breast of Chicken

Baked Breast of Chicken

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A Recipe from Something Different for Passover (1986)

About the Recipe

It’s Passover, and I’m at Becky’s house again! We usually go a bit crazy with the cooking, but definitely had a new challenge working within our confines. We pulled this chicken recipe out of a book that would have been from our childhood. It was the kind of thing that was going to be really good, or really not (I even had a matzah pizza recipe on standby in case this didn’t work).

Y’all… this is freaking delicious. So good that I’m working on adapting it for regular around the year eating. That said, there were a lot of things that we kind of had to work out in order to make this recipe work. I’m going to go ahead and note the changes in italics so that you also have a successful chicken bake. Bon appetit!

About the book

I’m usually pretty wary of books from the ’80’s, but this one is so sweet! It goes through all of the traditions of the Passover seder. There are menus for the first and second seders, and everything is neatly sectioned out for easy reference throughout the holiday. There’s nothing particularly special about it, but it did feel like childhood paging through it.

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

4 whole chicken breasts, boned
1 cup soup nut crumbs (We used matzah panko, which was perfect! Regular panko/breadcrumbs should also work but would render the recipe not kosher for Passover)
1 t ground ginger
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t salt
1/4 t white pepper
2 eggs, well beaten
1 cup apricot preserves
1/2 cup white wine
2 T pareve margarine (Butter also works fine, as would a neutral oil in a crunch)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Cut chicken breasts in half (We did not cut the breasts, and they turned out fine. You could cut them crosswise into two big halves, which also should work if you want smaller pieces). Rinse with cold water and dry well with paper towels.

2. Combine soup nut crumbs, ginger, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish.

3. Dip each chicken part in beaten egg, then in crumb mixture. Arrange in a single layer in a baking pan.

4. Combine preserves, wine, and margarine. Microwave on high setting for 5 minutes, or bring to a boil in a small saucepan. Pour over the chicken breasts and bake for 1 hour (We baked our HUGE chicken breasts for about 40 minutes, and they were perfect. Absolutely do not wait an hour before checking your chicken. Use a meat thermometer and cook until the thickest part measures 165*F).

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.