Valentine's Day: Recipes from 1938

Nobody has ever measured, even poets, how much a heart can hold. ~Zelda Fitzgerald

I have a Watkins Cookbook from 1938, which has some really wonderful recipes in it, though many of the products have been discontinued. I've used Watkins vanilla for years now, and love it. I thought I'd share a few dessert and cake recipes from the cookbook with adjustments.

Strawberry Tarts

6 individual pie shells, baked *see note
1 1/2 cups ripe strawberries
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
4 tbsp. red currant jelly
1 tbsp. cornstarch

Boil sugar and water for 3 minutes. Add jelly and the cornstarch which as been dissolved in a little cold water. Stir constantly until boiling point. Cook over boiling water until it thickens. Cool. Fill pastry shells 2/3 full of sweetened ripe berries, or cook berries in the hot syrup until tender then remove berries and cool. Cover the berries with cold syrup and chill.

Notes: I would suggest buying tart shells that you can prebake then use for this recipe. OR you can cover the bottom of inverted muffin tins with circles of pie crust, prick the crust several times with a fork, and bake at 400 degrees F. for ten minutes or so til lightly browned. Cool. I also think frozen berries would work fine for this recipe. It's asking for sweetened strawberries. Taste them, if they are too tart add a little sugar.

Cinnamon Pudding Sauce

1/3 cup butter
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
3/4 tsp. cinnamon

Cream the butter, slowly beat in the sugar and cinnamon, which have been blended together ahead of time, adding a little of the corn syrup at a time while beating in the sugar mixture. Beat well and chill before serving.

Notes: Drizzle this over waffles, cake, pound cake, or ice cream.

Cocoa Cake with Sour Cream

3 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tbsp. cocoa
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cup thick sour cream
1 tsp. soda
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla

Beat eggs well. Sift cocoa, salt and sugar. Add to eggs. Dissolve the soda in a little hot water, cool slightly and add to wet ingredients. Sift flour 3 times. Add to the mixture alternatively with the sour cream. Add vanilla. Mix thoroughly and bake at 350 degrees F. Bake 30 plus minutes, testing with toothpick or cake tester.

Notes: It doesn't list pans, but the other cake recipes say layer, sheet or loaf pan. I'm sure a 9x13 pan would also work. I use that most of the time. Thick sour cream- don't use lowfat or fat free. They don't seem as thick to me. I would also spray the pans with cooking spray and flour lightly before adding the batter to the pan. Any frosting will work, but here is a simple recipe:

Uncooked Frosting

2 cups powdered sugar
8 tablespoons cocoa
1 tablespoon butter
Enough coffee to blend
1 tsp. vanilla

Dissolve the cocoa in a small amount of hot coffee. Mix all ingredients to a smooth paste. Spread on cake layers.

For more Valentine's Day or entertaining recipes visit OFL:
http://oldfashionedliving.com/holidays/chocolate3.html

~Brenda

Valentine's Day Party Recipes

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach. ~Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Today I'm sharing some recipes from my Modern Priscilla Cook Book, published in 1924. Valentine's Day parties with kids are so much fun. Decorations are easy: hearts, heart and more hearts. Cut them from doilies and construction paper, add ribbons, a roll of crepe paper in pink or red and you are good to go. I have some neat recipes that will work for get togethers with kids or adults this weekend.

Sweet Cider Punch

1 cup sugar
1 pint water
3 lemons
1 quart cider
1 pint grape juice

Place the sugar in the water and boil for ten minutes, adding a little of the lemon rind. When cold add juice from lemons, then add cider and place in freezer. Freeze to a mushy consistency. When frozen, mix in the grape juice. Serve in tall glasses. Dilute with cold water if too strong. Serves 20.

Notes: I would serve this in small punch cups or even paper cups in a Valentine's theme. It would serve far more that way, and less chance of spills.

Raspberry Mint Punch

1 sprig mint
1/2 cup ripe raspberries
1 quart lemonade

Bruise the leaves and stems of the mint, and crush the berries, putting them in the ice cold lemonade at least two hours before serving. Strain before serving. 6 servings.

Notes: If you don't grow mint it's almost always in the grocery store. You don't need much. I see no reason not to use frozen raspberries.

Chocolate and Mocha Cake

1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour milk
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 cups flour
1 tsp. vanilla
2 squares chocolate
1/2 cup boiling water

Cream butter and sugar. Add beaten eggs, milk, flour mixed and sifted with the soda. Add vanilla then the chocolate, melted, to which hot water has been added. Bake in layer tins in a moderate oven, 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes. 12 servings.

Mocha Filling and Icing

1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons cocoa
2 tablespoons coffee infusion (very strong coffee)
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Cream sugar and butter. Boil cocoa and coffee for three minutes, cool, and add to first mixture. Add vanilla.

Cake Notes: Sour milk can be made by putting in a tsp. of vinegar to the milk and letting it sit for a few minutes. It doesn't say, but the cake is for two layers-- so bake in two round cake pans.

Frosting Notes: If you are making this cake for kids and don't want to use coffee you can make it the same and just use water. Or use a buttercream frosting instead.

Chocolate Cocoanut Cookies

2 tbsp. butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoanut
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups flour
8 tsp. cocoa
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla

Cream shortening, add sugar gradually, cocoanut, milk and flour mixed and sifted with other dry ingredients. Add vanilla last. Drop by teaspoonfuls on greased tins and bake for 15 minutes in a 350 minutes. Makes 36.

Notes: I'd check the cookies at ten minutes. Ovens bake differently and 15 minutes will be too long for some.The spelling of coconut was how it was spelled in the cook book.

For more Valentine's Day recipes visit OFL here:
http://oldfashionedliving.com/lovecookies.html

~Brenda

Friday Recipes: Hodge Podge

No particular theme today, just a hodge podge of different recipe for you to try!

 

Clifford Tea Cookies

1 c. shortening
2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking soda with a pinch of cream of tartar
pinch of salt
1 c. chopped nuts
3 1/2 c. flour

Roll into rolls; then put in refrigerator overnight. Slice and bake at 350 degrees.


Orange Pudding

1 cup sugar
2 cups milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. butter
1/4 cup flour
milk
3 egg yolks
3 oranges, cut up

Mix first four ingredients and bring to a boil. Mix flour with enough milk to make a paste; add paste and eggs to milk mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until thick. Place the cut up oranges in the bottom of a bowl; sprinkle with a little sugar. Pour the pudding over oranges.



Chocolate Potato Cake

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
2/3 cup caster (fine) sugar
2 oz. plain chocolate, melted or 4 level tablespoons cocoa
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup cooked mashed potato
1/2 cup butter
4 tablspoons milk
2 eggs

Cream the butter and sugar with the mashed potato, then add the melted chocolate or the cocoa. Add the beaten eggs, alternately with the flour and the salt. Finally pour in the milk, mixing well, to make a soft dough. Well grease two 8 inch cake pans and divide batter equally between them. Bake at 350 degrees oven for 25-30 minutes. The top springy to the touch when done. Cool for a few minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Frost with whipped cream or desired frosting.


Cinnamon Vanilla Sugar Tea Toasts

Brew a pot of cinnamon tea to serve with these little tea sandwiches. Be sure to include a cinnamon stick to stir the tea.

8 slices of firm white bread, cut into triangles and lightly toasted
3 ounces of cream cheese, softened
1 TBSP. powdered sugar
Vanilla cinnamon sugar*

Combine the cream cheese and the powdered sugar until smooth and easy to spread. If necessary, add a few drops of milk to smooth out the cream cheese.

Spread the toasted bread triangles with the cream cheese. Top with a sprinkling of vanilla cinnamon sugar.

*VANILLA SUGAR:

Slice one whole vanilla bean in half, leaving it attached at the stem end. Place it in a 1-pint mason jar (or a tightly sealing container). Fill the jar with enough sugar to cover the bean. Let sit several weeks, shaking now and then, until the sugar is infused with the vanilla. Leave the bean in the jar, and add more sugar as you use it up.

CINNAMON VANILLA SUGAR:

Blend approx. 1-tsp. cinnamon to 1/2 cup of vanilla sugar. Add more or less cinnamon, to taste.

Homemade Frosting Goodness

What the world really needs is more love and less paper work. ~Pearl Bailey

It's easy to buy frosting, but for the most part making your own is easy and cheaper. I always have confectioners' sugar, butter and/or margarine, cocoa, and vanilla extract in my pantry. My favorite thing to do is bake a batch of brownies, cool and frost with whatever frosting strikes my fancy. Last time I made a buttercream frosting using flavored coffee creamer instead of milk.

Buttercream Frosting

1/4 cup butter, room temperature
5 tablespoons French vanilla flavored coffee cream
2 cups confectioners' sugar

Add the butter and creamer to the sugar and mix well with a whisk or an electric mixer until creamy. This is the perfect amount for a 9x13 pan of brownies. You can use any flavor of coffee creamer.

Jiffy Chocolate Frosting

2 squares (2 ounces)unsweetened chocolate
1 can (14 or 15 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon water
dash salt
1/4 tsp. almond extract

Melt chocolate in the top of a double boiler. Gradually stir in the condensed milk and cook over rapidly boiling water for 5 minutes, while stirring. Remove from heat. Then add water, salt and almond extracts. Cool. Frosts tops and sides of two 9 " layers.

Mocha Chocolate Frosting: Substitute 3 tablespoons hot coffee for the water and omit the extract.

Quick Broiler Coconut Frosting

3 tbsp. butter or margarine
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons evaporated milk
3/4 c. shredded coconut
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Work together the butter and sugar with a spoon until light. Then add milk, coconut and vanilla. Spread over the top surface of an 8x8x2 inch or 9x9x2 cake, or an 8 or 9 inch cake layer that has cooled 5 minutes after baking. Broil until coconut is delicately browned, taking care not to let the sugar mixture burn. Serve warm or cool, cutting the cake in the pan.

Try some of these crazy cake recipes on OFL: http://oldfashionedliving.com/crazycakes.html

~Brenda

Organizing your children's art work

This article has been on Old Fashioned Living for quite some time. It has quite a bit of useful advice, especially at this time of year! Here we are, halfway through the school year, which means all that art work is starting to pile up. The refrigerator is covered and you don't know what else to do. Here are some great tips that can help!


In school, kids are encouraged to create, draw, color, paint and build. These activities can certainly stimulate children, and help them grow. Very often, these masterpieces that your children create are brought home and proudly displayed. But what do you do when all of the artwork begins to take over your home? Here are 7 great ideas:

1. FIND THE DIAMONDS. Rather than keeping every single piece of artwork your child creates, sit down with your child on a regular basis and ask him to choose the one or two he likes best. By the end of the year, you should have no more than 5 pieces of artwork that your child believes to be his "best" pieces. This will help keep the artwork under control, and will still give you an opportunity to save his creations for future memories.

2. A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS. Take photos of the artwork that your child creates and keep these photos in a scrapbook. This way, even if the artwork is discarded for space purposes, you'll still have the memory!

3. KIDS FILE STORAGE BOX. Office supply stores carry portable file boxes that hold hanging file folders. These generally have a cover and a handle for easy portability. Help your child create her very own filing system. Perhaps one file folder for 2nd grade artwork, one for 3rd grade artwork, and so on. Now, all the drawings, and any type of artwork that lays flat, will be kept safe and organized. You'll even be teaching your child filing skills! It's never too early!

4. KEEP IT CONTAINED. For other artwork that does not lay flat, the perfect container may be a large, plastic container with a lid. Your child will have a space for shadowboxes, and other artwork that won't fit into a file folder. Again, be choosy. If you keep every single piece of artwork your child brings home for the next 15 years, your house is going to be overflowing with it.

To see the rest of these great organizing tips, visit 7 Easy Ideas for Organizing Kids Artwork on Old Fashioned Living.

Children's Valentine's Day Party

Love is an act of endless forgiveness, a tender look which becomes a habit. ~Peter Ustinov

Last week I shared from the 1905 book Bright Ideas for Entertaining by Mrs. Herbert B. Linscott. I wanted to share this week from her ideas for a children's Valentine's Day party. Before I do, I wanted to mention that I have helped plan two classroom parties in past years and helped during many others. Hands down, the favorite activity is making homemade Valentines for parents and/or grandparents. Last year I brought in small paper doilies, plus red, pink and white construction paper. The teacher had crayons and markers we put in the middle of the table. I also had precut hearts I had picked up at the store. The kids LOVED making cards; boys and girls alike. I think sometimes we try to make things more complicated than they need to be, and forget that kids just love to express themselves.

Mrs. Linscott recommends these things:
Cut from pink paper as many hearts as there are to be boys, but no two of these hearts must be the same size; cut from gilt paper the same number of hearts, one for each girl, matching in size those cut from the pink paper.

When the guests arrive, give each boy a pink and each girl a gilt heart. When a boy finds a girl who holds a gilt heart matching in size his pink one, they are partners for the evening. In this search, all the formality will have worn off.

Notes: Gilt paper was a paper that had a very very thin layer of gold on the top of the paper itself. You can find gold metallic paper, but I think it would be much cheaper and easier to use pink and red construction paper for the hearts.

I have to admit I'm not sure what age this would work with. The tiny ones; 3 to maybe 6 or so wouldn't care too much, but after that age it would be "I have to partner up with a BOY?". I still think it's a cute idea though.

MORE PARTY FUN
Next Mrs. Linscott describes this game:

Cupid's Dart will pass a jolly half hour. Make a large heart of several layers of pink tissue paper, and fill in loosely with bonbons; encase this in a slightly larger heart of open-meshed bobinet; hang on the wall on one side of the room by two loops sewed to the large, upper part of the heart. Provide a toy bow and arrow, and let each child in turn shoot at the heart. The arrows will remain sticking in the lace and paper, and the one whose arrow comes nearest the center receives the first prize-a heart shaped box of candy.

Also provide small heart shaped boxes filled with candies for each child to take home.

Notes: I did some looking, and bobinet is material much like a screen or some type of netting. So open-meshed would mean the holes are bigger, which would allow the arrows to "catch" when they hit the heart. I also noticed she mentioned lace and paper later. I'm thinking maybe it was more like loose doily material?

Lastly, she suggests refreshments and decorations:

Make sandwiches from heart-shaped pieces of bread, cut with a cake cutter; bake the cakes in heart-shaped tins, and have the ices frozen in the same design. As red and pink are the proper colors for decoration on this day, it will be a pretty idea to have the lemonade colored pink with fruit juice.

Pretty favors can be made from crepe tissue-paper. Flowers, bonbon boxes, handkerchief-cases, and many another trifle, will please young folks, more especially if they are the work of their little hostess's own hands.

This last paragraph is an example of why I love learning how they entertained in years past. How many of us have handkerchief-cases laying around or bonbon boxes? But then some things are timeless like tissue paper and tea sandwiches!

~Brenda

Friday Recipes: Chocolate

January 27th was Chocolate Cake Day, and Valentine's Day is right around the corner. So it seems fitting to share some tasty chocolate treats with you on this cold recipe Friday!

Stacked Heart Cookies

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 ounces melted unsweetened chocolate
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted
1/2 cup finely ground almonds
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3 tablespoons evaporated milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and beat until smooth. Add vanilla and chocolates, beating until smooth. Stir in nuts. In a another bowl sift together next four ingredients. Stir dry mixture alternately with milk into creamed mixture, mixing until a soft dough form.

On a lightly floured surface. use a floured rolling pin to roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out shapes by using a set of heart cookie cutters in varied sizes or make your own templates out of paper and cut around them with a sharp knife. Transfer cookies to a greased baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. Starting with the largest size stack two of each size cookie together. Tie each stack with a gold ribbon, then wrap in plastic wrap or cellophane. Gather at the top and tie with again with a ribbon and attach a gift tag.


Chocolate Shortbread

1 cup butter
2/3 cup confectioners sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa
1/4 tsp. salt
Confectioners sugar

In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar and vanilla. In another bowl, combine flour, cocoa and salt. Stir flour mixture into butter mixture. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Press dough into a 15x10x1 inch jelly roll pan. Bake 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cut out warm shortbread in pan using a 2 inch wide heart shaped cookie cutter. Remove cookies from pan and cool on wire rack. Sprinkle cookies with confectioners sugar and store in airtight container.

Notes: Cookies may be given in decorator tins (Victorian designs would be extra special),or decorator cellophane bags. You can also sew very simple tapestry bags and gather the top with a ribbon after inserting a plastic bag with the cookies inside. Wicker baskets lined with antique doilies can be used as well for a beautiful old fashioned look.

More recipes like this here
http://oldfashionedliving.com/lovecookies.html


Moist Chocolate Cake

1/2 cup cocoa
1 cup hot water
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp vanilla

Mix cocoa with hot water. Set aside to cool. Mix mayonnaise, sugar and egg together. Add cooled cocoa mixture. Add flour, baking soda, and vanilla. Pour batter into two 8 inch layer cake pans that have been lightly buttered or sprayed. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Frost with your favorite icing or sprinkle with confectioner's sugar for a snack cake.


Mississippi Mud Cake

1 cup butter
1/2 cup cocoa
2 cups sugar
4 eggs slightly beaten
1-1/2 cups self rising flour
Mini marshmallows

Frosting:

1 box powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
4 oz. butter
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Melt butter and cocoa together. Add sugar and eggs, then the flour, mixing well. Pour into a 9x13x2 inch greased pan and bake for 25-35 minutes. For icing: Mix all ingredients until smooth. While cake is still hot, but not directly out of the oven, cover top with marshmallows and allow to melt. Spread icing on top of the marshmallows

More chocolate cake recipes here:
http://oldfashionedliving.com/holidays/chocolate3.html


Chocolate Turtle Cheesecake

1 7 ounce package caramels
1/4 cup evaporated milk
3/4 cup chopped pecans, divided
1 9 inch chocolate crumb piecrust
2 3 ounce cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups milk
1 package chocolate instant pudding
1/2 cup fudge topping

Place caramels and milk in a heavy saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat stirring continually, until smooth, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup chopped pecans. Pour into piecrust.

Combine cream cheese, sour cream and milk in a blender. Process until smooth. Add pudding mix: process for about 30 seconds longer. Pour pudding mixture over caramel layer, covering evenly. Chill, loosely covered, until set, about 15 minutes. Drizzle fudge topping over pudding layer in a decorative pattern. Sprinkle top of cake with remaining pecans. Chill, loosely covered until serving time.

More recipes like this
http://oldfashionedliving.com/holidays/chocolate2.html


Read about the history of chocolate here
http://oldfashionedliving.com/chocolate.html

Cookie Baking, Decorating, Storing & Shipping Tips
http://oldfashionedliving.com/holidays/cookietips.html

Visit our Valentine's Day section
http://oldfashionedliving.com/holidays/main.html



Our friends at Annie's have some Chocolate Cake recipes here
http://anniesrecipescom.blogspot.com/2010/01/chocolate-cake-recipes-tips.html


and some tips for baking great cakes
http://www.anniesrecipes.com/Article/12/Tips-for-Baking-Great-Cakes.htm