Depression Era recipes..(and others like it)

[mickistoy]

Quote:
pigs in a blanket!!!!

havent had these in forever....come to think of it i am not sure if my 2 boys have ever had these!

i must right this injustice ASAP! ( putting on cape and flying into kitchen to cook)

 

[gardendufus]

OK lets see if anyone else has some different recipes. Here's my contribution. In the 50's my grandmother made this. She never measured anything, but this is as close as I can get:

Eggless, Milkless, Butterless Cake

1/2 tsp each: cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg & salt
2 Tbsp Crisco
1 C Sugar
1 C Raisins
1 1/2 C Water
1 tsp Baking Soda
2 C Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder

In a saucepan combine spices, Crisco, sugar, raisins and water. Bring to a boil and boil 5 minutes or so. Set to the side and let cool to lukewarm.
Sift the dry ingred together and then stir into the raisin mixture.

Pour into 8" (or 9") greased & floured cake pan. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. This should end up very moist and heavy.

We never iced this but it might be OK with a powdered sugar glaze.

 

[galanie]

Just a note about the original recipe on this thread for the Mock Apple Pie: You don't have to use Ritz, any saltines will do it. People got to thinking you had to use Ritz because it was on their box years ago. But any saltines will make a good tasting mock apple pie!

 

[DaikaijuTorira]

During the depression my grandma raised rabbits for meat. She also had apple trees, raspberry bushes and a huge garden. She made raspberry preserves and baked lots of apple crisp.


Here is one recipe that claims to be depression era. Sounds close to what grandma made.
http://www.grouprecipes.com/82524/depression-era-apple-candy-pie.html

Apple Crisp, I've seen several variations on that recipe. Here's one from my MIL's recipe box, we make it at least once or twice a year.

1/4lb butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup oatmeal
peeled and sliced apples

Sprinkle apples with sugar and cinnamon if tart, place in deep baking dish. In a separate bowl, melt butter, stir in brown sugar. Mix in oatmeal. Press the oatmeal mixture on top of the apples. Bake at 350F for about 45 minutes.

The amount of apples isn't specified, we usually fill the baking dish as we slice, sprinkling cinnamon between layers of apple slices, until it's almost full and then press on the topping. You can also sprinkle on the topping for a slightly different texture. I'm not really fond of overly sweet dishes and tend to add in more oatmeal than it calls for, even sprinkling some down in with the apples. It soaks up the juice that cooks out of the apples and gets a really nice flavor. The recipe also works well for peaches and pears, if canned, drain the juice and set aside for something else, or drink it.

I'm loving the recipes here, many remind me of the food we ate when I was growing up. A special thank you for the mock apple pie, a while back we ended up with an over-abundance of crackers that were stale. I thought of that pie to try and use some of them up but couldn't find a recipe for it anywhere and my husband had never heard of such a thing. Now I'll have it saved for next time.

 

[kimslack]

Poor Man's Krazy Cake

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
6T cocoa
1 t salt
2 t soda
2 cups water
1/2 cup oil
2 T vinegar
2 t vanilla

mix all by hand , bake @ 350 for 30 minutes in 8 x 11 cake pan

very moist and tasty

I sometimes omit the cocoa and add some cinnamon instead ( i wing it by taste )and replace one cup of flour with oatmeal to make oatmeal cake

This recipe came from my great ( amish ) grandmother , Susie Yoder , who had 22 kids and had to cook in mass quantites for many kids on a depression era budget .

I think with this one, you can mix it all up in the cake pan. You make 3 wells in the dry stuff and add the water in one, oil in another and the vinegar in the 3rd... My mom used to make this and it was really good.

 

[ScottnLydia]

Hi! This forum is great.

When I was growing up, my Gran was the greatest cook. One thing that she used to make that we all loved for breakfast was what she called "pan haas", which is more commonly called 'scrapple' Apparently scrapple has a bad reputation with some people due to being made with offal and other disgusting parts of a pig. But Gran made it from leftovers and it was always pristine! It is made in a bread loaf pan, sliced and fried until the edges are crispy. It is like a meaty polenta, if that makes any sense.

You can use any pork, bony pieces work great. Meaty neck bones are usually fairly inexpensive, though my favorite are spareribs on sale. You only need 2 or 3 pounds, so you can cook the rest as barbeque, if you like. Put the piece(s) in a pressure cooker and cover with water, add a bay leaf, and cook under pressure for 30 minutes. You can use a stock pot and simmer for 2 or 3 hours, until it's fall-off-the-bone tender.

Save the stock, make sure you have 5 cups. Remove the meat and bones and let cool. When cool, pick all the meat off the bones and add it back to the stock.

Add salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning (if desired) to the stock to taste.

Measure out 2 cups of yellow cornmeal.

Bring the stock to a simmer, then, while stirring constantly, slowly add the cornmeal. It will get really thick and hard to stir, but keep going! About 15 minutes or so. If it isn't quite thick, add a little more cornmeal, but not much. It will continue to thicken, and I have broken wooden spoons in this stuff!

Pour the mixture into 2 bread loaf pans sprayed with non-stick spray, and chill overnight. Unmold and cut into serving sized peices. It freezes beautifully. To serve, just slice into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices and fry 'til golden brown and crispy on the edges. We love it with fried eggs and toast!

Hope you like it!

~S

 

[Azriel]

My Mom would make this old German dumpling soup. I don't have a clue what its called, but it's very easy, and very tasty.
Boil a large pot of water with salt and onion
mix about 4c flour, 3-4 eggs (enough to give it a nice yellow color) about 1T. melted lard,a little salt, and enough milk to make a thick batter. Drop by large spoon fulls into the boiling water. They will sink to the bottom of the pot, they are done when they rise to the top.
I also put these in my stew.
She would also make a depression era breakfast that we just loved. this was also a German dish.
3c. flour
3 eggs
pinch of salt
1/2 to 1 c milk (you want a thick batter)
fry in a cast iron skillet with about an inch of lard, breaking/ cutting, and turning the batter over as it fries, till its cooked through. I like larger pieces, my Mom always liked smaller pieces. serve it with sugar and Cinnamon over it.

 

[ScottnLydia]

My Mom would make this old German dumpling soup. I don't have a clue what its called, but it's very easy, and very tasty.
Boil a large pot of water with salt and onion
mix about 4c flour, 3-4 eggs (enough to give it a nice yellow color) about 1T. melted lard,a little salt, and enough milk to make a thick batter. Drop by large spoon fulls into the boiling water. They will sink to the bottom of the pot, they are done when they rise to the top.
I also put these in my stew.
She would also make a depression era breakfast that we just loved. this was also a German dish.
3c. flour
3 eggs
pinch of salt
1/2 to 1 c milk (you want a thick batter)
fry in a cast iron skillet with about an inch of lard, breaking/ cutting, and turning the batter over as it fries, till its cooked through. I like larger pieces, my Mom always liked smaller pieces. serve it with sugar and Cinnamon over it.

You know, I think that first one sounds suspiciously like what my gran called spaetzle. She didn't put them in soups or stews though (but I bet they are great), instead, she would drain them on a towel and lightly brown them in butter. Served as a side dish with salt and pepper instead of potatoes, I've always loved their slightly chewy texture and rich taste. Lydia makes them regularly now.

I'm going to try out that breakfast idea soon, that sounds right up my alley!

 

[canesisters]

My Grandmother used to make this "Poor Man's Fruit Cake" to send to my Dad when he was in the service.

2 sticks butter
1lb marshmallows
1box graham crackers
1 lb raisins
pecans & candied cherries or whatever else you want to add

Crush the crackers & mix with the fruit, nuts. SAVE THE BOX! Melt the butter and marshmallows and pour over the mixture. Line the box with wax paper. Pack the mixture back into the box and refrigerate.

Either my sister or me will still make this for him every Christmas.


edited to add:
Forgot this important part. DO NOT open the box from the end. Use a knife to cut the front off on 3 sides, like a cigar box.

 

[galanie]

My Grandmother used to make this "Poor Man's Fruit Cake" to send to my Dad when he was in the service. 

2 sticks butter
1lb marshmallows
1box graham crackers
1 lb raisins
pecans & candied cherries or whatever else you want to add

Crush the crackers & mix with the fruit, nuts.  SAVE THE BOX!  Melt the butter and marshmallows and pour over the mixture.  Line the box with wax paper.  Pack the mixture back into the box and refrigerate.

Either my sister or me will still make this for him every Christmas.


edited to add:
Forgot this important part.  DO NOT open the box from the end.  Use a knife to cut the front off on 3 sides, like a cigar box.

That looks yummy! And I dont' like fruitcake lol.