26 February 1957 “Cleaning the Living Room, Biscuits and Scones”

In my last post I shared the basic list of daily/weekly cleaning from my 1947 America’s Housekeeping Book. It has a breakdown of the separate rooms in more detail so I shall share these with you over the next few posts, as many of you mentioned you would like to see them.

Today is the detailed Living Room lists, enjoy.

Today I wanted to make an easy ‘breakfast in bed’ for hubby and I. I am an early riser so on Hubby’s day off, I am always up with the dogs early and about my day. This morning, as I have much work to do still plugging away on my book, I thought I’d throw together an easy to eat in bed breakfast.

I made my simple biscuit recipe to make bacon egg breakfast sandwiches and fresh chocolate chip scones. Both easy to eat in bed as really no utensils are needed. I simply put some butter on top of the scones, poured out a thermos of coffee and brought it up on a tray. We really enjoyed it.

Hubby is always appreciative of such morning breakfast surprises. It works wonders for me, because then he is feed and can lounge about in bed with his coffee and books and I can get back to work in my little office. He says I spoil him, but I always remind him that my getting to be home while he has to deal with traffic and work certainly a fair trade. At least, I think so.

Here is my recipe:

50’s Gal Easy Biscuit/Scone recipe

2 cups flour

2tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

7 TBS butter or lard

[3 TBS sugar for scones, none for biscuit]

1/2 cup buttermilk (If you haven’t butter milk add 1 TBS vinegar to 1/2 cup milk let sit one minute)

1 egg

1 TBS cream

(To this add choc chips, fruit, candied ginger, whatever you like about 1/2 cup for ‘flavored’ scone. Leave plain for Biscuit)

Preheat oven to 425 F

Mix dry ingredients and then cut in butter/lard. A pasty cutter is helpful, if you haven’t one two knives work wonders. For the final mix I use my hands to quickly crumble. But do not play with pastry dough as the heat of your hands stops it from rising (This is oppositely true for breads). Those chunks of butter you see through the dough is what gives it a lovely rise. Add fruit/add ins now.

Make a well in the center and pour in your milk/egg mixture which you can mix together with a whisk. I prefer to mix the wet ingredients in a 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup, as it is easy to whip it then.

Roll out on a floured surface. I mostly push it into a circular shape and give a quick one or two rolls with the rolling pin, don’t overwork it. If you haven’t a biscuit cutter, an upturned glass works as does measuring cups. Then you can cut the the size you like. You can also roll out a circle and cut into pie shapes.

For Scones, brush top with cream and sprinkle with sugar, for biscuits, leave as is. Bake for 10 –12 minutes. You want them to look a little undone but just the hint of brown on top. Things continue to cook when removed from the oven.

Enjoy!

 

As I was making this batch to be both a savory biscuit as well as a sweet scone, I mixed it up without the sugar, rolled it out and cut two biscuits. Then returned to the bowl and added chocolate chips and sugar.

   Here is the lovely biscuit up close. You can see how nicely this recipes rises.Though this may not look that lovely, it tasted  like heaven. I like to crisp up the edges of the eggs for a sandwich like this. I cooked the bacon first and then cooked the mushrooms and egg in the bacon fat. It is wonderful this way and needs no condiments in my opinion. I did add cheese to the add as it was cooking to melt.  Here is the Chocolate Chip Scone result from the same batch. They are so good warm with clotted cream and jam. They also are lovely just as is and cold in hubby’s lunchbox.

The continued interest I find in these terms “Biscuit” “Scone” “Cookie” that differ for American’s and English always fascinate me. Obviously Biscuits in England are our cookies, so the idea of a bacon egg sandwich on a ‘biscuit’ must sound upsurd. Yet, our Biscuits are in every way simply a savory scone, or sans sugar.

I had begun to wonder if these were simply an American invention, but recently found out that during the Victorian times there was a from of unsweetened scone made and rolled out and cut (rather like store bought biscuits that you tear apart and break). I cannot find the article now, so I don’t recall what they are called. They were mainly used among the working classes as an easy bread to take along or serve with stews and such. This obviously are our biscuits and probably came over with the onslaught of Irish and English Immigrants during the Victorian time. And, for whatever reason, died out in England. At least I don’t think they are still used there, but any English reader can correct me.

Now, why do American’s call them Cookies? (Which I believe they use the term in Canada as well). Interestingly enough  the name derives from the Dutch word koekje or (informal) koekie which means little cake. The Dutch settled much of the New York and various New England areas here in America so there you go.

I believe a Scottish Cookie is somewhat more similar to our biscuit, but not quite exactly. Any Scottish followers want to chime in on this one?

I am always fascinated by the differences in terminology of the English languages in different nations. Theodore Roosevelt in his time as president around 1906 also had his hand in changing our American spelling by dropping “U” from words like Colour: Color. Prior to that American and English spelling was the same. He even had dictionaries change the spelling and there was a debate in congress over it. It was ruled against this change, but it was too late and here we are, with no HUMOUR only HUMOR.

I have noticed, however, that here in New England I often see English spellings used such as Theatre instead of the American Theater. Another interesting thing I see often is the ‘quaint’ spelling of Shop as “SHOPPEE” . This is often used on antique or old soda fountains. This is actually middle English, which could have been part of the vocabulary of the early British Settlers to Massachusetts in the 1600’s. It is all so very interesting, at least to me. But, I digress…

I am bound and determined to keep plugging away with my little book. I certainly knew it would be a lot of work, but I am so amazed at how much these past two years of my Homemakers career has influenced not only my style, but my ability to work. I can say without any doubt that prior to my sojourn to 1955 two years ago, I was colossally lazy, at least comparative to my present abilities. And certainly, if I can change, anyone can.

I could spend house watching TV or wasting time online. I could sit in cafe’s for hours and linger uselessly in my studio. Now I find a real joy and excitement in working. Though many days I face my little deadlines with dread, I always tell myself, “Well, just get started, achieve this much and then have your tea break”. This usually gives me the motivation to go forward. Then, of course, I have my home duties to attend, so that always lights a fire under me to ‘get to work’ as I will still have dinner to prepare and the various chores for that day depending on what that day is (Laundry day and so on).

I feel, even if my first attempt is rather amateurish or even seen as silly, I will feel I have made a step in the right direction. And then my next book in that vein can only improve, at least I hope so.

I hope all are having a great day and Happy Homemaking.

23 February 1957 “Housecleaning Blues”

This 1937 Betty Boop Cartoon is rather sweet. It also does a nice job of showing the sort of ideal of the middle class home of the 1937’s. The way the camera sweeps through it almost feels rather real.

One can see you scandalous Betty’s tight fitting skirt must have been at the time,when you consider it was only 20 years earlier women were still in corsets.

In many ways Grampy (whom you will see when you watch this little short) sort of represents the increase of the production of ‘home making machines’. The homemaker of 1937 had a much easier time of it than her 1907 counterpart. Though she may, being middle class, have been more likely to have a maid than her 57 compatriot, the Depression in America certainly aided the eventual end of household staff. As well did the continued automation of the chores of Homemaking.

Now, have a look.

Obviously none of us will admit today, “Oh, housecleaning is a breeze, no problem what so ever”. But, it is quite true that machines have helped us immensely. Add to that the modern feeling of guilt of the stigma of a ‘messy house’ seems almost not to exist. At one point, particularly in the 1950’s, one would not wish to be seen in an untidy home. Today, it seems, with both members of a couple and easily 10 times the amount of cheap and easily acquired and gifted toys for children, mess and clutter is the norm. And with that there are more of us with the clutter and less stigma attached.

For me, however,  the joy of no clutter and a clean home is worth the daily effort. There are many days I have no visitors and the house is mainly mine and I still want and try to make it clean for me. I also have no children, so that makes a HUGE difference. When I think of all the little things that must accumulate today for children. There are just SO MANY CHEAP toys and cutesy things that people just pick up or gift. Now, in 1930 you would have had limited amount of toys. If you were middle class your child would most likely have a few dolls, some blocks, some metal cars, a dollhouse and some hand me down toys. If you were poor, most likely your child had hand me down toys and whatever mother could make for you with scraps in the rag bag. This probably made housecleaning a bit easier, but then there were no dishwashers etc. However add to that fewer dishes as they were expensive.

One didn’t hop down to Ikea or Target and buy an entire set of dishes for a pittance like today.

SO, it really seems to me that by having more things less expensive: rather than having a similar life of ease of cleaning with the same amount of things we may have had in the 1930’s but with better machines to clean them. What happens is BECAUSE we have machines to clean them, why not have TONS of dishes? Washing machine easy to use and clothes are cheap:a tidy closet of enough items for a weeks wear without repeats and a few special dresses? NO: we have MORE clothes, piled high some not worn and more washing to do.

SO, I think in many ways one could make an argument for how much the machine has aided in lessening the time we use to clean. NOW of course the machine is better to have than hand washing, only sweeping and so on. BUT, here is the lesson. If we acted as if clothing was more expensive and that toys were a limited and dear item for our child, we COULD have less, enjoy it more, find it easier to care for and clean them up and live in less chaos and more organized cleanliness. This is sort of the reality that has set into me over the past few years.

It lead me to think that if hubby and I were to have a child, it would be hard for me with the toys. Many well meaning people would happily give things, as they are cheap and easy to get. But, I would probably hurt feelings, because I would want a rather limited amount for my child. I think too much is just a way to teach them to live in clutter and to have far too  many choices. There is also not as much imagination when every conceivable situation can just be played out in a plastic play edition of everything they see on TV. Another thing I would most likely not let my child even know existed until he was a bit older. This, of course, would probably be seen as child abuse. But, we have no working TV in our home, so that would just be the way it is.

By 1957 the homemaker now has an increased lure away from cleaning: the TV. By this time more daytime shows are showing up. In TV’s beginning time most shows were an evening event shared by the family. But, now we have ‘soap operas’ (so named as they were aimed at the homemaker and their sponsors were often cleaners and soaps). We also have the arrival of daytime game shows, such as the Price is Right. Here is a commercial break from that show this year 1957.

See how easy the cleaning can be when  you BUY this product?

So, here in 1957, I am much more likely to wash my clothes much as we do in the 21st century while my 30’s counterpart would still be using this. And while many rural women by 1957 would be more likely to have a washing machine, in the 1930’s she was most likely still washing much like her mother did in the 1900’s.

I would most certainly have a dishwasher at this stage in 1957 where my 30’s counterpart would not really have that option. I am also having the ability to get more dishes affordably. The very vintage dishes (Temporama) we now use as everyday dishes were in fact such a cheap dish. They were offered as a lure to come to a particular grocery store and each week they would offer a different piece so you could collect up the whole set. While not Ikea cheap, they certainly offered a chance for a homemaker to obtain a set of extra dishes at an affordable price.

So, I think the jury is still out on rather or not more and easier means better or less stressful. I know I am thankful for my dishwasher, washer/dryer, vacuum (my 1956 Kirby), and my electric sewing machine (My 1960 Singer Rocketeer).Yet, because of my project, I have been reducing my ‘stuff’ and it makes it easier to clean. Every year, this year especially, I am on the continual mission to remove all the unwanted and unneeded ‘stuff’ that often accumulates in a modern homemakers life. More is definitely not always better.

Do you feel that your modern conveniences are an aid to your life? How would your life and your family’s change if cheap clothes/toys/house wares didn’t exist and one had to save up for what we had? Do you think your cleaning would be easier or harder?

I will close with the daily cleaning checklist offered up in my America’s Housekeeping Book from 1947. The additional checklists I can include in another post if you are interested.

21 February 1957 “Kitchen Decor”

I just thought I would share this interesting ad for Kentile vinyl tiles.

  Here is a larger view you can see the commitment to the ‘outdoorsy’ look. The floor design has included the placement of pictorial tiles, here bunking broncos.

I like that they exterior siding that looks like a cross between Cedar shake and clapboard is used here. It gives a very indoor/outdoor look. The open grill which mother is cooking on while daughter watches continues the Barbeque indoors.

That tufted orange breakfast nook looks very inviting. And look how the drawers are part of the exterior siding look, so when closed they appear as a continuous outside wall.

The use of copper in the hood and the pans brings the warm hues of the breakfast nook. The yellow cafe curtains tie in the use of yellow in the tiles.

Sadly many of these early vinyl tiles included asbestos. So, I am not sure that they are dangerous unless you were to break them open and breath them? I wonder if they would still be safe to use if you had these already. Though, I am certain the 1980’s saw most of these floors into the dumpster and landfills.

What do you think of this color scheme and layout? It seems the concept of design was very theatrical in the 1950’s probably heavily influenced by the larger than life Technicolor sets in Hollywood films.

It seems Doris Day was always in some lovely buttercup kitchen or white and pink bedroom, doesn’t it?

19 February 1957 “The Lunchbox: White Collar or Blue? And Pic-Nic Anyone?”

Though many may have the image of the vintage metal lunch box as a ‘blue-collar’ tradition. Many a white collared middle class fellow subscribed to the ‘take it with you’ approach to lunch.

Even a President enjoyed a good lunchbox.

Here is hubby off to work with lunchbox.

 Here is his lunchbox closed up and read to go. And what lurks inside?

  A sandwich wrapped in waxed paper, tupperware full of homemade cookies and a thermos of fresh coffee. Often I pack another version of the previous nights dinner for him. It is actually rare for him to have a sandwich. Some of his co-workers can’t wait to see what he has packed. Once a co-worker was surprised by my having packed him cheese and crackers as a starter.

The amount we save on his taking lunch as opposed to his buying it is really immense. I would say it cost more that double, more like triple the amount to buy rather than take his packed lunch. And what style, I think!

This is another version of a lunch bag, though this would be more for picnics. I actually had this same set up, but later found a picnic basket I liked better so I sold it.

This lunchbox was fabricated by a working man. Read about it HERE on this flickr page. The loving father who made this also made a miniature version for his little daughter.

Of course, we often think of school children when we think of lunchboxes.

This barn lunch box from the 1950’s would have been my choice had I been a child then. I loved and adored all things  farm or agricultural as a child. And, in fact, I still do to this day.

Once the Industrial Revolution was well under way, taking lunch with you often became a necessity. In the mid to late 19th century, hampers or pails were used. Certainly, at that stage, a take along lunch was a sign of  the ‘working class’. Unless one had a lovely hamper attended by footman or other servants  for the upper classes, or the afternoon picnic of the middle classes , the need to ‘take it with you’ then was a matter of necessity.

Before actual lunch tins/boxes/pails were thought of as a manufactured product, young children often made over tobacco or cookie/biscuit tins.

In 1935, Geuder, Paeschke and Frey produced the first licensed character lunch box with Mickey Mouse. Though it had no sealed coffee/milk thermos, just a pull out tray.

It wasn’t until 1950 that the first official mass produced character  kid’s lunch box was made. “The Hopalong Cassidy lunch kit, or "Hoppy," quickly became Aladdin’s cash cow. Debuting in time for back-to-school 1950, it would go on to sell 600,000 units in its first year alone, each at a modest $2.39 USD.” That would make it roughly about $20 dollars in today’s money.

So Alladin, an American company, that still exists but is very much downsized today, was the major creater of metal character themed lunch boxes for children. That is until

“In 1971-72, a concerned group of parents decided that metal lunch boxes could actually be used as weapons in school-yard brawls. With petitions signed, they marched to the Florida State Legislature, and demanded safety legislation be passed. It eventually was passed, and other counties in Florida adopted this legislation, which eventually was accepted in other states.”

Though plastic was set to replace steel lunchboxes at some point, it was this legislation that helped bring the plastic forward. Despite this, however, metal lunchboxes were still made into the 1980s.

Recently (in the 21st century) most lunchboxes are more bags made out of vinyl with foam insulation. These, as are many things, are mass produced in China and in 2002 the Center for Environmental Health discovered that many popular vinyl lunch boxes contained dangerously high levels of lead.

The metal lunch pail also blossomed to replaced the usual wicker or wood picnic basket in the 1950’s. Many had the lovely plaids popular then. S0me even were printed to appear to be wicker like or wood grain.

Here is the checklist and picnic ideas from my General Foods Cookbook from the 1950’s.

Any way you slice it, or dice it for that matter, food on the go, made by you, just makes sense: both fiscal and flavor. If you are intimidated by bring you own, try just replacing one of your or a loved one’s eat out lunch a week with a packed one. And with so many fun vintage containers out there, some rather affordable, go in style.

Though there may be much to be said for the ease and speed of the modern world, I think style and flavor has a lot to be recommended. Give it a try, you might get hooked.

Happy Homemaking.

17 February 1957 “The Tale of Youngstown Ohio: Is It The Tale of Modern America?”

One drawback to being a time traveler is that ones’ joy in the moment is often clouded by knowing the future. I can rather get lost in 1957 easily, but whenever I am researching various things about the day, I inevitable find myself going down a path I must follow. This lead to this lead to this; the “Alice down the rabbit hole” I have come to call it.

So, today I want to share such a journey I took. It started with some innocent findings of a town in Ohio, Youngstown.

Here is a video about Youngstown from 1944

Youngstown Ohio in 1850’s before the industrial revolution really hit it. Here we can see how towns once existed. A mix of agriculture/housing/shops all within walking or easy distance. No cars meant we HAD to be green.

Downtown Youngstown 1920’s. At this point the Steel industry had been going for a decade and the downtown grew and became the major area of local commerce and business.

By 1900 coal began to be mined in the area. This, of course, lead to Steel. And with the help of the automobile and the tripling of production during WWII it got bigger rather quickly. And after the war, continued onward and upward And by the 60’s the mill and the surronding countryside was growing with the wealth of the country through steel. The USA was a powerhouse exporter of not only oil (which was beginning to run out at this point and we would see that result in the 1970’s)but auto, steel, industry.

By 1977, the steel works and large industrial complex had been a part of the area for decades now. It seemed a permanent fixture, providing jobs and economy for the area. Homes and town had built up from the wealth and jobs.

What I found very interesting was that in In 1952, during the Korean War, President Harry S. Truman attempted to seize United States steel mills in order to avert a strike. This led to the U.S. Supreme Court decision of Youngstown Sheet & Tube Company v. Sawyer, which limited presidential authority. Had Truman successfully seized control would this have set a precedent? And what, prey, precedent do you mean, 50’s gal, I might hear you ask. That government intervention might be needed when things get ‘too big’. “Oh no!” I hear the gasps, no government intervention. Yet, of course, because of this, the companies continued unhindered by policy into September 19, 1977. ON that day, now locally remembered as ‘Black Monday”, the company abruptly closed its Campbell Works and furloughed 5,000 workers. Closings continued through the 70’s and 80’s.

 

So this has become this

And this bridge which once carried steel out of the area sits rotting.

    This image ( from THIS flickr stream) really hit home for me. The desolation and waste.

The people of the area were greatly affected. The population dwindled greatly with no major industry providing jobs. This is what happened to the neighborhoods

Downtown Youngstown today. It seems almost a movie set of apocalyptic proportions. And this is happening all over the US, not just Ohio.

Here is a ‘home’ in Detroit. Abandoned row houses in Baltimore North Carolina

Here is a local testament from 2011:

"When I grew up in the 1950s, the city was at its peak," said Father Ed Noga, who heads St. Patrick's on Youngstown's South Side. "There were kids everywhere and everyone converged on downtown. You went to eat, to shop and to go to the movies."

Today, downtown is positively sleepy and even somewhat derelict. Residents have to drive out of town to shop for clothes or house wares. And while foreclosures have long been a scourge in this city, they have recently skyrocketed along with the rest of the country, up 178% in February from a year ago.

But, we might ask, where has the steel gone? We still drive cars and have need of steel in this country, is that not so? Well, it must be made somewhere. Where have all the American Steel companies gone, they are still making so much money?

China has the world’s largest steel industry. Indeed, in 2005, China made more steel than the next four largest producers combined. From 2000 to 2005, China’s steel production increased by over 170 percent, as the Chinese industry added capacity at a furious rate. Between 1998 and 2005, China’s steel exports more than quadrupled, as China established itself as one of the world’s leading exporters. This explosive growth in both production and exports would not have been possible without the support of the Chinese government.

 

Now, I have no way of knowing if government intervention in 1952 could have set a precedent that would have helped such industry to be forced to stay in the country. But, certainly, something should have been done. The jobs are gone, the towns are gone, the industry is gone for the majority of the people. Yet the few who owned the steel mills make an even higher profit now due to the lower costs of production in China. Then, I ask myself, is it fair that they were allowed to leave? They are a private industry, but are we not private citizens? Perhaps had there been laws that said, “you may leave and take the industry, but you cannot sell in this country what is not made in this country without having this higher wage put upon you for bringing it back in” That is a fair idea for without such an idea, here we are now.

And it isn’t just steel. So much industry that is flourishing now here in 1957 is poising to leave over the next two decades. I feel we really had it right, we Americans, here in the 1950’s. We were given this opportunity to grow and build ourselves up while the rest of the civilized world was repairing itself from a destructive war fought in their backyards. We could have made a fair playing field for ALL Americans: workers and farmers. Because not everyone WANTS to be a captain of industry. Some people just want a nice home affordable, a home they can pay for, reasonable priced food and a chance to raise a family. And if we ALL wanted to be millionaires, how could we, it would make no sense as it could not happen. The idea of allowing freedom where it should not have been took it away from the freedom from most.

When I look at the happy faces smiling out at me in my vintage magazines. Listen to the happy songs and watch the funny sitcoms of the era and the bright and shiny movies, it sometimes makes me cry. I want so bad to really be here, 1957 and to shout out to the others around me. “Pay attention! What you have now is wonderful. Keep shopping downtown. You don’t need to grow bigger. Johnny doesn’t have to leave the farm, work to keep the farms small and local” but, I know very well, it would fall on deaf ears.

Much like the plot of any fictional time travel book, I could easily go to 1938 Germany and begin shouting to those around me, “Pay attention, don’t turn away as if nothing is happening. You can stop it now!” Of course they would not listen to me. It would fall on deaf ears.

In many ways this can of worms I have opened with this project has left me feeling much like a true time-traveler. I see myself sitting on the threshold of some great significant historical event seeing how it all happened, only no one can or won’t hear me. Was I better off before, when I didn’t know. When I thought the things the TV told me were true. When I believed that the government was full of people who cared about my freedom and not peopled with heads of the big 5 corporations? And, funny thing is, I had to put on a girdle, make a nice little home, kiss my hubby off to work and live in 1955 to realize it all. Irony, I think, is not a strong enough word for that situation, that my living decades away from my own time has made me the most aware of it than I ever was before.

So, where has that left me today?

To me, being Vintage isn’t just Pink kitchens, buying old things and wearing pretty dresses, its about looking back for the good and bringing it forward again. We have the opportunity to re-live the past in a way that puts aside any of the bad we had then, as we don’t need forethought when we look ahead. Then, with the old skills we can make a better future out of the past. I do know that we cannot, with any true success, just continue on as mindless consumers who don’t want to ask ‘WHY’.

It seems to me one of the main drawbacks to our American vast landscape what our extreme growth during the boom of industry and the automobile. Now, were there laws not allowing the companies not to leave the U.S. then these towns would still exist. Of course, we as consumers would have to pay a little more for our things, as they would be made by us who would cost more money. But, then we would put it all back into our own economy. What a difference would our country be today if products sold here had to be produced here. Yet, we happily buy our cheap products made elsewhere, drive our cars long distances to get these items, watch our downtowns fade and our vast agricultural belts become barren with overplanting of corn and watch the waters get polluted by their run off of chemicals.

I am not sure what would need to happen in this country to make it different. I think one thing would be that we just stop and look around and figure out why it is this way. But, as long as large companies are allowed to produce outside our country, and retailers to gut the market with cheap foreign made products and we all happily buy it all up, there is no change ahead until it will be too late.

There are some people who, much like those after a natural disaster or war, are going into these wrecked towns and trying to rebuild. The sad bit is, they were built around the very industry which is now gone. Is rebuilding that same structure the right answer? On what level can it really exist that way? We might make as many ‘cool art galleries and coffee houses’ but really, without any industry to support the economy really, then we are just playing house in an old city still supplying our needs from the big box stores.

There is a town, Braddock PA that is trying to come back HERE is their site.

But, again, is this the right way? To make this post-apocalyptic or I should say post-Industrial town alive again with what was built on that industry which left it the right answer? I don’t know.

In many ways I am beginning to think we might need to look back further than the 1950’s back to Youngstown in the 1850’s. When the town was made up of what it needed, food shelter, neighbors, and industry wasn’t a big machine that could come in and out as it wished leaving devastation like some great giant. Leaving it much like a desolate post war world.

How did we allow ourselves to go from this To this: Was it all worth it?