Wartime Yorkshire Pudding

Another good recipe from the Ministry of Food. Yorkshire Pudding is a baked pudding made from a batter of eggs, flour, and milk or water and is a popular accompaniment to British traditional roast dinners... especially roast beef

Although not as big and fluffy as the modern day Yorkshire pudding.. which uses multiple eggs.. this 1 egg version is just as tasty although a little stodgy.. The family loved them though... I made eight and two disappeared before I managed to take a photo

1 egg (reconstituted)

4 oz. national flour

1/4 pint of milk

Salt

1 knob dripping or fat

• Beat egg well. 
• Mix flour and salt. 
• Make a hole in the centre and put in the egg and sufficient milk to make a stiff mixture. 
• Beat well, add the rest of the milk, put aside for one hour. 
• Make the fat smoking hot in a baking tin and pour in the batter. 
• Cook in a brisk oven for about 30 minutes.

Sausage Stuffing

Happy Monday Lovelies...

Well the weather has definitely become a little cooler and we have a few days rain coming in the end of the week. I have no worries. With MrD's hard work.. and the winter curtains now up in each room... the house will be nice and cozy for the next few months

I had the laundry on the line nice and early. Thank goodness I dont have to bother with a mangle like my mother used to. There was one outside grannies back door for years. With quite a good breeze the washing dried quite quickly.. and is ready for tomorrows ironing. 

The Saturday Evening Post 
November 22, 1941

With Thanksgiving just over two weeks away so time to make sure that everything is on track for the big day. And straight after we jump into the Christmas season.. Hooray!

Recipe wise.. lets start with this one. A surprisingly tasty stuffing dish from The American Womans Cook Book...which with a bit of tweaking became a delicious side dish to our meal over the years

The original recipe was a little dry...possibly because it was supposed to stuff the meat... so I added some chicken stock. Onion juice is simply the juice from a pressed onion... and not wanting to waste anything for this dish I chopped up the onion and added it to the mix. I used my homemade dried bread cubes instead of crumbs. And I also browned the sausage in a pan first, draining off most of the liquid before mixing with the other ingredients.. before popping it in the oven to finish off

1½ pound sausage-meat
2 cups dried bread-crumbs
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon onion-juice
1 tablespoon minced parsley

original recipe

• Brown sausage meat in a pan and drain
• Mix the sausage and breadcrumbs
• Add chicken stock
• Add seasonings and onion juice and mix well
• At this point it is ready to stuff the turkey
• or... transfer the stuffing to greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish 
• Place in a preheated oven at 350°F
• Bake for approx  1 hour, uncovered, until deeply golden and crisp on top

The American Womans Cookbook,
by Ruth Berolzheiimer, 1942

Lest We Forget

Sunday Blessings Lovelies

Lest We Forget

Today was Remembrance Sunday in the Uk.. in honor of all the soldiers who fought and died in war.

I wear my poppy with pride!

Both my Father and my brother served in the Royal Air Force. Dad was a fireman and my brother was a mechanic.

My great uncle paid the ultimate price...

Battery Sergeant Major Edwin Hampson..Royal Artillery (24th Siege Bty.)was killed 14 April 1917 aged 42

His name is engraved on the Remembrance Wall in St Marys Church, in the village where my family lives

His name on his parents gravestone is now faded

But the gratitude for his service and sacrifice will never diminish

To all those who fought and died..

Love and Eternal Gratitude

On days like this it makes me so grateful for my own family. I miss the days when our large family crowded around our dining table to share a  Sunday dinner. But now they are grown.. have their own families and are scattered far and wide. The next couple of years will be a bit lonely until MrD retires and we can move closer to our loved ones.

Photo: c1940

But its still cozy with just us two... as we spent a relaxing day together.. 

ending with a tasty dinner and a listen to one of our favourite radio shows

We had a variation of the Casserole of Chicken. from the 1943 edition of The Radiation Cookery Book but I diced the chicken and substituted the mushrooms for onions and carrots. Served with roasted potatoes, sliced green beans and a homemade stuffing.. there is enough casserole left to make into a pie later this week

'The Lodger' first aired on Jul 22, 1940 

Starring the talent of Herbert Marshall, Alfred Hitchcock, Edmund Gwenn.

Cranberry and Apple Jam

Happy Friday Lovelies

A lovely view of our mountains from our window this morning

John Osterberg, 11.. delivers groceries to Mrs. Norman J. Nixon..

the first client so far for John’s “Shopping Delivery Service.”

Working after school hours, he will shop and deliver groceries to housewives

for a 15 or 20-cent charge... 1946

Shopping this week has been easy.. I had the groceries delivered this morning.. it saved all that trekking to the market for a few things and gave me extra time to do a bit more canning. I decided to make this years supply of Cranberry and Apple Jam.. I was going to make it Saturday.. but brought it forward a wee bit.

The Dining Room had its weekly deep clean.. as did the hallway. The whole house is now ready for the weekend.. so I can get by with a little spit and polish for a couple of days and not worry.

And...Dinner tonight... a fishy favourite.. Codfish Casserole. Delicious as always

Cranberry and Apple Jam

This is another recipe from my Mother in Laws recipe box and we love this jam. It’s not too sweet.. not too tart.. and absolutely delicious with your Thanksgiving/Christmas Turkey. It’s also lovely on toast, bagels or served over cream cheese as an Its a slightly different taste from the Christmas Jam I will be making next week and is so quick and easy.

Both apples and cranberries are naturally high in pectin, so you won't need any additional pectin to help this jam set, as long as you cook it until thick and syrupy. This recipe can be doubled...which I did and I've processed a few jars in the canner so we have plenty to last us through the year..

12 oz. pkg. fresh cranberries
2 medium (sweet) apples, peeled and diced
1 1/2 Cups sugar
1 Cup water
2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp butter (helps reduce foaming)

• Combine the apples, cranberries, honey, sugar and water in a large pot (use a big one, this jam will bubble)
• Over high heat. bring to a boil
• Add butter
• Cook for 10-15 minutes, until the cranberries pop and the apples soften
• you can use a potato masher if you prefer a smoother jam
• Simmer until the liquid in the pot begins to thicken
• Ladle into sterilized jars, wipe rims, apply lids and process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes.
• Label nicely and store in a dark place or distribute to those you love.
• Any unpopped jars will keep in the fridge for 2-3 weeks