Old-Fashioned Banana and Nut Salad

Banana and Nut Salad on plate

I was intrigued by a hundred-year-old recipe for Banana and Nut Salad, so decided to give it a try. This recipe was quick and easy to make. Just quarter a banana and roll in finely chopped nuts. The old recipe said to serve on a lettuce leaf and garnish with mayonnaise.

The Banana and Nut Salad was lovely, but I’d definitely skip the mayonnaise if I made this recipe again.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Banana and Nut Salad — Source: The New Butterick Cook Book

When I was cutting the bananas lengthwise, I accidently broke one of the banana halves into two – but I was pleasantly surprised how much better the presentation looked with the broken banana half, than with the whole half. So I adapted the recipe to indicate that the banana should be quartered.

I put mayonnaise on the Banana and Nut Salad. I didn’t try boiled dressing, and I didn’t try mixing whipped cream with mayonnaise. It seemed like mixing whipped cream and mayonnaise could potentially ruin some perfectly good whipped cream. However, just using whipped cream with no mayonnaise might be a nice addition.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Banana and Nut Salad

Servings: 6 (1/2 banana per serving)
Time: 15 minutes
Difficulty: easy
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3 bananas

1/2 cup finely chopped nuts (I used pecans.)

lettuce, optional

1/2 cup mayonnaise, optional

Peel bananas and cut each into two lengthwise, then cut each piece again to quarter. Roll each piece in the finely chopped nuts. If desired, place on lettuce leaves and garnish with mayonnaise.

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“Cry Babies” Cookies

"Cry Babies" Cookies Sometimes old recipes have really fun, descriptive names. When I saw a recipe in a hundred-year-year old cookbook for “Cry Baby” cookies, I just knew that I needed to give it a try.

The cookies are an old-fashioned drop cookie with molasses and spices – and lots of raisins and nuts. They were lovely – and I can see why children would “cry” for them. These cookies would be a perfect addition to a child’s (or adult’s) packed lunch.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for "Cry Babies" Cookies — Source: The New Home Cook Book, 1924 Edition (Published by the Illinois State Register, Springfield, IL)

This recipe makes a lot of cookies – probably about 100 cookies. Most modern cookie recipes don’t make that many cookies, so I updated the recipe to make 1/2 of the old recipe.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

'Cry Babies' Cookies

Servings: approximately 50
Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: easy
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1/2 cup hot coffee

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup molasses

1/2 cup shortening

1 egg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

dash salt

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 375° F. Dissolve the baking soda in the hot coffee.

Put sugar, molasses, shortening, egg, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and the coffee with baking soda in a large mixing bowl; beat until combined. Add flour, and stir until combined and smooth. Add raisins and walnuts; stir to distribute throughout the dough. Drop heaping teaspoons about 2 inches apart on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned.

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Old-Fashioned Corn Beef with Vegetables

Corn Beef with Vegetables on plate

March is the perfect time for corned beef so I was excited when I found a hundred-year-old recipe for Corn Beef with Vegetables. (Is it “corned beef” or “corn beef”? I’ve always called it “corned beef” but the old recipe says “corn beef.”

The recipe called lots of root vegetables – rutabaga, turnips, and carrots – as well as cabbage and onions.

The Corn Beef with Vegetables was delightful. The briny saltiness of the corn beef combined nicely with the earthiness of the root vegetables and the subtle buttery sweetness of the cabbage.

Here’s the original recipe:

Corn Beef with Vegetables recipe — Source: Low Cost Cooking (1924) by Florence Nesbitt

This recipe makes a lot of vegetables and a relatively small amount of corn beef. (I got this recipe from a cookbook called Low Cost Cooking, so that probably explains why the recipe called for relatively little meat). I made this recipe using a 2-pound corn beef brisket as called for in the recipe. In hindsight, I wish that I’d used a larger piece of meat, so I updated the recipe to allow for the use of a larger piece of corn beef brisket if desired.

About half an hour before I wanted to serve, I put the rutabaga, turnips, and carrots into the Dutch oven without removing the meat. After about 20 minutes I removed the meat and added the cabbage and onions for the last 10 minutes. By doing it this way, I didn’t need to worry about the meat getting cold before serving.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Corn Beef with Vegetables

Servings: 4 - 8
Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
Difficulty: moderate
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1 corn beef brisket (2 – 5 pounds)

1/2 pound rutabaga (about 1/2 of a medium-sized rutabaga), peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 pound turnips (about 2 medium turnips), peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch piece

1 pound carrots (about 5 medium carrots), peeled and each cut into 2-3 inch pieces

1/2 pound cabbage (about 1/2 medium cabbage), cut into wedges about 2 inches wide

1 large onion, sliced

Put the corn beef in a Dutch oven and cover with water. Bring to a boil on high heat. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 2 1/2- 3 hours (More time is needed for a larger piece of meat.) Add rutabaga, turnip, and carrot pieces. Simmer for an additional 20 minutes. Remove meat from the Dutch oven, and add onion slices and cabbage wedges. Cook another ten minutes. Drain water.

Slice the corn beef and arrange with the cooked vegetables on serving plate.

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Old-Fashioned Cherry Toast

Cherry Toast

I’m always looking for interesting breakfast foods, so was intrigued by a hundred-year-old recipe for Cherry Toast. This is basically is French Toast topped with a cherry sauce. The recipe turned out well – though the sauce seemed different from modern French Toast toppings. The sauce soaks into the toast for old-fashioned goodness and texture.

Here’s the original recipe:

Something is off with the number of slices of bread in this recipe. It calls for 16 slices of bread, but 1 egg plus 1/2 cup of milk is not nearly enough liquid to dip that many slices of bread into. When I made this recipe, it was enough liquid for 4 slices of bread. The recipe as written makes an appropriate amount of sauce for 4 slices.

I decided to use tart canned cherries (like the ones I use to make a pie) rather than sweet ones. The can I bought contained cherries canned in water, so I added 1/4 cup sugar to the sauce to make it a little sweeter.

When I made the sauce, I approached the process similarly to how I make white sauce, which is a slightly different process than described in the original recipe. I melted the butter in a saucepan, then stirred in the flour. I gradually added the cherry juice while stirring constantly, then stirred in the cherries.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Cherry Toast

Servings: 2-4
Time: 15 minutes
Difficulty: moderate
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1 egg

1/2 cup milk

4 slices bread

1 can (approximately 14.5 ounce) tart cherries including both cherries and juice

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons flour

approximately 1/4 cup sugar (optional)

Beat the egg, then add the milk; beat until mixed together. Dip the slices of bread in the egg and milk mixture, then brown both sides on a hot griddle.

In the meantime, melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in the flour, then gradually add the cherry juice while stirring constantly. Stir in the cherries. Continue heating and stirring until the mixture boils. If the cherries were canned in water (rather than a sugar syrup), add sugar to taste. Remove from heat.

To serve, spoon the cherry sauce over the browned bread slices.

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Lemon Citron Cake

This week I decided to make a hundred-year-old recipe for Lemon Citron Cake. I can already sense your questions. Why make this cake in February? Isn’t citron a holiday fruitcake ingredient that is usually only available in stores in December?

Well . . . let me explain.

Do you ever have ingredients left over after completing holiday baking, and don’t know how you’ll ever use them? Well, that’s how I felt about some citron that was still lingering in one of my kitchen cabinets. I thought that I might have to throw it out; but, then I happened across a recipe for Lemon Citron Cake in a hundred-year-old cookbook and decided to give it a try.

The cake was delightful. It had a lovely, light texture and a sunny citrus flavor. The original recipe didn’t indicate whether the cake should be iced. I decided to put a light lemon glaze on it, which worked well with the citron. Citron is too tasty to be relegated to just the winter holidays. Assuming you can find the citron, this cake would be lovely during any season.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Lemon Citron Cake — Source: The Whys of Cooking by Janet Mckenzie Hill (1924)

It seemed unusual that this recipe called for two egg yolks and three egg whites, so I decided that maybe there was a typo and used three egg yolks. It worked fine. I’m also not sure why the recipe called for creaming some of the sugar with the Crisco shortening and the remainder with the egg yolks, and then combining. I just put them all in the mixing bowl.

Any shortening will work for this recipe so I didn’t specify a brand. Additionally, I gently stirred the citron into the cake batter after all the other ingredients had been combined rather then adding pieces of citron “here and there” as the batter was being poured into the pan.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Lemon Citron Cake

Servings: 8 - 10
Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: moderate
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3 eggs, separated

1/2 cup shortening

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup milk

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons baking powder

grated rind, 1/2 lemon

2 ounces citron (about 1/4 cup)

Preheat oven to 350° F. Put egg whites in a medium mixing bowl and beat until stiff. Set aside.

Put the shortening, egg yolks, and sugar in a mixing bowl; beat until smooth. Add milk, flour, baking powder, and salt; beat to combine. Gently fold in the egg whites, then gently stir in the grated lemon rind and citron. Spoon the batter into an ungreased tube pan with removable bottom (angel food cake pan). Bake for 45 minutes or until the cake is lightly browned and the top springs back when lightly touched.

If desired, glaze with a thin icing made with melted butter, confectioners sugar, and lemon juice.

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Old-Fashioned Creamed Rutabaga

Creamed Rutabaga

I love to browse when I’m in the produce section of the supermarket. There are so many interesting vegetables and fruits. But after looking at them, I typically select the same old, same old – lettuce, potatoes, bananas, apples, and other items that I buy almost every week. One vegetable I almost never purchase is rutabaga. But when I saw a recipe for Creamed Rutabaga in a hundred-year-old cookbook, I decided it was time to give it a try.

The Creamed Rutabaga was lovely. The rutabaga tasted like a cross between turnips and carrots.

The cookbook that I got the recipe out of is called Low Cost Cooking. The author noted that rutabagas cost about 4 cents per pound. The one I bought weighed about 2 pounds and cost $1.99 per pound – which isn’t cheap, but I guess that it is a reasonable price for a fresh vegetable. I only used about half of it when making this recipe, so I’ll need to either find another rutabaga recipe or, more likely, I’ll make this dish again.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Creamed Rutabaga — Source: Low Cost Cooking by Florence Nesbitt (1924)

The recipe says that the cooked rutabaga chunks could be put into a white sauce which would be made using butter and milk, or that that the sauce could be made using water and milk (and skipping the butter). This reminds me that the cookbook is all about how to prepare inexpensive meals, and this probably was seen as a cost saver.

This recipe calls for a whole rutabaga, as well as for three cups of white sauce. Rutabagas are large- and this would be a lot, so I used half a rutabaga and made about of 1 cup of white sauce. (I decided not to go with the low cost water and milk option for the sauce.)

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Creamed Rutabaga

Servings: 2 - 3
Time: 45 minutes
Difficulty: moderate
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2 cups chunks of rutabaga (about 1/2 of a medium rutabaga; chunks should be about 1/4 inch thick, 1/4 inch wide, and 1/2 inch long)

1 teaspoon salt +1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon flour

dash pepper

1 cup milk

Put rutabaga chunks in a saucepan and cover with water. Add 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil using high heat, then reduce heat and simmer until the rutabaga is tender (about 30-40 minutes). Remove from heat and drain.

In the meantime, in another pan, using medium heat, melt butter, then stir in the flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Gradually, add the milk while stirring constantly. Continue stirring until the white sauce begins to thicken. Add the cooked rutabaga chunks and stir gently. Remove from heat and serve.

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Boston Roast Recipe

Boston Roast

A week or so I did a post on 1924 meatless menus that included menus for five meals. One of those menus included a dish called Boston Roast.

Several readers made comments about Boston Roast. A couple wondered what it was; another did an online search and found a recipe for Boston Roast and discovered that it was made using kidney beans, and still another noted that Boston is sometimes called “Bean Town” so it was made sense that the dish was called “Boston Roast.”

I’d found the meatless menus in a hundred-year-old cookbook. After getting all the comments about Boston Roast, I looked at the book’s table of contents and found the recipe for Boston Roast. The recipe called for kidney beans, grated cheese, onions, bread crumbs (cubes), chopped onions, and milk. The recipe also noted that “this is a good meat substitute.”

The recipe turned out well – though it had a slight tendency to fall apart when I sliced it. The kidney beans were the predominant flavor.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Boston Roast — Source: The New Butterick Cook Book (1924)

I used canned kidney beans rather than dried ones. The recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of dried kidney beans which is the equivalent of 3 1-pound cans of kidney beans. I didn’t use the 3 tablespoons of salt since I didn’t cook dried beans in salted water. Instead I just used 1 teaspoon of salt which I mixed in the with other ingredients.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Boston Roast

Servings: 6 - 8
Time: 55 minutes
Difficulty: moderate
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3 1-pound cans kidney beans

1 1/2 cups grated cheese (I used cheddar cheese.)

2 tablespoons onions, chopped

1 cup bread cubes (coarse bread crumbs)

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon salt

melted butter

hot water

Preheat oven to 375° F. Drain kidney beans and then chop. (A food processor or blender can be used to chop the kidney beans.) Put the chopped beans in a mixing bowl and add the cheese, onions, bread cubes, milk, and salt. Stir until thoroughly combined. Shape into a loaf (or put into a loaf pan) and put in the oven. Bake for 40 minutes. If the top seems dry while baking, baste with melted butter and water.

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