Throwback Thursday

I saw this in my Mom's cabinet the other day ~ and it brought back tons of memories!

("This pattern is the second most produced design. It was produced from 1972 through 1987 and featured the earth tones that were so popular in the 1970s. 

Spice O' Life was a band of vegetables that included mushrooms, artichokes and garlic.

 L'Echalote (the shallot) was written in script under the vegetables on some pieces. 

This pattern was also known as "French Spice" because of this.")

My Dad bought my mom the set for Christmas, probably around 1973-1976, and my older brothers added to it for various b-day gifts, mother's day, etc. I remember all kinds of family dinners served in these dishes.  The marketing ploy was that you could serve the food in the same dish it was cooked in.  These little beauties could be used not only in the oven, but also on the stove top.  And when we received our 1st microwave in 1980-1981, it seemed to just be made for the microwave as well! Roasted chicken, mac & cheese, casserole after casserole, vegetables ~ you name it ~ were served in a casserole dish just like this one!

My mom enjoyed the pattern because it went well with her copper-colored stove and refrigerator! Ah, the earth tones of the 70's ~ gotta love them! (No, not really!)

To celebrate the psychedelic 70's, here is one of my mom's casserole dishes:

Busy Day Casserole

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion, cut up
1 tsp. oil
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 #2 can green beans, drained
salt & pepper to taste
8 slices of mild cheese
1 can buttermilk biscuits

Directions:
Fry beef and onions in oil;, break up and fry until browned.  Drain.  Place meat in casserole; add soup and beans and seasoning.  Bake for 25 minutes at 350*.  Remove from oven and place cheese slices over all. Top with biscuits.  Return to oven and bake for 12 minutes or until cheese is melted and biscuits are brown.

(I found this recipe in my former church's cookbook ~ probably circa 1986-1988.)

Mom wrote:  "I usually just serve a salad with this.  Pudding can be served for dessert."

Throwback Thursday

What is this vintage culinary tool?

 

If you guessed an egg separator, you are correct.  For only four bucks, I picked up this little gem at a tearoom/antique shop in Ozark, MO.  My mother-in-law had heard about the tearoom from friends, so we thought we'd check the place out.  We enjoyed visiting over a yummy lunch and then had fun browsing the antique shop afterward.  

That's when I spotted it.  It was lying in a chipped ceramic white bowl, just as if it were ready to accept a fresh egg straight from the hen!  I couldn't resist, knowing it would be a great addition to my small collection of vintage culinary tools.

My mom had given me her vintage kitchen tools that included her rolling pin, an ice pick, potato masher, sifter, vegetable peeler and a sugar scoop.  Most of these items were wedding gifts for her & my dad back in good old 1957.  They now hold a special place of honor in my kitchen to serve not only as decoration, but to remind me of special "kitchen" moments from my childhood past.

I remember Mom rolling out pie dough and sugar cookies with that rolling pin. A gallon of sun tea was always sweetened with 4 scoops from the sugar canister with that red-handled scoop.  I watched Mom rake that vegetable peeler down the length of a carrot, making the sweet, orange ribbons fly.  That now rusty metal spoon ~ AKA "The Big Spoon" ~ was always used to stir my dad's famous vegetable soup.  (It could also be used as a paddle if necessary ~ I speak from experience!)  I remember Dad using the ice pick the most.  He had the fun chore of using it to chip away at the ice when he defrosted the freezer.  Well, the ice pick and my brother's hot comb! (Those of you born after the 1970's may have to Google that one!)

I hope you've enjoyed the pics.  Thanks for indulging me in my little trip down memory lane.

My Mom's Breakfasts

Today I want to share two of my favorite breakfasts my mom made for my brothers and I "back in the day".  As I stated in an earlier post, my mother firmly believed that a hot breakfast was essential for her kids to start out their day.

My mom made us a different breakfast each day.  The following is what a regular school week of breakfasts would look like:  Blueberry muffins, fruit & milk ~ Scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, juice/milk ~ Pancakes, sausage. milk ~ Baked eggs wrapped with bacon, toast, juice/milk ~ Oatmeal, fruit, milk.

Mom could make eggs at least 12 different ways.  She would not just fry an egg and be done with it ~ she would go the extra mile to cut a heart shape into a slice of bread, toss it into the skillet & crack an egg in the space to make an egg-in-the-hole sandwich.  A scrambled egg would transform into a farmer's omelet, complete with crispy potatoes, onions, bacon and cheese.  Baked eggs were a perfect "cupcake" of bacon and eggs.  Poached eggs were served on crispy, buttery English muffins.  Then, for one of my most favorites:  the simple boiled egg was sliced and made into Creamed Eggs on Toast.

I loved creamed eggs on toast! Mom made this at least one time a month, and I always looked forward to it.  I must admit that it doesn't look too appetizing on the plate, but the flavor is amazing!

Here is the recipe:

Mom's Creamed Eggs on Toast

6 eggs, hard-boiled, peeled and sliced/diced

4 T butter

4 T flour

1 c milk

salt/pepper to taste

6 slices toast

Melt butter into medium saucepan.  Add  flour.  Cook for at least 1 minute to remove raw flour taste.  Add in milk and whisk until desired thickness.  If too thick, add in more milk.  Add in eggs and seasonings.

Place 2 slices toast on plate and ladle creamed eggs over top.  Sprinkle with salt & pepper.  Enjoy!

* I've found the best way to make a hard-boiled egg is to put the eggs into a large saucepan, cover with water and sprinkle with salt.  Boil for 10 minutes, remove from heat and cover with a lid.  Let set until cool enough to handle.  They usually peel easier that way.

Mom's Baked Eggs

12 eggs

6 slices bacon, cut in half and partially cooked

salt/pepper

Preheat oven to 350*.  Lightly oil each spot on the muffin tin with butter-flavored cooking spray.  Place each bacon half around the perimeter of each spot.  Crack an egg in each spot. Sprinkle with salt & pepper.  Bake 15-20 minutes.  

Serve with toast, biscuits, or English muffins.

Oh, How I Love Chex Mix!

Just for fun, every Thursday, I'm going to post a new section called "Throwback Thursday".  In this section, I will be sharing old family recipes, homemaking tips that have been passed down through the generations, old wives' tales, poems, jokes, vintage decor and craft ideas, just to name a few.  Hope you stay tuned!

I have a board on Pinterest that houses nothing but Chex Mix/Muddy Buddy recipes. My mother made the original stuff back in the 1970's. Yep, every year at Thanksgiving and Christmas, my family munched on the stuff my daddy lovingly referred to as "Trash" (because you add in a little bit of this and a little bit of that).  In fact, I didn't realize that "Trash" was even called Chex Mix ~ until decades later!

As far back as age 6, I remember Mom taking the black-speckled turkey roaster and filling it to the brim with golden, crispy/crunchy squares and circles of cereal.  I know I'm waxing eloquent here, but you see, cereal was considered to be an extravagance in my childhood home. We never ate any kind of cereal except for good old Quaker oatmeal.  My mom, bless her heart, got up bright and early every. single. morning! and made breakfast for my older brothers and me. (I'll share some of her amazing recipes for another time.)  She believed it got us all off to a better morning to have a good, old-fashioned hot breakfast instead of cold, mushy cereal.  Way to go, Mom!  (Too bad for my kids.  They get to eat that cold mushy stuff, plus, they have to fix it themselves!)

Fast-forward to present day.  Every Thanksgiving and Christmas, I take out that same black-speckled turkey roaster that my mother passed down to me and make "Trash" for my family.  I've modified it a bit, but take pleasure in remembering the same scent wafting from the oven and savory flavors from childhood.  I think it's now considered to be called "umami", right?

I digress.  ANYway, my grandma takes credit for ~ ahem ~ "inventing" the recipe. She called it Party Mix.  My mom says that Grandma made Party Mix as far back as she could remember, and that Grandma gave her the recipe when Mom married Daddy in 1957.  I researched Chex cereal for the fun of it, and it debuted back in good old 1937, and my Mom was born in 1938.  More than likely, Grandma saw a recipe from the newspaper or magazine and modified it to her liking.  (She was a whiz in the kitchen and made the best pie crust you ever put in your mouth.)

So, whether you refer to it as Chex Mix, Party Mix, or even Trash, I'm happy to share my grandmother, Gracie Mae's ~ ahem ~ "original" recipe!

(I think it's safe to assume that this picture has solved the age-old mystery!)

Gracie Mae's Party Mix (circa 1940's)

(as she notated it:  my notes are in italics)

Preheat oven to 250*

In a large roasting pan, toss together:

1/2 box each:  Rice Chex, Corn Chex, Wheat Chex and Cheerios

1 small box Mr. Pretzel thin pretzel sticks
(I use 1/2 bag Snyder's Butter Snaps)

1 can Planter's Cheese Balls
(I toss in a ridiculous amount of Utz Cheese Balls ~ they always go first!)

1 can Planter's mixed nuts

In a 2-cup glass measure, whisk together:

1 c. Wesson oil

1 T each:  celery salt, garlic salt and Worcestershire sauce

1 t each:  Tabasco and chili powder

Pour 1/2 oil mixture over cereal mixture, Toss gently, coating cereal evenly.  Pour remaining oil over all and coat again.

*Note*  You have to continue to whisk as you pour.  The spices have a tendency to settle to the bottom.

Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes in slow oven.

*Very Important!* 
Stir and fold mixture every 15 minutes to ensure crispy texture.  Enjoy right out the oven or at room temperature.

*Bonus*
This freezes extremely well in 1-gallon freezer bags, so you can always keep a batch on hand!

Just for fun, I googled the vintage boxes, cans and bottles of ingredients used in this recipe. Gracie Mae should be proud.  Enjoy!

Wow, they had really cool toys back in the day!

I think I remember Gracie Mae having this same tin at one time.  
She saved everything!

Don't you just love Mrs. Brady doing the Wesson commercials?

"The only label on the finest table"
"How to get full enjoyment from Tabasco in your everyday meals" 
"One drop works wonders" 

"This better tomato juice cocktail you make with French's Worcestershire Sauce"