Milk Treats for Children from 1948

The Home Comfort Cook Book from 1948 has some neat ideas and recipes for children. I'd thought I'd share some of those today. We had 12 inches of snow between yesterday and last night and the plows still haven't cleared the roads. We were very fortunate to not have lost our power like many people in our county did, so I'm not complaining. The kids however were bored, and my suggestions to read, play games, or clean their rooms were not appreciated. My ten year old decided to cut pictures of animals out of magazines to make "posters" for her dolls. This occupied her for a few hours, which helped our day a lot.

Maybe I should have made them one of these treats. I tend to always have cocoa, molasses, bananas and of course, milk, on hand. The recipes use an egg beater, but you could also use a blender or mixer instead. If you are worried about the fat, you can use skim or 2% milk.

"Milk shakes and egg nogs are more exciting (and filling) than plain milk--fine to serve for refreshments , or to dress up a simple family lunch or supper. They are also interesting to children who have "notions" about milk. They are useful in providing extra nourishment for underweight children and adults. "

Cocoa Milk Shake

First the cocoa syrup must be made.

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup cocoa

1/4 cup cold water

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Place the sugar and cocoa in a saucepan. Stir in the water slowly. Place the pan over low heat. While stirring constantly, let the mixture come to a boil, and boil 2 minutes. Cool it. Add the vanilla and stir to blend well. Pour the syrup into a clean jar, seal it tightly and keep it in the refrigerator or other cold place.

To make a milkshake, you use for each glass:

2 tbsp. cocoa syrup

1 cup chilled milk

Beat the mixture well with an egg beater.

Molasses Milk Shake

1 glass milk

1 tbsp. molasses

Place the molasses in a glass or bowl; gradually add the milk, which may be hot or cold. Stir or beat to blend well. Makes 1 serving.

Banana Milk Shake ( 6 servings )

4 fully ripe bananas

1 quart chilled milk

few grains salt

2 tbsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. vanilla

Peel the bananas, slice them into a large bowl. Beat them with an egg beater until they are smooth and creamy. Add slowly the milk, sugar and vanilla. Beat until well blended. Serve in tall glasses.

On OFL I have an easy, inexpensive craft activity for kids that works great on rainy or snowy days when they can't go outside: http://oldfashionedliving.com/riceart.html