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. 

Potato Pastry Beef and Vegetable Pie

Happy Tuesday Lovelies..

On my breakfast tray this morning.. a soft boiled egg (thank you to my girls), sourdough toast.. and some homemade strawberry jam.

Lovely!

I was up so early this morning... I had all the ironing done before breakfast... so thats one of my least favourite chores done for another week...

Tuesday is also the day I give my living room a good clean...and with that job out of the way I put my feet up for an hour with a nice cuppa before beginning to prep dinner

Tonights dinner was very quick and easy to make. Using the leftover beef from Sundays Pot RoastI made a Beef and Vegetable Pie with a potato pastry topping featured in the Better Homes and Gardens Magazine January 1942

A very tasty pie that is a great way of using up leftovers. All the ingerdients are cooked so its incredibly simple to throw together. I'm sure it would be just as good using leftover chicken and a different variety of leftover vegetables

2 cups cubed leftover beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup diced, cooked carrots

½ cup cooked peas

½ cup diced, cooked celery
1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ cup diced, cooked celery
2 tablespoons fat
¼ cup flour
1½ cup cups milk

Original Magazine Clipping

• Combine meat, vegetables, and seasonings
• Place in greased casserole. 
• Add white sauce made of fat, flour, and milk. 
• Top with Potato Pastry. 
• Bake in hot oven (450°) 30 minutes.

 Better Homes and Gardens Magazine
January 1942

Whipped Carrots and Onions

 Happy Monday Lovelies

It’s a chilly start to the week.. so on my breakfast tray today was a warming.. comforting bowl of oatmeal.. no sugar but sweetened with a spoonful of last summer’s strawberry jam. My dad used to put salt on his porridge.. I’m not that desperate!!

It was laundry day again...and as I was hanging out the washing on the line...I saw something a bit unsual..

On investigating... I found this little chap popping his head in and out of his burrow. Gophers have found the Little Blue House!! I love all Gods creatures.. except spiders... but if he reaches the Victory Garden.. there may be trouble!

Last nights dinner was Turkey Nests..using some leftover turkey from the freezer.One of our favourite side dishes is Whipped Carrots and Onions from the Better Homes and Gardens Magazine December 1940.  

Its very simple three ingredient recipe and although I love the taste of fresh carrots.. this dish just elevates the flavour slightly ... and makes a bit of a change.

3 cups sliced carrots
2 tablespoons cream
1 cup sliced onions
2 tablespoons butter 

1½ teaspoon salt

• Cook carrots and onions in boiling salted water until tender.
• Drain and mash; add cream, butter, and salt; 
• Beat until smooth. 

Better Homes and Gardens Magazine
December 1940

Potato Salmon Puffs

Happy Saturday Lovelies

A filling breakfast this Saturday morning.. ready for a mornings work in the Victory Garden. Spam slices.. home laid egg from our girls.. and baked beans with some lovely homemade sourdough toast .. 

Very Tasty!

So after a couple of hours the Victory Garden is looked a lot better than it did. Where we live means we dont get bitter cold weather or snow.. so its no surprise that we still have peppers.. Bell..

Serrano

and Jalapeno

And of course... all the work was overseen by the master of the house...

But it wont be long before our new plants go in... and then its just a short time until we will be picking juicy tomatoes and crisp cucumbers from the vine too

Throughout the day I caught up with the week that was... 

listening to the radio broadcasts  from the week ending January 24th 1942

Dinner tonight was the one delayed from last night. Potato Salmon Puffs from the May 1941 copy of Better Homes and Gardens... and I must say they were well worth the wait. Light and fluffy on the inside.. crispy on the outside... with a delicate fish flavour.. Just delightful.

They tasted a bit like the shop bought fish cakes we used to eat growing up in the Uk.. but much, much better. And they were so easy to make ... there will be no going back.

Next time though..I may use less egg as the mixture was very soft and difficult to keep in shape... but not impossible

I did make a couple of changes. As I was using leftover mashed potatoes.. I didnt add the melted butter or salt as they were already in the mash. And I didnt deep fry.. I shallow fried for three minutes per side and they came out lovely and crispy.

1 7-ounce can salmon
2 cups mashed potatoes
2 beaten eggs
1 teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper
½ teaspoon celery salt
2 tablespoons melted butter

Original Magazine Illustration

• Drain salmon and flake
• Add remaining ingredients.
• Press 1 inch thick in a shallow pan
• Cut with a 1¾-inch biscuit cutter or shape into croquettes.
• Fry in deep fat (375°) for 3 minutes.
• Drain on absorbent paper.
• Serve with creamed peas to which a little chopped onion has been added.

Better Homes and Gardens Magazine
May 1941

The Danger of Panic Buying...

Happy Thursday Lovelies

As usual, my Thursday morning was spent giving my kitchen a good clean. Because I keep up with the cleaning routine, deep scrubbing isnt needed like it used to be. A spray and wipe is usually all thats needed. However.. even though I try.. the oven is a different story. But that deep clean is on the schedule for next week... and as its my least favourite job...its a relief

So with that done I began making this weeks shopping list ready for tomorrow. Mindful of rationing I was careful what to put on my list. Luckily my pantry has still got a good supply of home dried and canned fruit, vegetables and preserves.. and our freezer has an acceptable amount of meat and fish. Having a share in a pig, growing a garden and keeping chickens really helps with costs.. as does cooking from scratch. My mother was a genius and could stretch a meal for quite a few days.. a skill Im grateful she passed on to me.

I dont consider myself a hoarder ..I just like a well stocked pantry.. which I have been doing for years. I just buy normally and rotate what I have.. some jars are a couple of years old and are perfectly fine. But to get to this level I do need quite a bit of sugar for my jams. Luckily MrD and I don't take sugar in our tea or coffee... and baking and desserts are kept to a minimum. And although sugar rationing in the US didnt start until May 1942, a portion of my sugar allowance is always put aside for preserving..

On January 22, 1942, The Augusta Chronical Newspaper reported that with the fear of wartime cutbacks looming, Augustans began to buy all the sugar they could find, forcing groceries to restrict sales.

On its front page, the newspaper reported that there actually was no shortage of sugar, but the surge of purchases had created one. There were rumors that some Augusta customers had hidden away 100 to 300 pounds of sugar. (Can you imagine??) Grocery stores limited sales to one pound for each $1 purchase of other foods, capping total sugar purchases at a 5-pound limit. The newspaper chided....

“Hoarding produces the shortage of the product you are trying to preserve,”

Its a fine line between being well stocked and hoarding.. and I must try not to cross it

Sub-Gum

Happy Tuesday Lovelies..

It was another very early morning here at our Little Blue House.. As usual MrD left for work at 12.30am and its always a great opportunity to start my housework. 

I managed to get all the ironing done before breakfast... 

The rest of the morning was spent on the daily cleaning... including a good clean of the living room. 

And as it was a simple dinner... I managed to put my feet up for an hour this afternoon with a roaring fire.. a nice cuppa.. and a bit of crochet. And of course... my faithful companion was never too far away..

So tonights dinner was something I had never heard of but when I saw a recipe for Sub Gum in the Better Homes and Gardens Magazine February 1942, I was intrigued and had to give it a try. Plus I had some meat and gravy left from Sundays dinner.. and although dubious.. I thought why not

Sub gum is a type of American Chinese dish from Cantonese cuisine and the name means numerous and varied So it combines multiple meats like chicken pork or shrimp and vegetables such as carrots celery and water chestnuts with a savory sauce often served over rice or noodles

This simpler version uses one meat.. pork.. and is perfect for using yesterdays leftover roast and gravy... and I must say it was surprisingly good.  I did change it slightly by halving the recipe.. which was more than ample for the two of us.. and I added a few carrot slices.. and a very little shredded cabbage and a couple of thinly sliced radish.. 

After all.. it is called "numerous and varied"

2 cups diced, cooked pork roast

2 cups chopped celery

1 tbsp chopped onion

2½ cups bean sprouts

1 4-ounce can mushrooms

1 cup leftover pork gravy

1 tbsp butter

Original Magazine Clipping

• Brown meat and onion in hot fat
• Drain the mushrooms and reserve mushroom liquor. 
• Brown the mushrooms in butter and add to pan
• Add celery, bean sprouts, gravy, and mushroom liquor
• Cook over low heat until celery is tender, about 30 minutes. 
• Serve over hot, fluffy cooked rice. 
• Serves 6.

Better Homes and Gardens Magazine 

February 1942