Civil War Era Apple Pancakes Recipe

I was very interested to try this recipe as it has molasses, cornmeal, and apples, three flavors that were very common during the Civil War that have since fallen out of fashion. I found the recipe in
The American Economical Housekeeper and Family Receipt Book, 1850. The Housekeeper and Gardener (1858) stated to add "a little more flour than is given to a common pancake batter," so I added a bit more than I would for normal pancakes. 

We served ours with "maple molasses", as it was called then. They were very good. You can barely taste the cornmeal at all. We will be adding these to our regular food rotation. The recipe made about 12 pancakes so I would half it in the future.

. 

Ingredients:

- 2 Cups Milk

- 1 Teaspoon Saleratus (Baking Soda)

- 1 Cup Corn Meal 

- 1 Cup Molasses

- 3 Apples, pared and minced 

- 3 +/- Cups Flour

- Fat or Oil for frying

Instructions:

Combine cornmeal, molasses, baking soda,minced apples, and milk. Mix in enough flour to make a slightly thicker than usual pancake batter. Fry in oil on medium heat until solid (about 1 minute). Flip pancakes over. Fry other side for another minute.  

Historical Kids Craft: Great Depression Paper Poppers

 This year has been weird, to say the least. My sister is a nurse so I have been spending most of my time being Nanny-Auntie to my nephew who is bouncing-off-the-walls energetic and starting 3rd grade next week. 

It’s been mostly exhausting and I’m sure others are feeling this way. We have been finding crafts and projects from the past to stay busy and paper poppers was a fast, easy history craft that kept him busy for hours. All you need is a sheet of paper.

         

If you're interested in reading more about the Great Depression here is an affiliate link to the book we were reading about it. The Great American Depression book of fun. 

1929 Guacamole Recipe: A Recipe From the Great Depression

Everyone who knows me know I LOVE tacos. I was excited and intrigued to find this early recipe for guacamole. The recipe is from Ramona's Spanish-Mexican Cookery. The author spent 20 years in Mexico learning Mexican recipes and sharing American ones. She wrote this cookbook for Americans who visited Mexico and missed the mouthwatering food.  

This recipe was so good! I've literally made it 3 times since first trying it a few weeks ago and it looks so cute served in the shells and made it easy for everyone to have a personal bowl of guacamole by their plates without dirtying more bowls. 

Ramona's Spanish-Mexican cookery: the first complete and authentic Spanish-Mexican cook book in English (1929).

Vintage Guacamole Recipe

Ingredients:

- 3 Medium Avocados
- 1 Tomato, Minced
- 1 Tablespoon Onion, Minced
- 1 Teaspoon Jalapenos, Minced

- 1 Tablespoon Cilantro

- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil 
- Salt and Cayenne Pepper to taste
- Tomato slices and quartered Lemons for garnish

Instructions:

Cut avocados in half and remove the pits. Set peels aside. Mash the avocado meat. Mix in the tomato, onion, jalapeños, cilantro. Salt to taste. Spoon the avocado filling into the avocado shells and garnish with a slice of tomato, slice of lemon and a dash of cayenne pepper. Refrigerate until time to serve.

   

You can skip the olive oil and not notice the flavor difference. I added another tablespoon of cilantro and onion, and a bit more jalapeño. Click here to watch Tanya Muñeton make a very similar recipe in Spanish.

Depression Era Spritz "Cooky" Recipe- The Perfect Recipe from the 1930s

 

I'm babysitting and puppysitting this week. It's been a lot especially with the pandemic and tornadoes we've been having in Pennsylvania. I'm not saying that this is a good recipe but it's probably the recipe you ate as a kid and the picky eater ate the whole plate. 

This is something fun for the kids to do if they're bored. Spritz cookies are not only for the holidays!

 

Vintage Depression Era Spritz Cooky Recipe

Ingredients:

- 2 1/4 Cups Flour, sifted

-  3/4 Cup Sugar

- 1 Cup Shortening (Crisco or similar)

- 1 Egg 

- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder

- 1/4 teaspoon Salt

- 1 teaspoon Lemon Extract

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 400 F . In a large mixing bowl, cream the sugar, lemon extract, and salt with the shortening. Add your egg. Sift the flour with the baking powder. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix with your hands until well combined and fill your cookie press. Bake for 10- 12 minutes on an un-greased cookie sheet.    

Why won't my spritz cookies stick?

Cookie Sheets must be cold and the dough must be slightly sticky. If your dough is too dry, add a little water, remix it in your hands and put it back into the press. You may have to experiment how many squeezes or turns you have to use per cookie. It changes based on the shape you pick. Also, never grease the pan. They won't stick, I promise. 

World War II Banana Bread Recipe: A Delicious and Simple Way to Save Overripe Bananas

I swear that produce is going bad quicker during the quarantine. It’s been a full time job just keeping up with what is about to go bad. This recipe came to the rescue.

 It’s from Fannie Farmer’s The Boston Cooking School (1942).   Bananas are one of the biggest sources of food waste. For every one banana eaten, two are wasted. That’s bad for us and the environment. 

Today, Cavendish bananas are the most common but in the 1940s, they would have likely be using the Gros Michel variety if they could get bananas at all. Gros Michel bananas had a thick peel and a strong flavor but were susceptible to Panama Disease, which destroyed many banana plantations in the 1950s leading to the current popularity of Cavendish. If I ever get ahold of a Gros Michel, I’ll be sure to do a taste test. 

This recipe has a nice texture, just between bread and cake. It smelled like heaven while baking and was delicious toasted in the toaster with some butter

World War II Banana Bread

Ingredients:

- 3 Bananas
- 2 Eggs
- 3/4 Cup Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 2 Cups Flour

-1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Instructions: 

Preheat oven to 350 F. Mash your bananas with a metal fork add sugar, eggs, salt, baking soda then flour gradually. Put in a buttered 9 x 5” pan. Bake for 1 hour. 

You can also replace some of the banana in this recipe with apple sauce and some of the sugar with honey.   

Please check out and subscribe to my Youtube channel. You all asked for it, so here it is. Can’t wait to hear your thoughts and ideas.