Veggie Wednesday: Retro

This recipe card is one of a collection I have that belonged to my late great-grandmother. Grandma died in 1974 just before her 90Th birthday. The 1930's then, when this card and many of the others in the collection was written, was mid-life for her. It was also the time of the Great Depression.

When grandma and grandpa weren't off in a foreign country doing missions work, they lived in the parsonage of whichever church grandpa was pastoring at the time. Grandpa was always there, wearing a clean, long-sleeved, white shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of suspenders. At a moment's notice, he could roll down the sleeves, add a tie and a suit jacket and be ready to preside over any ceremony necessary. As my mother told me, "You have no idea how many weddings he performed right there in the parsonage."

Being a pastor in those days often meant being paid in food, which was not so bad an idea, really. Grandma would have to entertain quite a bit and extra food certainly helped. Meat was a real commodity, though, so recipes had to be adapted and worked around what a person could afford. Grandma never served anything, even Creamed Peas and Carrots on Toast, that wasn't pretty enough to photograph.

Creamed Peas and Carrots on Toast

This recipe reflects the life of a preacher during the Depression better than any other in that stack of recipes.

Creamed Peas and Carrots on Toast
As written on the card.
Printable Recipe

Take equal parts of cooked peas and carrots. Make a white sauce; using

1 cup milk,
2 tbs. flour,
2 tbs. butter,

Add white sauce to carrots and
Peas and return to fire and heat.
Pour over toasted bread.

Sunday Dinner

This is from one of those old cookbooks I wrote about before. The first time I had it was at grandma's while visiting. Even my picky husband loved it and I've been making it ever since. The gravy option is mine since he doesn't like cream soups.

Poor Man's Steak

2lbs. ground beef (round, sirloin or 90% lean)
2c. crushed saltines
2c. milk
salt and pepper to taste
chopped onion optional
1 can cream of mushroom soup
or
1 can beef gravy

Mix beef, saltines, seasonings, milk and onions well.
Press into a 9x13 pan.
Refrigerate overnight or for 4-6 hours.
Cut into squares-roll each in flour and brown in oil.
Replace in pan and pour soup and 1 can water or gravy
and 1 can water over all.

Bake 350 degrees for 1 to 1 1/2 hrs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Perfectly Boiled Potatoes
From: Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath
If you can find this book it's worth the read. Quirky little thing, really cute and different.

The most important thing about making perfectly boiled
potatoes is to start with a dozen uniform red potatoes.
So go to your greengrocer or wherever you get your
potatoes and don't buy a bag of them, hunt through the
loose, piled-up potatoes until you find a dozen that are
medium-sized and all almost exactly alike. Don't get any
with scabs or strange growths or that look like they have
a nose. Take them home and peel them. Put enough water
in a large pot to cover your potatoes. Cook for forty
minutes, putting in more water if it boils out. Drain
the potatoes and put them back in the pot. Put the pot
back on the burner and shake it a bit so the potatoes
dry over the heat. Then they are done. Now what you do
with them is a matter of taste. Some people like sour
cream, some like butter and parsley. Some people like
ketchup or cheese. I like mustard. But Miss Bowzer says
it is nobody's business but your own what you do with
your potatoes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Garlic Snap Peas

1/2 pound sugar snap peas
1 T butter
1 T olive oil
1 clove garlic minced
salt
freshly ground black pepper

Bring a medium-size pan of water to the boil. Snap the ends from the peas and pull the strings.

When the water comes to a boil, add the peas and time 2 to 3 minutes, until just tender. Drain in a colander and run cold water over the peas until cooled.

Heat the butter and oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute 1 minute, until soft and fragrant. Put the peas into the pan and heat through, stirring often. Stir in the coarse salt, heating for 30 seconds. Season with pepper and serve.

Serves 4.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This was one of those terrific experiments turned family favorite. Like peaches and cream, only better!

Georgia Cheesecake Pie
Printable Recipe

1 single crust pie crust-unbaked
2c. peeled and thinly sliced peaches
1-8oz. pkg. cream cheese
1/2c. sugar
1 egg
1t. vanilla
2T. flour

Flour bottom of unbaked pie crust with 2T. flour.
Add peaches to crust.
Mix remaining ingredients and pour over peaches.
Bake 375 until top is set and partially browned~ about
35 min.