Turkey and Vegetable Pie

Sunday Blessings Lovelies

Our annual Christmas Service led by the wonderful Gutierrez Brothers Heralds the start of the Christmas season at church. My heart is full of joy for the coming month when we celebrate the birth of our Saviour...truly the Reason for the Season

Back home we had a relaxing afternoon... 

MrD listening to the radio and catching up with the weeks news

Whilst I caught up with a little letter writing to the grandchildren. Im going to pop them in with their Christmas cards that are being sent this coming week. I hope it will make them a bit more special for them

For dinner I used up some of the leftover turkey to make a couple our favourite festive pies... Turkey and Vegetable. 

Its a delicious pie.. eaten either hot or cold... The recipe makes two pies one for now and one for later...Just freeze the second one unbaked.. wrapped tightly in aluminum foil. Bake from frozen, adding about 20-30 minutes to the total cook time, covering the edges with foil initially to prevent burning.

2 cups frozen peas and carrots

2 cups frozen green beans
1 cup sliced celery
2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup chopped onion
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder
1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning

1/2 teaspoon Celery Seed
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1 1/4 cups milk
4 cups cubed cooked turkey meat - light and dark meat mixed
4 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts

• Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Place the peas and carrots, green beans, and celery into a saucepan
• Cover with water, bring to a boil, and simmer  until the celery is tender, about 8 minutes. 
• Drain the vegetables and set aside.
• Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat
• Cook the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. 
• Stir in 2/3 cup of flour, salt, black pepper, onion powder, and Italian seasoning
• Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and milk until the mixture comes to a simmer and thickens.
• Remove from heat
• Stir the cooked vegetables and turkey meat into the filling until well combined.
• Fit 2 pie crusts into the bottom of 2 9-inch pie dishes. 
• Spoon half the filling into each pie crust, then top each pie with another crust. 
• Pinch and roll the top and bottom crusts together at the edge of each pie to seal
• Cut several small slits into the top of the pies with a sharp knife to release steam.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the crusts are golden brown and the filling is bubbly, about 30 to 35 minutes. 
• If the crusts are browning too quickly, cover the pies with aluminum foil after about 15 minutes. 
• Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Turkey Stock

Happy Friday Lovelies

and what a beautiful morning greeted us

MrD and I had a wonderful Thanksgiving and were as stuffed as a couple of turkeys...

with plenty of leftovers for other meals

We decided that today we were just going to have a somewhat lazy day.. 

although my dear husband chose to put up the outside Christmas lights. 

Really.. he just can't sit still for too long

As for me... I decided to debone the turkey completely and  make some beautiful stock

The photo dosnt do it justice...as it was lighter and clearer than the pan shows

Leftover carcass from 1 (12-pound; 5.5 kg) roasted or fried turkey (see notes)
2 to 3 large carrots, cut into large dice
3 large celery ribs, cut into large dice
2 large onions, cut into large dice
Parsley sprigs and/or thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves
5 black peppercorns

• Put carcass, vegetables and into stockpot.
• Add enough water to just barely cover
• Set over medium-high heat, and bring to a simmer. 
• Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 2 to 3 hours until stock has reduced slightly and is deep and rich
• Occasionally skim fat and scum from surface
• Strain stock through a fine-mesh strainer
• Return to pan and reduce for 15 minutes
• Let cool to room temperature
• Transfer to containers 
• Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 6 months.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving Lovelies

Thanksgiving Card: 1944

Photo: 1947

The Turkey is In

Roasting  Times advice from
Better Homes and Gardens Magazine 
November 1942

And with the potatoes peeled.. everything is done... now it all has to cook..

Timing is everything..

And while its all going on I'm listening to 

The Jack Benny Radio Show from November 23rd 1941

titled Thanksgiving Day Dinner. 

See you on the other side Lovelies...

Grans Gravy

Happy Wednesday Lovelies...

Photo: 1940

And what a busy day its been! But all the food prep is done... except the potatoes. I really dont like leaving them overnight .. so I will do them in the morning.

The pressure is off.. and Im quite looking forward to tomorrow

MrD is the master of carving the turkey but if anyone needs help.. here's a 1940s video showing just how its done

And of course you can't have turkey without a good gravy. For years I used to go to the trouble of making a giblet gravy... but these days I go for a easier version. This recipe that my gran taught me is simple and uses the usual gravy technique of a roux to make a rich sauce with very few ingredients.

Last Years Thanksgiving Meal

1/4 cup reserved turkey fat (skimmed from the drippings)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups liquid (turkey drippings plus water, potato water. or chicken/turkey broth)
Salt and pepper to taste 

• Pour the drippings from the turkey roasting pan into a bowl 
• Let the fat rise to the top and skim off 1/4 cup of the fat
• Reserve the remaining liquid for the gravy stock.
• For the Roux. put the measured fat to the roasting pan (or a saucepan) over medium heat. 
• Whisk in the flour until the mixture is smooth and bubbly. 
• Continue cooking for a minute or two to get rid of the starchy taste and lightly brown the roux.Add Gradually whisk in the 2 cups of liquid (drippings + broth/water). 
• Whisk constantly to prevent lumps.
• Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking constantly
• Cook for about one minute until it has thickened to your desired consistency.
• Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Frosted Pumpkin Pie

Happy Tuesday Lovelies

Photo: 1945

Today I have given every room in the house its daily clean, but his week there will be no deep cleaning.. and Im thankful that my weekly routine allows me to do that tomorrow I will concentrate on getting the the holiday food started

For dinner I needed something quick and easy so we had a favourite fish dish.. Crispy French Fried Shrimp.. served with tortillas, shredded cabbage and guacamole . Even though its Fall we are blessed that our avocado tree is still producing

So this afternoon I made one of our Thanksgiving desserts... It was a pumpkin pie with a difference… and was made out of curiosity.

It’s a chilled pie... from Better Homes and Gardens Magazine November 1941.. and the base uses a corn flake crumb instead of pastry. You make the filling like a pumpkin ice cream,.. mixing the pumpkin puree.. cream.. brown sugar and delicious spices together and putting in the freezer to set before filling the crumb case.

The recipe description.. "Frosty, refreshing, tingly with spicy flavor!"- made it sound like it would be spicy... but it was actually a perfect smooth and creamy mix with just enough spice to give that autumn taste.. though it had to be kept chilled for firmness

The crumb base however is a disappointment.. didnt set properly and literally fell apart when sliced. It tasted good though.. and added some crunchiness to the pumpkin filling when spooned into the dessert bowl…

Original Magazine Recipe

Corn Flake Crust:

4 cups crushed corn flakes

1/3 cup melted butter

1/4 cup sugar. 

Press in 8-inch pie pan. 

Chill filling until firm.

Filling:

2 egg yolks

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 stiff-beaten egg whites

1 cup heavy cream, whipped

1 cup canned pumpkin

2/3 cup milk

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon each cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• To make Corn Flake Crust combine crushed corn flakes, melted butter, and sugar. 
• Press in 8-inch pie pan. 
• Chill until firm. 
• To make the filling, beat egg yolks and granulated sugar
• Fold in egg whites and whipped cream. 
• Add combined remaining ingredients. 
• Freeze in refrigerator tray until partially set
• Stir; freeze until almost firm. 
• Spread in Corn Flake Crust: 
• Chill filling until firm. 

Better Homes and Gardens Magazine
November 1941

Corned Beef and Cabbage Rolls

Happy Monday Lovelies.. 

Here we are at the start of another week.. and the mountain looked lovely today. Its crazy how these Mondays come around so fast. The next couple of days are going to very busy as its Thanksgiving week. On Saturday we picked up our Turkey, and everything we could possibly need for a Thanksgiving feast... so its full steam ahead

The laundry dried quite quickly on the line.. yesterdays gale force winds have died down.. but there was still a nice breeze and it was quite a warm day. 

Dinner tonight was quite a quick and easy one and included the leftover corned beef hash from Saturday.. which was made into some lovely cabbage rolls. The recipe from Better Homes and Gardens magazine, September 1940 was very simple to put together.. and they make for a lovely lunch or a tasty dinner accompaniment

Original Magazine Clipping

The only made a couple of changes to the recipe. I used leftover homemade hash so only had enough for six rolls... and I cooked them in the oven for a bit longer.. 25-30 minutes to make sure they were piping hot inside

1 16-ounce can corned beef hash
1 tablespoon chopped onion
8 large cabbage leaves
Boiling water
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 bouillon cube
¾ cup hot water

• Combine hash and onion, form in 8 (2-inch) balls.
• Core head of cabbage and separate 8 leaves
• Cover leaves of cabbage with boiling water; cook for 2 minutes.
• Drain, sprinkle with salt and pepper 
• Place corned beef roll on each leaf
• Roll up and fasten with toothpicks.
• Place in baking dish; dot with butter.
• Dissolve bouillon cube in hot water
• Pour over cabbage rolls.
• Cover and bake in a moderate oven (350°F) 20 minutes

Better Homes and Gardens Magazine 
September 1940

Wartime Steamed Pudding

Sunday Blessings Lovelies

Photo: 1941

there is no sign of the rain letting up..so there was no walking home from church today. Instead we took the car... as did everyone else I think

It was a dark and dismal day... but the rain made everything beautiful 

For dinner we had a quick chicken curry.. followed by a hubby request... Steamed Pudding

This pudding is another Wartime recipe from the Ministry of Food. Its an easy basic sponge recipe.. with the added variation of a fruit topping. I used some lovely blueberry pie filling that I canned last summer and it made a lovely change to the jam, marmalade or syrup flavour

As with most wartime steamed puddings it was little dense.. but was absolutely delicious served with a dollop of Birds Custard 

8oz plain flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
2oz margarine or fat
2oz sugar
2 dried eggs
Half a pint of milk or milk and water to mix
2-3 Tbsp fruit preserves ( I like to add a bit more)

Original Ministry of Food Recipes

• Mix the flour, baking powder, dried eggs and salt. 
• Rub in the margarine or fat until mixture resembles breadcrumbs
• Add the sugar. 
• Mix in the milk and water, until mixture achieves dropping consistency
• Grease a 6 inch basin
• Place a couple of spoons of fruit in the bottom of the basin
• Cover with the sponge mixture
• Steam for one hour.
• Serve with a good dollop of custard

Pork Steaks, Country Style

Happy Wednesday Lovelies

and what a damp chilly day it was.

Montgomery Ward Christmas Book
1941

My feet were so cold I brought out my fluffy house slippers to wear around the house. I do love wearing slippers.. and I look forward to getting a new pair every Christmas... it honestly never gets old

Photo: 1940

Today was a bitter sweet day. Its the anniversary of my journey to America to marry my darling MrD. It was a hard step to take.. leaving my family and friends back home in our little Welsh village.. but it was also the best decisions I have ever made. I have had the happiest life

It is also a sad day... as its 19 years since my beloved father passed away. He was the kindest.. sweetest.. funniest dad a girl could wish for and I think of him and talk of him often. Hard working.. loyal and loving.. he was an amazing father and wonderful role model to my children for the short time they had their Gaga in their lives.. 

I was blessed to be able to be holding his hand as he slipped into eternity to be with mum again.. but the happy memories of the life spent with him still make me smile..

Dinner tonight was a quick and easy skillet meal..Pork Steaks, Country Style from the Better Homes and Gardens Magazine September 1940. I love limas.. and could eat them as they are.. but paired with these chops they make a very satisfying meal.

1 cup dried limas
4 shoulder pork steaks
1 small onion, chopped
Salt and pepper
1 bay leaf
1½ cups water
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons vinegar 

Original Magazine Recipe

• To prepare this dish, first soak the lima beans overnight and then drain them. 
• Brown the pork steaks and chopped onion in hot fat
• Set them aside. 
• Place the limas in a skillet
• Add seasonings and water
• Top with the browned steaks and onion. 
• Simmer for one hour. 
• Stir in the brown sugar and vinegar 
• Cook for an additional 15 minutes.

Better Homes and Gardens Magazine
September 1940