Ghirardelli’s Chocolate has apparently been around for more than a hundred years.
1922 Ghirardelli’s Ground Chocolate Advertisement
Eggs and Mushrooms on Toast
I recently came across a recipe for Eggs and Mushrooms in a hundred-year-old cookbook. The Eggs and Mushrooms are served on toast.
The recipe was quick and easy to make – though I found the Eggs and Mushrooms to be a little bland.
Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:
Eggs and Mushrooms
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 cup mushrooms, sliced (or 1 8-ounce can of mushrooms)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
4 eggs
4 slices toast
Put tomato sauce and mushrooms in a skillet. Using medium heat, heat until hot and bubbly, and the mushrooms are tender. Add salt and Worcestershire sauce.
Break eggs into a bowl, and then slip into the hot tomato and mushroom mixture. Break yolks and stir gently until the mixture thickens. Serve on toast.
Hundred-year-old Cookbook Poems
Every church and community cookbook is unique, and contains many clues about the characteristics of those who compiled the cookbook. I recently came across a hundred-year-old cookbook called the Cement City Cook Book that included fun poems in chapter headings. It was compiled by the First Baptish Church, Alpena, Michigan.
Old-fashioned Rice Ressetto (Risotto?)
I occasionally see recipes in hundred-year-old cookbooks where the name of the recipe doesn’t seem quite right – and I think that either the spelling of the name has changed across the years, the recipe author didn’t know how to spell, or that there was a typo. This is one of the times. The recipe is for Rice Ressetto, but I think that it is really a tomato risotto recipe.
This dish contained rice, tomatoes, and green peppers. It turned out okay, but was much less spicy than similar recipes typically would be today.
I’m not sure how Spanish sweet pepper differs from green pepper, so I only used green pepper when I made the recipe. The ratio of rice to water is less than typical for cooking rice which means that the rice was still semi-firm when prepared. It was quite dry, and did not need to be drained. This semi-cooked rice then absorbed juice from the tomatoes and softened while baking.
Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:
Rice Ressetto (Risotto)
1 cup rice
1 cup water
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 pint tomatoes, diced (14.5 ounce can)
1 medium green pepper, chopped
Preheat oven to 350° F. Put water in a large saucepan; bring to boil. Stir in rice, butter, salt, and pepper, then put cover on pan and reduce heat to low. Cook for five minutes, then turn off heat. Let rice sit for at least 10 minutes. (The rice will still be somewhat firm.) In the meantime put the tomatoes and green pepper in another saucepan. Heat until hot and bubbly, then stir in the rice. Put into a casserole dish and cover. Heat in the oven for 20 minutes, then remove and serve.
1922 Kitchen Cabinet Advertisement
I love this 1922 advertisement. I want my kitchen work to be a pleasure. Maybe I need to buy some new kitchen cabinets (and, while I’m at it, maybe I should throw in a new linoleum floor).
Old-fashioned Chives Salad Dressing
I’m always looking for recipes for healthy, easy-to-make homemade salad dressing, so was pleased to find a recipe for Chives Salad Dressing in a hundred-year-old cookbook.
Chives Salad Dressing was a lovely vinaigrette with chopped chives and chopped hard-boiled egg.
Here’s the original recipe:
I used olive oil when I made this dressing.
Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:
Chives Salad Dressing
3 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1 tablespoon chives, finely chopped
1 hard-boiled egg, finely chopped
Put vegetable oil or olive oil, vinegar, salt, paprika, and white pepper in a small bowl; stir to combine. Add chives and chopped egg. Serve on tomato, lettuce, or other similar salads.
1922 Jell-o Advertisement
I often hear parents say they are their children’s best teachers. I guess that sentiment has been around for at least a hundred years (and probably a lot longer than that).
