Category: ANTIQUE RECIPES

GREAT GRANS CHICKEN & NOODLES ~ BLOG 366.46

This is an old family recipe that was extremely common in the midwest amongst many a farmer’s wife back in the day. My great grans even made her own noodles and would drape them all over the dining room to dry. She also started with a chicken from the yard as well as veggies from her garden.This was a family favorite long before supermarkets.

I never thought to ask, just accepted that it was that way, but this dish was always served in our house over fluffy mashed potatoes with homemade butter, which is A LOT of carbs! But, I can’t think of serving it any other way! I admit I buy packaged noodles and butter, but the rest is all scratch made.

GREAT GRANS CHICKEN & NOODLES
1 whole chicken, cut into pieces
2 carrots, rustic chopped
2 stalks celery, rustic chopped
1 LARGE Vidalia onion, quartered
3-4 cloves garlic, rough chopped
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste
1/4 + 1/4 cup FRESH chopped flat leaf Italian parsley
1 pound wide egg noodles
1/4 cup WONDRA flour
2 carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 LARGE shallot, chopped
Fluffy mashed potatoes

  • Place chicken pieces, 2 rustic chopped carrots, 2 rustic chopped celery stalks, 1/4 cup parsley and onion pieces into 4 quarts of salted water and bring to a boil.
  • Reduce to a simmer for 45 minutes.
  • Strain through a colander and reserve broth.
  • Pick the chicken pieces, discarding the debris.
  • In the reserved broth add the sliced carrots and celery with the diced shallot and remaining parsley. Simmer covered for 30 minutes until veggies are tender.
  • Increase heat slightly and add noodles and chicken pieces, simmer 10 minutes until noodles are done.
  • Whisk the flour into 1/2 cup water until well blended. Add to simmering broth, stirring to combine and simmer 5-10 minutes until broth thickens.
  • Season to taste and serve over fluffy mashed potatoes.

GREAT GRANS BEEF & NOODLES

Substitute chuck roast for chicken.

BROCCOLI CHICKEN DIVAN ~ BLOG 365.192

Another “vintage” recipe from my friend’s grandmother’s “antique” recipe box. This type of recipe was once a staple of the working mother in many American households. I believe it was originally found on the back of a Campbell’s soup can label. I also adapted her recipe “slightly” to add a bit more flavor and texture. Quite a tasty and crunchy satisfying meal. 😀 I made this in honor of my late brother-in-law. He would have LOVED this casserole. Today would have been his birthday.

BROCCOLI CHICKEN DIVAN

2-3 small broccoli crowns, trimmed, cut into florets and rinsed
1 1/2 cups rotisserie chicken pieces
1 can Campbell’s broccoli cheese soup
1/3 cup milk
1/2 + 1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste
1/3 cup small diced red onion
2 cups prepared rice
2 tablespoons butter, melted
3 tablespoon Panko bread crumbs

  • Grease a shallow 2-3 quart baking dish.
  • Preheat oven to 375°.
  • Blanch broccoli florets 3-4 minutes in boil water, drain WELL and set aisde.
  • In a large bowl whisk together the milk and condensed soup until smooth.
  • Fold in 1/2 cup cheese, onion, chicken pieces, rice and broccoli florets.
  • Season with FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper.
  • Arrange mixture into baking dish, spread smooth.
  • Sprinkle top with remaining cheese.
  • Mix Panko crumbs into melted butter until well mixed.
  • Sprinkle on top of cheese.
  • Bake 30 minutes or until cheese is melted, casserole is heated through and bread crumbs have turned golden.

NORWEGIAN MEATBALLS ~ BLOG 365.167

This is another recipe from an old antique recipe box that became an instant keeper for our family. The flavorful meatballs and light delicate sauce make this a refreshing meal for any time of year.

NORWEGIAN MEATBALLS
Prep Time: 45 minutes Cook Time: 40 minutes Rest Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 1 hr 30 minutes Servings: 12

MEATBALLS
1 cup torn croissants
½ cup WHOLE milk
2 LARGE eggs
1 LARGE onion, FINELY grated
+/- 1 tablespoon FRESH grated ginger
+/- 1 tablespoon FRESH ground salt, to taste
1-2 teaspoons FRESH ground nutmeg, to taste
2-3 cloves garlic, FINELY minced
1 ½ teaspoons FRESH ground black pepper
3 pounds LEAN ground beef

  • Preheat the oven to 400°.
  • Grease a LARGE baking sheet. 

  • Combine bread pieces, milk, eggs, onion, ginger, salt, nutmeg, garlic, and pepper in a mixing bowl. Let stand 10 minutes until bread absorb all the milk.
  • Stir until just mixed and add ground beef mixing until well blended.
  • Shape mixture into 1-inch meatballs and place on the prepared pan. 

  • Bake 20-30 minutes in the preheated oven until browned.
  • Set meatballs aside to rest while you prepare the gravy.

GRAVY
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons minced onion
5 tablespoons WONDRA flour
4 cups HOMEMADE beef broth
½ cup sour cream
1 dash cayenne pepper
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste

  • Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  • Sauté onion until tender, about 3 minutes.
  • Whisk in flour and cook 2-3 minutes until lightly browned.
  • SLOWLY add broth; cooking and stirring gravy 5-10 minutes until smooth and thickened. Blend in cream, cayenne pepper, and black pepper. 

  • Gently layer cooked meatballs into the gravy and SLOWLY simmer, heating through 5 minutes or so, but DO NOT BOIL. 

  • Serve over wide egg noodles, mashed potatoes or rice.

NOTES: These meatballs freeze wonderfully!

SWEET & SOUR BEANS ~ BLOG 365.139

This is a wonderful recipe that I found when my friend lent me her mom and grandma’s recipe boxes to go through. It has SOOOO MUCH flavor and has quickly become a favorite way to prepare beans. She thought it was her mom Maxine’s recipe, but when I showed her the recipe she said the writing was too neat, so we’ll never know.

SWEET & SOUR BEANS
1 tablespoon butter
2 cans great northern/Cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
2 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
1 LARGE shallot or SMALL onion, chopped small
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup homemade chicken broth
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper
1 small can chopped green chiles, drained WELL

  • Melt butter in small skillet.
  • Add shallots/onions, sauteing until tender.
  • Add vinegar, brown sugar and chicken stock, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
  • Add beans and green chiles, stirring to coat well.
  • Simmer 10-15 minutes.
  • Fold in bacon JUST before serving.

BAKED GERMAN POTATO SALAD ~ BLOG 365.133

Several of my “new to me” recipes are courtesy of my friend Diana’s mom and grandma’s recipe boxes. This recipe 45 years old and was from her aunt, Carol Booth in 1978. I made only slight alterations to bring it into the 21st century.

BAKED GERMAN POTATO SALAD

2-3 pounds red potatoes; cooked tender, peeled and diced or smashed
2 sweet Vidalia onions, chopped
8 strips bacon; cooked crisp and crumbled – reserve 2 tablespoons of drippings
3/4 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup water, divided
1/3 cup vinegar
1/3 cup sweet pickle juice
1 tablespoon FRESH chopped parsley
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
2 tablespoons WONDRA flour

  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Layer potatoes into an ungreased 2 quart baking dish.
  • Saute onions in reserved bacon drippings until tender.
  • Stir in brown sugar, 1/2 cup water, vinegar, pickle juice, parsley, salt and celery seed. Simmer 5-10 minutes.
  • Whisk together remaining water and cornstarch until smooth. Stir into onion mixture.
  • Bring to a SLOW boil, cooking 2-3 minutes until thickened.
  • Pour over potatoes.
  • Fold in bacon gently.
  • Bake uncovered 30 minutes.

SWEET & SOUR MEATBALLS ~ BLOG 365.132

This is another one of the several of my “new to me” recipes are courtesy of my friend Diana’s mom and grandma’s recipe boxes. This recipe 45 years old and was from her aunt, Carol Booth in 1978. I made only slight alterations to bring it into the 21st century.

SWEET & SOUR MEATBALLS yields 12-18 meatballs
MEATBALLS
3/4 pound ground beef
3/4 pound ground pork
2/3 cup cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon Johnny’s seasoning salt
2/3 cup evaporated milk

  • Preheat oven to 300°.
  • Gently combine all the ingredients together.
  • Roll into meatballs.
  • Brown meatballs (they will finish cooking through in oven) and transfer to baking dish.

SAUCE
13.5 ounce can pineapple tidbits
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons Bragg’s liquid aminos
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 small green pepper, chopped (OPTIONAL)

  • Drain juice from pineapple pieces into saucepan.
  • Add liquid aminos and vinegar.
  • Whisk in cornstarch until smooth.
  • Fold in green pepper if using.
  • Cook slowly until thickened.
  • Pour over meatballs.
  • Bake 20-30 minutes until heated through.

BEEF STROGANOFF on a BUDGET

When I was a kid I was served beef stroganoff on a fairly regular basis. NO ONE told me it was the middle class version of stretching a dollar. It was pretty good in my opinion, but I was a kid, what did I know? 😀

When I grew up and read the recipe in a “real” cookbook, I was amazed to find that it wasn’t actually made with ground beef LOL 😀

Taking the budget a step farther, my folks used canned mushrooms. I didn’t even know what a FRESH mushroom was until many years later. I will tell you I have NEVER EVER liked canned mushrooms. They also used them in chop suey YUCK!!!!! They also used dehydrated onion and garlic.

This version with REAL veggies and a QUALITY ground beef is really good though. It may not be a great picture, but the flavor made up for it.

BEEF STROGANOFF on a BUDGET
3/4-1 pound QUALITY ground beef
1 cup sliced FRESH mushrooms
1 LARGE shallot, FINELY chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 + 3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons WONDRA flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper to taste
1 cup sour cream
3 cups prepared egg noodles
1/2 cup chopped parsley

  • In a large skillet brown the ground beef until crumbly.
  • Drain off excess fat and set aside for the moment.
  • Melt 1 tablespoon butterin the same skillet.
  • Add shallots, garlic and mushrooms, sauteing until soft.
  • Remove veggies with a slotted spoon adding to the meat.
  • Melt the remaining butter in skillet.
  • Whisk in flour salt and pepper, whisking until golden.
  • Remove from heat and whisk in milk.
  • Add meat and veggies back into skillet.
  • Return to heat, reduce heat and cook, constantly stirring until smooth and slightly thickened.
  • Fold in sour cream, prepared egg noodles and parsley.
  • Serve immediately.

CHILI RELLENOS CASSEROLE

This is one of those recipes I found in an antique recipe box. It was neatly typed and attributed to Fran Thompson. I did do a bit of research on the origin of chile rellenos.

I’ve modified very little of this antique recipe except to add a protein and a bit of cinnamon to make it more authentic. During my research I found that proteins were normally incorporated during the early years. A chile relleno is literally a stuffed chile that originated in Mexican cuisine. As early as 1858 it was described as a green chile pepper stuffed with minced meat and coated with an egg batter before being fried. Poblano peppers are the most commonly used pepper, but a pepper is a pepper, so use what your taste buds ask for 😀

Typically they are stuffed with a melted cheese and a meat such as a diced pork and even raisins or nuts and seasoned with a Mexican cinnamon. Sauces vary, but some form of tomato sauce is often served these days.

CHILI RELLENOS CASSEROLE
12 ounces (canned) whole green chiles seeded and drained
2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese**
2 cups grated Cheddar Cheese**
3/4-1 pound ground beef, seasoned as it’s browned crumbly with the green onions and drained of grease
1/3 cup flour
1 cup half and half
2 LARGE eggs
1 bunch green onions, sliced
8 ounces tomato sauce
1 teaspoon QUALITY cinnamon (Mexican cinnamon if you have it)
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper

GARNISHES
chopped olives halved grape tomatoes
chunks of FRESH avocado
favorite salsa
chopped green chiles
sour cream
lime slices
jalapeno slices

  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Mix cheese together. Reserve 1/2 cup for topping.
  • Whisk eggs together with the half and half and the flour.
  • Fold in ground meat mixture.
  • Fold in half the cheese.
  • Spray an 8×8 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
  • Pour egg and meat mixture into baking dish.
  • Whisk tomato sauce, cinnamon and a generous twist of FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper together. Spread on top of egg and meat mixture evenly.
  • Top with the other half of the cheese.
  • Bake 1 hour until bubbly and golden.
  • Top with reserved cheese and let sit in the off oven for 5 minutes.
  • Top with your favorite garnishes.

**Tillamook makes a Spicy Mexican Blend that works well with this recipe.

GRANDMA WARE’S SKILLET CORN BREAD or DUFF GOLDMAN’S SWEET SOUTHERN CORNBREAD

GRANDMA WARE’S SKILLET CORN BREAD
1 cup white corn meal or half white and half yellow
1 heaping teaspoon flour
1 rounded teaspoon salt
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 LARGE egg
1 tablespoon bacon grease

  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Whisk together the dry ingredients in mixing bowl.
  • Whisk egg and buttermilk together.
  • Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients JUST until belnded.
  • Grease cast iron skillet with bacon grease.
  • Pour batter into skillet and level.
  • Bake 20-25 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.

SWEET SOUTHERN CORNBREAD ala Duff Goldman

Level: Easy Total: 45 min Active: 10 min Yield: 12 mini loaves

1 cup finely-ground yellow cornmeal
6 tablespoons cake flour
6 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 LARGE eggs
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
Nonstick cooking spray

  • Preheat the oven to 375°.
  • Place an 8-cavity mini loaf pan in the oven to heat up.
  • Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, cake flour, sugar and baking powder.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk the buttermilk, oil, eggs and salt to a uniform color.
  • Quickly but gently fold the liquid mixture into the dry mixture. It should be a loose batter, not a dough.
  • Carefully remove the loaf pans from the oven and quickly spray with cooking spray.
  • Divide the batter evenly among 6 cavities of the loaf pan and bake until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, 28 to 30 minutes. Rotate the pans 180° halfway through baking.
  • Immediately turn the cornbread loaves out of the pans onto a cooling rack to cool. This will also ensure they build a crisp crust.

updated CHICKEN CONTINENTAL

Chicken Continental as a recipe appears to be a collaboration from Campbell’s soup and Minute Rice during the 1960’s, an era of combining ‘prepared’ foods to form casseroles as your main meal.  Casseroles as a whole obviously go back MUCH further, but were usually made with scratch ingredients or bits of leftovers. I have found cookbooks on pinterest and google with the recipes, but I have grams old card with the Campbell’s label recipe on one side and a portion of a Minute Rice box cut out on the other.

Either way, I wanted to bring the recipe into the 21st century with using boneless, skinless chicken and FRESHer ingredients to spice it up a bit while maintaining the integrity of the original flavor base of the recipe.

updated CHICKEN CONTINENTAL
4 chicken breasts
1/4 cup WONDRA flour
2-3 bacon slices, cooked crisp, drippings reserved
8 ounces FRESH sliced mushrooms
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon avocado oil
1 bunch green onions, sliced
1 stalk celery, strings removed, diced
2 tablespoons FRESH chopped thyme
2 tablespoons FRESH chopped Parsley
1 1/2 cups Minute Rice (uncooked)
1 can Campbell’s Tomato soup
1 cup chicken broth
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper

  • Preheat oven to 375°.
  • Generously season chicken breasts with FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper.
  • Dredge chicken breasts in flour and set aside.

  • Add  1 tablespoon of butter and oil to the bacon drippings in a large skillet.
  • Add celery and onions, sauteing lightly until softened.
  • Add mushrooms, thyme and parsley, cooking a couple minutes more until mushrooms begin to caramelize.
  • Add chicken broth and soup, blending together and bring to a boil.
  • Pour all but 1/2 cup into a large mixing bowl and stir in rice. Cover with a plate and set aside.
  • Return skillet to stove and add last tablespoon of butter to melt.
  • Add chicken pieces and sear 2-3 minutes per side.
  • Arrange rice mixture into the bottom of a prepared baking dish.
  • Nestle chicken breasts into rice.
  • Top with remaining sauce.
  • Cover and bake 20 minutes until chicken is completely cooked through.

NOTE:  Hubby hates mushrooms, but I love them so I makes them “separately” and add them to just mine. 😀

ANTIQUE RECIPE FIND of the CENTURY and CHICKEN TETRAZZINI CASSEROLE

As you know I LOVE antique recipes! I am ALWAYS on the prowl for antique recipe boxes IF they are FULL of actual recipes, well, and occasionally if they aren’t 😀 

On our anniversary amid the pandemic we HAD to get out for a bit and went for lunch and decided antiquing was a safe excursion.  We had a GREAT time at the few places that were actually open.  But, it was in the last store that hubby surprised me with the greatest gift, an antique notebook from 1914 ish.  The recipes themselves aren’t dated, but ARE written in pen and ink that was blotted. There was an article in the back of the notebook from Essex, England April 21, 1915 on “An American Woman”.  Upon further inspection, she saved it for the “When Tomatoes Are Plentiful” recipes on the back side.

Each recipe has its own unique qualities, but one of the best things is that they are attributed to their original author, whether its “Mother” or “Marys Cook” or Bess Maxwell…

There are about 40 or so recipes in the notebook and I want to try ALL of them except 2 or 3 – I’m just NOT a fan of curry or aspic 🙂

The first thing I did was CAREFULLY open the notebook and photocopy each page.  I then put it back together with carefully placed rubber bands to help keep it square. Since these are over 100 years old, I wanted to handle them as little as possible. Fortunately, pen and ink photos quite well and I now have really good working copies to operate from.

I did a little research on the notebook itself, “The National Notebook for use in the National Notebook System adapted for ALL Written Schoolwork”. The patent dates back to 1898, a time when people were transitioning from slates to paper which had become inexpensive and allowed students to retain their notes.

I’m still trying to make out some of the formal cursive writing and a few of the titles, but the ingredients sound really good and are seriously FROM SCRATCH.

The first recipe I tried in its ORIGINAL form is from Ernest Arbogast, the chef at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, but made famous by Chef Louis Paquet is Chicken Tetrazzini.  It is said that he named the recipe after Italian opera star Luisa Tetrazzini.  It is widely believed to have been invented around 1908–1910. So, I’m sure the recipe was making the rounds through all the housewives 😀

The version I was taught when I was younger was seriously altered and shortcutted with processed foods so this is a really FANTASTIC find!

CHICKEN TETRAZZINI CASSEROLE
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons WONDRA flour
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup Cream of Sherry
1/2 pound prepared spaghetti
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced, reserve tops for later
1/2 pound sliced mushrooms
2 1/2 cups small diced cooked chicken
1 can petite green peas, drained
1/2 cup FRESH grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup sliced almonds

  • Preheat oven to 375°.
  • Spray 8×10 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
  • Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet.
  • Add onions and mushrooms, sauteing until caramelized. Transfer to a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.
  • In another bowl add chicken pieces. Set aside.
  • Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large skillet.
  • Whisk in flour until golden.
  • Season with salt and pepper.
  • Whisk in broth and bring to a SLOW boil.
  • Reduce heat and whisk in the white pepper, nutmeg and paprika.
  • Whisk in cream sherry and heavy cream, simmering 5 minutes.
  • Pour half of sauce into mushrooms and the other half into the chicken pieces.
  • Arrange spaghetti around the edges of the baking dish, leaving the center empty.
  • Spread chicken into the center of the baking dish.
  • Top with mushroom mixture and peas. Spread even.
  • Sprinkle cheese and then almonds evenly over top.
  • Bake 25-30 minutes.
  • Top with green onion tops.

SALTED PEANUT OATMEAL COOKIES another ANTIQUE RECIPE

This is my new GO TO recipe!  SO SO Good!

SALTED PEANUT OATMEAL COOKIES another ANTIQUE RECIPE yields 5 dozen cookies
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup shortening (crisco stick) (next time I’ll use half crisco stick, half butter)
3 LARGE eggs (next time I’ll only use 2)
1 teaspoon PURE vanilla
1 ½ cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups oatmeal
1 cup peanuts
¾-1 cup golden raisins
½ cup peanut butter chips

  • Preheat oven 350°.
  • In a small food processor grind the peanuts and set aside.
  • Cream together the shortening and both sugars.
  • Add eggs one at a time and blend well.
  • Add vanilla and mix well.
  • Whisk together the oatmeal, ground peanuts, flour, baking soda and baking powder.
  • Sift flour mixture into wet mixing until blended well.
  • Fold in raisins.
  • Bake 12-15 minutes.