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. 

Maurice's Salad Bowl

We had some unexpected rain this morning... and of course it started just after I had put the laundry on the line.. I rushed outside to get it in.. and just as I got inside it stopped!

I waited a few minutes and the sun came out... so out I went again.. but just as I put in the last peg.. down it came again.!  I swear the rain clouds were playing with me because just as I brought the washing in... the rain stopped again. This time I made myself a cup of tea finished cleaning the bedroom and then put it all back on the line. This time the rain stayed away... and to be quite honest it had come and gone in a blink of an eye.. but leaving us hot and sticky

The garden isn't all about veggies.. and the flowers appreciated the rain.. 

even if it didn't last too long

With the weather being so hot and humid... a cold dinner was on the cards. I had leftover chicken and some ham.. and with fresh eggs and cucumber and tomatoes from the garden.. it just made sense to have a salad. So I found this intriguing recipe from Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, July 1942. And the only changes I made to the recipe was to use some freshly picked cherry tomatoes from the garden

Well... I'm not sure who Maurice is... or was... but he has weird taste buds. In theory it all sounded pretty good.. Chicken, ham, lettuce, tomatoes..eggs... even the chopped pickle... nothing wrong there. But for us where it fell apart was the dressing. It can only be described as... odd! Don't get me wrong.. it wasn't terrible and both me and MrD ate it... but it was indescribably weird! 

So dear Maurice... I'm very sorry.. but next time I think we will stick with Ranch!

1 small head lettuce, broken
½ cup cooked chicken, julienne cut

1 cup baked ham, julienne cut

1 tablespoon chopped pickle
3 tomatoes, cut in wedges
2 hard-cooked eggs, sliced

• Rub salad bowl with cut clove of garlic. 
• Arrange lettuce in bowl. 
• Add meats and pickle. 
• Add Maurice's Dressing and toss lightly but thoroly. 
• Garnish with tomatoes and eggs. 
• Serve on chilled plates. 

Original Magazine Clipping

Maurice's Dressing
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 tablespoons olive oil or salad oil
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon minced chives
1 chopped hard-cooked egg

• Combine mayonnaise, oil, and vinegar; beat well. 
• Add remaining ingredients; blend. 
• Chill thoroly.

Better Homes and Gardens Magazine
July 1942

Casserole of Chicken

Happy Tuesday Lovelies..

And what a grey, overcast start to the day it is…

Well.. it is the last day of September.

Photo: November 1945

Im going to be busy today..

Yesterday was such a good laundry drying day... I did far more than planned.

Unfortunately that left me with a copious amount of ironing... sigh..

I best get cracking!!!

To make the time more enjoyable I'm going to listen to an episode of the Inner Sanctum Mysteries

This one is "Amazing Death Of Mrs Putnam" from 1941

Splendid!

And with tonight's dinner of a Chicken Casserole already wafting the kitchen with its delicious aroma

Its going to be quite a pleasant afternoon

Casserole of Chicken

This tasty Chicken Casserole comes from the 1943 edition of  The Radiation Cookery Book. A very popular book of its time... Published to compliment a range of gas cookers it was originally published in 1927.. and revised regularly for over 40 years. 

A very easy.. and comforting recipe.. perfect for a miserable day. I served it with the scalloped potatoes featured under the Casserole recipe and some home canned green beans

1 chicken

1 tablespoonful seasoned flour
2 ozs. butter
1/2 lb. mushrooms
1 pint stock

• Divide the chicken into neat joints, which should be dipped in the seasoned flour.
• Melt the fat in a frying-pan and when quite hot quickly brown in it the joints of chicken and fry the peeled mushrooms.
• Place chicken, etc., in a casserole.
• Pour away most of the fat, stir the remainder of the seasoned flour into the pan, and add the stock.
• Stir while bringing to the boil, and pour over the chicken.
• Cover the casserole with a lid before placing in the oven.

Original Recipe

The Radiation Cookery Book
1943

Chicken a la King in Rice Ring

Chicken a la King 1940s style with this delightful recipe from  Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, June 1948. As the original description says...

The hot, creamy mixture in the center is tender chicken and sliced mushrooms in a rich sauce made with the chicken stock. Turn fluffy rice onto warm serving plate. Make a "dish" in the center for the a la king

Easy to make and very tasty. I made no changes to the recipe.. and will be making it again

½ pound sliced mushrooms 

1½ cups top milk or light cream 

¼ cup butter or fortified margarine 

5 tablespoons enriched flour 

1 cup chicken stock 

1 teaspoon salt 

½ teaspoon pepper 

2 cups diced, cooked chicken 

3 cups hot, cooked rice 

• Brown mushrooms in butter. 
• Add flour and blend; gradually add chicken stock and milk. 
• Cook over low heat until smooth and thick, stirring constantly. 
• Add seasonings and chicken. 
• Heat through and serve in fluffy rice ring. 

Better Homes and Gardens Magazine
June 1948

Chinese Fried Rice

A quick and tasty Asian dish from Better Homes and Gardens Magazine February 1949. Using cold cooked rice, cooked chicken  and cooked mushrooms its a great way to use up leftovers. I also had some leftover peas which I threw in, and Im sure any other leftover vegetables would work well too

1½ cup finely diced ham, cooked chicken or pork 

2 tablespoons peanut or salad oil 

1 3-ounce can broiled mush-rooms, sliced 

1 and 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped green onion 

1 quart cold, cooked rice 

2 to 3 table-spoons soya sauce 

1 well-beaten egg

Magazine Illustration

• Fry meat lightly in oil
• Add mushrooms, green onion, rice, and soya sauce. 
• Continue to cook over low heat 10 minutes. 
• Add egg. 
• Cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. 
• If darker color is wanted, add more soya sauce. 

Magazine Clipping

Better Homes and Gardens Magazine 
February 1949

Chicken Baked in Tomato Sauce

A very simple recipe from the October 1943 edition of Better Homes and Gardens Magazine. Im afraid mine didnt turn out looking quite the same as the original illustration. possibly as there was too many tomatoes for the amount of chicken I used

But.. the chicken was moist.. the rice was tender and it was very flavourful. We enjoyed it, and I will be making it again

1 5-pound chicken 

2½ cup uncooked rice 

3 cloves garlic, chopped 

1 cup chopped onion 

2 tablespoons fat 

1 quart canned tomatoes 

2 to 3 tablespoons chili powder 

1 teaspoon marjoram 

2 teaspoons salt 

Pepper 

• Cut chicken in serving pieces. 
• Arrange in greased 3-quart casserole. 
• Lightly brown rice, garlic, and onion in hot fat over low heat, stirring constantly. 
• Add tomatoes and seasonings. 
• Pour over chicken.. 
• Cover. 
• Bake in moderate oven (350°) until tender. 
• Serves 6 to 8. 

Better Homes and Gardens Magazine
October 1943

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

Jambalya

At the weekend we had a large chicken for Sunday dinner. There was plenty of meat left on the bird so I stripped it down and used the carcus and vegetable peelings to make a lovely chicken stock. This and the meat were used in last nights dinner, which was another family hit. This Jambalaya recipe comes from the January 1940 edition of the Better Homes and Gardens Magazine

I made a couple of ammendments to the recipe to suit our tastes. The vegetables were softened in a spray of oil rather than 1/4 cup, I only had half a pepper in the fridge, I only used 1/3 a cup of ham as I needed the rest for sandwiches,..and I didnt add any extra salt and pepper as my homemade stock had enough. Plus, I also omitted the canned oyster..Im not a fan!!

This dish was flavourful, with a slight kick from the tabasco sauce and was quick and easy to throw together.  And seeing as hubby had double hepings, Im sure I will be making it again

1 large onion, sliced

1 green pepper, chopped

4 stalks celery, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon minced parsley 

1 cup chopped ham

1/4 cup fat 

Salt and pepper 

Dash of thyme

Few drops Tabasco sauce

2 tablespoons flour

1 8-ounce can tomato sauce

2 cups diced, cooked chicken

2 cups chicken stock

1 cup rice

1 cup canned or fresh shrimp

10 oysters, if desired

Original Magazine Clipping

           

• y

Better Homes and Gardens Magazine
January 1940

Chicken Cacciatore

A delicious chicken dish from the 1949 edition of The Good Housekeeping Cookbook. 

I did make a couple of changes though. I used chicken thighs instead of whole chickens. I used low sodium chicken stock instead of wine. And I diced the onion and peppers instead of mincing them..to give a bit of a bite. Also, I thought 3 1/4 tsp salt was a tad much so I seasoned to taste

2½-3 lb. drawn fryers, cut-up

6 Tbsp. fat or salad oil

1 cup minced onion
3/4 cup minced green pepper
4 minced, peeled cloves garlic
1 No. 2½ can tomatoes (3½ cups)
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
½ cup Chianti wine
½ tsp. pepper
½ tsp. ground allspice
2 bay leaves
½  tsp. leaf thyme
Dash cayenne pepper
3 1/4 tsp. salt

• Clean, wash, and dry fryers. (chicken)
• Heat fat in large skillet or Dutch oven
• Fry chicken in it until golden brown on all sides. 
• Add onion, green pepper, and garlic; brown lightly. 
• Add remaining ingredients; simmer, uncovered, 30-40 min., or until chicken is tender.
• Serve with sauce over it. 

The Good Housekeeping Cookbook
1949