Old-Fashioned Macaroni Chicken Salad

Macaroni Chicken Salad in bowl

The season for picnics, reunions, grilling outside, and potlucks is upon us. It is also the season for old-fashioned pasta salads. A hundred-year-old issue of Ladies Home Journal contained a recipe of Macaroni Chicken Salad, and I decided to give it a try.

The Macaroni Chicken Salad differed from many modern pasta salads in that it contained no celery or onion. Instead, the recipe called for a cucumber, as well as for two chopped pimentos (which I interpreted to mean red peppers), in a mayonnaise dressing.

The salad was creamy, colorful, and flavorful. The chopped cucumber added a refreshing crunch, with the chicken providing a slightly savory protein. It would be a perfect side dish at a pot luck or other gathering. It is also lovely as a light lunch or dinner main dish.

Here is the original recipe:

Macaroni Chicken Salad Recipe
Source: Ladies Home Journal (April, 1926)

The original recipe called for one cup of mayonnaise. If this much mayonnaise was used, the salad components would be thickly coated. I wanted a lighter dressing, so used ½ cup of mayonnaise.

I used a boneless chicken breast when making this recipe – though other parts of the chicken (or left-over rotisserie chicken) would also work well. If the water was not salted when making the macaroni (or if the diced chicken did not contain salt), a little salt might enhance the flavor.

I chopped an unpeeled cucumber rather than slicing it.

My sense is that red peppers were smaller a hundred years ago than what they are today, so I used just one red pepper.

I ignored the serving suggestions. I ate this salad for lunch, and it was sufficiently substantive without the addition of brown bread sandwiches. The salad was colorful with just the chopped red pepper and cucumbers, so I did not garnish with julienne strips of red pepper.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Macaroni Chicken Salad

  • Servings: 6 - 8
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

2 cups cold, cooked macaroni (approximately ¾ cup uncooked macaroni)

2 cups cold cooked chicken, coarsely chopped or shredded

1 cucumber, chopped or thinly sliced (about 2 cups)

1 medium red pepper

½ cup mayonnaise

½ teaspoon salt (optional)

Put the macaroni, chicken, cucumber, and red pepper in a bowl; stir gently to mix. Add mayonnaise (and, if desired, salt); stir gently to coat the other ingredients.

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Serving Breakfast in Bed a Hundred Years Ago

Woman carrying a tray with food.
Source: The New Winston Cook Book of Guaranteed Recipes (1926)

The only time that I’ve had the luxury of getting breakfast in bed was when my husband and children used to serve me breakfast in bed on Mothers’ Day. A hundred-year-old cookbook suggests serving breakfast in bed to houseguests. I think that any of my friends or relatives who are overnight guests would be shocked if I served them breakfast in bed. Maybe this is one of the things that has changed over the years.

“Grandmother’s” Strawberry Whips

Strawberry Whip on plate

The June, 1926 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine had a Crisco shortening advertisement that contained a recipe for Grandmother’s Strawberry Whips. Apparently Strawberry Whips were considered an old-fashioned dessert a hundred years ago.

These old-fashioned Strawberry Whips are sweet muffins that are filled with a whipped cream and mashed strawberry mixture, and then topped with a whole strawberry. The muffins are a cross between shortcake and cupcakes.

This recipe differs from modern Strawberry Whip recipes. (Usually, modern recipes do not include the “s” at the end of “whip.”) Today Strawberry Whip recipes generally make a creamy whipped dessert that does not contain a muffin or cake.

This recipe is a winner. The old-fashioned Strawberry Whips were fun to make, tasty, and made a lovely presentation.

Here’s the original recipe:

Strawberry Whips on tray

recipe for Strawberry Whips
Source: Good Housekeeping (June, 1926)

The old recipes says it makes 16 muffins. I only got 12 muffins. The muffin cups the recipe author used must have been smaller than the ones in my muffin tin.

It’s often difficult to find pastry flour, so I used all-purpose flour when I made this recipe. It worked fine.

Butter can be substituted for the shortening.

I used a 1-pound box of strawberries when I made this recipe, plus a few extra strawberries to garnish the Whips.

The recipe called for 1 cup whipped cream, which does not seem like enough to fill 12 muffins, so I assumed that the recipe meant 1 cup of whipping cream (which would make 2 cups of whipped cream).

I put paper liners in the muffin cups. After baking, I removed the paper liners prior to filling the muffins.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Strawberry Whips

  • Servings: approximately 12 muffins
  • Difficulty: moderate
  • Print

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup shortening or butter (softened)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

3 eggs, slightly beaten

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1-pound strawberries + additional whole medium-sized strawberries to top the Strawberry Whips

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar + 3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

1 cup heavy whipping cream

Step 1. Preheat oven to 375° F.

Step 2. Cream shortening or butter, sugar, and salt together until light and smooth.

Step 3. Add eggs, milk, and baking powder; mix until smooth. Then add flour; stir until combined. Add vanilla, and stir until evenly distributed.

Step 4. Put the batter in a prepared muffin tin. If desired, line the muffin cups with paper liners. (After baking, remove the paper liners prior to assembling the Strawberry Whips.) Fill each muffin cup 3/4th full.

Step 5. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a wooden pick comes out clean. Remove from oven, and allow the muffins to cool.

Step 6. In the meantime, coarsely chop most of the 1-pound of strawberries. (A few medium ones can be reserved for topping the Strawberry Whips. Additional medium strawberries will be needed to get enough strawberries to garnish all the muffins.) Put the chopped strawberries in a bowl and stir in 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar. Allow to sit for 15-30 minutes, so that the juice is drawn out of the strawberries, then slightly mash using a fork. Then, drain the strawberries using a strainer.

Step 7. Also, in the meantime, put the heavy cream in a bowl, and beat until stiff peaks form; then sprinkle the 3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar on top of the whipped cream and beat a little more to combine the sugar with the whipped cream.

Step 8. To serve, remove the center of the muffins by cutting about 1/2-inch from the edge of each muffin. (Cut about 1/2-inch deep.) Remove the top, then scoop the center out of the muffins. Use care when removing the center, so that the muffin’s shell is not torn.

Step 9. Stir the drained strawberries into the whipped cream.

Step 10.  Fill the hollowed-out muffins with the strawberry whipped cream mixture. Heap it up a little so that it nicely tops the muffins. Remove stem and leaves from the medium-sized strawberries, and then press them upside down in the strawberry whipped cream.

http://www.ahundredyearsago.com

Why Is Mace a Less Popular Spice Than It Once Was?

mace on plate with spice jar People often ask me which hundred-year-old recipes are my personal favorites. Well, one of my favorites is Baked Rhubarb with Orange. I first made that recipe in 2013, and have made it at least once (and often two or three times) each year since then. The recipe calls for mace. I recently needed so buy some more mace in order to make the recipe this year – and I had to go to three stores before I found it.

I was surprised how difficult it was to find mace. It is a commonly used spice in hundred-year-old recipes. Then, I realized that I seldom see it called for in modern recipes, so there may not be much demand for it.

Both nutmeg and mace are made from the seeds of the same tree. Nutmeg is the inner part of the seed, while mace is made from the outer membrane that surrounds the seed. Nutmeg has a warm, nutty flavor, while mace has a delicate, more complex flavor with hints of citrus, cinnamon, and pepper. Mace is more concentrated than nutmeg. Nutmeg can be substituted for mace. Happy Spicy Hour recommends substituting nutmeg for mace at a 2 to 1 ratio. For example, if a recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon of mace, use 1 teaspoon nutmeg.

Often when old recipes were tweaked and updated by recipe authors and cooks over the years, nutmeg was substituted for mace. When I made a hundred-year-old recipe for Hermits Cookies, the recipe called for mace. Modern recipes for Hermits generally call for nutmeg.

Baked Rhubarb with Orange in Dish
Baked Rhubarb with Orange

Back to the Baked Rhubarb with Orange — I’m sure that I could have substituted nutmeg for the mace, and would have still loved the recipe; but I’m glad I persevered and found mace. Its bright, delicate flavor works wonderfully when making this delightful dish.

Here are some other hundred-year-old recipes that I’ve made over the years that call for mace:

Pickled Bananas

Ribbon Cake

Honey-Glazed Squash

“Modern” Pound Cake

Old-Fashioned Rhubarb Meringue Pudding

Many fruits and vegetables are available in the dead of winter as a result of amazing modern transportation systems. However, sometimes I get bored with the produce that is available year-round, and crave foods that are available for just a few weeks each year. Rhubarb is one of those foods.

I love the tart, tanginess of rhubarb, and look forward to it each spring. It’s now peak rhubarb season, and I’m enjoying a variety of rhubarb dishes. When I saw a recipe for Rhubarb Pudding with Meringue in a 1926 issue of Good Housekeeping, I immediately knew that I wanted to give it a try.

The Rhubarb Pudding with Meringue was delightful and made a lovely dessert. It is basically a bread pudding topped with stewed rhubarb and meringue.

Rhubarb Pudding with Meringue

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Rhubarb Meringue Pudding
Source: Good Housekeeping (May, 1926)

Borden advertised in Good Housekeeping, and that company’s evaporated milk is specifically listed in the recipe. When I made the recipe, I used evaporated milk and water, though it would work fine to instead use 2 cups of milk.

The recipe calls for stewed rhubarb. During the years when I was posting my grandmother’s diary entries, I posted an old family recipe for stewed rhubarb. I used a reformatted version of that recipe to make the stewed rhubarb.

The ingredient list calls for “1/2 lemon, grated rind.” The directions are unclear, but I interpreted this to mean that the recipe calls for both the juice and grated rind of 1/2 lemon. The recipe directions do not indicate when lemon juice should be added, so I just added it at the same time that I added the lemon rind.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Rhubarb Meringue Pudding

  • Servings: 6 - 8
  • Difficulty: moderate
  • Print

1 cup evaporated milk + 1 cup water (or use 2 cups milk)

1 1/2 cups bread crumbs (tear bread into 1/2-inch pieces)

1/2 cup sugar + 1/4 cup sugar

2 eggs, separated

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon salt

grated rind of 1/2 lemon

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 cup stewed rhubarb (See recipe below – or use left-over stewed rhubarb made using another recipe)

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Step 2. Put the bread crumbs in a bowl, then stir in the evaporated milk and water (or the milk if that is what is being used). Let soak for 5 – 10 minutes.

Step 3. Add 1/2 cup sugar, slightly beaten egg yolks, butter, salt, grated lemon rind, and lemon juice; stir just enough to evenly disperse the ingredients.

Step 4. Put the bread pudding mixture into a 9-inch by 9-inch (or similar-sized) baking dish.

Step 5. Put in oven and bake until firm in the center and lightly browned (about 1  hour – 1 hour 15 minutes).  Remove from oven.

Step 6. In the meantime, make the stewed rhubarb (see recipe below), or use left-over stewed rhubarb made using another recipe.

Step 7. Also, in the meantime, make the meringue. Place egg whites in a bowl, then  beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Gradually add the 1/4  cup of sugar while continuing to beat.

Step 8. Spread the stewed rhubarb on top of the baked bread pudding, then spoon the meringue on top and swirl decoratively. Reduce oven temperature to 325° F. Return dish to oven and cook for an additional 12-15 minutes or until the meringue is lightly browned. Can be served hot or cold.

Stewed Rhubarb

This recipe makes approximately 1 cup of stewed rhubarb.

2 cups rhubarb (cut into 3/4 inch pieces)

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1/2 teaspoon salt

Step 1. Mix all of the ingredients together in a saucepan.

Step 2. Using medium heat, heat to boiling, then reduce temperature and simmer until tender (about 5 minutes); stir occasionally. Remove from heat.

http://www.ahundredyearsago.com

A Salad a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

salad in bowls
Source: Mrs. Peterson’s Simplified Cooking (1926)

I always heard the old saying that an apple a day keeps that doctor away, so I was surprised to see a “new’ version of the saying in a hundred-year-old cookbook. According to the cookbook, “a salad a day keeps the doctor away.”

Salads

Salad is to the human being what sunshine and air is to the plant. Just as the plant draws its color and freshness from the earth, so do you and I get the color in our cheeks and brightness in our eyes from the plants we eat. The very best way to get all of the good of the plant is to eat it in its crisp, delicious raw state.

Whenever it is possible, I do not remove the skin from the plants or fruits used in a salad, for the mineral salts and vitamins lie close to the skin and we cannot afford to miss them. I simply wash the vegetable or fruit very clean and chop it fine. The skin too often adds an attractive color which gives pleasure, as does the red skin of an apple.

The new adage says, “A salad a day keeps the doctor away.”

Mrs. Peterson’s Simplified Cooking (1926)

Apples. . . salads. . . perhaps the bottom line is that healthy eating keeps the doctor away.

Old-Fashioned Eggs Beauregard

Eggs Beauregard in baking dish

Many recipes evolve across the years. Eggs Beauregard is a recipe that has changed. According to Wikipedia, it historically was hard boiled eggs in a cream sauce, while it now is generally a dish containing biscuits with gravy, fried eggs, and sausage. However, the recipe for Eggs Beauregard that I found in a hundred-year-old cookbook is made by putting spinach in a cream sauce, adding eggs, and then topping it with cheese.Eggs Beauregard on Toast

I don’t know why the old recipe I found is different from the Wikipedia descriptions of both the old and modern versions of Eggs Beauregard, but I’m glad I made this recipe. It’s a keeper. It’s tasty, and makes a beautiful breakfast or brunch dish.

My husband said that I should make Eggs Beauregard again, which is a high compliment from him.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Eggs Beauregard
Source: Mrs. Peterson’s Simplified Cooking (1926)

When I made this recipe, I assumed that it called for 2 cups of cooked spinach. A 9-ounce bag of fresh spinach makes about 2 cups of cooked spinach. (Frozen or canned spinach could also be used.) It is important to heat whichever type of spinach is used; otherwise, this dish would need to be baked for more than 20 minutes.

The recipe doesn’t call for salt and pepper, but I sprinkled a little on the eggs since eggs are often topped with salt and pepper.

I did not want the eggs to spread out over the spinach, so for each egg, I pushed the spinach aside to make a hole. I used canning jar rings to keep the hole open until I put the egg in it. Once I placed the eggs in the holes, I removed the rings.

Making Eggs Beauregard

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Eggs Beauregard

  • Servings: 2 - 4
  • Difficulty: moderate
  • Print

2 cups cooked spinach, chopped (A 9-ounce bag of spinach makes about 2 cups when cooked.  Frozen or canned spinach could also be used.)

1 tablespoon butter

3/4 tablespoon flour

1 cup milk

4 eggs

salt and pepper

1/2 cup grated cheese

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Step 2. If using fresh spinach, wash and chop; then put in a pan with the water that is clinging to the spinach. Using medium heat, cook until the spinach wilts. (If using frozen or canned spinach, heat the spinach.) Remove from heat; and, if needed, drain to remove excess liquid.

Step 3. In the meantime, in another pan, using medium heat, melt  butter, then stir in the flour. Gradually, add the milk while stirring constantly. Continue stirring until the white sauce begins to thicken.

Step 4. Stir the white sauce into the spinach.

Step 5. Put the spinach mixture in a flat baking dish. (A 9 inch by 9 inch works well.)

Step 6. Make four holes in the spinach where the eggs can be placed, then put an egg in each hole. (I used canning jar rings to keep the holes open. Once the eggs were placed in the holes, I removed the rings.) Sprinkle salt and pepper on each egg.

Step 7. Sprinkle with grated cheese, then bake in the oven until the egg whites are opaque and set (about 20 minutes). Remove from oven and serve.

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