Spaghetti and Meat Balls

I dont know what it is about 1940s recipes, but they are really tasty. These meatballs from Better Home and Gardens Magazine, September 1942, are no different. Using Italian seasoning, garlic and parmesan cheese the flavours really hit the spot. 

There were plenty of meatballs so I froze some for a later date and there was enough sauce leftover to mix with pasta for another meal.

1 onion, chopped 

3 tablespoons fat
1 No. 2 can (2 1/2 cups) tomatoes
2 6 ounce cans tomato paste
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
1 bay leaf
3/4 pound ground beef
1/4 pound ground pork
1 cup fine, dry bread crumbs
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 sprig parsley, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup milk
2 beaten eggs
Salt and pepper
18-ounce package long spaghetti

• Brown onion in hot fat
• Add tomatoes, tomato paste, water, salt, pepper, sugar, and bay leaf. 
• Cook slowly 1 hour. 
• Combine remaining ingredients except spaghetti
• Mix thoroughly; form in small balls. 
• Brown in hot fat.
• Add to sauce and cook over low heat 15 minutes. 
• Cook spaghetti in boiling, salted water until tender
• Drain and rinse with hot water. 
• Pour sauce and meat balls over spaghetti in serving dish. 
• Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired. 

Magazine illustration

Better Home and Gardens Magazine, 
September 1942

Rumford Apple Corn Muffins

With sugar rationing during WWII people started to experiment with recipes to find substitutions for the difficult to get sweetener. Honey, corn syrup, and maple syrup were common swaps.  Food companies took the opportunity to publish cookbooks and flyers that included recipes that omitted or reduced rationed items. All touted to be the answer for frustrated homemakers

This recipe for Apple Corn Muffins comes from The Rumford Sugarless Recipes pamphlet 1944 , which provided recipes for sugarless cake, muffins, cookies and a bread recipe.

What were they like? Well.. they were easy to make.. smaller than I thought and as the recipe suggests.. not very sweet at all. I found them a little dry... but a lot of corn muffins can be. Nevertheless... they were all eaten.. some with butter.. which somewhat defeats the object of rationing... I also think they could stand having more apples added. 1/3 cup didnt go that far and would help with sweetness and moisture

¾ cup sifted flower
1/3 cup cornmeal
3 tsp Baking Powder
½ tsp salt
¼ cup sliced raw apple
1 egg, well beaten
1/3 cup milk
¼ cup honey
3 Tbsp melted shortening ( butter was a rationed item)

• Sift together flour, cornmeal, Rumford Baking Powder, and salt.
• Wash, pare, and cut apple into eighths.
• Remove core and cut crosswise in very thin slices.
• Combine egg, milk, and honey.
• Add to dry ingredients, stirring only enough to dampen well.
• Stir in melted shortening.
• Fold in apple.

• Fill well-greased muffin tins 2/3 full 
• Bake in a moderately hot oven (400 degrees) for 25 minutes

• Makes 12 medium sized muffins.

Let’s face it: America has a sweet tooth. We love our cookies, cakes, pies, and ice cream. Sugar rationing during WWII put a damper on desserts until folks started to experiment with recipes to find substitutions for the difficult-to-get sweetener. Honey, corn syrup, and maple syrup were common swaps.


Food companies took the opportunity to publish cookbooks and flyers that included recipes that omitted or reduced rationed items. All touted to be the answer for frustrated homemakers.
The following was on the back of the Rumford Sugarless Recipes pamphlet:


“When you view your half-empty sugar bowl with alarm…when your sugar ration runs short…when you pine for a good Rumford cake, shortages or not – that’s the time to dip into this little treasury of
Rumford Sugarless Recipes. There’s not a spoonful of sugar in any of them – but they taste mighty good just the same! Baking without sugar is no secret of the wizards; it’s a little different, that’s all.”
The leaflet cautioned cooks to:


“Follow the recipes given here exactly. The experts have worked out just what happens when you switch to syrups, etc. and you will have the best results if you follow directions to the letter. Generally speaking, you can replace one-fourth the sugar in any recipe with corn syrup (although our recipes here use no sugar). Another thing to expect is slightly different texture from what you’re used to.”

Treasure Basket Salad

Cottage cheese has been making a come back recently with new recipes all over social media. In our house cottage cheese has always been in fashion and we eat it regularly, especially during summer.

This fun and easy way of serving the creamy curds comes from Better Homes and Gardens Magazine June 1941, and we served them with cold cuts and salad

8 medium-sized tomatoes

3/4 lb. cottage cheese

4 tablespoons Real Mayonnaise

3/8 teaspoon onion, grated

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/2 Spanish onion, sliced and separated into rings 

I large green pepper, sliced

I large sweet red pepper, sliced

Romaine or Lettuce

• Cut a slice off stem end of tomatoes. 
• Remove seeds and invert to drain. 
• Mix cottage cheese with Real Mayonnaise, grated onion and seasonings, and fill tomatoes. 
• Replace tops on tomatoes. 
• Arrange filled tomatoes, onion rings and pepper rings on romaine or lettuce leaves (as illustrated). 
• Serve with Nut Mayonnaise

NUT MAYONNAISE: 

Add 4 tablespoons pistachio, or other nut meats, slivered, to 1½ cups Real Mayon- -naise. 

Gives the rich flavor note that puts this simple salad over! 

Serves 8.

Better Homes and Gardens Magazine
June 1941

Orange Tapioca

A simple dessert recipe from the "Better Homes and Gardens" Magazine August 1940. It tastes lovely, but a little sweet, possibly because the oranges were freshly picked from next doors garden ( she really is very generous) With all the orange juice, I think I could get away with using at least half the sugar. Next time I will add the sugar gradually and taste test as I go along, so yes I will be making it again

1/4 cup quick-cooking tapioca 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

1 1/3 cups water

1/2 cup sugar 

1 cup orange juice 

1 tablespoon grated orange rind

• Add tapioca and salt to boiling water
• Cook in a double boiler until clear, 12 minutes. 
• Add sugar, juice, and rind. 
• Cool. 
• If desired, fold in ½ cup heavy cream, whipped. 
• Chill. 
• Serves 6

Better Homes and Gardens
August 1940

Tomato Cheese Savoury

Another Ministry of Food breakfast recipe, and again using potatoes. Thank goodness for the good old spud. This simple and tasty dish is just as it sounds...a layer of mash, a layer of tomatoes... and topped with cheese.

Now I did make a couple of changes.. and in the wartime spirit.. used leftovers. Last nights leftover mash and some canned chopped tomatoes. Plus.. because I was using leftovers.. I popped it in the oven to heat through. .

I got three breakfast servings from it.. and will I make it again. Yes! And I think it would also be good with some mushrooms, spinach and even a bit of bacon. A great way to use you leftovers

4 tomatoes or 1 lb. cooked mixed vegetables.

1 lb. mashed potatoes.

3 oz. grated cheese.

Salt and pepper.

• Cut tomatoes into slices or dice the cooked vegetables and place on a bed of mashed potatoes. 
• Sprinkle with grated cheese, salt and pepper. 
• Put under the grill until cheese has melted and browned
• Serve hot.

Eating for Victory

Salmon Cakes

Im not sure what I was thinking with this recipe! Actually, yes I do! Growing up back in Wales, Friday night was always fish night, normally provided my grandad whose little village shop sold fish on Tuesdays and Fridays. So I thought.. its Friday, which means fish, and its economical using items I have in my store cupboard.

This recipe from "My Better Homes & Gardens Cook Book 1940" is incredibly quick, easy and uses very little ingredients. It wasn't terrible, and they all got eaten,  but it was a little dry and it could use a bit more flavour from a few herbs and spices and maybe a squeeze or two of lemon or lime juice 

As for being served on pineapple. Well I guess it works, and I love pineapple, but I ended up eating them separately

1 No. 1 can Libby's salmon
½ cup cracker crumbs.
2 eggs
½ teaspoon salt
Few grains pepper

Can of pineapple slices

• Flake and bone salmon.
• Mix with cracker crumbs, eggs and season- ings.
• Form into patties and brown in pan.
• Serve on grilled slices of Libby's Pineapple.
• Serves 8

Wartime Corned Beef Fritters

Another wartime recipe from Marguerite Patton. These corned beef fritters are cheap, filling and tasty especially when served as a main course with potatoes and vegetables and some brown gravy

2 oz self raising flour or plain flour
pinch salt
1 egg (fresh or reconstituted dried)
1/4 cup of milk or milk and water
pinch of herbs (eg parsley, basil, tarragon or thyme)
1 teaspoon grated onion
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
6 oz corned beef finely flaked
a little dripping or margarine (or cooking oil)

• Blend the flour with the salt, egg and milk or milk and water.
• Beat until batter is smooth; 
• Add the herbs, onion, parsley and corned beef.
• Melt the dripping or fat in a frying pan 
• Drop in a spoonful of the mixture and press down to form a patty
• Fry on either side until crisp and brown 
• Serve as soon as possible after cooking.

We'll Eat Again
by Marguerite Patton

One Egg Gold Cupcakes

Some little cupcakes from the August 1945 issue of "Better Homes and Gardens" Magazine, using the wartime one egg method... which rose nicely and had a lovely flavour. The recipe calls for a Fluffy Frosting but if you are saving eggs in the cakes why would you crack two open for the frosting? So Ive gone for a simple orange drizzle.. to save eggs and syrup and to use up the last of my orange juice.

½ cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon grated orange peel 

1 well-beaten egg 

1½ cups cake flour 1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder 

½ cup orange juice 

3 tablespoons milk

• Thoroly cream shortening, sugar, and peel.
• Add egg; beat well.
• Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with liquids.
• Fill greased cupcake pans two-thirds full.
• Bake in moderately hot oven (375°) 20 to 25 minutes.
• Makes approx 1½ dozen small cupcakes.

 
Frost with Fluffy Frosting: Beat 2 egg whites, dash of salt, 1 cup corn sirup, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until of fluffy spreading consistency

Better Homes and Gardens Magazine
August 1945

Apple and Peanut Salad

A simple, refreshing and crunchy salad. Mix and match the types of apples with whatever you have on hand to give complex flavor as well as a more colorful salad. Recipe taken from Meta Givens "The Modern Family Cook Book" 1942

5 medium-sized eating apples
juice of 1 lemon
1 medium stalk celery, diced
1/2 cup mayonnaise 
1/2 cup coarsely chopped peanuts
lettuce

• Peel, quarter, and core apples.
• Cut into 1/2-inch dice and sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent discoloration.
• Cut celery into small dice.
• Add the apples and mayonnaise and toss lightly.
• Just before serving, add the peanuts and serve on lettuce leaves, or as a stuffing for peeled whole tomatoes.
• Five servings

"The Modern Family Cook Book" 
by Meta Givens ~ 1942

Butterscotch Fluff Pudding

Now seriously... this must be one of the quickest and easiest desserts in my 1940s collection... A creamy, fluffed version of quick packaged pudding from Better Homes and Gardens Magazine 
July 1943 

And yes... instant puddings have been around for that long...

14-ounce package butterscotch pudding mix
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream, whipped
1/2 cup chopped California walnuts

• Prepare butterscotch pudding with 2 cups milk as directed on package. 
• Cool. 
• Fold in whipped cream and nuts. 
• Fill sherbet glasses. 
• Top each with a walnut half. 
• Chill. 
• Serves 8. 

Better Homes and Gardens Magazine 
July 1943

Bun-ies

I always said I would be honest about any recipe I tried.. good or bad.. and I must be honest.. this one from Better Hones and Gardens May 1943.. left me underwhelmed. 

In theory..whats not to like... bread.. eggs and cheese. But I must admit it lacked something. The buns were pretty dry.. and the flavour  was very bland. Perhaps the buns were too big for the egg to bread ratio... and maybe a stronger tasting cheese.. like a sharp cheddar would be better. I guess adding a bit of chopped bacon or ham would have helped.

Magazine Illustration

Nevertheless... these buns were disappointing... and I probably wont make them again

5 large buns 

5 eggs '

Salt and pepper 

American cheese 

• Cut a circle in the top of each bun with a cooky cutter. 
• Hollow out. 
• Slip an egg into each; season.

• Bake in moderate oven (325°) 20 to 25 minutes, or until eggs are firm. 
• Top each with 4-inch cheese circle; cut with cooky cutter. 
• Bake until cheese puffs, about 5 minutes. 

Better Homes and Gardens Magazine
May 1943

Baked Cream Fish Fillets

A quick and easy fish dish from Better Homes and Gardens Magazine,  March 1941. The photoss dont do it justice as it was absolutely delicious. Even Hubby who isnt a big fish fan loved it. 

I used haddock... but didnt change the recipe at all. I will definitely be making it again

2 pounds fish fillets(cod, sole, haddock or halibut), fresh or frozen
teaspoon salt
Few grains pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 cup top milk
cup buttered breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon minced parsley

• Cut fillets in serving pieces. 
• Place in greased, shallow baking dish, 
• Sprinkle with salt, pepper, paprika, and lemon juice. 
• Make a white sauce of butter, flour, seasonings, and milk
• Pour over fillets 
• Sprinkle with crumbs and parsley 
• Bake in moderate oven (350) 35 minutes

 Better Homes and Gardens Magazine 
March 1941