Hundred-year-old Recipe for Macaroni with Cheese

Macaroni and Cheese

Macaroni and Cheese is a wonderful comfort food – and it seems more popular than even. Kids love it, and it’s also often on the menu at very fancy restaurants. So when I saw a recipe in a hundred-year-old cookbook for Macaroni with Cheese, I decided to give it a try. The process for making the Macaroni with Cheese was a little different from the modern way of making the dish. The old recipe called for putting layers of bread crumbs (small pieces of torn bread), macaroni, and cheese into a casserole dish. Thin cream (half and half) is then poured over the layers. The dish is then baked until the bread crumbs are lightly browned. 

The Macaroni with Cheese turned out nicely, and was very tasty. The bread crumb layers blended nicely with the macaroni and cheese, and I couldn’t identify separate layers in the finished dish. It just seemed like a typical Macaroni and Cheese. 

Here is the original recipe:

Recipe for Macaroni and Cheese
Source: Good Housekeeping’s Book of Menus, Recipes, and Household Discoveries (1922)

Apparently macaroni was different a hundred years ago from what it is now. The recipe calls for breaking the macaroni into inch pieces. Today, it is already cut into pieces that are about an inch long.  

When I read this recipe I wasn’t clear whether the three teaspoons of salt went into the water that the macaroni was boiled in, or if it was sprinkled on the layers of macaroni in the casserole dish. In any case, it seemed like a lot of salt, so I instead cooked the macaroni in water that contained 1 teaspoon salt, and just sprinkled a little salt on the layers in the dish. 

450° F. seemed like a very high temperature to bake this dish, but it worked. The Macaroni with Cheese cooked very quickly at this temperature. 

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Macaroni with Cheese

  • Servings: 5 - 7
  • Difficulty: moderate
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3 cups macaroni

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup grated cheese (I used cheddar.)

2 slices bread torn into very small pieces (about 1 cup of bread pieces)

1/4 cup butter

1 cup half and half

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450° F. Put water and 1 teaspoon salt into a large saucepan, and bring to a boil using high heat. Add macaroni, and reduce heat so that the water gently simmers. Cook the macaroni until al dente, then drain and rinse with cold water. 

Cover the bottom of a buttered 2-quart casserole dish with 1/4 of the bread crumbs. Add a layer with 1/3 of the macaroni. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the grated cheese; then sprinkle with salt and pepper, and dot with bits of the butter. Repeat the layers, ending with a layer of bread crumbs. 

Pour the cream over the top of the layers. Put in oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the bread crumbs are lightly browned and the mixture is hot and bubbly.   

http://www.ahundredyearsago.com

Old-fashioned Oat Macaroons

oat macaroons on baking sheet

I’m always looking for cookie recipes that are both easy to make and tasty, so when I saw a recipe for Oat Macaroons in a hundred-year-old cookbook, I decided to give it a try.

The Oat Macaroons contain oatmeal and coconut. They are light and tasty with just the right amount of sweetness. An added bonus is that they are gluten free. This recipe is a winner and I plan to make it again. The would be a wonderful addition to a holiday cookie tray.

Recipe for Oat Macaroons
Good Housekeeping’s Book of Menus, Recipes, and Household Discoveries (1922)

I used butter instead of melted shortening when I made this recipe, and I used quick minute (oatmeal) for the rolled oats.  I also did not mix in order given. I thought that it would be difficult to get the salt, vanilla, cornstarch, and baking powder evenly distributed in the cookie dough if added at the end, so I stirred those ingredients in prior to adding the oatmeal and coconut.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Oat Macaroons

  • Servings: about 30 cookies
  • Difficulty: moderate
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2 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon butter, melted

2 cups quick (1 minute) oatmeal

1 cup flake coconut

Preheat oven to 350° F.  Put the eggs, sugar, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and vanilla  in a mixing bowl; stir. Add melted butter and stir until smooth. Add oatmeal and coconut; stir until combined. Drop heaping teaspoons of the dough on greased baking sheet. As needed, gently press the dough together to create a firm dropped cookie. Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven, wait minute and then remove from baking sheet to wire rack for further cooling.

http://www.ahundredyearsago.com

Old-fashioned Brussels Sprouts with Cream Sauce

Brussels Sprouts with Cream Sauce in Dish

I often hear friends say that they hated the boiled Brussels sprouts their mother made, but that they now love roasted Brussels sprouts. But I must admit that personally I liked those Brussels sprouts of lore, so was intrigued when I saw a hundred-year-old recipe for Brussels Sprouts with Cream Sauce.

I was pleased with how the recipe turned out. The recipe called for cooking the Brussels Sprouts for 15 minutes, so they were more tender and less crunchy than roasted ones – but I liked them. And, they were lovely when served in a cream sauce.

An aside: One reason Brussels sprouts taste different now than in the past is because of changed cooking methods. Another reason is that plant breeders have developed modern varieties of Brussels sprouts that are less bitter than the old-time varieties.

Here’s the original recipe:

Brussels Sprouts with Cream

Recipe for Brussels Sprouts with Cream
Source: American Cookery (December, 1922)

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Brussels Sprouts

  • Servings: 5 - 7
  • Difficulty: moderate
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1 quart (about 2 pounds) Brussels sprouts

2 quarts water

1 teaspoon salt +1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup half and half (or use milk for a lighter sauce)

Wash Brussels sprouts, cut off stems, and remove any wilted leaves. Put into a large saucepan. Cover with the water; add 1 teaspoon salt.  Bring to a boil using high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until the Brussels sprouts are tender, then drain.

In the meantime, in another saucepan, using medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter; stir in the flour, pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Gradually, add the half and half while stirring constantly. Continue stirring until the Cream Sauce thickens. Remove from heat.

To serve: Pour the Cream Sauce over the cooked Brussels sprouts; stir gently to coat the Brussels sprouts with the sauce. Put in bowl and serve.

http://www.ahundredyearsago.com

Old-fashioned Celery Dressing

Celery Dressing in Bowl

Dressing (or stuffing as I often call it) is one of my favorite parts of the Thanksgiving meal, so when I came across a hundred-year-old recipe for Celery Dressing I decided to give it a try. This recipe makes a bread dressing that is embedded with lots of celery, and is nicely seasoned with sage.

Here’s the original recipe:

Source: Mrs. DeGraf’s Cook Book (1922)

Most times when I make hundred-year-old recipes, I try to follow the recipe as closely as I can, but with this recipe I ended up making several adaptations. When I updated the recipe, I quadrupled it.  The original recipe didn’t make much stuffing.

I used 1-inch soft bread pieces rather than dried bread crumbs.  This recipe called for an awfully lot of butter (3/4 cup of butter for every 2 cups of bread crumbs), so I reduced the amount when updating the recipe. Maybe the very large amount of butter would work if I’d used dried bread crumbs – but even then it seems like it would be too much.

Finally, I didn’t have any onion juice, so instead of using the juice, I used finely chopped onions.

This dressing can be stuffed into a turkey. Addiitonal adaptations may need to be made (such as addiing both or other liquid) if cooked in a casserole dish.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Celery Dressing

  • Servings: 6-8
  • Difficulty: moderate
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This recipe makes enough for a 9-10 pound turkey.

8 cups 1-inch pieces of bread or bread cubes (I tore bread into small pieces.)

1 cup butter

4 cups chopped celery

4 teaspoons onion juice or 1/2 cup finely chopped onions

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 teaspoons ground sage

Melt butter in a skillet, stir in the celery (and chopped onions, if used). Sauté for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the salt, pepper, and sage (and onion juice, if used). Pour over the bread pieces and stir to combine. Stuff turkey with the dressing, then roast turkey.

http://www.ahundredyearsago.com