A Depression Era Cure for Pneumonia

In my collection of cookbooks and old books in general I often come across 'recipes' for ailments. I have a keen interest in them as well as old American Indian 'recipes' as I believe the cure for what ails us can indeed be found in nature.

While I've tried a few of the home remedies myself, I often find my husband and children turning up their nose at onion based cough medicines and preferring the store bought cherry flavored chemically produced version instead - (imagine that! Ha ha!). Still, as a salute to some 'old time' recipes I wanted to add these to my online collection to share. I don't, and can't stand behind if they work or not as I've not personally tried them but some of our Great-Grandmothers swore by them!

A Cure for Pneumonia from the Depression Era

6-10 onions
rye meal
vinegar

Chop the onions fine. Put in a skillet over a hot fire. Add the same quantity of rye meal and vinegar, enough to make a thick paste. In the meantime stir it thoroughly, letting it simmer 5-10 minutes. Put it in a cotton bag large enough to cover the lungs and apply to the chest as hot as the patient can bear. When this gets cool apply another and continue reheating the poultices. In a few hours the patient will be out of danger. Four applications will do but continue always until perspiration starts freely from the chest.

Dyspeptic Bread from a Time Gone By

I have a love of all history, an interest in the depression era and an adoration and respect for the time period that my Grandmother met and married my Grandfather and managed to raise a house full of children on a very, very meager farmer's income. They were given a small bag of seed corn as a wedding gift - barely a handful - and that is how they started out life as a married couple on their farm land.

I think of my Grandma often as I flip through my collection of old church and community cookbooks from the 30's and 40's. In honor of some of those recipes I'm warning that these are not tried and true by me... but the cookbooks I have in my collection swear by them. This one is from the 30's in a Depression Era recipe book.

Dyspeptic Bread
This is a bread for those with weak digestion who cannot assimilate bread prepared with yeast

1 pint flour (2 cups)
1 t salt
4 t baking powder
milk and water

Sift dry ingredients. Mix to a soft dough with the milk and water mixture. Knead 2 minutes, turn into a greased pan, let raise 10 minutes and bake slowly for 40 minutes.

 

 

 

 

The Accidental Crouton - What I Did When My Bread Raised and then Fell

Saturday morning I mixed up ingredients for homemade bread, formed two loaves and set them into the oven for an 'out of the way' place to rise. It was also my youngest daughter's birthday and before I knew it we were out the door to the mall where she was oh-so-excited to get her ear pierced and start to spend some of the Christmas money she had received.

Needless to say the bread was forgotten.

When we returned home that evening I found the bread had raised beautifully... and then fell into an airy, pretty much flat, wide mess. But ever frugal, I carefully scooped the sides together a little so they weren't six inches wide, watched it fall flat and decided to bake it anyway. When they were done they were still shaped exactly as I had carefully molded them.

More importantly they were pretty hard, condensed and rather dry. I got out the knife and started to slice. They were the perfect size for a baguette style appetizer but I had no need to serve such a dish and it would not last in the freezer as they were already a bit hard and dry. Instead, creativity took over.

Croutons!

I sliced the failed bread into cubes and poured a bit of olive oil in a pan to heat. A single layer of croutons with a bit more olive oil drizzled, a garlic seasoning mix with herbs and parsley was sprinkled and stirring over medium high heat I found my mouth watering with the aroma!

As each batch started to get golden I placed them on a baking sheet. They were about 75% dried and crisp but I wanted to finish them completely in the oven so they would keep in storage. When they were all finished in the pan, I left them on a tray in the oven until I would baking something again.

The next day I had the oven on to bake pork chops so I popped the croutons in to 'finish' them. In another moment of creativity I sprinkled them all with freshly grated parmesan and baked. After letting it all cool after baking I placed them in a gallon sized Ziploc to store but I couldn't help but snitch a couple.

They are the best tasting croutons I have ever had and I'm afraid I've spoiled myself for the store bought versions!

Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Bundt Cake

I don't know if it was a 'thing' of the 70's and 80's or if it was more of a Midwestern regional quirk but when I think about people coming to visit our home when I was a child, I think; "coffee cake".  There was always coffee cake.

If my mother was having another lady over for morning coffee she made a coffee cake. If we had extended family coming to visit, we made a coffee cake. If she was hosting a sorority meeting, Tupperware party or any other sort of household gathering... she made a coffee cake.

I don't see as many coffee cakes anymore. In the 90's I saw more 'breads' (lemon poppy seed, etc.) taking it's place and then muffins and bagels. I'd like to see the return of coffee cakes as they are so incredibly quick and easy to make and taste so good! 

Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake

1/2 c. (just a little under) sugar
1 T. cinnamon
1/2 c. finely chopped pecans

1 box yellow cake mix
4 eggs
1 c. sour cream
1/4 c. oil
1 pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix
3/4 c. water
1 t. vanilla


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix the pecan filling and set aside.

Mix together the rest of the ingredients for the cake and beat 2-3 minutes. 
Generously grease a bundt pan & pour in 1/2 cake batter. 
Slightly hollow the center of the cake all the way around, and pour in filling.   Cover with the remainder of the cake batter.  Bake approximately 1 hour. 
Remove and cool on a rack until completely cool then invert onto a cake plate.  Drizzle with a simple glaze if desired.

 

 

 

 

White Layer Cake

A very basic, simple white cake recipe should be on hand in everyone's kitchen.  Yes, a good number of people just run to the store to buy a box you add oil and eggs to, but the flavor of a homemade cake is very different from tasting the chemicals in a boxed version.  If you have enough eggs on hand, here is a basic white cake to get you started.

White Layer Cake

1 cup shortening
1 cup butter, softened
3 cups sugar
4 large eggs
6 cups cake flour
5 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
8 egg whites

Grease and flour 1- 14" round cake pan; set aside. Beat shortening and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended.

Combine cake flour, baking powder, and salt; add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla.

Beat egg whites at high speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Fold into cake batter. Spoon batter into cake pan. Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes; remove from pan, and let cool completely on wire rack.

Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze 1-2 hours to firm up. Slice in half and fill with filling or frosting. Frost and decorate as desired.