Wartime Braised Lamb Chops

Happy Sunday Lovelies

We had another inspiring morning at church. 

It really does recharge my batteries for the week

It was a chilly but beautiful walk home from church...

 palm trees and snow... so pretty

Photo: 1940

I do love my Sundays.. church.. relaxing with my dear husband.. doing a bit of stitching or reading...and sharing a cosy, relaxed meal together. It sets us both up for the hustle and bustle that hits every Monday morning

Another Sewing Project 

Dinner today used a meat that we havent had in a while.. Lamb

I dont buy lamb very often...even though I love the flavour. Its very hard to find where we live...and if I do see it in shops its quite expensive. But this week I found a pack of chops in the the reduced section in the butchers market... and I couldnt resist. So this Ministry of Food recipe for Braised Lamb Chops was put on the menu. Its a slow-cooking method using bacon rinds and fresh vegetables to create a flavorful gravy.

I halved the recipe as there are only two of us.. and I didnt have any rinds or mace... so I cooked without... and it still turned out to be a very tasty dish. The vegetables I used were leeks, turnip, carrots and a handful of peas. And I only had one tomato.. but Im sure canned could be used too. I also thickened the gravy with a little cornflour.. just because we like it that way

4 lamb chops (trimmed of surplus fat)
½ oz. fat or dripping (for frying)
3 bacon rinds
Mixed vegetables, diced
8 tomatoes, sliced
Seasoning: 1 teaspoon salt, pinch of pepper
Liquid: ½ pint stock or water
Flavourings: 1 clove, 1 blade of mace, 2 or 3 peppercorns, a tiny sprig of thyme, and 1 or 2 leaves of mint

Recipe from the book

• Brown the meat:
• Heat the fat (or dripping) and bacon rinds in a pan.
• Fry the trimmed chops until they are well-browned on both sides.
• Remove the chops from the pan and pour off the excess fat.
• Place the diced vegetables, sliced tomatoes, flavourings, seasoning, and stock (or water) into the pan.
• Lay the browned chops on top of the vegetable mixture.
• Cover the pan with a lid and cook very gently for approximately ¾ hour.
• Remove the bacon rinds.
• Serve the tender chops on a hot dish accompanied by the vegetables and the resulting gravy

Eating For Victory
Collection of Official WW2 Recipe Leaflets

Brrrrr....

Happy Saturday Lovelies... and what a cold morning it was 

We woke to a covering of ice on the ground... unusual for Southern California. Thank goodness I covered the strawberry plants last night. It was lovely having a nice leisurely breakfast with MrD before he disappeared into his workshop for a couple of hours

Now the heavy rain has stopped I went out and pottered in the garden for a bit.. The flowers appreciated the downpour... even if it left me a bit damp

LaterI sat by the fire and did a bit of mending. How buttons go missing so easily I shall never know! But on the  other hand...I know I will never run out of buttons!

Meat Pie with a Biscuit Topping

Dinner tonight was Meat Pie with Biscuit Topping from "57 Ways to Use Heinz Condensed Soup", 1944.. Its fast become a family favourite.

We ended the evening watching  Veronica Lake, Frederick March and Susan Haywood in

I Married a Witch ~ 1942

Wartime Potato Cutlets

Happy Saturday Lovelies..

With a day working in the Victory Garden on the cards.. a bigger breakfast was called for. Spam, eggs, baked beans, a grilled tomato and toast.

I've so many plans for this years garden.. I've been itching to get started. It was time to tackle the potato beds We have been collecting and making chicken manure (thank you ladies) so MrD rotavated the soil and dug in the manure to give it some much needed nutrients.

The potatoes themselves are chitting nicely but not ready to plant yet

It wont be long though as the temperatures here are already rising.. and you can feel that Spring is just around the corner. In fact.. I spotted the first butterfly of the year... Lovely!

Week ending January 31st 1942

Once the hard work was done... we settled down to listen to the news of the week.. and tried out a new (old) recipe as part of our Saturday supper

This is another Ministry of Food recipe and is very simple to make. They are very much like the Bubble and Squeek Patties I make .. but these have added flour... and a lovely hint of chutney... I used my homemade Green Tomato Chutney and I added a little more than the recipe says... just because I love it.

The other change I made was toto use leftover mashed potato... and I added a bit of salt and pepper to taste 

1 1/2 pound potatoes 

1/2 pound of carrots.

3 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon chutney

 chopped parsley. 

• Scrub potatoes 
• Scrape carrots. 
• Boil together until tender. 
• When cooked, peel potatoes and mash with carrots. 
• Add flour, chutney, and chopped parsley. 
• Shape into cutlets and pan fry on both sides until brown in a very little fat. 
• Save your water from the cooked vegetables for use in soup or stew!

Potato Pastry

Happy Wednesday Lovelies..

And on my breakfast tray this morning...

Good old British Baked Beans on Toast..

Photo: 1941

Wednesday is the day I give the bathroom a good scrub. 

We also have a half bathroom but that is very quick to clean.

Cannon Bathroom Towels Ad

January 1942

Its also another laundry day as the shower curtain and towels are washed and replaced.

So the topping for yesterdays pie was Potato Pastry.. a staple of British cooking during World War II, designed to stretch meager rations by replacing scarce flour and fat with mashed potatoes. And do you know... it wasnt too bad. Its easy to make and the potato is used to bind the dough which works well. Adding herbs for flavouring is a good idea... and a small amount of cheese (if available) would elevate the crust..

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ cup shortening

1 cup cold, mashed potato

1⁄3 to ½ cup milk

Better Homes and Gardens Magazine Clipping
January 1942

• Sift dry ingredients
• Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. 
• Cut in mashed potato. 
• Add enough milk to make stiff dough. 
• Roll on lightly floured surface to fit casserole or pie
• Slash for escape of steam.