Sometimes, finding a side dish is one of the more difficult decisions during dinner preparations. You want to balance an entree with other food choices that won’t make the diner too full, or leave them wanting more because they are hungry. Rice is a basic in our house. Here are two side dishes on one slip of paper, for your perusal. Unfortunately, much was left to the cook’s own knowledge and has been lost, so it’s a bit of a guessing game.

Beans

1/2 c water

1/2 c vinegar

Beans (perhaps 1 pound dry?)

4 T br[own] sugar

pepper & salt

Bacon chips on top after cooking

This appears to be for Boston baked beans. You would want to use dry navy or pinto beans, soak them overnight, then cook them on the stove until soft, 1-2 hours. Combine the rest of the ingredients with the beans in a Dutch oven. Bake in the oven at 300 for 1 hour. At that time, begin checking for the tenderness and doneness of the beans. If not fully cooked, add an hour. Once they are done, top with the bacon pieces and serve.

Rice

1 c raw rice

4 T butter

1 sm onion chopped

1 t salt

1/2 t pepper

1 t thyme

2 1/2 c stock

350 20 min +

Top with melted butter & chopped parsley

My take on this one is to melt the butter, saute the onion in it, add the rice, continue to saute until the rice gets a “glassy” look, add the rest of the ingredients and bake. You can do this all in one casserole dish that can go from stove to oven. I probably wouldn’t cover it. Stir before serving.

We went out to dinner last night to a local Mexican joint. My family loves Mexican food! There is just something about the spices and flavors that is so satisfying. Certainly we enjoy other ethnic foods but Mexican tops the list every time. As we sat there in the restaurant, the Ranchero music was blasting, my daughter was wiggling/dancing in her chair, and we were laughing. Just then a group of people of undetermined Asian origin were seated at a near by table. It made me remember that the first quesadilla I ever had was made by the Japanese lady who lived down the street from us in the 70s.

I realized again that the universal truth of food is that when it is good, it will appeal to people from all walks of life, all ethnic origins, and all regional distinctions. Here’s hoping your kitchen is turning out dishes that bring satisfaction and nourishment to your family and friends, no matter where they come from or where they go. I hope to update the site again with regularity soon. Thanks for your patience!

Celery seed has a strong odor and flavor, that I have discovered is one I do not like. When I was a kid we went camping a lot, and often driving past the acres of farmland I would smell the celery growing. It was never a good smell for me. But I do like celery to eat. Yes, weird, I know. Did you know that celery in its natural state looks different from the celery we purchase in the store? The stalks are clearly cut by the time we see them in the local Von’s, but celery has a leafy head which reminds me of giant parsley. Indeed, the word etymology begins with the Greek word selinon, meaning parsley.

Celery stalk

While celery originated in Greece, it eventually made its way to England by the 17th century, and America shortly after that. It was featured as a ‘winter’ food, so as to counteract the heavy salt use and flavors of preserved winter meats. Because it was at times difficult to grow, it was once considered a delicacy, and even spawned celery vases in some Victorian households. The vase was filled with water and the cleaned stalks were placed within, kept fresh all day, and available as a treat in between meals. It showed the family’s disposable wealth to be able to serve celery at any time.

From the Metropolitan Museum of Art

All that from the lowly, stinky celery seed!

Mrs. Kate’s Salad Dressing (Celery Seed)

1 cup sugar

1/4 teas salt

1/4 cup vinegar (I used 1/2)

1/2 teas dry mustard

2 teas celery seed

1/2 med onion (grated)

Beat until sugar well dissolved. Add very slowly while beating 1 1/2 cup Wesson (more or less)

I really feel like where one of us in the vintage sector finds success, we all find success. Click the picture to go to Amazon.com and support our love of vintage recipes!

Tattered page from Irene B’s Girl’s Trade School notebook

For part one, menus, you can click here and here. Some of this seems so simple when you have been reading recipes your entire life, cooking or watching cooking shows, but for a girl in a trade school, this might not have been elementary. The worst assumption a teacher can make is that her students know what she is talking about. Especially with food, you do not want to add a T of salt when a t is called for!

II. Methods of Cooking

1. Broiling = cooking over a glowing fire

2. Roasting = ” before a glowing fire

3. Baking = ” by means of heated air

4. Boiling = ” for a long time in water

5. Stewing = ” for a long time in water below boiling point

6. Steaming = [a] moist steaming = cooking in a steamer by direct contact with the steam [b] dry steaming = cooking in a double boiler

7. Frying = cooking in hot fat deep enough to cover article to be cooked

8. Sauteing = cooking in a small amount of fat

9. Braising = stewing & baking

10. Fricaseeing = sauteing & serving with a sauce

III. Table of Abbreviations

Tbsp = Tablespoon

tsp = teaspoon

C. = cup

spk = speck

qt = quart

pt = pint

lb = pound

oz = ounce

cu = cube

IV. Table of Measuring

3 tsp is equal to Tbsp

Something lost to the ages…

16 tbsp is equal to 1 cup

2 cup is equal to 1 pt

4 cup is equal to 1 qt

1 square chocolate = 1 oz

V.

In order to have good results in cooking and exact measurements are necessary.

A spoonful of anything is a level spoonful. Half a spoonful is a spoonful divided lengthways. Dry materials like flour meal and so on must be sifted before measuring.

Hygiene of Foods

Cleanliness is the most important consideration in cooking food. Materials made by means of transmitting a disease. Clean house clean clothing, clean bodies and clean food are the most important. The person who prepares the food should wear clean clothes simple in style and which can easily be laundered.

The body should be kept clean. …hair neatly combed, specified attention given to the hair, the fingers nails being free from dirt. Goods should not be exposed to dust in the home or in the market.

This section continues on for a bit and then goes into care of the refrigerator. In the interest of time, I will save that for the next post.

Thanks to Carol Tucker on Bever Street, we have today’s recipe for Ham Balls with Pineapple Sauce. I don’t know where this combo originated, but the ham & pineapple thing is found everywhere from pizza parlors to cocktail parties. It’s not my favorite, but some people rave over it. To each their own. Who knows, this might be interesting and tasty? Just a note, I don’t know exactly what “ham loaf mix” was, or how to recreate it. However, meat loaf starts with ground beef, so perhaps it is simply ground ham. You could probably make these small and stick toothpicks in them for a cocktail party.

Ham Balls with Pineapple Sauce

2 lbs ham loaf mix

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup bread crumbs

1/4 tsp pepper

Mix and form into balls. Place close together in a large shallow baking pan.

Mix:

1 cup crushed pineapple

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 T vinegar

1 T dry mustard

Pour over meat balls. Bake at 350 for 1 1/4 hours. Meat balls may be prepared ahead and frozen

This seems like a holiday salad to me, so Happy Easter!

Frozen Fruit Salad

1 cup dates cut fine

1/2 cup nut meats – coarsely chopped

1 cup shredded pineaple

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

1 T spoon lemon juice

2 cups cottage cheese

1/2 cup salad dressing (I think this means mayo)

1 cup whipping cream

1/2 teaspoon salt

Scald nut meats – have freezing tray thoroughly chilled. Put together dates, nuts, pineapple plus juice & rind of lemon. Add cottage cheese, salad dressing & fold in the whipped cream. Turn into freezing tray & spread evenly. May be garnished with cherries & pineapple. Hurry the mixture into refrigerator to freeze – the sooner it is frozen the smoother the product.

I’m not completely sure what to think about this, except that it’s more like hash browns than pudding. Or possibly similar to twice baked potatoes. I believe this would be served as a side dish in place of mashed potatoes.

Potato Pudding

3 large potatoes, peeled & grated

2 med onions grated

2 eggs whole

1/8 t pepper

1 1/2 t salt

parsley chopped

Mix all ingredients. Drain off a bit of water before adding eggs. Use ring mold, oiled. Pour 2 T oil on top. Bake 400 F 40-60 min till crusty on top. Fill center with mushrooms. Serves 8.

We love chili at my house. I bake a small cornbread while the chili is bubbling and serve together, sometimes with honey butter. Yum. There are many varieties of chili, spawning the infamous chili cookoffs around the country. We prefer our chili mild, and I myself despise kidney beans so I use black beans instead, but some people like it hot, hot, hot! However you like it, you can adapt this recipe from the New York Times, date unknown. You could also put this in the crock pot and simmer all day for a delicious dinner on a cold day.

Chili (New York Times)

3 T butter

1 large onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb chopped beef

3 c water

1 1/3 c canned tomato

1 green pepper minced

1/2 t celery seed

1/4 t cayenne

1 t cumin

1 small bay leaf

1 T chili powder

1/8 t basil

1 1/2 t salt

Saute onion & garlic in butter. Add meat & brown. Transfer to large saucepan & add remaining ingredients. Simmer uncovered until thick as desired, or about 2-3 hours. Add kidney beans just before serving.

Mornay sauce is a cheesy, warm and delicious sauce used to top meats, vegetables and seafood. It resembles this dish in no way at all. :-) A traditional Mornay sauce is made with a roux (melted butter mixed with white flour), then milk and grated cheeses are added, preferably Parmesan and gruyere, sometimes white cheddar. All is melted until thick and bubbly, then can be used to top various dishes, mixed with pasta for a macaroni & cheese or fettuccine alfredo-like dish, or even stored in the refrigerator for future use. Mornay sauce was invented in the early 1800s in Paris, and has become a staple in French cooking, as it is used in souffle and pudding in addition to the uses just mentioned. This recipe for Beans Mornay actually reminds me a bit of the famous green bean casserole served at Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners across America.

Beans Mornay

Cook frozen green beans as directed

Can Condens cream of celery soup

Can onion rings

Alternate layers

350 F till hot & bubbly