Potato and Green Pea Cakes

Well the Victory Garden is looking very scraggy.. but is still giving us plenty of produce. This year I will have lots and lots of tomatoes to preserve!

The rest of the garden is still looking very pretty..despite the 100 degree weather. This heat cant go on for ever.. can it??

Inside the house.. the dreaded weekly ironing chore was accomplished with the help of cups of tea... and Kay Kyser and his Orchestra

Jingle Jangle Jingle ~ 1942

Kay Kyser and his Orchestra

Vocals by Harry Babbitt  and Julie Conway 

For dinner..  I found this recipe from The Ministry of Food.. and as a lover of green peas... and potatoes.. I thought how yummy... and it looks very simple to make.. what could possibly go wrong?

Well... I always share my recipes.. whether they turn out great... or not.  And this recipe was a great big NOT!!

Dont get me wrong.. flavour wise they were very tasty. But.. having made the mixture.. trying to fry them was a  massive failure. They just fell into a great mushy mess. I tried twice with various amounts of oil (in my case bacon fat) but they would not get crispy ... or stay firm. So I saved the rest of the mixture.. and we will have it as a mashed potato dish with some sausages later in the week. They really needed some sort of binding agent..like flour or and egg.. which if I make them again.. I will use. 

Although I must say.. Green Pea Mashed Potatoes is quite delicious

Stuffed Eggs

It was a pleasantly cooler morning.. so after hanging the laundry on the line.. I took my cuppa outside and sat with the chickens for a short while.

Making sure Prince was locked out of the back garden.. I let the Ladies out of the coop for a bit and let them peck at some fresh grass for a change.They are not fans of this very hot weather either.. but its hasn't affected their egg production at all... giving us plenty of eggs for tonight's dinner.

Housework was completed in a timely fashion... including giving the bedrooms a good clean.. which meant I could spend the afternoon on my knitting.. Im determined to finish the little matinee set I'm making for our grandbaby due in December.

This evening.. MrD and I settled down and listened to a new radio show "Eyes Aloft" dedicated to the volunteers of the Aircraft Warning Service, which consisted of civilians who volunteered their time to look for enemy aircraft along the Pacific Coast. 

Photo: Signing up at the

Newport Beach Aircraft Warning Volunteer Center c.1942

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, 150,000 citizens volunteered to look for enemy aircraft headed for the mainland. Many of the volunteers were women and retired persons who lived along the Pacific Coast. The broadcast commended Aircraft Warning Service volunteers and dramatized their true stories of service, patriotism, and courage. 

So for dinner.. we had a lovely meal of leftover cold chicken, salad from the garden, and courtesy of our ladies, Stuffed Eggs. The recipe is from the Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, July 1941, and are a spin on Devilled Eggs, which are made the same way, but with different additives.

Although they were flavourful and we enjoyed them.. both MrD and I agreed we prefer the original Devilled Eggs taste

6 hard cooked eggs

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 tablespoon vinegar

1½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1½ teaspoons prepared mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Original Magazine Cutting

• Cut eggs lengthwise
• Remove yolks and mash.
• Add mayonnaise, vinegar, and seasonings
• Beat until smooth and fluffy. 
• Fill whites with teaspoon or put through a pastry tube. 
• I like to garnish with a littke paprika

Better Homes and Gardens agazine
July 1941

 

Broiled Ham Sandwiches

Another busy Saturday at our Little Blue House. After a breakfast of vegetable omelettes.. courtesy of our ladies and the Victory Garden.. MrD started a new house project.. replacing the floorboards in our hallway. 

He made a good start.. but will have to finish it next weekend. As with many jobs that we try to do in this old house... we always manage to open a can of worms!!

As for me I thought MrD needed a bit of a treat.. so I made one of his favourites 

Fanny Farmers Banana Bread.. 

with a few chocolate chips sprinkled on top

For lunch I tried a new recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, July 1940.. and it used a 1940s staple.. Spam!

Broiled Ham Sandwiches  were supposed to be an open faced and you toast the topping and put on bread. But I had some National Loaf that was a little stale as its coming to the end of the week. So, I ended up making a glorified cheese on toast. I halved the recipe as it was only the two of us.. and the leftover Spam will be used in breakfasts and in sandwiches this week

Original Magazine Illustration

To be honest.. it was really flavourful.. and added to a little fresh salad from the garden.. made a lovely filling lunch. I will be making it again

¼ cup chopped cucumber pickle 

1 cup grated American cheese (or any melting cheese)

3 tablespoons mayonnaise. 

12 ounce can pork-ham luncheon meat 

• Toast bread slices and spread with butter
• Combine grated cheese, mayonnaise and chopped pickle 
• Cut Spam Luncheon Meat ¼ inch thick slices
• Place a slice on each piece of toast
• Spread with cheese mixture. 
• Broil until cheese puffs. 
• Serve hot. 
• Makes 8 open sandwiches

Better Homes and Gardens Magazine 
July 1940

Pork on Skewers

As soon as MrD left for work this morning, I jumped straight in the shower,  got myself ready for the day and got my morning started bright and early. I was on a race to beat the heat. The first thing I did was make the dough for this weeks baking of bread. 

I wanted them out of the oven by 10.30 am.... and I succeeded.. if a few minutes late!

The only good thing about 105° weather.. is that it dries the laundry incredibly fast. This heat reminds me that deep down I am still a Country girl from Wales... and Im still not used to Southern California temperatures

Today was also our grandsons eighth birthday. Where have the years gone. He's such a kind, loving boy... but with a wicked sense of humour..just like his daddy had at the same age. He loves his cat Meow Meows with all his heart even though they fight like crazy. He's going to be an excellent big brother when the new baby arrives at Christmas

Dinner tonight was Pork Skewers from the Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, March 1942. They were really nice.. very easy to make, cooked \ to perfection and with a lovely earthy flavour from the spices. 

Original Magazine Illustration

I made no changes to the recipe... and served them on a bed of Vegetable Fried Rice. MrD thoroughly enjoyed them.. even though he couldn't quite describe the flavour!

2 pounds pork shoulder, cut in 1 1/4-inch cubes

2 tablespoons ground coriander

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 cup minced onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Original Magazine Clipping

• Make a paste of coriander, salt, pepper, onion, and garlic. 
• Add lemon juice, sugar, soya sauce, and cayenne; blend well. 
• Rub spice mixture over meat; let stand 1 hour. 
• Place four cubes on each skewer. 
• Bake in moderate oven (350°) 30 to 40 minutes. 
• Stick radishes on skewer ends (optional)

Better Homes and Gardens Magazine 
March 1942