David Ross

Just imagine "How We Eat," 103 years ago...

Just so fantastic. I could spend days reading all of these.

What are your thoughts on eggs in fruitcake? Does it change the texture of fruitcake without eggs in the batter? And what about the density of the fruitcake? I'm getting ready to make about 5 this season, one which I'll eat, the others will be aged. I've got about 6 different recipes in my archives that I'm considering.

I'm going to try this also, sounds delicious.

Hard to believe it was ten years ago that we started this Cook-Off, but I'm glad I found it in my archives this morning. Seems like the perfect time of year to bring back this hearty, warming dish. What is your variation on Chicken and Dumplings?

This is the Sauerbraten recipe. It's pretty easy, just takes time over the course of marinading and slow-cooking. This time I cooked it in a Dutch oven, but the slow-cooker works well too. For the Marinade- 2 cups red wine 2 cups apple cider vinegar 1 tbsp. whole black peppercorns 1 tbsp. juniper berries, crushed 4 bay leaves 1 tbsp. pickling spices 1/2 tsp. celery seed 1/2 tsp. caraway seed 3 1/2-4 lb. beef chuck roast 2 tbsp. olive oil salt and black pepper For the Beef- 1 1/2 cups peeled and chopped carrots 1 cup chopped celery 1/2 cup chopped parsley 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions 6 cloves garlic, crushed For the Gingersnap Gravy- 4 cups reserved marinade 10-12 gingersnap cookies fresh parsley for garnish fresh rosemary for garnish Prepare the Marinade and the Beef- In a large saucepan, add the red wine, apple cider vinegar, peppercorns, juniper berries, bay leaves, pickling spices, celery seed and caraway seed. Bring to a boil, then take the marinade off the heat and let it cool to room temperature. Put the beef roast into a deep casserole dish or Dutch oven, then pour enough of the marinade over the beef to come up to the top. Cover and refrigerate the beef. Let the beef marinate for 3 days or up to 5 days, turning it over each day. Slow-Cook the Beef- Heat the oven to 275. Remove the chuck roast from the marinade. Strain the marinade and use as the braising liquid. Use a kitchen towel and dab the meat to remove any marinade. Season the roast with salt and pepper. Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the roast. Sear on all sides until browned, about 4-5 minutes per side. Add the carrots, celery, parsley, onions and garlic to a heavy Dutch oven. Place the chuck roast on top of the vegetables. Pour in enough marinade over the beef to come up to the top. Cover and cook the beef for 5-6 hours until fork tender. Gently remove the beef from the Dutch oven and place on a cutting board. Cover with foil to keep warm while you make the gravy. Make the Gingersnap Gravy and serve- Strain the braising liquid and discard the vegetables. Reduce 4 cups of the braising liquid to 2 cups. Add 10-12 ginger snap cookies and cook until thick, about 3 minutes. Pour the gravy into a blender and pulse to create a thick gravy. Add more ginger snaps if the gravy is too thin. Strain and season with salt and pepper. Slice or cut the beef roast into chunks and put on a serving platter. Spoon some gingersnap gravy over the top and garnish with fresh parsley and rosemary.

Yes I'll be finishing the recipe today. Basically the marinade for the beef is cooked down and then gingersnap cookies are added to thicken and flavor the sauce.

Made a German feast. This season the wild chanterelles were late by about three weeks, but now in abundance. These are harvested here in Eastern, Washington and sell for a very reasonable $12.99 a lb. Served with homaemade spaetzle. I actually like the texture of the dried German spaetzle I usually use, but this homemade had more flavor and more tender. I hadn't done a Sauerbraten for a few years. I use a recipe out of the old Time-Life Series Foods of the World-German edition. I went a little far with the beef in the marinade at 5 days, but it was delicious and served with gingersnap gravy. Then homemade applesauce with golden delicious apples and currants. The sauerkraut was a fresh brand I like from the store, just added caraway seeds.

Wow those are plump birds. Wild duck is so delicious and so different than farm-raised birds.

These are so fabulous. I also have many of the Good Housekeeping booklets. Back then those were considered the state of the art photos and color printing. Oh the casseroles and crazy dishes back then.

Here is the list of hosts I pulled of Wikipedia. An interesting group for sure. 1949–1957 Arthur Godfrey CBS 1958–68 Art Linkletter 1970–82 Bob Barker Placed in the same hour as a half-hour episode of The Price is Right (except 1970–1972, when Bob Barker was only hosting Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants for the CBS Network prior to his Price Is Right days) 1984–88 Gary Collins & Mary Ann Mobley 1990–1992 Willard Scott Willard Scott became the only NBC contracted person to host the Bake-Off for CBS in 1990. 1994–1998 Alex Trebek This was Alex Trebek's second time on the CBS network, he was last seen on the Network 17 years earlier hosting the Goodson-Todman Game Show Double Dare. 2000 Phylicia Rashad The first woman to host. 2002 Marie Osmond 2004–2006 Not aired N/A Dick Clark hosted the bake-off in 2004, but it wasn't shown on television. 2008 Keegan Gerhard Food Network Aired as an episode of Food Network Challenge 2010 Oprah Winfrey Syndication Winner was announced on The Oprah Winfrey Show 2012 Martha Stewart Hallmark Channel Winner was announced on The Martha Stewart Show 2013 Padma Lakshmi Syndication Winner was announced on The Queen Latifah Show 2014 Carla Hall ABC Winner was announced on The Chew 2018 Ree Drummond Food Network Winners are announced on the Food Network television show The Kitchen 2019 Sunny Anderson/Jeff Mauro

From the 9th Grand National Pillsbury Bake-Off is this booklet, the Grand National Cook Book. Held in 1957, in those days this was a major television event. They note that there were 97 women, one man and two teenage boys competing. I'm not sure if I found this at an estate sale or vintage shop, or if my Mother had sent for it. The bake-off was a major event in America and a huge promotional boost for Pillsbury, especially in these years after the war with the growth of suburbs. I do remember watching it on television when I was a kid. Hosted by Art Linkletter, the national prize was awarded by the actress and singer Jeanette MacDonald and Mrs. Phillip Pillsbury. Mrs. Gerda Roderer of Berkeley, California won for her "Accoridan Treats" Cookies made to look like the segments of an orange. The grand prize o $25,000 would be worth approximately $232,766 today.

Heck by now that's vintage. I've got a few of the booklets Beard did when he was making money promoting brands. I'll pull them out.

How very sad. Thank you for the link.

Oh I'm glad you mentioned this. I have a couple my Mother saved from the church we went to in Salem, Oregon back in the 60s-70s. I'll see if I can find it. It may have been tied into the annual member directory when we got our photos taken and I think they added a family recipe.

Brilliant. I love the different typefaces and imagine someone at a typewriter coming up with that copy. Sure was a different time. And I thought wow a full menu like that on a weeknight? They had coffee, coffee and coffee.

These are fantastic and what a great collection. It's the history of how folks cooked and ate back then.

This is both a cooking booklet but also a brochure. This is from my Maternal Great Grandparents, Max and Jennie Pink, Twin Falls, Idaho. This dates from about 1920, and was from the Home Comfort Stove Company. My Grandfather, Ralph Pink, had saved this along with other old kitchen items. I also have a booklet from the Frigidaire company when my Grandmother Mildred Ross bought a new refrigerator in 1957. Often these pamphlets and booklets had recipes in the back pages. Imagine cooking on this stove today. The booklet measures 5 1/2 x 8 1/2.

Wow that is an impressive building.

This booklet dates from probably post-war to the early 1950s. I remember my Mother making a cake similar to the one on the cover.

yes, always available at a good price

These are brilliant I love it.

My Mother did too. Every time we had pork chops I'd say they were dry and tough, but she warned that she had to cook them "through" so we wouldn't get trichinosis.

An easy weeknight dish of Steamed Sole with Spinach and a Buerre Blanc butter sauce. I don't know why I don't buy and cook with sole more often. We get it fresh from over on the west side of our state, Washington, and it's inexpensive and delicious. 4 4 oz. sole fillets 1 tsp. each salt and black pepper 2 tbsp. white wine vinegar 1 tbsp. chopped shallots 4 tbsp. white wine chardonnay or semillon 4 tbsp. clam juice 3 tbsp. heavy cream 6 tbsp. butter 1 lb. fresh spinach, chopped 2 tsp. olive oil 2 tsp. chopped fresh chives for garnish fresh thyme for garnish Make the butter sauce- In a small saucepan, add the vinegar, shallots, white wine and clam juice and bring to the boil. Cook until the liquid is almost evaporated, about 4 minutes. Add the cream and stir to combine. Take the saucepan off the heat and whisk in the butter one tablespoon at a time until blended. Strain the butter sauce and keep it warm over a pan of warm water while you steam the sole and cook the spinach. Steam the sole and cook the spinach- Lay two of the sole fillets overlapping, then roll up and secure with toothpicks. Season with salt and pepper. Pour water in the bottom of a rice cooker, then add the steamer basket. Place the sole fillets on the basket and steam for 10 minutes until firm. In a skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil then the spinach and cook until wilted, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Place a bed of spinach on a serving plate, then add one of the sole roll-ups. Spoon some warm butter sauce over the sole, then garnish with chives and thyme.

This is a cooking booklet that either my Mother or a Grandmother saved. Sponsored by the Knox Gelatin Company, it was during the days with molded salads were wildly popular. The theme is how they make molded salads for the new media of television. The photos are part of our Cook-Off #61, Gels, Jell-O and Aspics.