1 December 1956 “ Thanksgiving Photos and Lessons for Children Also Good For Adults”

I haven’t posted any Thanksgiving photos as of yet, so I thought I would today. As usual, while in the midst of enjoying the day, I forget to take more photos. The turkey was so lovely and I have no picture of it. There were other things as well including my guests who, for the most part, dressed vintage or else dressed up.
  I shared with you before the little name cards I had made for place-settings. You can see how I used them here.I made my ‘rose bud’ or ‘Bishop’s Hat’ folded napkin and placed these inside. What you can’t notice here is the little menu card, which sits above the plate above the dessert spoon and fork. It looked like this. We had no salad, so there was just a dinner fork and soup spoon and dinner knife. I used bread plates and knives and we had champagne, wine and water glass. I used my antique Sandwich glass water glasses (the red ones) and dark green napkins, to sort of hearld the coming Christmas holiday. Here is another view of the table. I served most dishes from a sideboard, so the table was free to have arrangement, candles and not too much fuss.
We had nibbles before hand and some lovely vintage 1950’s punch I also served egg nog (spiked or not) in my mothers hobnail set of white glass pitcher and glasses. I also used milk glass punch cups.
     With dinner, besides rolls, I served Brown Bread. This is a traditional New England bread. It is often served with franks and beans. Many buy it ready made at any grocer in a can and heat it up. It is then sliced. I wanted to make homemade version and it could not have been easier. I shall add this to the list of things I will no longer buy pre-made. 
I used a pudding tin, but if you hadn’t one you can steam it (as is often done) in a coffee can. You simply butter it, fill it about 1/3 of the way with the batter and tie tin-foil over the top.
I, however, have a few pudding tins. So, I used my ‘bundt’ shape. Here it is ready to be covered and steamed. You only fill it that little way, as it steams about 3 hours and fills up the tin nicely.Here it is all closed up and ready for its steam. Here is the recipe I use, it was from my Fanny Farmer Cookbook. I also used our locally ground rough corn meal, which was lovely and rather pretty in the cut bread.
Here is the recipe: I also made local cranberries. They are so pretty that I had to share them in their natural state. I know many people buy canned cranberries, but honestly they couldn’t be easier to make. You literally place them and sugar in a pot to boil, then simmer for ten minutes. Add what you like, nutmeg, cinnamon, orange or lemon zest, even frozen blueberries are wonderful in them. And the color is amazing. One guest even commented on the true red color (and how they matched the cranberry water glasses-planned on my part I might add, a homemaker is always thinking ahead) and asked if they were dyed. No, of course not, just by nature.
I also used Shitake mushrooms in my stuffing as well as in my homemade version of Green Bean Casserole. The Casserole was lovely. As I said, I have never liked the canned soup, canned fried onion casserole, when I have tried it, but this was lovely. I made homemade cream of mushroom soup with butter and cream and shitake mushrooms and even made my own little battered and fried onion rings. It was really delicious and very hearty.
   I had to share this close up of the mushrooms, as I couldn’t help getting a photo. These things were all prepared before the actual day, so I was more camera-ready, then on the actual day. No pictures of me, rather bad on my part.
I wore a grey wool pencil skirt and grey and blue plaid blouse with ruffles down the front and my blue pearl 1950’s earrings. It was really a lovely day and we all had such fun. And, of course, no TV, just music laughter and great conversation.
Now, to continue on our Christmas Preparations path, I thought I would share these great little hints about children at Christmas. I really believe this is good advice for all of us, child or not.Of course, making a Christmas fund is always a good idea. Since our voyage to the 1950’s we have set budgets on our Christmas buying, which we really never did before. I often didn’t know what I had spent until January, very bad indeed. And, as this is our second Christmas in the 1950’s, we have even reduced our Christmas spending budget. This  has encouraged us to spend less time in the stores and more time anticipating our time together. We shall have a cocktail party, a tree trimming party and of course our Family Christmas Even Party to look forward to. I will also be making some gifts this year.
  Here we can see that indeed, making our own gifts and decorations can be fun and really mean more in the end. When we think of each day as building good memories for the future, we can see how heartfelt or even silly but well thought gifts will mean more in our older days.
  I like this advice about gift wrapping and allowing the children, no matter if it is a ‘mess’ to do it. Good advice I think, though helping a child to do a good job, is of course a good idea in any task. This last advice to allow the child to take his time to deliberate on his gift buying is also a good adult bit of advice. If we take more time over less gifts, they will be better received for having been better considered, in my opinion. The fast quick ‘in and out’ buying  is exactly how we over-spend and no time more than at Christmas is this likely to happen.
So, let’s keep working towards our Home-Made Christmas and as always, Happy Homemaking.

23 October 1956 “Covetous of the Fitted Sheets, A New Comic, and an Easy Bread Recipe”

I have talked about fitted sheets before and yes they were available here in the 1950’s. But, I found this ad the other day in a 1954 magazine and I was instantly covetous! I want this style fitted sheet. Does anyone know if they still make them this way? To have the top and bottom sheet joined would be a treat for we homemakers making beds every day. Particularly if one had a large family. I also love the smart blue and white room, don’t you?
I think the latest vintage comic I put on the site has an interesting observation: It is funny, yes, but telling. A home in 1950’s with six people might very well only have one bathroom, not so today. Children sharing rooms even into their teens and a family sharing one bathroom was normal. The opportunity for new home ownership was a wonderful result of post war American, but it was also a realistic goal a young family could afford. I also like the style of the drawing as well, don’t you?
I think I have shared this recipe before, but I will do so again. It is very easy. It is a traditional bread in the sense that you have to let it rise, knead again and rise a second time, but honestly a no fail recipe. I can’t recall where I got it originally, but it now sits in my hand on a little index card in my recipe file. It is much used.

Easy White Bread

• 3/4 cup warm water
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 1-1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp butter, softened
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, approximately

Mix yeast and warm water in bowl until dissolved. Add the salt, sugar, butter, and milk and stir to mix.
Next I start one cup of flour at a time, as you may not need 3 cups or may need more, it depends on your humidity, elevation all that. You will know, however, as you want the dough to ‘chase the spoon around the bowl’ as they say. So you can pick it up and it is not too sticky.
Knead in flour and put in a bowl you lightly coated in butter. Turn it once (so it has a nice buttery sheen), place a towel dampened in warm water over it and place in a warm oven. I always turn my oven on warm as I am mixing it up and then turn it off when I put this into rise. It seems to make it a good environment for the rising. Let set one hour.
Next take it out (it will be like a science experiment the first time to see it so large-it is fun!) and re-knead a few times and shape into a cute little loaf shape and pop it into a buttered bread tin. Cover again with the towel, re-dampened warm and let set for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 F.
Now, it is risen, so place it in the oven and bake about 40 minutes. You will know when it is down as it will have a nice brown top. And a bread is done when you can tap it lightly on top and hear an almost hollow thud.

This bread is SO easy. It just seems involved because of the time in between, but you can still do other things when this is going on. You will love this bread for toast, French toast, sandwiches. It cut’s a treat and stores well. And, if you make two or three loaves at once, will last a good sized family the week.
And look how lovely it rises and it is so wonderful warm from the oven with butter.
I also recently found out about the bleaching of white bread. My hubby read an article and shared it with me. I was shocked to find out that the way we bleach bread in this country is not even allowed in Europe and elsewhere. It literally involves bleach and, of course, is then in the flour. Actual bleached flour, as was often used, is done so by exposure to light. I have statistics and things, but I shall save that for another day’s post. Suffice it to say that I felt anger and frustration at our so called FDA (Food and Drug Administration) which seems to be more a voice for quick production and money for the few, than an actual federally funded institution that cares about the safety and health of our food. I now buy unbleached white flour. It tastes the same, is only a bit more yellow than bleached, and works the same as bleached flour. What makes me angry is I, who make most things from scratch, can simply make that choice to switch to better flour. Yet, all those of you out there who do rely more on store bought due to busy schedules and time cannot. Most things are made with bleached flour which literally is bleach. Think about a product we use with gloves when cleaning, needs warning labels on cleaning products, but is okay in our food apparently. It is actually illegal to bleach that way in other countries, which is scary enough for me. So, just a little bit of warning to any of you. Or if any of you know more about it, please share with us.
*Site news-new recipe of the week on main page, new vintage cartoon, and new video (the New Eames chair). I realized yesterday the design flaw in that all the new items appear on every page not only the Home Page. This would mean me changing ALL the pages every week. So, new changes just on Home today. Yesterday’s site day resulted in my working on the new menu link. In so doing I feel I may have mapped out and scheduled (you know I love making lists!) a main structure for myself for the coming year. The new menu (not yet uploaded) is almost a goal for me to flush out through the year. Like a great research and testing challenge for the year! It was almost cathartic, as if I was mapping out my knowledge for the coming year. I also think starting next week I will blog m-f and have Saturday be my site day and then Sunday answering reader question. Thank you all again.)

13 September 1956 “The Hard Disk Drive is Invented, and More Doughnuts!”

Today International Business Machines, or IBM, have invented the Hard Disk Drive. A hard disk drive is a storage space for digital data. It features one or more rotating rigid platters on a motor-drivenspindle within a metal case. Data is encoded magnetically by read/write heads that float on a cushion of air above the platters. Go HERE to read more about it.
Isn’t it amazing to think how far we have come with this technology? I am certain at this point there was never any though more than for business for these machines. This, as we well know, will change in a few decades.
This film tells the story of the early computer storage drive. It may seem a bit dry, but it is worth it to even see the ladies 1956 business wear. Very interesting stuff and very pertinent to all of us, as we sit sipping our tea/coffee and enjoying the ease and pleasure of our home computers.

Computers are beginning to become a part of offices in a small, or should I say BIG way, at this point. Most offices, of course, won’t have one, but the larger firms in CA and NYC may begin to implement the large business machines for efficiency and accounting.
The movie the ‘Desk Set’ starring Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn, which comes out next year (1957), deals with this very topic. Though it’s release date of May 1957 has yet to come, I am sure I would see the trailer for this around fall or Christmas time this year. Here it is.

This is a great movie and you can get it in the corner store HERE. I think there are copies as inexpensive as $6.
Here is a lovely song from this year sung by David Whitfield. After all, it is September.

And, as it is September, Fall is just around the corner here in New England. Yesterday it was such a lovely cool but sunny day, Hubby, Gussie and I decided to have a fire in the outdoor fireplace on our little terrace.
With the smell of ripe leaves and to see the ripening grapes on the vine, we couldn’t help but think of lovely autumn traditions. One of those being cinnamon doughnuts and cider. Though, we hadn’t any cider, I thought it would be fun to use my little stovetop percolator on the fire.
This little pot was used and loved on our sailboat. I recall the cool mornings when hubby and I were playing vagabond for a year and living mainly on the boat. I had forgot he had even grown a thick captain’s beard. The cool late summer mornings on Martha’s Vineyard with the mist rising above the water. You would awake to the sound of the water lapping the sides of the V-berth where we slept and the seagulls mournful cry. The puppies would stir and I would slide out of bed and get the coffee going in that little pot.
Ah, the smell. The brine, the fresh cooling air and that hot burnt rich dark smell of the percolating coffee, if I could bottle that it would be a favorite scent.
But, yesterday we were not on a boat, but in our little yard on our tiny terrace and a fire seemed right. Hubby lit his pipe as I hopped into make the doughnuts. Here is the color version of our little treat. You can see how the flames lapped  up the side of my little coffee pot, turning it ashen brown (it will scrub off easy enough) and the doughnuts. I gave a doughnut recipe to you previously, but yesterday I had a thought. In my 50s Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, it has a ‘quick doughnut’ recipe. This simply has you buy the pre-made biscuits (newly available) and simply cut the hole out and fry those. Now, I have a wonderful biscuit recipe, so I figured I would simply make the biscuit dough, knead it a bit more and try that for a very easy quick doughnut recipe. We were not disappointed!
Oh my they were lovely. They rose even higher and lighter than my other doughnut recipe and were so fresh and good, I hate to admit it, but the three of us gobbled up the whole plate! So, I can’t report how good they are the next day, which I had wanted to find out, but the cool air, the crackle of the fire, the hot coffee and the melt of the sugared doughnuts were too much for us. So, they were gone in a flash.
The biscuit recipe I used is from my 4 May 1956 Post. If you don’t want to revisit that post, here is the recipe anyway:
Yummy Biscuits.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1/3 cup cold butter
• 1 cup cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut in thebutter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually stir in cream until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.
3. Turn out onto a floured surface, and knead 15 to 20 times. Pat or roll dough out to 1 inch thick. Cut biscuits with a large cutter or juice glass dipped in flour. Repeat until all dough is used. Brush off the excess flour, and place biscuits onto an ungreased baking sheet.
4. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges begin to brown.

Of course, don’t heat the oven, but rather heat oil in a skillet. (lard or vegetable oil is what I use. I don’t use shortening, but it certainly would work fine) and then I just kneaded it a bit more and squished it out about an half an inch thick. Then I cut the doughnuts out and as they oil was heating this allowed the doughnuts to rise a bit. Very easy. I don’t use a thermometer for my oil, though I should, I just go by sight. I usually take one of the doughnut holes as a tester. You want it to brown not too quickly on one side and then flip it so that it is not overcooked outside and raw inside. I usually find no longer than a minute or two per side is perfect otherwise it might get too greasy.
This is also one of the times that I use paper towel. Removing them from the hot grease and transferring them to a paper towel to drain and then while still hot, into the cinnamon and sugar mix. Mmmmm, so delicious and perfect for a crisp fall day. Serve these with warm cider or pumpkin ale for an outdoor fall gathering and you will be sure to get praise for very little work.
And, just for fun, Burl Ives’ “The Donut Song”

And let’s take the advice of this song:

When you walk the streets you'll have no cares
If you walk the lines and not the squares
As you go through life make this your goal
Watch the donut, not the hole.

Until tomorrow, then, Happy Homemaking.

4 August 1956 “Summer Recipes and a Gentle Warning of Things to Come.”

First off, some fun summer recipes:
This month I am going to be sharing the recipes from this article with you. Each section is broken down into a specific summer time meal. Today we are going to be looking at Simple Meals Done Fancy. (Click to see images larger)
And while you are making your fun summer meal, why not make an attractive place in which to eat it. I love that in this setting they took the color cues from the marigolds (which you could plant flowers near your outdoor seating it flowers to match your dishes you may already have) and the color of the birch trees. And yellow and gray is such a fun and yet sophisticated color palette.

Living in 1956 has become rather normal to me. Thumbing through my old magazines, I am always jotting down recipes or earmarking pages for future plans or posts. Sometimes I will see an ad and it will strike me first as a 56 woman. This ad did that.It seems innocent enough (Click to enlarge) but when I read the caption under the smiling girl I thought, “Oh no, that is not a good lesson to teach”. It reads: “Little girls are learning from their mothers that Dixie cups eliminate between meal dish washing. Used for after school snacks, juices, lunches, and bedtime drinks, inexpensive Dixie cups saves hours of work in the kitchen.”
Now, the 1956 me thought, that is sad. That little girl will learn to waste and how can it be Less expensive to buy more of a product you don’t need, when you can simply wash a glass? My older woman 50’s mentality kicked in and my War Time Thrift dander was up.
“That’s a shame” my 50’s persona said, ‘That young girls today shall learn it is easier to be wasteful and lazy than to merely rinse a glass or two until evening dishwashing time. And, they have dishwashers, which we never had in my day” Sometimes my 50’s persona can sound like a curmudgeonly old grandma, but it is true.
Then, of course, the ‘modern me’ poked her two cents in. “Ah, ha! They are already beginning to train the boomer generation to naturally shop and buy things to make life ‘easier’ without considering consequence to pocketbook or their grandchildren’s world. (It can be hard to keep the modern me quiet as well)
So, really not even a rant, gals, just a gentle warning sign. Here it is, mid 50’s, and we are training ourselves that it is easier to buy and spend more and have more garbage than to just take a second to wash out a glass. Did it start this way? Easier? : Okay, a few more dollars in the budget for this and that and though I am still ‘at home’ and could wash it out quickly, why bother. Now I have more time and oh, the tv to watch… Generations later: I can’t afford all these bills and I need to charge products I need and then work two jobs to pay for them. Now my dixie cups that cost one dollar cost me 50 with all the credit card interest. But, it’s so easy!
Is this an over exaggeration or did we start out innocently enough like this, a simple little ad for paper cups you throw away with a smiling little girl happy to ‘learn the ease of disposable living’?
Lately my need to rant has somewhat left me. I can feel overwhelmed when I spot such things creeping into our culture through my magazines, but what can I do? I know, we can just pay attention and be cautious of what we buy. Yet, I feel so bad for the countless seeming masses of people who will never even realize that they could lead a different easier more fulfilling life. What can one do? So, we smile and make our lives as rich as we can. I know my life is still better for having opened my eyes to my own modern world and the new generations. Overall I still feel rather positive about our future because then I think of all of you. How many wonderful people seem to be out there in Blog land with good common sense and the ability to ask, “WHY” and not just take their world at face value. To evaluate their lives and their decisions and make real choices to improve themselves and their children’s futures. So Brava and Bravo to all of you who do make a difference in the modern world.
Now, go make some of these lovely fun summer recipes and enjoy yourself! Happy Homemaking.

27 May 1956 “1950’s Nutrition and Recipes”

I thought we should continue our discussions of food, proportion, portion servings and nutrition both vintage and modern.

I really feel I have struck upon something worth delving into more deeply and have already begun ear-marking and notating pages and compiling some information. To cook vintage can be fun and have a certain compelling nature that might help lead us down the path to ease, health, weight loss, and returning to the basic connection with our food. It is not all Ambrosia salad and Bacon covered butter.
This is the insert from my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook is the Daily Dietary Allowances.(You can click on image to see full size ) It lays out child’s age and caloric intake. So, a homemaker at the time would see and be aware of diet on levels we are not. Also, most girls and some boys were required to take Home Ec and it would have involved detailed information of diet and even such things as how to determine good fabric to make clothing etc. A skill set to help one be independent. Today we are schooled as if we are all independently wealthy and have no need to worry about it, because we can just buy it or someone else will do it for us. Unfortunately for most of us that ‘other person’ is often the corporate world making things fatter and more chemicals so you want more and therefore  buy more.
It’s interesting to note that for a woman 64 inches tall and 128 lbs at 25 should be eating 2300 calories. That might seem a lot, but when you see how it is divided and also figure an increased routine of running about and no ‘sitting at the computer or tv’ time. A homemaker in 1955 maybe watched some television. There was perhaps the ‘bad’ housewife who would watch her ‘soap opera’s (so called because of the soap advertising) but for the most part, tv was an event shared by family in the evening except the new generation of children who were growing up with it watched much more than their parents or older siblings.
The 2006 figure increased by an average one hour per person per week compared to the previous year. People in the North East watched the most television last year at an average 4.2 hours per day. But, I digress, back to nutrition.
In this same book it goes into great detail breaking down all the foods and their caloric equivalents. Under Main Dishes and Meats such things as:

Calories     Meat
95                Bacon, two strips
140             Beef Pot roast (2 thin slices 4 x 2 inches)
245             1 patty (about 4 patties per pound raw meat)

You can see that some of these ‘bad things’ are actually not high in calorie, no sugars and the fat content is minimal when one eats a realistic portion. For example, 4 hamburgers from one pound of ground meat is a much smaller portion than you would find or be instructed to make today. Before 1955, when I did make my own patties (usually bought them pre patties-how lazy is that!) one pound would be more like 2 patties so already that is two servings per one person.
Under BREADS in this same section they have one baking powder biscuit as 130 calories. Now the recipe in this book for biscuits (which I have used and do like) is as follows
Baking-Powder Biscuits

2 cups flour
3 ts[ baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 shortening (I use butter-shortening was one of those war time foods that became cheap and easy to make and therefore was part of the ‘easy’ way we were beginning to see such changes. Butter is MUCH better for you)
2/3 to 3/4 cup milk
Makes 16 biscuits. (If I use my vintage biscuit cutter that is true, but if I made a ‘modern sized’ biscuit it would probably make 6-8 again portion sizes!)

Here we see some examples of Daily food plans (click to view full size). It goes on to discuss deep yellow veg compared to dark green and you are aware of the need for the various varieties for health and vitamins.
Now, many of us like the nostalgia of the 50’s. And to some of us that might be the kitsch of the odd foods. Well, here are some sample recipes from my 1954 Better Homes and Gardens in a pull out ad (they are cut-able index card sized recipes to put in your recipe box) for Miracle Whip. Now, these recipes are not bad and yet are very ‘50’s fun’. Another way to make them even healthier (besides simply eating the smaller portions you would have) is simply making your own mayonnaise. It is not hard and once you taste it you will not want to go back. Again, before the 50’s homemakers would have made their own mayonnaise. It would not have been used as prevalently as it was to be in the 1950’s but that was because it was now a product they wanted you to buy so the more offers and free recipes they gave, the more you would buy and use it. Nothing wrong with that, but you also have the power to take the fun 50’s food and make it healthier with that easy choice of home-made mayonnaise.
There are endless mayonnaise recipes out there. Simply look them up, even Youtube videos on ‘how-to's’ and with that any variation you like. Use olive oil, use different types of mustard etc. You decide, but that is one of the wonderful things about getting  more involved with your food YOU get to choose. It isn’t or shouldn’t be scary or upsetting to have choice and control over one’s life.
This is the recipe I use. It is from my Fannie Farmer Boston School cookbook from 1951 that actually belonged to a family member. I use this book often because it does show that indeed we ate ‘gourmet’ in the 1950’s.
I have made both the whole egg and the traditional egg yolk only. I usually always have a need for egg whites (white cake etc.) so make the traditional.
Now, for some of those very 50’s recipes. (click to enlarge)
Now, these would really dress up any vintage table. If you wanted authenticity and again use your own mayonnaise, and small portions and follow the guidelines for the amount of various fruit and veg and protein and milk per day. I think it would be fun to even do ‘more gourmet’ versions of this, for example, the Cantonese Tuna could use real tuna steaks from your fishmonger, Use real onions and caramelize them and maybe instead of just sweet pickles, a nice hot pepper jam or chutney and either make homemade egg noodles, adding some fun spice, and bake them to add for crunch or use strips of colored dried tortillas as the crunch. Have fun, mix it up, but don’t think it is all bad mayonnaise and bacon.
I think as I continue to research this book idea, I might even like the thought of their being a traditional or fun kitschy dish such as these that would also have a more modern ‘gourmet’ version as well, and including the caloric amounts and how it fits into the various 50’s food schemes (the five food groups as the video, the four as the Better Homes or the Basic Seven as is covered in the Betty Crocker Book).
I think we can discuss this more next post and get into the Betty Crocker 7 version.
I found this study done in the U.K. in the 1990’s that showed that the diets of children in the 1950’s was actually much better than 90’s (and I am sure it is much worse now than the 1990s).
The article in its entirety can be found HERE. But, here are some of the stats:
The project looked at the diet records of 4,600 children aged four in 1950, and compared them with similar records taken in 1992.
The researchers discovered that 1950s children:

• Ate more bread and milk, increasing their fiber and calcium intake
• Drank few soft drinks, deriving less of their energy from sugar
• Got most of their vitamin C from vegetables rather than juices and drinks
• Ate more red meat, giving them more iron
• Had more fat in their diet

In fact, the 1950s diet was almost in line with current recommendations on healthy eating for children.
Professor Michael Wadsworth, Director of the Medical Research Council National Survey of Health and Development, said that, although the fat and overall calorie intake of the 1950s child was higher, generally children were more active than their 1990s counterparts.
It is only in recent years that the problem of childhood obesity has emerged as a major public health threat.
And I am certain it is higher today, but here are the 1990 numbers:
Estimates in 1990 suggested that one in 20 children aged nine to 11 could be classified as clinically obese.
However, a string of recent smaller studies is suggesting the true rate could now be well in excess of this.
This is a new finding for today:
• Nearly 30 percent of an average American child's calories are consumed during snacks between meals, largely due to eating high-calorie junk food, says a new study reported by CBS News today.
Without the structure of home life, with meals at certain times, schedules being lessened so that there is definite family time, meals AT table, no unsupervised in between meal snacking how can any of us, even those without children, hope to get to the grips of our food our diet where our food comes from and really our role as human to food. I think much as learning to clean and sew and organize, learning to cook and understand your food is just another element in the move towards the new ‘Responsibility’ that needs to happen among modern people. And I really do feel that using much of the 1950’s as a model is helpful because they are the closest to us in the past that were truly living a modern life we can understand and in their basic beginnings we can learn to emulate and adjust to have more control over our own use of technology and foods and money and quality time. This time travel trip still continues to open more doors and show me more of the reality of our world. For the most part, I feel, though sometimes disgusted or shocked or feeling helpless, that we are still on the threshold enough to take hold and say, “Stop, we need to try to control our future more”. I hope you are all willing to come along for that ride.
Well, until next time, Happy Homemaking and hopefully, Happy Cooking!

13 February 1956 “My ‘New’ Best Friend, Dress Planning and Some Recipes”

I would like to introduce you all to my new best friend: Isn’t she a beauty? Since my sewing machine breakdown in January (which resulted in my borrowing a friend’s machine so I could do my January Dress Challenge.) I began researching the ultimate Vintage Machine.

In my research I found that the Singers up until the mid 1960’s were all steel work horses made in the USA.

I had at first thought to get the coveted Singer 401. These were from the mid 1950’s and are a coveted work horses. It’s abilities to sew through layers of leather and heavy sailcloth, the strong steel construction and the amount of various feet for different jobs keep that at around $300.00 or so in good condition on eBay ( or cheaper if you are lucky to find one locally at a yard sale!) I began to see the 500, which was called the “ROCKETEER”. I found, for some reason, that these tended to sell for less, despite the fact that they are the same machine inside and out (though I actually like the exterior Design of the Racketeer) and that it has a few more stitch abilities than the 401.
I had been squirreling away money here and there from grocery shopping and my ‘weekly allowance’ (I do the books for our marriage and give, based on my budget, a weekly ‘allowance’ of cash to hubby and I to spend or save for ‘niceties’ as we like). I finally came across a 500 at an incredible price (they are usually around the $200 range on eBay) with all the feet, the cams(that let you do different stitches etc) and original instruction booklet. So, I ordered it and have been waiting patiently for a week. I have even kept my mouth shut here on the blog and the forums, as I did not want to talk about it until it was in my hands!
I have to say, so far, I am not disappointed. It is a beautiful machine. I read an article that said to get a modern machine of this quality and abilities today would be around $2000.00. And to think my machine was made around 1950/60 and it still works wonderfully is a lot to say about its construction. There is not ONE plastic part. IT is all steel built in the USA. Even the feet are of such quality metal it feels as if they may have used silver in their makeup (they have the feel of an old quarter compared to a modern quarter).
You can really see why a homemaker of yesterday really appreciated her sewing machine. This machine was the top of the line in its day and would have been close to 1400 dollars, so would have been a major investment like a car. But, when you consider what you could do with it. There was no Old Navy to go to, so clothes handmade were a savings as were house goods, as curtains, tablecloths, you name it. We are lucky today to have at our disposal the well made wonderful machines of yore to be had at affordable prices. The sewing machine was really a tool that gave a woman endless creative outlet as well as the power to clothe her family and dress her home and anything her little heart could desire. An entire art school/studio space all rolled into a few pounds of steel!
Besides basic stitching, there are endless ‘specialty’ stitches for decorative as well as bindings etc. I was also lucky to get all the feet it came with as well as a specialty foot for embroidery, that I am very excited about. Though I have only tried it a bit, I think it will really be a great way to do pockets and decorations on aprons, skirts pillows etc. I also can envision some fabric art happening. Here it is, you can see it has a little spring and a guide to help hold things in place. I really just  did a little filling in for practice, but it works wonderfully. The little foot bed under the needle raises up for embroidery work and for darning of socks/sweaters any thing that needs mending (there is even a mending setting which shows how much this type of machine would mean to a homemaker).
Here are two feet that I am excited to try: First is the Binder Foot. (click to enlarge) this is a wonderful attachement, as it not only makes a folded roll hem, but you can feed bias tape over the edge as well. This allows for there to be a finished hem edge of bias tape with a decorative stitch if you wish. Wonderful possibilities for this.
The second foot is the Ruffler foot: This contraption looks like something out of science fiction. Here are the wonders it can make: Ruffles (obviously, hence the name) And these lovely pleats: I have made a few skirts with simple pleats, but I had to hand pin all of them. I also think the second picture with the ‘group pleating’ would make a lovely Valence/Pelmet for a curtain topper, don’t you think?
I promise myself to slowly learn the intricacies of this machine. Right now my sewing skills involve, sewing a straight stitch back and forth. I have never even used a zipper foot (just the standard foot, but looking at the zipper foot, I can see how much easier it shall be). This also came with a wonderful Buttonholer, which seems an interesting machine. But, I want any of you out there who have not sewn before to realize, you can do it. I have had NO ONE teach me to use the machine. I have taught myself the simple things I can now do with it, yet have made dresses and skirts and aprons for myself. I want, know with my wonderful Singer ROCKETEER, to be able to make curtains and slipcovers and better tailored clothes with details etc.
In fact the first ‘challenge’ with my machine is to use the Ruffler foot to so pleats in my February Dress Challenge and to also make ruffles and make myself a new bathroom curtain. I shall share, of course, the success or failures and the ‘how to’ with you.
For my February Dress Challegne (as I want to keep them somewhat simple how-to’s for beginners, as that is what I am) will be taking a men’s shirt, here I bought this lovely chocolate brown one for 5 dollars at a local shop. and these few yards of this lovely pink and brown cotton. Here, for scale, you can see the print and the shirt cuff together. So, my plan is to take the shirt and the fabric and make a dress. I will add darts to the shirt as need be to make it ‘fitted’ and the skirt will be hemmed and attached to the shirt. And to tie the dress together I will take excess pink fabric and either add to the shirts cuffs or collar and possibly a pocket square. IF it turns out is should be similar to this. I could even shorten the sleeves, as they have them here  and add the skirt trim as the shirt cuffs. Here you can see a darling belt. I might make one with the pink fabric and can use one of the buckles I got in my goodies from Ann’s Estate Sale.  So, I am hoping this turns out. I think if it does, I will be scouring resale shops for nice men’s shirts and can have an arsenal of easy to wear clothes for ‘daywear’ or even good ‘housedresses’.
Now, onto some cooking.

I have often referred to  and used my Boston Cooking School Cookbook in 1955 and this year as well. My copy is from early 50’s but I just found online HERE that this original book is free to read online! You should check it out.
Last night I made my own soup invention. “What Came First Soup” Hubby named it, as it is egg drop soup with chicken in it, so both the chicken and the egg.
“what came first soup” (named by hubby)
4 cups chicken broth, divided (so easy to make your own broth by boiling chicken-even better with bone in-in water, add spices, then you have the chicken and broth to make the soup.
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
chopped and cooked in butter garlic ( a few cloves)
Broccoli
(This is REALLY good with chives, but I had none in the house)
Dash of cayenne pepper
Salt and Pepper to taste (about 1/4 –1 tsp each)
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 eggs
cooked chicken

Directions

1. Reserve 3/4 cup of chicken broth, and pour the rest into a large saucepan. Stir the salt, ginger, garlic, broccoli  into the saucepan, and bring to a rolling boil. In a cup or small bowl, stir together the remaining broth and cornstarch until smooth. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs together using a fork. Drizzle egg a little at a time from the fork into the boiling broth mixture. Egg should cook immediately. Once the eggs have been dropped, stir in the cornstarch mixture gradually until the soup is the desired consistency. Pouring the egg through the fork gives it the long strands you see in restaurant egg drop soup. I usually give a good stir to the pot to get it going in a circular motion and then pour the eggs through the fork.

I served this with these lovely biscuits. They rise so wonderfully. I can’t even remember where I got the recipe, but it is a great one, so give it a try. I take the extra dough when I make these and roll sugar into them and shape scones and brush them with cream and sprinkle sugar and they make a great breakfast scone as well.
Best Biscuits

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1/3 cup Butter (5 1/3 TBS)
• 1 cup milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually stir in milk until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.
3. Turn out onto a floured surface, and knead 15 to 20 times. Pat or roll dough out to 1 inch thick. Cut biscuits with a large cutter or juice glass dipped in flour. Repeat until all dough is used. Bake on a paper lined baking sheet.
4. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges begin to brown.

So, I hope you are ready for some new sewing challenges ladies! Until next time, keep those aprons on and march into ACTION!