Caramel Sandwiches (1915) ★★★★★

12:00 AM 1910s , 20th century , 5 stars , breakfast , condiments , dessert , sandwiches , snacks , united states , WWI 1 Comments

1 tablespoon of butter
1 cup of light brown sugar
1 tablespoon of water
Melt the butter with the light brown sugar, and the water; cook for a few moments, till well incorporated, then spread between slices of buttered bread.

Modernized Recipe:
(Adapted from The Suffrage Cook Book)

Cherry Fritters (c. 1923) ★★★★★

12:00 AM 1920s , 20th century , 5 stars , dessert , fruit , interwar , united states 1 Comments

As a Canadian, I love donuts, especially those from Tim Hortons (what can I say? I'm a traditionalist). Fritters are one of my favorites (although I prefer the crusty glaze to powdered sugar), but I've never had a cherry fritter before!
Also, for some reason this cookbook wasn't dated. I did a brief Google search and found it listed with both 1923 and 1928 as a date, so I just went with the earlier.

Original Recipe:

Black Butter (1839) ★★★★★

12:00 AM 1830s , 19th century , 5 stars , breakfast , condiments , gluten-free , united states , vegan , victorian 2 Comments

I picked this recipe because I was really intrigued by the name. The recipe claims that it is healthier than salt butter....but I'm not really sure how sugary fruit is any better than salty butter...? Anyway, this is a great 2-ingredient recipe for some quick jam. I bet this would even be great used as a sauce on pancakes or ice cream or as the filling for a cake.


The Verdict:
I used cherries and I really liked this! It was sooo yummy. Little Y liked it too :)
The only thing is that I overcooked it a little too much, so it was very thick and a bit tough to spread. It didn't effect the taste at all though. Also, I added a tiny bit of water, because the cherries weren't super juicy. Other fruits like berries might not need the extra water, especially if they're from frozen.

Modernized Recipe:
(Adapted from The Good Housekeeper)

1 pound BERRIES, CURRANTS, or CHERRIES
1/2 pound SUGAR

1. Wash and pit fruit, if needed. Mix sugar and fruit in a medium saucepan. Add a small amount of water if needed, but remember the fruit will emit some juices.
2. Boil fruit until it has reduced to 1/4 the original amount and is thick enough to spread on bread.

A Recipe-less Post

12:52 PM misc 2 Comments

Firstly, I received a lovely comment this morning from Abby at things for boys. She has nominated me for the Sunshine Award, which is very kind! Apparently this award is given by bloggers to bloggers "who positively and creatively inspires others in the blogosphere." I'm a blogger of little words (maybe you noticed?) and I don't really do the whole award thing, but it was sweet nonetheless. Also, I don't really read any blogs to nominate, as embarrassing as that is to admit.

Secondly, this morning I stumbled across What's on the Menu?, a website run by the New York Public Library. This is an awesome way to get involved and to experience a hands-on approach to food history! The NYPL has a great collection of historical menus, and needs help transcribing them so that they are searchable. This will also allow them to compile data about the foods that were consumed in the past.

Thirdly, I have some great upcoming recipes to post in the upcoming week, including cherry fritters, black butter, and another macaroni and cheese recipe - with a twist! I'm interested to see how it will compare to the popularity of my first macaroni and cheese recipe.

And to my readers - thank you for reading my humble little blog! If anyone has any suggestions or dishes they would like to see, feel free to leave a comment.

Picnic Lunch (c. 1905) ★★★★

12:00 AM 1900s , 20th century , 4 stars , beef , condiments , dessert , edwardian , menu , sandwiches , united states , vegetables 2 Comments

Summer is the perfect time for picnics, so I thought I would share this bill of fare for a picnic lunch from a circa 1905 California cookbook. I also decided to include some lemonade with our picnic. It isn't listed in this menu, but it was included in another picnic menu from the same cookbook. Also, I didn't make the salad dressing because I just used mayonnaise.
Overall, it seems like picnic food hasn't changed much over the years!















Original Recipes: 
The Verdict:
Veal Loaf: It was good, but I overdid the celery salt just a bit. It's very strong stuff, so you only need a pinch. Other than that it was yummy.

Cheese Sandwiches: Well...it's just mustard and cheese in bread, so....yeah, it was good.

Olive Sandwiches: Mr. Man really liked these, but our olives had apparently gone off, so he threw it out. He said otherwise the sandwich would have been delicious.

Potato Salad: Mr. Man LOVED this. But he loves anything with cayenne, so I wasn't surprised. He practically licked the bowl clean.

Wafers: At first I thought these were super weird and didn't really like them, but the more I ate the better they tasted. They cooked up with domes in the centers and were really spongy like mini pancakes. I am assuming you are supposed to eat these with jam, since the menu says to bring along some jelly. They taste very buttery and are alright on their own, but really delicious with jam.

Overall, a lovely picnic and all the recipes were edible!










Modernized Recipes:
(Adapted from The Times Cook Book, No. 2 )

Veal Loaf
1 1/2 pounds GROUND VEAL or BEEF
1/4 pound BUTTER, softened
1/4 cup CRACKERS, crushed, or BREAD CRUMBS
1/4 cup MILK
1 EGG
SALT
PEPPER
SAGE
THYME
CELERY SALT
BUTTER

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, thoroughly mix together ground veal (or beef; I used ground beef), butter, crackers/bread crumbs, milk, egg, and spices to taste.
3. Form the meat mixture into a loaf shape and place in the middle of the lined cookie sheet.
4. Bake the loaf for about 1 hour, basting occasionally with some butter which has been melted with a little water.

Cheese Sandwiches
BREAD
BUTTER, softened
SWISS CHEESE
MUSTARD

1. Butter slices of bread. Fill sandwiches with cheese and mustard.





Olive Sandwiches
BREAD
LETTUCE
OLIVES
MAYONNAISE or SALAD DRESSING

1. Dice olives and mix them with enough mayonnaise to spread on the number of sandwiches you want. I think I used about 5 olives and 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise for 1 sandwich.
2. Spread the mixture on crisp lettuce leaves and place between two slices of bread.

Potato Salad
12 medium POTATOES
3 tablespoons PARSLEY, minced
3 tablespoons CELERY, minced
2 tablespoons ONION, minced
SALT
CAYENNE PEPPER
3 HARD BOILED EGGS, diced
1/2 pint MAYONNAISE or SALAD DRESSING

1. Peel and dice 12 medium potatoes. Boil until tender.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients.

Salad Dressing
2 EGG YOLKS
1 tablespoon BUTTER, softened
4 tablespoons VINEGAR
1 teaspoon SALT
1 teaspoon SUGAR
1 teaspoon MUSTARD
1/2 cup CREAM

1. In a small bowl, beat together the egg yolks and the butter. Mix in the vinegar, salt, sugar, and mustard. 
2. Put boiling water in a larger bowl or pot and float the smaller bowl with the dressing in the boiling water. Whisk until it thickens.
3. When the dressing has thickened, take it off the heat and let it cool. Mix in the cream.

Wafers
1 cup UNSALTED BUTTER, softened
1 cup SUGAR
2/3 cup BUTTERMILK
1 teaspoon BAKING SODA
2 EGGS
1/2 teaspoon SALT
FLOUR
JAM, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. In a medium bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until combined. Mix in the buttermilk, baking soda, eggs, and salt.
3. Add enough flour to make a soft dough. I think I used 2 cups, or maybe less.
4. Drop teaspoonfuls of batter on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 7 - 10 minutes, or until firm and golden around the edges. Serve with jam if desired.

Watermelon Ice (1919) ★★★★

12:00 AM 1910s , 20th century , 4 stars , fruit , gluten-free , interwar , united states , vegan 2 Comments

This is one of the few watermelon recipes I could find that was NOT for pickling the rind. Apparently that was a popular thing back in the day, because I've never seen a recipe for pickled watermelon rind in a modern cookbook.

Original Recipe:

Cut a watermelon in halves, scoop out the entire center, taking out the seeds; chop in tray; add a cup of sugar. Pack the freezer, turn a few minutes. It will be like soft snow and delicious.

The Verdict:
This was alright. Not amazing, but not bad either. I just diced my watermelon, but I think pureeing it in a food processor would have really improved the "soft snow" texture. I bet you could even do this in an ice cream maker for a nice soft-serve consistency.

Modernized Recipe:
(Adapted from Vaughan's Vegetable Cook Book)

1/2 WATERMELON, chopped
1 cup SUGAR

1. Roughly chop the watermelon. Remove the seeds. Save the rind if you want to make a nice presentation.
2. In a food processor, puree the watermelon and the sugar.
3. Use an ice cream maker or freeze in a 9x13 pan, scraping every 30 minutes or so with a fork until all the liquid is frozen.

Baked Rhubarb and Bananas (1917) ★★

12:00 AM 1910s , 2 stars , 20th century , dessert , fruit , gluten-free , united states , WWI 0 Comments

Okay, this is the last rhubarb recipe - I promise! I actually made this for Little Y. Many babies apparently enjoy the sourness of rhubarb, and it is one of the least allergenic foods, so it is appropriate for an infant. It also cooks down to a nice, mushy texture without pureeing. Even though Little Y is nearly two, I substituted coconut oil for the butter because we've had some setbacks with solids and haven't tested dairy with her yet. Also, I cut the recipe in thirds to make a smaller portion.

Original Recipe:

Ingredients
2 cups rhubarb
3 bananas
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon butter

Instructions 

Wash rhubarb and cut, unpeeled, into one-inch pieces; peel and slice bananas, and arrange in a baking dish in alternate layers with the rhubarb; add sugar and butter, cover, and bake in a slow oven two hours. Serve hot or cold.

Rhubarb Shortcake (1920) ★★★★★

9:14 PM 1920s , 20th century , 5 stars , cakes , dessert , fruit , interwar , united states 3 Comments

Here's another rhubarb recipe, this time a take on the classic strawberry shortcake!

Original Recipe:

Ingredients

2 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of salt
4 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 cup of sugar
6 tablespoons of shortening
2/3 cup of milk

Instructions

Place flour in a bowl and add salt, baking powder, and sugar. Sift to mix and then rub in shortening. Mix to a dough with milk. Cut with a large cookie cutter and then bake in a hot oven for fifteen minutes. Split and butter, and then fill with the cooked rhubarb and serve with either plain or whipped cream or custard sauce.

Rhubarb Toast (c.1886) ★★★★

11:15 AM 1880s , 19th century , 4 stars , breakfast , snacks , united states , vegetables , victorian 0 Comments

The Verdict:
The original recipe seemed like it was meant to feed a small army or something, so I quartered it. I still ended up with over a cup of sauce. The sauce is very tart, so if you like your rhubarb on the sweeter side, I suggest adding more sugar to taste. I didn't mind it, but it was rich so I barely made it through the two slices. It was good though; basically like a rhubarb jam. I actually poured some over a slice of cake and I enjoyed it a lot that way. So yay! Multipurpose sauce!

Modernized Recipe:
(Adapted from The Woman Suffrage Cook Book)

1/2 cup WATER
1/8 cup SUGAR
1/2 pound RHUBARB, diced
WHOLE WHEAT BREAD or GRAHAM BREAD

1. In a small saucepan, heat the water and sugar to boiling. Add the rhubarb and cook until the rhubarb is soft and falls apart, about 5 minutes or so. Let cool.
2. Toast bread and butter it. Serve with cooled rhubarb poured over it.

Easy Orange Cake (1957) ★★★★★

11:13 AM 1950s , 20th century , 5 stars , atomic age , cake , dessert , united states 0 Comments

I loved the retro illustrations in this kids's cookbook! You can easily make this recipe by following the original instructions, but I found them a bit small to read, so I've typed them out below.

Original Recipe:


The Verdict:
If you like boxed mix cakes (I'll admit here that I do) this is a nice way to dress one up. The cake is not overly transformed by the recipe, so it's the sauce that really makes this. It's deliciously citrusy with just the right amount of tang. If you use fresh juice from an orange and a lemon it will really boost the flavour.


Modernized Recipe:
(Adapted from Betty Crocker's Cook Book for Boys and Girls)

Orange Cake
1 box YELLOW CAKE MIX (and required ingredients, usually EGGS, OIL, and WATER)
2 tablespoons ORANGE ZEST, grated

Clear Orange Sauce
1 cup SUGAR
1/4 teaspoon SALT
2 tablespoons CORNSTARCH
1 cup ORANGE JUICE
1/4 cup LEMON JUICE
3/4 cup BOILING WATER
1 tablespoon UNSALTED BUTTER
1 teaspoon ORANGE ZEST, grated
1 teaspoon LEMON ZEST, grated

1. Grease and flour a 9x13 pan. Make the boxed cake mix according to directions and fold in the orange zest before baking. You may also use a homemade yellow cake recipe and simply fold in the orange zest.
2. While the cake is baking, make the sauce.  In a saucepan, mix the sugar, salt, and cornstarch. Stir in the orange juice, lemon juice, and water and bring to a boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and zest.
3. Serve the cake warm with the warm sauce over top.

Glazed Carrots with Peas (1911) ★★

12:00 AM 1910s , 2 stars , 20th century , gluten-free , modern , united states , vegetables 0 Comments

The Verdict: 
Unfortunately I have to say that I rinsed these peas off in an attempt to salvage them for dinner, but even then couldn't bring myself to eat them. Amazingly, Little Y just gobbled them up (after rinsing), so...I guess this recipe wasn't a total flop? But 1/2 a cup of butter is just SO MUCH BUTTER. I even used the carrot butter for the peas and there was a ridiculous amount left. Also, there is a lot of sugar there for just 3 carrots. I wasn't a huge fan of the mint with the carrots, but the peas were alright. I would eat this if I had to, but I would never make it again. If you like sweet carrots (I don't) and mint on your veggies, you would probably enjoy this, but perhaps with a bit less sugar and like, 1/4 cup max of butter. Points for prettiness though!

Modernized Recipe:
(Adapted from Good Things to Eat)

3 medium CARROTS
1/2 cup BUTTER
1/3 cup SUGAR
1 tablespoon FRESH MINT, chopped
1 can SMALL PEAS (or use desired amount of fresh or frozen)
BUTTER, for seasoning
SALT, to taste
PEPPER, to taste

1. Wash and peel the carrots. Cut them into cubes or use a small cookie cutter to make "fancy shapes".
2. In a saucepan, melt the butter with the sugar and mint. Add the carrots and cook on low heat until glazed and tender.
3. If using canned peas, drain and rinse them. Boil water in a saucepan and cook the peas for five minutes. When done, drain and season with butter, salt, and pepper.
4. Mound the peas on a serving dish and surround them with carrots. Serve hot.

Iced Tea with Mint (1904) ★★★★★

12:00 AM 1900s , 20th century , 5 stars , beverages , edwardian , gluten-free , united states , vegan 0 Comments

The Verdict:
I'm not a tea drinker, so I let Mr. Man taste test this. He really liked it, but said it definitely needed a little sugar.

Modernized Recipe:
(Adapted from Food and Cookery for the Sick and Convalescent)

TEA
ICE
1 slice LEMON
2-3 leaves FRESH MINT, bruised

1. Put the mint in the bottom of a teacup and bruise it by gentle rubbing it with the back of a spoon. In the same cup, make your tea, but use only half the usual amount of water. Crush the ice in a blender.
2. If you don't mind the ice mostly melted, you can mix it right in to the tea. If you want more of a granita or slushie style drink, let the tea cool before pouring it over the crushed ice.
3. Serve with lemon and sugar.

Mint Punch (1934) ★★★★★

3:00 AM 1930s , 20th century , 5 stars , beverages , canada , fruit , gluten-free , interwar , New Tested Recipes , vegan 4 Comments

Original Recipe: 

The Verdict:

OH MY GOODNESS THIS IS SO DELICIOUS. Also, I made this with only 1 orange, but it was still awesome. I figured that old-timey oranges were probably less monstrous than the ones we have today anyway. If you crush the mint right, there should be a faint, but present and not overpowering minty-ness. Then you taste the citrus, which is just tart enough because of the sugar syrup. And the carbonation from the ginger ale is a nice touch. This is perfect for a summer party. Even Mr. Man, who freaked out at first because he has something against grape juice thought this was different and delicious.

Modernized Recipe:

(Adapted from New Tested Recipes)

3/4 cups SUGAR
1 cup WATER
1 LEMON
2 ORANGES
1 cup GRAPE JUICE
2 sprigs MINT, crushed*
1 LEMON, sliced
2 cups GINGER ALE
ICE

1. In a saucepan, boil the sugar and water for 2 minutes. Let cool.
2. While syrup is cooling, juice the lemon and oranges.
3. In a pitcher, mix the citrus juices, grape juice, crushed mint, and ginger ale. Stir in the cooled syrup and sliced lemon. Add the ice to the pitcher or to punch glasses.

* The best way to crush mint is to muddle it with a special muddling device. If you don't have one, use a mortar and pestle or the back of a spoon. You want it to be just bruised enough to release the juices, but not completely pulverized or it will become bitter.