Meat Pie with Biscuit Topping

I have a large collection of 1940s cookery books and recipe clippings... the majority being the authentic publications from that era. I'm always excited when I find a new addition to my bookshelf.. especially if its good condition and in my budget. 

This week I found the a copy of "57 Ways to Use Heinz Condensed Soup" from 1944.. and of course I gad to try a recipe straight away. This Meat Pie with Biscuit Topping was a good choice.

I made a couple of changes. I used ground beef because thats what I had in the freezer. I made smaller biscuits as they fit my dish better.. so I made 12.  And I topped it with some Italian herbs 

A lovely flavour and a homely dinner... which hubby thoroughly enjoyed..so I will be making it again

1/2 lb. raw beef, diced, or 1 cup diced, left- over meat
2 tablespoons fat
1 11-oz. can Heinz Condensed Vegetable Soup with Beef Stock
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash cayenne pepper 
Dough for 1/2 standard recipe for baking powder biscuits

• Brown meat in fat. If raw meat is used cook thoroughly. 
• Combine meat, Soup. water and seasonings 
• Pour into a well- greased casserole (5" x 81/2" x 3"). 
• Pat biscuit dough to 1/4" thickness and cut with a 2" biscuit cutter. 
• Arrange 8 biscuits on top of meat mixture. 
• Bake in a hot oven (400° F.) for 20 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown. 
• Serves 2 to 3.

57 Ways to Use Heinz Condensed Soup
1944

 

Cheese Limas on Ham

A quick and easy recipe.. that takes three ingredients  and cooks at a glance. It can be eaten at any meal time.. and was incredibly tasty. 

Lima Beans remind me of a smaller version of the Broad Beans we used to grow and eat in England.. but they are really hard to find here in the US. I think in this recipe, they can be easily interchanged. I think its going to be one of my favourite lunches

1/2 inch slice smoked ham

2 cups canned or frozen baby Limas

1 cup grated American cheese

Magazine Illustration

• Broil ham, 3 to 4 inches from heat, 10 minutes; turn and broil 8 to 10 minutes. 
• Heat canned Limas or cook Frozen Limas; drain; 
• Mound on ham. 
• Sprinkle with cheese. 
• Broil slowly to melt cheese. 
• Sprinkle with paprika. 
• Serves 4 to 6.

Better Homes and Gardens Magazine
May 1944

Frosted Chocolate Drop Cookies

Hubby wanted some chocolate cookies so I pulled out my Christmas Cookies Booklet from The Electric Company Home Service Bureau, 1944

These are nice soft cookie, not too sweet but with that hint of chocolate and the crunch of walnuts. My MrD said they are a perfect cookie to have with coffee. Now the recipe says to bake for 15 to 20 minutes, but for my oven that was too long..and the first batch started to catch slightly. For me 10-12 minutes was perfect.

To save your rations, they can be eaten as they are, or with a sprinkle of powdered sugar... but of course we had to try the whole thing. 

Now...I must admit..I was a bit distracted while making the icing and it was a bit thick.. but my "Cookie Monsters" enjoyed them that way. Next time I will make it a bit thinner.

½ cup butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
2 quares /2 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 ½ cups cake flour
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder
1 cup chopped walnuts
¼ cup evaporated milk
¼ cup water
1 tsp vanilla

Frosting
1 ½ squares/1 ½ oz unsweetened chocolate
1 egg yolk, slightly beaten (can add extra tbsp of evaporated milk instead)

5 tbsp evaporated milk
1 ½ cups powdered sugar

• Cream butter, add sugar and blend well.
• Add egg, beat until light and fluffy.
• Melt chocolate
• Cool
• Add chocolate and blend well.
• Sift dry ingredients together; add nuts. 
• Dilute evaporated milk with water.
• Add dry ingredients alternately with milk to creamed mixture. 
• Add vanilla.
• Drop by tablespoons onto greased or parchment covered cookie sheets. 
• Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes, or until puffed and springy in the center.
• Spread with frosting while still warm.
• For the frosting..Melt chocolate and cool slightly
• Stir in egg yolk (if using) and milk into melted chocolate
• Add powdered sugar slowly until consistency to spread. 
  

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.

Barbecued Fried Chicken

This is a light, easy to fix chicken recipe works as well today as it did in the 1940s. I used chicken breasts instead of a whole fryer and they turned out moist and flavourful. The recipe comes from the 1944 edition of The Good Housekeeping Cook Book.

2 1/2 lb fryer chicken, cut up
4 tbsp salad oil or fat
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp bottled thick meat sauce
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 c catsup
dash tabasco sauce

• Wash the fryer and dry it slightly. 
• You can reserve the backbone, neck, and wing tips for making chicken broth later.
• Heat the salad oil in a skillet, then add the chicken. 
• Brown on all sides over high heat. 
• Remove the chicken and place in a shallow baking pan. 
• Mix the remaining ingredients and pour over the chicken. 
• Bake uncovered in a moderate oven of 350°F for one hour or until the chicken is tender
• Baste every 10 minutes with the sauce in the pan. 
• Place in a broiler oven which has been preheated and allow to brown slightly. 
• Make sure it doesn’t burn. 
• Remove from broiler. 
• Put the chicken on a platter and pour the remaining sauce over it to serve. 
• Serves 4.

The Good Housekeeping Cook Book.1944

Chicken Cackle

Another 1940s recipe with an intriguing name. Chicken Cackle? I have no clue why... have you? 

This simple skillet chicken dish comes from Better Homes and Gardens Magazine September 1944. Its basically Chicken in tomato sauce.. with a bit of a kick.

We enjoyed it.. and the only change I made was to use chicken breasts instead of a whole chicken.

1 3-pound chicken

2 medium onions.

2 cups water

2½ cups (1 No. 2 can) tomatoes

1 cup (18-ounce can) tomato sauce

1 clove garlic

1 small hot red pepper

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

1/8 teaspoon sage

• Cut chicken in serving pieces. 
• Rub with seasoned flour. 
• Brown on all sides in hot fat. 
• Remove chicken. 
• Cook onions in the hot fat until golden. 
• Drain off excess fat. 
• Add remaining ingredients to skillet. 
• Blend. 
• Cover. 
• Simmer 30 to 45 minutes. 
• Add browned chicken. 
• Simmer tender, about 1 hour. 
• Serves 4.

Better Homes and Gardens Magazine
September 1944

Strawberry Whip

This Summer dessert comes from the Better Homes and Gardens Magazine July 1944. The same recipe appeared in June 1942 under the title "Strawberry Crown Whip" and again in June 1949 as "Bavarian Strawberry Cream" 

To be honest its the first time I have ever made anything with the unflavored gelatine and I was a bit dubious... but it turned out very well,,, not quite as high as the magazine picture as my mould was quite shallow. With the main ingredient strawberries... the flavour was a wow...although maybe just a little sweet

 As the recipe says... save a few whole strawberries for garnish....

"Strawberry Whip will quiver enticingly in individual molds or in squares from shallow pan."

I will definitely be making it again

1 tablespoon (1 envelope) unflavored gelatine (I used Knox)
¼ cup cold water.
½ cup hot water
¼ cup orange juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ cup sugar
Dash of salt
1 pint strawberries
1 stiff-beaten egg white

• Soften gelatine in cold water
• Dissolve in hot water. 
• Add fruit juices, sugar, and salt; chill until partially set. 
• Beat til frothy. 
• Crush 1/2 cups strawberries; add to gelatine mixture. 
• Fold in egg white. 
• Chill in oiled mold until set. 
• Unmold and garnish with remaining whole berries and meringue swirl. 
• Serve with chilled custard sauce.

Better Homes and Gardens Magazine
July 1944

Brownie Pudding

Oh my gosh! This indulgent, self saucing dessert from the January 1944 Better Homes and Garden Magazine is just scrummy. It is a shining example of wartime ingenuity, making a pudding so delicious whilst skimping on sugar and using no butter or eggs.

 A rich, fudgy brownie layer with a velvety chocolate sauce, that is not overly sweet and easy to put together

The family loved it.

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbs cooking oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1-1/2 cup boiling water

• Grease an 8x8x2 in. baking pan; set aside. 
• In a medium bowl stir together the flour, granulated sugar, the 2 Tbsp cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. 
• Stir in the milk, oil, and vanilla. 
• Stir in the nuts, if using.
• Pour batter into prepared baking pan. 
• In a small bowl stir together the brown sugar and the 1/4 c. cocoa powder
• Stir in the boiling water. 
• Slowly pour water mixture over batter.
• Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes. 
• Cool on a wire rack for 45 to 60 minutes. 
• Serve warm. 
• Spoon cake into dessert bowls; spoon sauce over cake. 
• If desired, serve with vanilla ice cream.

Better Homes and Gardens Magazine
January 1944

Chicken Fricassee

Tuesday is always ironing day. Its not my favourite chore.. but a little Frank Sinatra on the gramaphone helps a lot. I absolutely adore this man...but not half as much as I love my MrD.. of course.

 This Love of Mine

Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra with Frank Sinatra - 1941

Ironing done I popped outside to check on the Victory Garden

The potatoes are coming along nicely

We have our first strawberry...

and our first blueberry

Not enought for a pot of jam.. or a pie... but hopefully it wont be long

For dinner tonight we had a delicious Chicken Fricassee..

For such simple ingredients.. this chicken dish from Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, September 1944, turned out delicious. Quick, easy and flavourful. I made no amendments to the recipe which resulted in empty plates all round

1 4-pound chicken
1 10 or 11-ounce can  condensed mushroom soup
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 pimientos, chopped 
3/4 cup water

• Cut chicken in serving pieces. 
• Rub with seasoned flour (2/3 cup flour, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper). 
• Brown in hot fat. 
• Remove. 
• Cook celery and onion in the hot fat until golden. 
• Drain off excess fat. 
• Add pimientos, soup, and water. 
• Stir lightly to blend. 
• Add chicken. 
• Cover. 
• Bake in slow oven (300°) until tender, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. 
• Arrange on platter surrounding mound of hot fluffy rice.
• Serves 6.

Better Homes and Gardens Magazine
September 1944