WARTIME
Cooking
During World War II, the United States was experiencing food shortages. With rationing taking affect, cooks had to get more creative when making meals. The following pages contain common recipes excerpts from the cookbook “Recipes for Today” published by General Foods Corp. in 1943. It can also be helpful today when tightening food budgets.
Staunch Friends
For Today’s Kitchens Every American kitchen is sharing its food. Shortages are still with us. And we know that our meals cannot always follow their customary pattern, yet they must be nutritious and appealing. So, we look especially for dependable products–foods that taste good and look attractive, that contribute nourishing goodness to menus, and are easy to use. For years General Foods has offered a wide variety of just such fine foods. And every effort has been made to keep fullest quotas on the grocer’s shelves. Among these products are Post Cereals which offer fine flavor and convenience plus important full-grain nutritive values. Nourishing beverages that can be made with milk, like Postum and Baker’s Cocoa. Time-savers like Jell-O, and baking aids, like Swans Down and Calumet. These foods and many others, all delicious and useful, are produced in modern, sanitary food plants under American standards. They count for good eating in every corner of our land!
GRAPE-NUTS GRAPE-NUTS FLAKES GRAPE-NUTS WHEATMEAL
JELL-O JELL-O PUDDINGS JELL-O ICE CREAM POWDER D-ZERTA
POST’S CORN TOASTIES
MINUTE GELATIN
POST’S 40% BRAN FLAKES
BIRDS EYE FROSTED FOODS
POST’S RAISIN BRAN
NIDER’S CANNED FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
POSTUM
SNIDER’S CONDIMENTS
BAKER’S BREAKFAST COCOA
SWANS DOWN CAKE FLOUR
BAKER’S CHOCOLATE
CALUMET BAKING POWDER
MAXWELL HOUSE COFFEE AND TEA
CERTO AND SURE-JELL
KAFFEE HAG AND SANKA COFFEE BAKER’S COCONUT LOG CABIN SYRUP
MINUTE TAPIOCA
DIAMOND CRYSTAL SHAKER SALT
Food Tips and
Ideas
Best ways to use Coffee Proved by test with Maxwell House Coffee, Sanka, Kaffee-Hag. Buy coffee only when you need it, and only 1 pound at a time. Keep coffee in original container, tightly covered, in cool place. Use the right grind, the one suited to your coffee-maker. This means drip grind for drip pots and vacuum-type glass coffee-makers; regular grind for percolator and boiled coffee. Find the proportions you like. Most people prefer coffee made using 1 rounding to 1 heaping tablespoon coffee per 1/2 pint water. Make fresh coffee every time, measure both coffee and water. Scour and air coffee-maker; keep it scrupulously clean.
CAKES WITH LARD OR CHICKEN FAT Use rendered chicken fat or lard for all or part of the shortening in cake recipes. Increase the salt slightly. To mix these cakes, cream the fat with 3/4 of the sugar. Add 1/4 of the flour mixture. Then combine milk with egg yolk and add to creamed mixture alternately with remaining flour, beating after each addition. Beat egg whites with the last 1/4 of sugar until stiff. Add to cake batter, beating thoroughly. Bake as usual.
SPENDING FOOD MONEY WISELY When you go searching for food bargains do not overlook the good values of Birds Eye fruits, vegetables, meat, and fish. These quality, quick-frozen foods are farm-fresh, free from waste, ready to use. The package weight is the weight of actual food! Birds Eye means full value for your money!
READY-MIXED CAKE FILLINGS To make creamy cake fillings and frostings that use none of your precious sugar, use Jell-O Puddings. These come readymixed in chocolate, butterscotch, and vanilla flavors. Prepare as directed for cake fillings on each package, adding 1 1/2 cups milk or other liquid to 1 package Jell-O Pudding. Cook and use as filling or cream topping for one-egg cake, lemon or spice cup cakes, and chocolate cake (pages 30, 31, 33). Makes enough filling for two 8- or 9-inch layers. Extra good flavor combinations include: Chocolate Filling. Use Jell-O Chocolate Pudding and milk (or milk and coffee) for liquid. Add 1/2 cup broken nut meats, if desired. Good with plain cake, chocolate cake, or spice cake. Butterscotch Filling. Use Jell-O Butterscotch Pudding and milk for liquid. Add 1/2 cup broken nut meats, if desired. Good with plain cake and chocolate cake. Vanilla Filling. Use Jell-O Vanilla Pudding and milk (or milk and coffee) for liquid in making filling. Good with plain cake, spice or lemon cakes, and chocolate cake. Mocha Cream. Use Jell-O Vanilla Pudding and, for liquid, 1 1/4 cups strong coffee and 1/3 cup milk. Add 1 square Baker’s Unsweetened Chocolate. Cook as directed. Use as frosting or filling on plain cake, spice cake, or chocolate cake.
Desserts
that Delight Sugar less cake 3 cups sifted cake flour 4 tsps. Baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 cup shortening 1 1/2 cups corn syrup 3 egg yolks 2 tsps. grated orange rind 1 cup milk 3 egg whites
Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Stir shortening until creamy and add one cup of the corn syrup slowly until it becomes fluffy. Add egg yolks and beat well. Take turns alternating adding the dry ingredients and milk, stirring between each addition, then add the orange rind. Beat the egg whites until stiff and add to the rest of the corn syrup gradually, beating until there are stiff peaks. Fold the batter until completely mixed. Bake in a greased cake pan at about 375F for 25 to 30 minutes.
Lemon Cups – like Cake and Custard 1 cup sugar 5 tbsps. Flour 1/8 tsp. salt Juice of 1 lemon 2 egg yolks, beaten 1/2 cup Carnation Milk mixed with 1/2 cup water 2 egg whites, beaten stiff Mix the sugar, flour and salt. Add the lemon juice, beaten egg yolks, milk and water. Fold in the beaten egg whites. Turn mixture into greased custard cups. Set in pan of boiling water. Bake in 375F oven 40 min. Unmold. Serve hot or cold. Serves 6.
ONE-EGG VICTORY CAKE 1/3 cup shortening 2/3 cup sugar 1 egg, well beaten 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/3 cup light corn syrup 1 cup milk 2 cups cake flour 2 1/2 teaspoons Royal Baking Powder 1/4 teaspoon salt Cream shortening well; add sugar slowly, beating in well. Add beaten egg and vanilla; beat until well blended. Blend syrup and milk. Sift together dry ingredients and add alternatively with liquid to first mixture. Bake in greased square pan (8 x 8 x 2 inches) in moderate oven at 350F, about 1 hour or in 2 greased eight-inch layer cake pans at the same temperature about 30 minutes. Makes 1 eight-inch or 1 two-layer cake. Note: Honey may be substituted for light corn syrup.
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WIN-THE-PEACE FOOD RULES 1. Stick to plain, wholesome food. This means more soups, stews, meat loaves, fish, cereals, beans, peas, and lots of freshgrown foods. Remember, there’s always good bread and milk to round out the menu. 2. Work harder planning, buying, and cooking. Pick foods that are good for health. Then learn different ways to serve them that will make the family happy. 3. Buy the most for the money, that is, products that are good every time, that give good nourishment, and save time and fuel. (Remember to read the packages for the facts.) 4. Know what’s going on about food, so you can plan intelligently. Get your share then make it answer your needs. 6. Use that old American ingenuity. Make the things you can get pinch-hit for the things you can’t get. But keep your mind on good nutrition for the family and never waste a morsel. Of course, Uncle Sam, I can pull in my apron strings, too. But these rules won’t fail . . . So here’s to Peace! Your loving niece, Victorianna
Common meals for Dinner Escalloped Ham and Apples 1 cup thinly sliced cooked ham 2 cups thinly sliced apples 1 1/2 cups soft bread crumbs 1 1/2 cups hot water 1/4 cup molasses 1 tablespoon vinegar 2 tablespoons butter or margarine 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon mustard 2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
Fill baking dish with alternate layers of ham, sliced apples and soft bread crumbs. Then mix together hot water, molasses, vinegar, butter or margerine,salt, pepper and mustard. Pour over mixture in dish. Cover top with dry bread crumbs and dot with butter or margarine. Bake at 375 F. for 45 minutes. 6 servings.
Economy Loaf 6 tablespoons vitaminized margarine 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs 1 cup cooked fresh or canned peas 1 cup mashed potatoes 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon pepper 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg 2 tablespoons flour 1/2 cup milk 2 hard-cooked eggs 1 can condensed tomato soup Additional seasonings
CORN-SAUSAGE CASSEROLE BEAT 4 eggs well. Thoroughly blend in 1 No. 2 can cream style corn (2 1/2 cups). 1 cup soft bread crumbs (packed in cup), 1 lb. sausage meat, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. pepper. Pour into greased 8-inch round open-faced casserole. Spread 6 tbsp. catsup over the top. Bake 50 to 60 minutes in a moderate oven(350 F). 6 servings.
Melt 2 tablespoons of margarine, add crumbs, brown slightly, stirring constantly. Sprinkle half the crumbs on the bottom and sides of a well greased oblong loaf pan (approximately 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 3/4 inches). Mash peas through a sieve, add mashed potatoes, remaining crumbs and seasonings. Make white sauce by melting 2 tablespoons of the margarine, adding flour, then the milk- cooking until smooth and thickened. Add white sauce to potato mixture, blend together thouroughly. Place half of this mixture in crumb lined loaf pan. Top with slices of hardcooked egg; add remaining potator mixture. Bake in moderate oven (350F) 25 minutes or until set. Unmold, garnish with additional egg slices, or with broiled bacon, if desired. Serve with tomato sauce made by heating the soup with the remaining 2 tablespoons margarine, adding a pinch of herbs and a little Worchestershire or A-1 Sauce, to taste.
Excerpts taken from “Recipes For Today” that was published by General Foods Corporation in 1943.