17 October 1956 “I revisit an Old Friend”

Now, readers, that old friend isn’t a person nor even a place, but a cake. That’s right, ladies and gentleman, a cake.
Back in my early days of 1955, it seems so far as to almost have been in 1955, yet is under two years ago, the kitchen was a new frontier. I was having a 1950’s dinner party and with all the newness of the kitchen and the cookery book, I felt overwhelmed. Then, out of the blue, my friend saved me: The Best Two-Egg Cake. You can read about that first encounter in my old post HERE.  Re-reading that post, I had forgot how in those early days  things, such as the microwave, lurked around every corner to taunt me with the convenience of modern cookery.
The reason for my friends recent return yesterday, was convenience and a slimming pantry. I have learned, over the past two years, that to have a stocked and prepared pantry is important. Yet, I have also learned that to over-stock can often be a mistake both financially as well as for your baking results. Things, such as baking powder, even baking chocolate, loose thier flavor and cooking chemistry with time. So, with my weekly shopping schedlue, pantry basics take their turn in my weekly budget. One week may be flour and sugar, so cream of tartar or baking powder takes a back seat.
In the beginning I thought little of simply going out and filling up my cart just to see all those items waiting for me, as if I OWNED my own grocery store. For me that is no longer my situation. I have found, then buying less, having the essentials on hand but in smaller quantity, has allowed me to be both more frugal and more inventive. I often think of our 40’s wartime sisters faced with empty larders and having to invent sweets from ground up beetroot or egg-less cakes. So, for me, I often can find myself at the end of a shopping week with less things. Do I think, “drat, I forgot to buy this”, no for you see it is planned, in a way. I allow myself to fill the needs of the week within the allotted shopping budget and make do with what needs to be done.
I noticed, as time when on, how many advertising in the 1950’s ladies' magazines will show a new freezer packed to the rim with food. I think this must have felt a safe or happy thought, coming out of the war and also living in the threat of the nuclear bomb, as the Atomic Age was. Yet, as we can see, it was truly a false sense of safety, as their never was a need for hoarding and it merely worked its way into our American way of shopping. We wanted to ‘save up for a rainy day’.
I remember when I lived in Paris as a young girl. There were many aspects of that city that showed how different other parts of the world were to my own USA. Even the way one was treated as a customer was foreign to one who was used to the ‘the customer is always right’ mantra here in America. But, what I really noticed was the French housewife’s shopping.
Being young and rather poor I, out of necessity, would shop daily for my sustenance. I was no cook then, but found my ‘budget’ best used to grab some bread and cheese here, pate’ there, today an afternoon on a sidewalk cafe’ and a cigarette. My empty shopping basket was out of necessity, but I noticed, as I frequented the daily stalls and local Super Marché’, that I would see the same faces again and again. I came to learn that the French housewife does shop daily or almost daily, prefers fresh ingredients and to hand pick them herself every day. Even when fresh wasn’t available, daily shopping seemed to be the norm.
I must tell you readers, for those of you who have not been to Paris, the quality of fresh food available at every turn is wonderful. There one finds stalls of veg/fruit a fish monger, a butcher, and on and on. Wonderful fresh food at one’s fingertips.
In our country we began to want to have shelf-life, longevity, and ease in our food. This began to be more important than flavor, or nutrients of the food. Now, when one really considers the quality of prepared food in taste and nutrients, I am sure most would be appalled. But, when one doesn’t know, there is no comparison.
For me, store bought and easy here in the USA had become the norm. Yet, now, after two years of increasingly more home-made, I sometimes find prepared or store-bought foods to be almost inedible. After you have become accustomed to a home-made cake, try a box cake and you will know the difference. Even a pastry I once enjoyed at a chain cafe now tastes like chemicals and I wonder how I ever enjoyed it. Knowing the chemistry and ease of baking has made me appreciate ingredients. Therefore, when marketing day comes, the pantry does not get restocked full every week.
This week, my baking chocolate was almost gone from last weeks chocolate cake and a few nights of homemade hot chocolate (another thing that is far easier and tastier than premade mix you had hot water to). I also checked my egg supply (my hens have not yet started laying) and counted out the remaining breakfasts of the week. So, I knew a white cake (using so many precious egg whites) was out as well. Then, of course, I recalled my good friend: The Best Two Egg Cake.
For those of you who have not yet wanted to tempt fate with making your own cake, I really can suggest this as a good starter. It really is quite simple. And when making this cake, really when doing any baking where one is creaming butter and sugar, really give that some time. The longer you cream your butter and sugar (to a point) the lighter your baked good will come out. This is a secret to light home-made cakes. What I have noticed is the super high moistness of a box cake tastes bland and rather cardboard like to the lightness combined with rich density of a homemade cake. And quite honestly it is not harder to make a homemade cake. You are still adding dry to wet ingredients and mixing it. Yet,  you can control what you are putting in and will learn to tweak recipes as you go. A pinch here, a dash of this there. And even a base recipe like this can become an easy chocolate cake with added baking chocolate or a touch of peppermint for the holidays.
So, from that simple recipe you get a lovely dense and moist yellow cake. It has such a rich almost pound cake flavor, but really minor ingredients.
It serves up a treat!
And, when you are also low on confectioners sugar, as I was, you turn to your other old friend, 7 minute frosting. Many frostings require powdered or confectioners sugar to thicken them and are often just a ‘mix it up’ frosting. When you use regular sugar, which is coarser, you must make a boiled frosting, sometimes using egg whites as is the case here, to get a stiff frosting. The wonderful result of this type of frosting is the sheen! It is a marvel to look at.
I think this close up of yesterday’s cake shows the joyous sheen and movement if this easy frosting. It colors a treat, taking food color and making it a true shade. Wonderful at holidays, looks splendid coated it coconut, toasted coconut, dusted in powdered chocolate, a great canvas for shaved bits of rich dark eating chocolate. It is an all round good staple to have in the homemakers baking arsenal. So, do try it if you have not yet done so. Here is the recipe from my cookbook with variations on it.
So, I hope you enjoy trying this cake. It is a good penny pincher and yet always elicits happy smiles at the dinner table. Even my friend who often says, “Oh, I don’t like frosting, too sweet” raved about this cake yesterday. And it is a sweeter frosting, but it doesn’t have that over-sweet waxy taste of a bakery or grocery store frosting taste. Give it a try.
Until tomorrow Happy Homemaking!

15 October 1956 “1930’s Decorating Class”

I thought it might be fun today to look at some 1930’s interior design images. As I have mentioned before, my 1956 homemaker would have been a young lady or teen in the 1930’s. And in my study of home economics, I would probably have seen many of these types of styles and interiors and furniture.
I have a few wonderful 1930’s interior design books as well as cookery books. I am hoping to increase this collection as I begin to look further into what would have made me, a 1950’s homemaker, esthetically and from early teen age training.(all images can be enlarged by clicking on them and those I borrowed from other sites have links by clicking the image, thank you.)
I think this illustration from one of my books shows the fashion for painted furniture. As one can tell, many of these pieces are actually older late Victorian or even Colonial inspired pieces (these colonial pieces began being reproduced in the 1930’s as well) and are enlivened and made modern with paint. I rather like the color tones of this era of reds, greens, yellows, soft blues and all grounded with some form of black. I think these pieces, as well, work very well in a 1950’s kitchen.
I most likely would have some pieces from my mothers own 1930’s kitchen that I would still use in my modern 1956 kitchen. Certainly the colors could and would harmonize.
Even the lines of the modern chairs of the 1930’s show that the similar angles and lower position to the floor had begun in the 1930’s. These drawings by the 30’s furniture maker Ernst Kauffman demonstrate that. And the Eames work, as this famous chair and these Herman Miller Eames chairs exhibit similar lines.
The color palette, especially in baths, were much softer and more muted in the 1930’s.This lovely frieze of wallpaper above the tiles from a 1930’s wallpaper book I have, are really beautiful. The design is more more enchanted almost fairy book in its organic movement. While a 1950’s paper would be more stylized and patterned as this 50’s bath shows.
The 1950’s has the ‘new’ plastic tile. It was an easy application a Do-it-yourselfer could manage for less effort and money than actual tile. In the 1930’s linoleum was still very popular. Here we see a bath with what looks like a papered top and a tiled lower wall.
Yet, the lower wall was actually a product called lin-o-wall, also found in my 30’s wallpaper design book. Here are more examples of the 3-d style it came in.I have to say, I am rather enamored of these looks. The stone and the brick, but especially the lower left images would look so good painted in a turn of the century home. And, what is lovely for today is linoleum is a very ‘green’ product in that it is made literally from wood/cork pulp mixed with linseed all and is very renewable. I wonder if any such things are being made currently?
Here are some fun wallpaper examples from the 1930’s.I think some of these would be great in a traditional home, but some of the more modern patterns would be fun in a kitchen or bath. The sample on the right with the kitchen breakfast room is geometric and organic combined. I think the top paper on the right ad which looks like blue and white delft tiles would be so lovely in an all blue and white breakfast nook. White painted furniture and woodwork. Soft white sheer drapes with blue and white seat cushions. And little punches of yellow in some framed prints of daffodils or ladies in yellow dresses. It would be such a bright way to start your morning.
How adorable is this little bedroom? I love the mixture of both the very glamorous skirted dressing table and the stoic ladder back colonial chair. The wall paper is very traditional and yet look at the whimsy of the rug under the chair? The mixture of both old and ‘new’ is done white great affect here, I think. I can’t imagine even needing to change the dressing table for the 1950’s although you might use that wonderful little side chair as your dressing table chair and cover that and the table skirt in the same fabric. A room I certainly would enjoy greeting the day with, how about you?
I think I shall close with this video of a 1930’s fashion show (of course fashion and interiors always played off one another). It is quite fun and taken from the 1930’s movie “The Life of the Party”.

Well, that was just some fun interiors from the 1930’s. As my project begins to come upon the beginning of its third year, I am left wondering where to go next. And, I really think in understanding myself in 1950’s, as the decade wanes, is to understand myself in the 30’s and 40’s both politically, and through the design and food. So, I may do more ‘between the war’ posts, if that would be of interest to any of you.
Have a lovely day and Happy Homemaking.

13 October 1956 “It’s an election year here in 1956”

This year, 1956, was an election year. This year saw a repeat of 1952 in that both Dwight D. Eisenhower and Adlai Stevenson would be opponents in the Presidential race. This time around, however, Eisenhower had been running the country for the past four years. His victory was fairly plain to see. He had ended the Korean war and the country was booming in prosperity. Though issues such as the high cost of food remained concerns of American’s.
Dwight D.Eisenhower and Adlai Stevenson.
Eisenhower’s running mate would again be Richard Nixon (our current vice-president here in 1956) though privately Eisenhower did not want him. He felt Nixon was too partisan and controversial. Nixon had, since 1952, greatly changed the power and position of the office of the vice-president. He began to use the office as a platform to run and help elect Republican’s at state and local elections, a power never held nor demonstrated by the office before.
Eisenhower would have preferred Massachusetts Governor Christian Herter. I find this a very interesting choice, as Herter, today, would be seen as a liberal elite, though in fact he was a Republican from Massachusetts. But, he had been born in Paris to Artist parents, educated in NYC and Harvard. He was well versed in foreign affairs and honestly, as we were to find out, much more honest than Nixon.
So, in the Republican National Convention this year held in San Francisco, CA, there was no discussion, Eisenhower was elected to run for the Republican Party.

Adlai Stevenson, whose unique name was used in this tv ad

did not so easily get elected to run on the Democratic ticket. He was up against Tennessee Democrat Estes Kefauver. Their neck and neck campaign for the bid to run as Democratic Presidential hopeful resulted in another TV first this year: the first televised presidential debate. It occurred, of course, between these two democrats. The final result being that Stevenson was again to run for president and this time Kefauver would be his running mate.
Adlai Heralded from the Midwest, Illinois. What is interesting in the political world of 1956, is the south supported him and was mainly Democratic. What I did find interesting about Stevenson was that, though he was wealthy, as any Presidential candidate now had to be, he lived very modestly. He did not have a lavish home nor spend as a rich man. This thrift actually became a laughing point and was used against him (if you can believe it) in a campaign button for the Ike (Eisenhower) party.There had been circulated a photograph of Stevenson being interviewed and when he crossed his leg, he had a hole in his shoe. This was somehow seen and used against him, in these buttons. I find it interesting that the ‘spin’ in this case was that you might end up with holes in your shoes if you vote for him. But not that he might be frugal and therefore care more about country and saving money than how he looks our sounds on tv. In fact, he did not like the idea of tv ads and was rather wooden in the tv spots he was required to perform during the election year.
In response to this, the Democratic Women used the image with pride in this button Of course, leave it to we homemakers to notice thrift for its good attributes. Even if you were an Ike supporter, and most of the country was, you had to acknowledge the silliness in seeing thrift as bad.

It is interesting that concern for the small farmer and the increasing growing corporate business (which really has signalled the end to the small business in our country) was topical then.
Here is a map of the results of this year’s election. You can see that the south farming states were strongly Democratic.
A very interesting thing happened at the Democratic Convention when Adlai Stevenson was chosen, he let the convention choose his running mate. This was never done before and the two leading contenders were Kefauver and a new young Senator, John F. Kennedy from Massachusetts. Adlai Stevenson privately wanted Kennedy, but in the end it was to be Kefauver. Of course we now that we would hear from Kennedy again come next election, when he became our president in 1960. Many changes are to occur from now to 1960.
I have often been shocked, in the modern world, by both political parties use of advertising to get elected. Their ‘subterfuge’ is really quite modern and savvy. Yet, I was surprised to see, this was happening here in 1950’s. In fact, the political arena has always been a platform of finding what the country cares about and play it up during the election year. What is different about this year, 1956, is we are really comfortably in the TV/Media age.
In 1952, when this pair ran against one another, there were less tv sets. And prior to that fewer still. In 1946 there were 6000 tv sets in America, by 1950 there were 12 million. That is a large increase. Yet, by 1956 more than half of Americans owned a TV set. It was not only here to stay, but it was a talking platform in our homes. Commercials and ads had become a normal part of the American evening. So, that platform was finally really utilized.
This was an ad against the current president Eisenhower. It is interesting how they use his words against him, much as is done in today’s political climate.

This cartoon ad also has similar rings to today, with mention of getting in or out of a war we may or may not have needed (in this case it was Korea, which we had been out of at this point). What is really interesting in the second ad is the mention of a possible invasion of Communist China. Imagine had we really a time machine and could go to 1956 and tell the people that Communist China is stronger than ever and that almost all the things in our homes and business are produced there. Frightening to think of for them, yet to we modern people, hardly ever mentioned.

Of course, on the Republican sides, such ads were also prevalent as this one here

The idea of running a campaign based on fear rather than simple facts was already becoming the norm. And in this ad we see, already, that one party wants to use simple buzz words such as family and religion, as if only one party truly cares about one’s families.
I have been accused of being political before on this blog, though I have never intended to be. In fact I hate politics in that it seems just another game to play and all it does is separate the majority of people and turn us against one another. When, really, we would be greatly helped if we put these things aside and just tried to actually make a world we could be proud of that was fair for all.
I might be considered political in saying things against the large corporation of today, but honestly, all that we love about the 1950’s and earlier are very counter-big corporation. The very demise of the small business and the American dream is due to their monopoly on our towns and wallets. Even the immigration problem that seems to worry so many is in fact due to the corporation, as they are working on large corporate run farms and not at the local privately owned drug store or mom and pop restaurant.
It is a sad side affect that my project has, along with creating my love of this time and respect for the people of that era, it has made me see, more clearly, our own current world. I have to say I am not happy with our current or even recently prior conditions of this country. I can see the writing on the wall, as they say, and as the digital world increases I think we will see more than just our manufacturing leaving our country for overseas. I believe what is left to the majority of us, our towns and small business the ability to care for ourselves and children and our land, is slowly vanishing. The sad this is the smoke screen of worry over the government controlling us hides that we are really very controlled now by the corporations and in fact the government is largely run by those involved in the big corporations. The idea of ‘two sides fighting it out’ is almost some great ruse to keep us separate, when really they all seem to be fighting for the same master, the Almighty Dollar over us. I wonder, then, when we are so quickly sold out to the large corporations for a fast buck, what shall we have left. And those who are left, what shall we care about? I am sorry if that seems political, but it is, quite honestly, how I now feel after two years of very detailed study of all facets of our country.
Who would have thought when I began looking through old magazines for recipes or dress styles, that I would find myself falling down the rabbit hole of discovery of our current American condition. I am sorry if this seems offensive to anyone, but it is in fact my LOVE of America and what it once meant that I feel saddened. You can call a duck what you like, slick it up, throw smoke screens or put it in an expensive three piece suit on TV, but if it quacks like a duck and walks like a duck, you can bet it IS a duck. And it seems rather Republican or Democrat, we have many fancy ducks these days.
I hope we gals and gents can make a little difference.

11 October 1956 “Why Do Fools Fall in Love, A Moveable House, and The Power of Vinegar”

Frankie Lyman and the Teenagers were a new boy group here in 1956. Here is one of their first tv appearances on the Frankie Laine Show. Little Frankie Lyman is only 13 here, so young.
An interesting and surprising fact about Lyman: He appeared on a new show, “The Big Beat” which predated American Bandstand and used that format of bands and teens dancing. Frankie Lyman, who was black, was seen dancing with a white teenager. The show had to be cancelled because NBC affiliates in the Southern States took offense. Sad, really, when just a few people who care about something so silly and really quite innocent can ruin it for so many. And I am sure there were also people in the South who would not be offended, so in a way that was also unfair to those people as well. I guess it does seem that one bad apple does ruin the whole barrel.

During the 1950’s the RV or Caravan was having a boom. The mobile home is really born out of this era as well, with trailer parks becoming a new option for young families, though not with the ‘poverty cache’’ they have now. The ability to have a home with wheels, rather it was a ‘vacation home’ as in the case of the RV/Caravan or the longer term mobility of a mobile home was becoming attractive to the growing country and its increasing highways. 
What is so interesting about this story from my 50’s magazine is the James G. Mitchell’s solution to this mobility problem: A custom built home that is neither mobile manufactured home nor store-bought RV.
Mr. Mitchell, who works in the construction trade, often has to be moved about for his job. Rather than leave his family or leave the mobility of his job, their family decided to make their home portable.(all images are larger when clicked upon)
Mr. Mitchell designed his home to be built on Oak skids and to have easy hook ups for utilities. He completely designed the structure and his wife the interior. Read their little article here and enjoy the pictures of the inside of their home.

How adorable is her little kitchen and there is even room for a little ‘homemaker office’ where Mrs. Mitchell sits on the phone.
They don’t even let their mobility stop them from music and the bulk of the piano.
What I love here is you can see how the children, they have three, even have a playroom. Though it is small, it uses every inch of space with lovely colored wall storage and gay little block handles. How is this done? Easy, when the three share one bedroom then the second bedroom is freed up for their play and easy clean up.
I think what great lesson we can take from the Mitchell’s is not only their ingenuity or their desire of family over convenience (the importance of their being together over the ease of a solid foundation home somewhere) is the use of space. Now, they had this home built for the equivalent of around $55,000 in current money. This is quite a bit of house for that price when one considers the extra effort made to allow easy utility hookup. 
The fact that good space and utility can be mingled with style and yet toys, clothes, and even musical instruments are still available. Though they may have much less in comparison to today’s child, they have enough to stimulate and educate and also the lesson of living in well designed economy. A lesson, really, any of us young or old should and could benefit from. I just thought you would like this little story.
I know that there is a movement today for small moveable ‘little houses’. They are even smaller than this house, but really I thought this showed a house with a bit more than just a 400 sq ft cabin. That might be good for some, but this also shows what could be moveable for the family that might like more ‘normal’ home conditions. It also shows how we can, even in a normal foundation build stationary home, really make do and make lovely with less space.
Now, on to cleaning: I know we have discussed homemade cleaning solutions before. And, although many readily available cleaners are at my fingertips in the markets here in 1956, I am an ‘old war wife’ and certainly recall having only water and elbow grease to clean with during the rationing years.
To clean a drain (and make it smell fresh) pour in one cup of dry baking soda and then one hot cup of vinegar (Watch it bubble!). After about 10 minutes run hot water down the drain. Fresh and clean.
If you have glasses that have become cloudy from the dishwasher, vinegar to the rescue! Take a cloth and soak in white vinegar full strength. Now wrap it all around the glass, in and out, and let sit an hour or so. Now when you rinse and wipe clean, they should sparkle like new.
Copper pots or copper bottom pots? Clean these bright and new with a paste made of white vinegar and salt. I wear a ‘cleaning cotton glove’ or use a rag and apply the solution. (mix the two until they are a pasty consistency) To make them shine or to shine copper use 4 Tbs catsup and 2 Tbs vinegar and then rub it on, let it dry and buff off.
To clean metals and metal sinks, make a paste with 1 tbs cream of tartar and enough vinegar to make a good paste. Rub onto the metal and let dry white. Then wash it off and rub dry. As good as Comet  but kinder, in my book.
If you have colored porcelain sinks, use full strength vinegar in a spray bottle to clean them. They sparkle and shine!
Fruit flies? Set out a small dish of straight vinegar and they shall be attracted and perish.
A great cough syrup/expectorant is 1 tsp apple cider vinegar and 1 tsp honey. Mix and swallow. It really works in lieu of cold or cough syrups (plus no drugs!)
The only bad thing about vinegar is don’t use it on white marble ( I have a small marble counter I use for my pastry) as it is too acidic for it and will ruin/mar it.
There are many uses for the stuff? What is your favorite way to use it? Let’s share, as I love finding new ways to use less things to keep my home clean and in order. And, best of all, any solutions we make and keep, we can decorate the bottles as we like and how lovely to see a cleaning pantry or closet filled with little bottles bearing our own cute vintage images or sayings! “The Smith Family Window Cleaner” “The Jones’ Incredible Carpet Cleaner” and so on. Have fun with it, then it’s not work.
Happy Homemaking.

9 & 10 October 1956 “Jam, Chocolate Cake, Left-Over Pie, and Bread: From Field to Slice”

  I realized I forgot to share my finished Jam and recipe with you the other day. While speaking of canning I must tell you about my first incident with canning. I sometimes forget, now well into my second year of life in the 1950’s, that it was not that long ago I could hardly boil water.
My vintage friend and I had decided to try some canning early on in my 1955 year. We both had never done it before and only had some basic books to use. We were so careful measuring and preparing the jars and I set my then ‘new’ vintage canning pot with rack to boil. We carefully lowered our first set of jam into the water, eager to make our first batch. Then, we waited…and waited. We heard no pops and could see the lids were not indented, so we simply went onto more prep work for more jam.
I forgot to mention, this was late in the evening that we had decided to do this. We were also working on some art projects for a craft fair we were going to go to the next day. So, time went by. When it reached midnight and no indenting lids, I told my friend to go home and I would stay up and baby-sit our first batch of jam.
At around 1 a.m. I simply gave up and took the jars out. Thinking we had made some horrible mistake. When I removed the jam you could see the liquid in the jars boiling inside. Oh, well and off to bed.
The next morning, when I came down to make breakfast, it was like Christmas morning when I noticed the jars had all popped in the night and were happily dented in! Needless to say, that batch of jam was VERY cooked, but it was then that I learned the ‘popping’ didn’t happen until a few minutes after you remove them from the boiling water. I feel I have come a long way. That is also why I feel like any of you out there who can barely boil water that why to try the adventure into cooking and doing more for yourself, don’t worry. It is possible and rather fun along the way.
Now, my jam. I had mentioned I was in the middle of using up the peaches I had received from my MIL from her little fruit orchard. I also had some leftover rhubarb I had picked at our local farm early Summer that I hadn’t used, so simply froze the full stalks. I decided to combine the two. Thus, Peach Rhubarb Jam.

Here is the recipe:
50sgal Rhubarb & Peach Jam

• 1/2 cup rhubarb diced
• 4 cups mashed peaches
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• Lemon zest
• 4 Tbs liquid pectin

Get your big canning pot boiling. (any pot large enough to have boiling water that will cover the lids of whatever size jar you are using) I have an old large metal canning pot with the metal rack insert that you lift the jars in and out. I bought it at a local sale for a few dollars. They are not expensive and as usual, I always try for vintage, as I know it will last. But, they do have new variety that are nice. I have some books and Canning equipment in the Corner Store HERE if you would like to check that out.
I blanched my peaches first. This makes canning peaches much easier. Especially if you are doing a large patch. This recipe makes 6-7 8oz. jars.
Set water to rolling boil and then drop in peaches for about 5 minutes. I found with these peaches, as they were more ‘natural’ (that is not overgrown for the consumer market, just an old peach tree in my MIL yard that yields small little plum sized peaches) it took a little longer. Have an ice water bath ready and simply plunge the peaches in. The skin should slide off fairly easy. I also find this really prepares the peaches to be mashed. With a firmer store bought peach the mashing might need some cooking to achieve it. But with these, the were rather mushy when I was done and simply cut out the pit and sliced/smashed them into my measuring cup to get about 4 cups.
Cut rhubarb into 1/2 inch pieces and cook with 1/4 cup lemon juice (I like fresh lemon juice, but you can use bottled in a pinch). Cook this until it is soft, about five minutes or so.
Now place the peaches and the sugar into the pan with the rhubarb and bring to a boil. Then, simply spoon into clean and dry canning jars, wipe mouths of jars clean and dry, put on the lid and place in your large pot of boiling water for canning. Make sure the lids are under the boiling water. I boil for 10 minutes then take out and wait for the fun little ‘pop’ sound. Always laughing, of course, recalling that first batch of ‘all-night’ jam with a friend.
I forgot to mention. I used liquid pectin in this recipe but you could also use powdered. The trick is:
4 tsp powdered pectin = 2 TBS of liquid pectin.
Also, remember that when you use DRY PECTIN you add it to the juice of fruit before heating. Then after you have brought it to a bowl add the sugar.
When using LIQUID PECTIN you add the sugar and juice/fruit together and THEN boil and add the liquid pectin AFTER. It took some research to find this out, as I had both liquid and powdered pectin depending on the recipes I had found and the other day had only liquid left. So, I hope this  helps you out.
I made a new chocolate cake recipe the other day that I really like. It was nice and dense and very old fashioned tasting, though the recipe was new. I made the frosting through an error and was, as usual, happy with it. I often find when I run up against a problem, in this case I had less confectioners sugar than I had thought (forgetting I had used some the previous day). So, without enough sugar to stiffen it into a good firm spreadable frosting, it basically became icing.
Though it was a simply mixer frosting, I then treated it like a 7 minute frosting, but added no eggs. I simply put it in a double boiler (for me that is a pot with boiling water with a smaller pot set in) and used my electric mixer for 7 minutes.
This was the Frosting recipe I used:

EASY CHOCOLATE FROSTING
1 stick butter
4 tbsp. cocoa
1/3 c. milk
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt

Combine butter, cocoa and milk in saucepan and heat until butter has melted. Beat in sugar, vanilla, and salt, beating until ready to spread.

But, then I found out I did not have 1 lb. of sugar and had already made the liquid ingredients. Shame on me, for I should have had all my ingredients out first. I am so used to baking and cooking and usually try to stick to my lists for pantry and shelf so I assume there will be ingredients there. I had forgot, however, that the previous day I had used up some confectioners/powdered sugar unexpectedly.
So, to that I added marshmallows broken up and then put it in the double boiler. It made a thicker liquid, which I poured onto my cake. When it set, it was a beautiful smooth as glass surface. A good trick with such liquid icing on a cage, is to pierce the cake with something, a knife or the small ends of your beaters, so the icing drips and sets into the cake, this is wonderful.
Dark Chocolate Cake

• 3/4  cup  butter, softened
• 3    eggs
• 2  cups  all-purpose flour
• 3/4  cup  unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1  teaspoon  baking soda
• 3/4  teaspoon  baking powder
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 2  cups  sugar
• 2  teaspoons  vanilla
• 1-1/2  cups  milk
•     Chocolate-Sour Cream Frosting (see recipe below)

directions

1. Allow butter and eggs to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, lightly grease bottoms of three 8-inch round baking pans or two 8x8x2-inch square or 9x1-1/2-inch round cake pans. Line bottom of pans with waxed paper. Grease and lightly flour waxed paper and sides of pans. Or grease one 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Set pan(s) aside.
2. In a mixing bowl stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder; and salt; set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time, beating on medium speed until well combined (3 to 4 minutes). Scrape sides of bowl; continue beating on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition (about 1 minute total). Beat in vanilla.
4. Alternately add flour mixture and milk to beaten mixture, beating on low speed just until combined after each addition. Beat on medium to high speed for 20 seconds more. Spread batter evenly into the prepared pan(s).
5. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 35 to 40 minutes for 8-inch square pans and the 13x9x2-inch pan, 30 to 35 minutes for 8- or 9-inch round pans, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cake layers in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans. Peel off waxed paper. Cool thoroughly on wire racks. Or place 13x9x2-inch cake in pan on a wire rack; cool thoroughly. Frost with desired frosting. Makes 12 to 16 servings.

As I am doing a recipe post, I figured I might as well share last night’s dinner with you. I had made a slow cooker meal of corned beef, potatoes, corn and onions the previous night. It was quite good. Then, as I usually do, Hubby gets another version of the previous night’s dinner for his lunch the next day. Now, I had quite a bit of the meal left and I did not want to simply serve that leftover again in the same form, so I made one of my good ole’ stand by’s. I call it ‘left over pie’.
Basically, I make a very simply in the pan pastry and then fill it with the leftovers. In this case I baked the crust for ten minutes and then shredded the corned beef along the bottom. Took all the corn and potatoes and mashed them. Then I put a layer of green beans over the meat and topped with the whipped potatoes and grated a bit of leftover cheese along the top.
  This is always a fun and easy way to use up leftovers. You can, of course, make a top layer crust as well, but in this case, it was more of a sheppards pie affair and the browned potatoes and cheese on top are so yummy.
This might actually look rather bad to anyone who doesn’t eat meat, but I assure it, it was quite good.
This is my old make in the pan pastry. This recipe is for a two layered pie, so for this pie I simply cut back the ingredients to:

1 1/2 C Flour
1 1/2 tsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 C  Salad Oil
2 Tbs milk

Both versions are so easy to make and you can whip it up rather fast. Company will always be impressed with homemade pie, rather savory or sweet, and this actually makes a very light and flaky crust.
Now, just for fun, this interesting video.This isn’t a vintage video, but it is an interesting watch. This gentleman in UK used his allotment to grow wheat and he takes you from seed to loaf. A great teaching tool for you homeschoolers just to show a very small version of wheat to bread production. Also very interesting how he uses some garden machines and modifies them to work in the wheat process. Obviously not practical for many of us, but very interesting none the less.

8 October 1956 “Eartha Kitt”

This month here in 1956 Eartha Kitt will perform on the Ed Sullivan Show. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Eartha, she is a very unique talent. I adore her voice and her sing song/story telling way she approached songs. She doesn’t just sing a song or perform, she owns it and it becomes a little vignette; a mini movie or almost short story.
This clip of she and Nat King Cole from next year (1957) show that indeed people of color were on TV in the 1950’s. I love her rendition of this classic song. It seems they were going into a skit, but it cuts off before that happens.

 
This 1962 clip of her singing “Just an Old Fashioned Girl” is wonderful. You really get the complexities of her voice and what a glorious dress and set. I have to say, though I am biased, I would much rather watch such a set and lovely outfit and performance than an MTV video.

She would later go on to play Catwoman on the Batman show in the later 1960’s. Many people know her wonderful rendition of Santa baby first recorded by her in 1953. There was a horrid Madonna version made of the song once. I know it’s a bit early for Christmas, but we can’t talk of Eartha Kitt and not hear it.

I am sorry the website disappeared for a bit yesterday and today. I had some glitches that needed to be fixed. I hope all  are able to access again and I will be back with a longer post and more information on the site. Thanks for the patience with that.
Happy Homemaking.

7 October 1956 “A Little House”

This fun song by the Four Lads had me flipping through me various 1950’s vintage house plans. It is fun to sing along with. Here are the lyrics:

There’s a tiny house (There's a tiny house)
By a tiny stream (By a tiny stream)
Where a lovely lass (Where a lovely lass)
Had a lovely dream (Had a lovely dream)
And the dream came true (And the dream came true)
Quite unexpectedly
In Gilly Gilly Ossenfeffer Katzenellen Bogen By The Sea
She was out one day (She was out one day)
Where the tulips grow (Where the tulips grow)
When a handsome lad (When a handsome lad)
Stopped to say hello (Stopped to say hello)
And before she knew (And before she knew)
He kissed her tenderly
In Gilly Gilly Ossenfeffer Katzenellen Bogen By The Sea
The happy pair were married one Sunday afternoon
They left the church and ran away to spend their honeymoon
In a tiny house (In a tiny house)
By a tiny stream (By a tiny stream)
Where the lovely lass (Where the lovely lass)
Had a lovely dream (Had a lovely dream)
And the last I heard (And the last I heard)
They still live happily
In Gilly Gilly Ossenfeffer Katzenellen Bogen By The Sea
In Gilly Gilly Ossenfeffer Katzenellen Bogen By The Sea

I am not sure what it is exactly about this particular house, but I am drawn to it. It couldn’t be simpler. I currently live in a rather small home, but it couldn’t be more different than this little gem. (click images to see full size)
I think the combination of the stone, the clapboard siding, the little cupola on the garage, the swoop of the white fence attached to the garage. It just seems very homey. This house was probably built many times in a sub-division, but I could really see it on a little plot of land here in New England.
Here you can see the layout both with a basement or just a foundation. There is even included in this layout an outdoor fireplace. You can see there is a lot of living in this small space. And I could see it decorated either 50’s modern or Early American and both being quite lovely and appropriate.
Before 1955,  a home such as this would hardly have caught my eye in a book of plans. As I learn to make more of my own, live more simply and really find that I need less and less, the concept and idea of my living space seems to shrink as well. And, as a homemaker, the less space to clean the more time for other endeavors.
A family with two children would have happily lived in this space in the 1950’s. Today, I think separate bedrooms and baths as well as the requisite great room or media room would be required. It’s funny to think that today there are probably more computers in an average American home than there are bedrooms in this 1950’s home.
Just a simple post for me today, I hope that is fine with all of you. The crisp fall weather calls and there is dinner to be made. I hope all of you a fine day and as always, Happy Homemaking.

6 October 1956 “The Industrious Homemaker”

I wanted to share some images from my magazines and books showing the homemaker being very industrious. Even in adverts, as above, we see the clever homemaker in her work dungarees cutting and creating her home and then later dressed and pretty in it. I think sometimes we only see the second image, mostly due to Hollywood, I think.
I often find such tips and guides, as this. We see the homemaker happily wielding the hammer. No ‘honey-do’ list needed.
Even when she is having hubby’s help she is often in the thick of it with him. Even in advertising, this was often shown. And Do-it-yourself meant both partners.
What I have noticed is that the early 1950’s magazines seem to show this more often. As we move closer to 1959, we see more interest in the finished product without as much of the labor being shown. Many more images of the woman enjoying a space decked out, but without the view of her working hard by herself or with hubby to get the desired look. Why this is, I don’t know.
Even, as I said, Hollywood seemed to follow this pattern. Leave it to Beaver was from the early 1960’s and though still very 1950’s in feel we often see Mrs. Cleaver working in lovely outfits and doing some chores, sometimes gardening. But, if we see I love Lucy, she is often ‘doing it herself’ even though it often ended badly. Yet, that was the humor of it and I am sure many homemakers could associate with the mistakes because they, too, were trying to ‘do it themselves’ not merely relying on their hubby’s.
I think the homemaker’s role was very serious to her. It WAS a job and that job entailed the home in many ways. While hubby might mow the lawn, take out the garbage, and occasionally barbeque, really it was her province and she ran it even down to installing and repair. Some may disagree with me, but I would be willing to bet the average woman in 1950’s new more well-rounded aspects of living from cooking, to hair design, to even plumbing and basic home maintenance than many women today. It was part of your job and part of being a woman.
Even when the ladies tried to use their ‘feminine whiles’ to trick the man into helping out, it often meant they were stuck in the thick of it as well. This of course brings to mind this episode of I Love Lucy, where Lucy and Ethel try to trick the boys into building a Barbeque only to end up as helpers. I also like this episode as I liked the season they lived in CT.

The main glaring difference in Women’s magazines of the 1950’s to today, is that missing element of the woman actually doing the work. Of course, I have not done an exhaustive cross reference of all modern magazines, but I know all the home/decorating/homemaking type magazines I used to read pre  1955 were more about the end result. Often big expansive things that were either impossible to copy or simply ‘chabby chic’ with no real direction as to how to achieve success with it. That is understanding color and how it works together and in a room. Even the cooking is often ‘make this meal in 10 minutes from a mix’ but never understanding the basics to cooking in the first place. Making dough, making a sauce, how to bake and roast.
Well, there you are, a little bit of the industrious women of yesteryear. Let us, in this as well, emulate her as best we can. Because you know what? We CAN do it!

4 October 1956 “Red Velvet Cake and Peach Rhubarb Jam”

Yesterday I hosted a birthday party for my friend. I forgot to get pictures of us, as we were having too much fun, but the ladies dressed 50’s vintage and we looked darling. I wore the last dress I shared with you that I made, the blue flowered sheath, with a brown cardigan and belt and shoes, and a brown fabric flower in my hair. Fun was had by all.
I made, upon request of the Birthday girl, red velvet cupcakes.
This is the recipe that I used. I found it HERE. Though it is a modern recipe, it seemed similar to the others and I had not tried them before. I would recommend them. They are quite good and more chocolaty than the more traditional version. Though, it is still a very subtle chocolate cake taste as opposed to a heavier chocolate fudge cake. 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 fluid ounce red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease two 12 cup muffin pans or line with 20 paper baking cups.
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs, buttermilk, red food coloring and vanilla. Stir in the baking soda and vinegar. Combine the flour, cocoa powder and salt; stir into the batter just until blended. Spoon the batter into the prepared cups, dividing evenly.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until the tops spring back when lightly pressed, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in the pan set over a wire rack. When cool, arrange the cupcakes on a serving platter and frost with desired frosting.

This picture actually makes them look redder than they actually did. But, they had the reddish/brown cast you get from the older recipes that don’t call for red food dye, but actually get the reddish color from the chemical reaction of  the acidic vinegar and buttermilk tends to better reveal the red anthocyanin in the cocoa. Before  the higher  alkaline "Dutch Processed" cocoa that we now use (most likely what you have in your pantry), the red color would have been more pronounced. This natural tinting may have been the source for the name "Red Velvet" as well as "Devil's Food" and similar names for chocolate cakes.
For example, my Betty Crocker cookbook has this recipe for Red Devils food cake. It does not have red food coloring or vinegar in it: (click to enlarge)

During the war, when sugar was in short supply, cooked beets were often used, for their higher sugar content, thus giving a natural reddish color. Obviously, not a sugar beet, as that is a white vegetable.
I have not tried a beet recipe, but would like to. This ONE I found sounds quite good. If any of you make it, let me know how it turned out.
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tbsp dark cocoa powder (not Dutch processed)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup fresh pureed beets*
1/3 cup oil (I use a sunflower/ rice bran oil blend)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Method:
*I used 3 medium sized beets and got approximately 1 1/2 cups of purée.
Wash the beets, scrape/ peel and slice them. Cook them (steam cook or microwave) till they’re well done. Cool and purée the cooked beets along with about 3 or 4 tbsps of water, in a blender till smooth. Keep aside. You can do this ahead and refrigerate the purée for a day or else freeze it till required.
To make the cupcakes, first whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt in a bowl till well mixed. Keep aside.
Put the puréed beets, oil, lemon juice and vanilla extract into another bowl and lightly whisk together till mixed well.
Pour this into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix just enough to combine. Divide the batter equally between 12 cupcake tins lined with paper cups.
Bake the cupcakes at 180C for about 20 to 25 minutes. A skewer/ toothpick inserted into the centre should come out clean once they’re done.
Cool completely and decorate with frosting of your choice. The usual choices are butter roux (boiled) frosting or cream cheese frosting.

I also found this little bit of Red-Velvet cake history from Canada:

In Canada the cake was a well-known dessert in the restaurants and bakeries of the Eaton's department store chain in the 1940s and 1950s. Promoted as an "exclusive" Eaton's recipe, with employees who knew the recipe sworn to silence, many mistakenly believed the cake to be the invention of the department store matriarch, Lady Eaton.

In the 1920’s the Waldorf-Astoria was known for its Red Velvet cake. And according to a legend, a patron asked for the recipe and was billed an exorbitant amount. Her retaliation was to spread the secret recipe through a chain letter.
Here we see a Debutante Ball at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel NYC 1950’s. Aren’t they lovely?
Waldorf-Astoria Red Velvet Cake

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 ounces red food coloring
• 2 tablespoons cocoa (heaping)
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 1/4 cups cake flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vinegar

FROSTING

• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup butter (must be butter)

Cream shortening, sugar and eggs.
Make a paste of food coloring and cocoa.
Add to creamed mixture.
Add buttermilk alternating with flour and salt.
Add vanilla.
Add soda to vinegar, and blend into the batter.
Pour into 3 or 4 greased and floured 8" cake pans.
Bake at 350°F for 24-30 minutes.
Split layers fill and frost with the following frosting.
Frosting: Add milk to flour slowly, avoiding lumps.Cook flour and milk until very thick, stirring constantly.Cool completely.Cream sugar, butter and vanilla until fluffy.Add to cooked mixture.Beat, high speed, until very fluffy.
Looks and tastes like whipped cream.
Today I am using up the last of my peaches. My mother in law has peach trees on her property and gave me a good amount. I am amazed by the shelf life of these peaches, as I have had these for the past month in a brown bag in my ice box. They are still fine. They have never been sprayed or any chemicals used on these trees and they are the small natural peaches, not the big over genetically altered grocery store peaches, so  I am not sure if that is why they lasted so long.
Here they are coming out of their ice bath. I blanched them (Place them in boiling water for 5 minutes then plunge into ice water, the skins slide right off).
I also had some leftover rhubarb from early summer that I put in my freezer that I want to use. So, Rhubarb Peach Jam. I will let you know how it turns out.
Until tomorrow, Happy Homemaking.