Old-fashioned Creamed Tuna Fish

At my house all the holiday baking is done (and has been consumed), and I’m ready to put up my feet and relax. To me this means that it’s time to make simple, basic, comfort foods like Creamed Tuna Fish.

The hundred-year-old recipe that I found for Creamed Tuna Fish only had two ingredients: tuna fish and white sauce. My updated version has four since I listed the ingredients in the white sauce.

Here’s the original recipe:

Source: The Housewife’s Cook Book by Lilla Frich (1917)

Creamed Tuna Fish is wonderful when served on toast, and it hits the spot after all the heavy holiday meals.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Creamed Tuna Fish

Servings: 2 - 3
Time: 15 minutes
Difficulty: easy
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1 can tuna

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup milk

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir the flour into the butter. While stirring constantly, slowly pour in milk and bring to a boil over medium heat. If mixture is too thick, add a little more milk. Stir in the tuna and bring back to a boil; remove from heat. Serve over toast, biscuits, rice, etc.

1917 Pictures of Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen

Source: Good Housekeeping (December, 1917)

Good Housekeeping magazine has had test kitchens where recipes are tested for at least a hundred years. Here are two 1917 photos of the Good Housekeeping test kitchen.

Caption: This is a view of Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen where all recipes appearing in Good Housekeeping, both on these pages and elsewhere in the magazine, are actually tried out. Here also are all sorts of kitchen utensils and appliances are give a thorough test under conditions identical with those in the average house. (Good Housekeeping, December, 1917)

Old-fashioned Potato Croquettes

Christmas isn’t even here yet, but I’m already worrying about leftovers. I justify this to myself by saying that I like to plan ahead, but maybe I should be enjoying the moment.

In any case, I ALWAYS have leftover mashed potatoes after holiday meals, so I was thrilled to find a hundred-year-old recipe for Potato Croquettes that calls for mashed potatoes. The Potato Croquettes had a crispy crust filled with a delightful spicy mashed potato mixture flavored with paprika, cayenne pepper, celery salt, parsley, and onion.

Here’s the original recipe:

And, here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Potato Croquettes

Servings: 3-4
Time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: moderate
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2 cups hot mashed potatoes (If they are cold, they can be reheated in the microwave.)

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/8 teaspoon cayenne (red) pepper

1/8 teaspoon celery salt

2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

2 egg yolks

1 tablespoon onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup flour

1 egg, beaten

1 cup fine bread crumbs

approximately 1/2 cup shortening

Mix together the potatoes, butter, salt, paprika, cayenne pepper, celery salt, parsley, egg yolks, and minced onion. Shape into 1-inch balls; then roll in flour, dip in beaten egg, and finally roll in bread crumbs. (If the potato mixture is sticky – and not very firm, skip dipping in the egg.)

Place the shortening into a frying pan, and heat until hot. (There should be about 1/2 inch of melted shortening. Add more if needed.) Drop balls into the hot shortening, then gently roll the balls with a fork until all sides are a light brown. Remove from heat and drain on paper towels.

When I made the recipe I used 1/2 teaspoon of salt rather than the 1 teaspoon called for in the original recipe. I also used chopped onion rather than onion juice. The recipe turned out fine with these substitutions.

1917 Baker’s Cocoa Advertisement

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

This is the third year that I’ve posted Baker’s Cocoa advertisements that were on the back cover of the hundred-year-old December issue of Good Housekeeping magazine. The 1915 and 1916 advertisements were much warmer and fuzzier than the 1917 one. By 1917, World War I was raging, and the advertisement reflected the nation’s focus on the soldiers who were fighting in the war.

Hundred-Year-Old “New” Scalloped Oysters Recipe

Scalloped Oysters are a classic holiday dish, so I was curious when I saw a hundred-year-old recipe for “new” Scalloped Oysters, that called for tomatoes and corn in addition to the usual bread or cracker crumbs.

The old, “new” twist adds interest to this traditional dish. “New” Scalloped Oysters were colorful, flavorful, and easy to make.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

'New' Scalloped Oysters

Servings: 2-3
Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: easy
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1 1/2 cups dried bread crumbs or cracker crumbs (I used bread crumbs.)

4 tablespoons butter

1/2 pint shucked oysters (drain-though it’s okay if there is still some liquid clinging to the oysters.)

1/2 cup stewed or canned tomatoes

2/3 cup corn (if using frozen corn, cook and drain)

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter 1-quart casserole dish. Put 1/3 of crumbs in bottom of dish. Lay 1/2 of the oysters on crumbs, sprinkle with salt and pepper and dot with small pieces of 1 tablespoon of butter. Add layers of tomatoes and corn, using 1/2 of each. Repeat with layers of bread crumbs, oysters (sprinkled with salt and pepper and dotted with 1 tablespoon of butter), tomatoes, and corn.

In the meantime, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a small skillet. Gently stir in the remaining 1/2 cup crumbs; continue gently stirring until the bread crumbs are coated with melted butter. Remove from heat. Put the buttered crumbs on top of the previously assembled layers in the casserole dish. Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Hundred-Year-Old Directions on How to Mail Christmas Cookies

Caption: Pack the cookies in a tin box lined with paraffin paper. Put the cookies in as snugly as possible with crumpled bits of paraffin paper to fill up every nook and corner and every crevice between the uneven cakes. (Source: Good Housekeeping, December, 1917)

Are you thinking about sending cookies to family members or friends this holiday season? If so, you might find this hundred-year-old advice on mailing cookies helpful.

Caption: Lay a piece of thin cardboard between each layer of cakes, and in addition put crosswise pieces of the same cardboard between the rows of cakes. In the way fine candies are packed. Over the top put a thick layer of shredded tissue paper such as is used to pack china.

Caption: Wrap the box first in corrugated pasteboard; wrap in both directions thoroughly so as to save the contents every jolt. Over this wrap heavy paper. Put “Christmas Mail” conspicuously on address side.

Hundred-year-old Panocha Recipe

When it comes to holiday cooking at my house, old-fashioned candies are a “must make,” so I was thrilled to find a hundred-year-old Panocha recipe.

Panocha is a delightful old-fashioned brown sugar fudge with the typical walnuts.

Sometimes I have issues with fudge, but this recipe was quick and easy to make. The Panocha was creamy with a nice caramel flavor,

Here is the original recipe:

Source: The Text-book of Cooking (1915) by Carlotta Greer

And, here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Panocha

Servings: 20-25 pieces
Time: 25 minutes
Difficulty: moderate
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2 cups light brown sugar

½ cup milk

½ teaspoon cream of tartar

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup walnuts, chopped

Combine brown sugar and milk in saucepan; add cream of tartar and stir. Continue stirring while heating over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Quit stirring and bring to a slow boil. Reduce heat to low and continue boiling (without stirring) until candy reaches the soft ball stage (235-240 degrees F.) (about 10-15 minutes). Stir in butter and remove from heat, beat until the mixture thickens. Stir in walnuts. Pour into a buttered 8 X 8 inch pan. When cool, cut into pieces.