24 January 1956 “Realizations, Repairs, Recipes, and Aprons”

I realized last night, as you ladies had pointed out on my last comment on my sewing blog concerning my machine breaking, that to try and fix it myself would be the VINTAGE thing to do.
I just had one of those moments where I have taken my sewing machine out, readied myself and BLAM it stopped working. It might be the tension, as you say, as it will sew a few stitches and then seize up . Then I broke the needle in my frustration. But, I have told myself I CAN fix it. Or, at least I will try. I can see where it is fastened together so if I can get to the inner workings, perhaps I can discern the problem, at least it is not my computer! And I did find out we have a vacuum and sewing machine repair shop in town! So, that can be my last resort. I just felt bad as if I was letting you down.

Sometimes I feel a small portion of what the 1940's woman must have felt rolling bandages, knitting mufflers, and working in munitions plants, that I am doing it  for 'all of you' as well as myself. It feels good to feel ‘responsible’ to someone outside yourself AS WELL as yourself. It makes you think before you act or reconsider your behavior and use of time. I rather like it.
The good news is a friend is going to lend me her machine for the week, so I can at least now worry that I have NOT finished my January challenge with the dress. Phew!
So, today I have been busy with my usual day, but have set aside time to edit and upload recipes for the website. There is SO much involved in the website. My hubby pointed out that professional sites would have people working on each page, researching, testing, editing, photo-shopping, and uploading content. But, all you have is little ole’ me, so I try to do as much as possible. When I think of what I have uploaded today it seems such a small thing, but it took up quite a few hours of my day (about 5 to be exact). But now the main Recipes page has to ‘sections’ and then you can link to what I worked on today which is ‘Meat Main Dishes’. I scanned and edited them . I tried to make them available to print in a 3 x 5 format. I could not succeed, however you can easily copy them by hand, or copy them to your computer and resize them. What I have decided to do for all the recipes I put on the site now, is save them in a printable 3 x 5 format and maybe, if it would be of interest to anyone, sell a cd of the images for a few dollars or something. Only if anyone cared to have it to print from.
I thought I would, in this post, show a few things I have done recently but not posted nor talked about. I made my own recipe for a Banana Maple Coffee Cake that I can share with you.
Here is a picture of the whole cake, that is cinnamon and sugar sprinkled on top. Here is a slice, it was actually nice and thick and moist and so delicious, if I do say so myself (and I do). Here is the recipe
50’s Gal Banana Maple Coffee Cake
Sprinkle (for top, center and sides)

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 chopped walnuts

1 tsp cinnamon

Batter

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter

2 eggs

2 mashed bananas (about)

1/4 cup sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

Set oven to 350 (F). Stir the sugar, walnuts, and cinnamon and sprinkle 1/2  in and around a well greased pan. You could use a fun shaped Bundt pan, but I just used my spring form pan, both would work. I liked the spring as it seems to make it a bit more moist.
Beat butter at med speed until creamy. Gradually add sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes or so). Add eggs one at a time, Add banana, sour cream, vanilla, and syrup. Beat at low speed until blended. Sift flour and other dry ingredients  into a bowl. Fold into the butter mixture and pour 1/2 the batter into the pan. Then sprinkle the other 1/2 of the sugar/nut mixture, then continue filling pan. Bake about 45 minutes or until wooden pick comes out clean. Then sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
Now, this second recipe I cannot take credit for. I had a hankering for Oreo’s and though they are readily available in 1956, I did not want to eat the chemicals, nor spend the money. So with what was in my pantry I made the following recipe. I did not have any shortening, however, and used 1/2 cup butter in lieu of 1/4 butter, 1/4 cup shortening for the filling. It was of course yummy and probably healthier without the shortening.
Hubby had these in his lunch today and shared them with coworkers who were amazed that his wife made her own Oreos. He loves bragging about that sort of thing. Makes a homemaker proud too! I took this photo to show the lovely look of them. And this for fun! I like taking pictures of the food I make. If I ever make a Cook Book, I think I would enjoy photographing it as much as writing it.
Here is the recipe I used.
cookie

• 1 1/4 C all-purpose flour
• 1/2 C unsweetened cocoa
• 1 t baking soda
• 1/4 t baking powder
• 1/4 t salt
• 1 C sugar
• 1/2 C plus 2 T butter, room temperature
• 1 large egg

1. In a medium-sized bowl, mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar.
2. Beat in the butter and the egg. Continue mixing until dough comes together in a mass.
3. Take rounded teaspoons of batter and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet approximately 2 inches apart. With moistened hands, slightly flatten the dough. (I found that while the dough wasn't sticky enough to roll, I could press it flat with my hands like the recipe said and then use cookie cutters to cut perfect circles. If you just care about the taste, then there is no need for the cookie cutters. Also, remember this is a chance to get creative and use all kinds of cookie cutters.)
4. Bake for 9 minutes at 375 F. Set on a rack to cool.

The filling

• 1/4 cup room-temperature, unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
• 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Place butter and shortening in a mixing bowl, and at low speed, gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla.
2. Turn the mixer on high and beat for 2-3 minutes until filling is light and fluffy.
3. To make a cookie, pipe teaspoon-sized blobs of cream into the center of a cookie using a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch round tip. (If you don't have a pastry bag, you could easily just spread the filling with a knife or use a Ziplock with the corner cut off as a pastry bag. I had a pastry bag, but I only had a star tip. The tip doesn't matter much.)
4. Place another cookie, equal in size to the first, on top of the cream. Lightly press, to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie. Continue this process until all the cookies have been sandwiched with cream.

Though I did not get to work on my dress today (the borrowed sewing machine is on its way!) I thought I would show an apron I made. One of our fellow Apronites mentioned to me I should make aprons, for obvious reasons (Apron Revolution!). So, I wanted to show that I actually do. I have not made them to sell before, but it could be a possibility. It is just that my plate is so full at present, I would need to have some serious scheduled readjustment. Any way, here is one of them.
I have to explain the pocket. I have an obsession with anthropomorphised items. Dancing teapots, running fruit, square dancing corn. From the 40s-50’s such images were available for embroidery or iron on from everything from linens, to aprons, to tea towels. So, this little fellow was drawn by me, inspired by one in my collection, then turned into an iron on and then I sort of ‘antique’ it so the pocket has a sort of aged look. The apron pocket is trimmed in red rick rack and their is vintage lace on the waistline. I just thought it would be fun to share it with you.