Broiled Cheese, Tomato and Bacon Sandwiches

The weather is so much cooler (about 20 degrees from two weeks ago) and so much more pleasant. The wood MrD ordered has finally arrived so MrD spent the day preparing the thin planks for the floors in the house.

He has to plane the new wood as the original flooring is no longer available so the planks have to be made slightly thinner to match. He hopes to have them all replaced by the end of the week... but I'm not holding my breath. He already works 50 hours a week at the plant.. Im hoping he will fit in a bit of rest time too

So while MrD worked in his workshop, I worked in the garden. I planted out the peas I had been growing and hoped that what I have been told is true.. and they will grow over the Fall and early winter seasons

Even at this time of year the garden is still flourishing.. so I picked some serrano's to encourage more growth, a bright ripe pimento and a lovely green bell pepper

With that done.. MrD took a break and we had a little lunch and when he went back outside I decided to clean out the linen cupboard as in the next couple of days I will be replacing all the summer drapes and quilts with the Autumn ones. Although.. I wont be putting any thick winter sheets or blankets on just yet as its still far too warm

So for lunch I made these easy Broiled Cheese, Tomato and Bacon Sandwiches from the Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, July 1940.  and we really enjoyed it 

I made the full amount of cheese mix as we can usethe remainder for another meal. I did have to make a change though as you can no longer buy Kraft "nippy" cheese. I used Kraft Old English Cheese Spread.. which is almost the same in flavour and texture.. although I think any good "melty" cheese would work just as well. And I didn't broil the bacon.. I cooked it in the pan so I could save the grease

12 slices of toast
½ pound nippy spreading cheese
½ teaspoon prepared mustard
½ teaspoon paprika
3 tablespoons milk
1 egg
12 slices of bacon
6 slices of tomato

Original Magazine Clipping

• Blend the cheese, mustard, paprika, milk, and egg together. 
• Spread this mixture onto 6 slices of toast.
• Place the bacon and the cheese-spread toast under a broiler 
• Toast until the cheese puffs up and the bacon becomes crisp.
• Put a tomato slice over the melted cheese on each piece
• Top with the crispy bacon, and finish with a second slice of plain toast.
• Yield: Makes 6 sandwiches.

Better Homes and Gardens Magazine
July 1940

Granny's Pear Crumble

Just when I thought I saw light at the end of the tunnel with preserving, MrD got home from work yesterday with a big box of pears gifted to him from Manny in work.. Manny is blessed to have a couple of the trees in his garden producing more pears that he can eat. So for dessert today I decided to use some in a delicious crumble.. just like my granny used to make.

I don't know where she got the recipe from but it was a family favourite... especially when it was served with Birds Custard! Ahh memories....

4 pears, peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces
2 Tbsp brown sugar
¼ tsp cinnamon
½ cup all-purpose flour
½  cup rolled oats
½ cup brown sugar
¼ tsp salt
⅛ tsp nutmeg (freshly grated ) optional
2 Tbsp unsalted butter (at room temperature)

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Spray an 8×8 inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
• Place the pears in the baking dish

• Cover with the 2 Tbsp brown sugar and cinnamon.
• Toss well.
• In a larger bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg.
• Use a fork to smash in the softened butter, then use your hands to bring the mixture together.
• You want it to resemble sand and stick together when your hands squeeze it.
• Sprinkle the crumble mixture over top of the pears.

• Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the crumble looks golden and crunchy on top.
• Let cool slightly before serving.

Meta Givens 100% Wholewheat Bread

A new week here at our Blue House.. and its a little cooler today... not much but at least its going in the right direction                                                                                                                                                        

Early this morning the door bell rang and it was our young neighbour Aaron, who in his rush to get to work had slammed the front door shut and then realized that is wallet and keys were still inside. His wife was already doing her shift at the hospital so the poor guy was stranded! So I let him use the telephone to call our local locksmith.. who arrived about half an hour later leaving Aaron a bit late for work.. but at least he got there.

I also suggested he got a spare set of keys made.. and leave them with us.. just in case it happens again. Or... he could get a big doggie door.. like I used when I did exactly the same as him.! I know which one is easier!

It was Monday again.. and as well as the laundry  and cleaning.. it was also bread making day. I usually make the National Loaf which we both enjoy... but Ive decided to branch out and try some new bread recipes. So today I gave Meta Givens 100% Wholewheat Bread recipe and it makes two loaves

Verdict... well it is a much softer springier bread than the National Loaf.. and of course a different flavour as it uses brown sugar instead of the honey or treacle.  Even though the instructions seemed to be long.. it was very simple to follow and came together really well.

We liked it.. so I will be making it again

2 cakes compressed yeast or 3 packages fast granular yeast

2/3 cup lukewarm water

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 cups milk, scalded

1 tablespoon salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

5 cups unsifted whole wheat flour

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Original Recipe

• Soften yeast in lukewarm water with the 1 tablespoon sugar. 
• Scald milk, add salt and the 1/2 cup sugar, and cool to lukewarm. 
• Combine with softened yeast and add half the flour, stirring until thoroughly combined. 
• Then stir in the melted butter, add the remaining flour, and stir until thoroughly mixed. 
• Dough will be very soft and sticky, but do not add more flour, for the softer the dough, the more tender, light and moist the bread will be.
• Cover bowl and set in warm place (about 85° F.) to rise 1 hour. 
• Leaving dough in bowl, knead it for 5 minutes, until smooth and somewhat stiffened
• Do not use additional flour.
• Again cover and let rise for 1/2 hour. 

• Divide dough into 2 portions and place in buttered bread pans (41/2 x 81/2 x 21/2 inches)
• Press into corners and smooth surface with buttered hands
• Dough will probably be too soft to shape into loaves before placing in pans.(Mine wasn't)
• Cover pans with cloth and let loaves rise for 1/2 hour. 
• Bake in a moderately hot oven (400° F.) for 10 minutes
• Reduce heat to moderate (350° F.) and continue baking 50 minutes longer. 
• Turn out immediately onto cake coolers 
• Cool before slicing. 
• Makes 2 loaves.

The Modern Family Cook Book
Meta Given 1942

Frosty Orange Punch

I love the weekends and the time I get to spend with MrD. He works so hard... and neither of us are getting any younger. So Sunday is the day we get to unwind and take it easy

Church first then relaxing for the rest of the day. Today we had our sandwich lunch in the garden. It was a rather warm day.. so I made one of our favourite refreshing drinks Frosty Orange Punch from the July 1942 edition of Better Homes and Gardens magazine

Quite simply.. its a mixture of orange juice, lemon juice, corn syrup and wate, frozen into icecubes.. served in a chilled glass with ginger ale.

We love it and I always keep some on hand throughout the summer

1 cup orange juice
1 cup lemon juice
1 cup corn sirup (corn syrup)
2 cups cold water
1 quart ginger ale
Orange slices (for garnish)

Original Magazine Clipping

• Combine the fruit juices, corn syrup, and water.
• Pour the mixture into an automatic refrigerator tray and freeze it into cubes.
• Place a few of the frozen juice cubes into each glass.
• Fill the rest of the glass with ginger ale.
• Garnish the drink with orange slices.

Better Homes and Gardens Magazine
July 1942

Orange Marmalade Muffins

A bit of a different Thursday for us today. MrD had a dentist appointment so because he worked on Monday he took the afternoon off. I went with him and we did our grocery shopping today instead of tomorrow. It was nice having his company plus it was in the next big town to us so we did a bit of window shopping too.

Before he got home this morning I did a quick bake and made these Orange Marmalade Muffins from Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, October 1940

They were very easy to make and the marmalade sinks into the muffins as they bake. But, although they tasted lovely, I found them a bit dense.. and more scone like. Plus they really needed a bit more filling. MrD didn't mind though as he added a little spread of butter... and they went down well with a cup of tea.

1/3 cup shortening

1/4 cup sugar
2 well-beaten eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup milk
6 maraschino cherries, sliced

Marmalade Filling: 
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon light cream
1 tablespoon soft butter
2 tablespoons orange marmalade

Original Magazine Clipping

• Cream shortening and sugar thoroughly. 
• Add eggs and vanilla extract
• Beat well. 
• Sift flour with salt and baking powder,
• Add alternately with milk. 
• Beat thoroughly.
• Fill greased muffin pans half full. 
• Drop a teaspoon of the marmalade filling into each. 
• Fill the pans two-thirds full with the remaining batter.
• Top with sliced maraschino cherries. 
• Bake in a moderate oven (375°F) for 20 minutes. 

Better Homes and Gardens Magazine
October 1940

Fried Apples

A dreadfully muggy day. Brief showers and 90° temperatures made for an uncomfortably humid and sticky day

Still... Autumn is just around the corner... so with all the food preserving done it was time to start the pre Fall clean. As well as the normal Tuesday chores.. I took down all the light curtains in the living and dining room.. cleaned the windows and washed the the walls with a wrung out mop. 

Then when everything was done I put up the warmer thicker curtains and all was clean and cosy again ready for the cooler weather.. which I hope is not too far away.. 

For dinner tonight we had some delicious stuffed peppers using some of the bell peppers from the garden. Then we took our dessert to the living room and listened to the next episode of "Hop Harrington" on the radio

Hop Harrington 

Featuring Chester Stratton and Ken Lynch

Broadcast September 8th 1942

This fried apples recipe from Meta Givens is a great, quick recipe. Its very versatile too. We have it plain with ice cream, as a topping for pancakes and a side for chicken or pork

MrD once commented that its like eating apple pie without the crust, With the sprinkle of cinnamon I think it tastes like Autumn

I did take a couple of changes though. The original recipe says to leave the peel on... I didn't. And I also  added a sprinkle of cinnamon.. just because we like it

      

2 lbs tart apples
3 Tbspbutter or bacon, ham or pork drippings
1/3 cup water
Sugar.. this was unspecified so I used 2 Tbsp  of brown sugar

Original Recipe

• Core and slice apples into rings or wedges.
• Melt the fat in a heavy pan and add the apples.
• Pour the water on top and cover tightly.
• Cook for 5-10 minutes until softened.
• Sprinkle the sugar on top
• Cook over low heat until delicately browned.

The Modern Family Cookbook

Meta Given - 1942

Flank Steak in Tangy Sauce

Labour Day and it was another showery day.. The temperatures are going back up meaning it was pretty humid. I guess Autumn isn't quite here yet. But still, we had a beautiful sunrise. And for the first time in a long time,  MrD decided to forego his day off and go into work. 

In September of 1942, the United States faced its first Labor Day of WWII. The day reserved for worker parades and celebrations seemed out of place as American soldiers were fighting overseas. So workers across the country agreed to cancel the year’s celebrations in honor of the soldiers and to keep production going in the war’s arsenal of democracy.

President Roosevelt told America that “there has never been a Labor Day as significant as this one” and thanked workers “for the energy and devotion with which they have met the demands of the present crisis.”

So for me it was another  ordinary Monday with the usual round of bread making, laundry and cleaning. Even at home, we women do our bit by keeping the home fires burning.. one dirty dish at a time..

For dinner, I made this really tasty Steak in Tangy Sauce from the Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, July 1942. I served it over rice with tortillas and salad

The only change I made was using Flat Meat instead of the Flank Steak which is quite expensive right now. But the meat was extremely tender and the sauce was full of flavour

We really enjoyed it and I will be making it again. As the clipping says its..

"Fork-tender, budget-wise, whoops with flavor!"-

1 1 1/2-pound flank steak

1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

Dash of pepper

2 tablespoons fat

1 1/2cups water

1/2 cup ketchup

1 1/2 tablespoons prepared mustard

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Dash of Tabasco sauce

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

1/4 cup minced onion

1 clove garlic, grated

Original Magazine Clipping

• Score meat. 
• Mix flour, salt, and pepper; thoroly pound into steak. 
• Brown in hot fat. 
• Combine remaining ingredients; pour over meat; cover. 
• Cook over low heat until tender, 1½ to 2 hours. 
• Serve surrounded by border of fluffy cooked rice. 
• Garnish with parsley. 

Better Homes and Gardens Magazine July 1942

Mums Leftover Chicken and Vegetable Stew

We woke this morning rain..... not a sprinkle...not a shower.. but wonderful heavy downpours that have lasted all day. The first real rain we've had since spring. Temperatures have dropped an amazing 20 degrees from yesterday.. and the 70s are so much better. Although the garden is loving it... some of the bigger plants, flowers and shrubs are decidedly droopy as they cant cope with the sheer weight of water.

After church we hurried home and spent a relaxing afternoon.. me with my knitting and MrD doing his favourite crossword puzzles. We listened to a couple of radio shows...

First.. The Texaco Star Theater 

Featuring: Jimmy Wallington, Bob Hannan and Jane Froman 

with music from Al Goodman and His Orchestra

The Great Gildersleeve

Featuring Harold Peary, Lurene Tuttle, Lillian Randolph, Earle Ross and Walter Tetley 

with music from Billy Mills and His Orchestra

For dinner I made my mothers recipe for Chicken and Vegetable Stew... which used some leftover chicken and my homegrown root vegetables plus some simple pantry staples

A thick and hearty broth.. its very easy and quick to make and it was ready to eat in 30 minutes. I served it with some homemade bread and it was very warming and filling

1 to 2 Tbsp bacon grease or butter
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 to 3 stalks of celery, chopped 
2 large carrots, diced
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup of turnip
4 cups chicken broth (or water with a bouillon cube)
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp dried thyme or sage
Salt and black pepper to taste
2-3 cups leftover chicken, shredded or cubed
3 Tbsp plain flour

A few drops of gravy browning (optional)

• Over a medium heat, melt the bacon grease or butter in a large pot
• Add the chopped onion, celery, and carrots. 
• Cook for about 5 minutes until the onions are soft 
• Pour in the chicken broth. 
• Stir in the potatoes and turnips 
• Add the bay leaf, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste
• Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to low and cover the pot, 
• Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the potatoes are tender. 
• Add the leftover chicken
• Simmer for 5 minutes to heat the chicken through
• Blend flour with 4 tablespoons cold water (to make a slurry) 
• Slowly pour into stew.. stirring constantly
• For a darker stew add a couple of drops of gravy browning (optional)
• Simmer for another 3 to 5 minutes until the gravy thickens
• Remove the bay leaf before serving.