Heart & Home - Homestead Cuisine

RECIPE FORUM International Recipes
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Heart & Home - Homestead Cuisine

This thread is designed to give all of us a sample of your treasured recipe favorites, from a place you call home. It will be an ongoing thread, so please be sure to stop by often, and to share your wonderful memories, expressed in the form of homestyle cooking. This will be a truly unique thread, as it is for OLD family\homestead recipes only. Kindly indicate the approx. year of the recipe, on the subject line, and in brackets, after the recipe title (eg. circa 1939). This is a Canadian/American recipe adventure. Although it may not seem to be “International” when you’re posting about home, it will be for many of our members elsewhere. Please post ONLY Canadiana / Americana homestead recipes in this thread. We will eventually make our way, via the main forum threads, to your corner of the e-globe. Aline and I hope you enjoy this homestead thread, but more importantly, we hope you’ll post your treasured recipes from that special place that you call home! Bon appétit !

Aline & B-man :wink:

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These are recipes from my grandmother’s 1930s cookbooks. I had to translate them from French to English, so please ignore any mistakes in the TITLE. I got the ingredients translated right LOL.

Petits Gâteaux non Cuits No-Bake Little Cakes

1 cup marshmallows, cut into small pieces
½ cup chopped dates
¼ cup chopped nuts
½ cup thick cream

Mix all ingredients together and let sit for 1 hour.

Fill small Graham cracker crumb tart shells by spoonfuls of the mixture, covering each shell completely. Chill until firm.

** I would probably use miniature marshmallows, instead of cutting large ones.

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Petits Gâteaux au Beurre d’Arachides
Peanut Butter Cupcakes

¼ cup butter
¼ cup peanut butter
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1/6 tsp salt (yep, one six)
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup milk

Cream together butter and peanut butter; add sugar. Beat lightly and add 2 eggs.

Sift flour several times with salt and baking powder.

Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture alternately with the milk. Mix well after each addition.

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake at 350 F for about 30 minutes.

This little cakes are more tender on the second day. Makes about one dozen cupcakes.

Note; The top of the cupcakes can be sprinkled with chopped peanuts before baking.

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Gâteau au Jus de Tomate
Tomato Juice Cake

1 egg
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup butter
1 cup tomato juice
1 tsp baking soda
½ cup chopped nuts
1 cup raisins
½ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
3 cups flour

**No instructions given, just ingredients. In my opinion, the process would go like this:

Cream together butter and brown sugar; add egg and beat until fluffy.

Sift together flour (reserving 1 or 2 tablespoons), spices, salt, and soda.

Toss reserved 1 or 2 tbsp flour with nuts and raisins to coat well (this will help them not go to the bottom of the cake).

Add dry ingredients to the cream mixture alternately with the tomato juice until well combined. Pour into greased cake pan.

Bake at 350 F for I don’t know how long…LOL… I would check cake after 30-35 minutes and keep checking until top of cake springs back a little when touched or when a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Good luck!

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Carrés de Fudge aux Raisins
Raisin Fudge Squares

½ cup butter or butter and shortening
½ cup granulated sugar
2 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
2 eggs, well beaten
½ cup flour
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup seedless raisins
2/3 cup chopped walnuts

Beat butter until creamy; gradually add sugar. Melt chocolate on top of double boiler and add to creamed mixture. Mix until light and creamy; add well beaten eggs.

Sift and measure ½ cup flour; stir into creamed mixture just until well combined.

Add vanilla, raisins, and nuts.

Pour into well-greased baking pan (mixture has to be about ½-inch thick). Bake in moderate oven (350 F) for 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool and cut into squares.

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Bâtons aux Noix et au Coco
Nut and Cocoa Sticks

Cut white bread into strips of about ¾ x ¾ x 2-inches. Soak them in sweetened condensed milk to coat all surfaces, lightly let excess drip off, and completely coat them in cocoa and chopped almonds.

Place on greased cookie sheet and bake until all surfaces are golden brown, turning them if necessary.

** Recipe does not indicate oven temperature or baking time. I would bake them at 350 F and check them after 13-14 minutes… bake them like I would cookies.

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Pailles de frômage
Cheese Straws

1 cup flour
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking powder
1/3 cup butter
¾ to 1 cup shredded cheese
1 to 2 tbsp table cream as needed

Sift flour, baking powder, salt; crumble in butter and cheese; add milk when necessary to form a dough. (Freeze butter and then shred like you would the cheese; it will incorporate better and faster into the dough.)

Roll out dough and cut into strips 1/3-inch wide and 3 to 4 inches long. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake in low oven.

**The recipe doesn’t give oven temperature or length of baking time, or type of cheese used. I imagine a good strong Cheddar would be good, and I would definitely keep an eye on them. Good luck!

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Sauce Brune
Brown Gravy

2 tbsp butter
2-1/2 tbsp flour
½ tsp salt
2 tsp chopped onion
1 cup liquid

Fry the onion in the butter. When onions are golden, add flour and cook, while stirring, until mixture turns brown. Add salt and liquid, and cook until thickened. For a Brown Mushroom Sauce, add sautéed mushrooms.

The liquid can be milk, meat broth, or beef bouillon cube dissolved in water.

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Garniture au Chocolat Vitesse
(Quick Chocolate Filling) - previously posted in Recipe Exchange

2 squares unsweetened chocolate
1-1/3 cups sweetened condensed milk
½ cup boiling water
1/8 tsp salt
½ cup chopped nuts (optional)
¼ tsp vanilla

On top of double boiler with simmering water (not boiling), melt chocolate and stir in sweetened condensed milk.

Stir, this time, over boiling water until mixture thickens (5 to 7 minutes).

Stir in ½ cup of boiling water, salt, nuts, vanilla.

Let mixture cool slightly and pour into baked pie shell. Let cool completely and serve with whipped cream on top.

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Tourtieres
(Meat Pies)

Traditionally, this is eaten hot after midnight mass on Christmas Eve. Serve piping hot with homemade ketchup or chili sauce. This pie is only served during the Christmas holidays and everyone looks forward to the holidays just for this pie!

1 lb ground pork
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 small potatoes or 1 medium
salt and pepper
1/8 to 1/4 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp to ½ tsp garlic powder
small pinch of ground cloves (if you like it a bit spicy, be careful because it can be overpowering) my mom omits it.

In large pot over medium-low heat, add ground pork and enough water to cover meat. Peel and chop potatoes into cubes and add to pork mixture. When pork is no longer pink, add ground beef, onions, salt, pepper, cinnamon (careful not to add too much), and garlic powder. Check seasonings to your taste keeping in mind that the cinnamon and cloves can easily overpower the taste. My mom uses cinnamon instead of cloves because she finds that cloves is too strong, but some people like it which is why I have included it in this recipe.

If water has evaporated too much, add a little more water. Take a large spoon and press down on the meat mixture to skim off some of the fat; but leave a little fat for flavour. When potatoes are cooked, mash them with a fork against the side of the pot. This will thicken the sauce.

When beef is no longer pink and potatoes are cooked and mashed, it’s ready to be put into pie shells. The meat will finish cooking in the oven. Make sure you cut slits in the top of pie to let steam escape while baking. Also make sure that you add some of the broth with the meat but careful not too much or it will be too wet. You just want enough so that the pie is not dried out after baking; but nice and moist!

Bake in 350 F oven for about 40 minutes, or until golden brown.

** Pastry: Because this is a meat pie and not a fruit pie, use ¼ less of the shortening in your pastry recipe to allow for the fat in the meat. Otherwise, your pastry will be too greasy.

** 1 pound of meat = 1 pie

I hope you enjoy this pie as much as we French Canadians do!!

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Beignets (Fritters)

How to cook fritters:

For fritters, the thermometer must indicate 360 F to 370 F. Dip a spoon in the hot fat, and with that spoon pick up a spoonful of batter, let it slide carefully into the pot. When the fritters are not too voluminous, it is best to fry them in about 1-½ inches of fat or enough to let them float. Frying too many at one time means they will touch each other and will be less crispy. Turn the fritters over once they rise up to the surface of the fat, and then turn over often while they’re frying so that they cook evenly all over. When they are nicely browned, remove them. Let them drain on paper towel before placing them on a plate.

Pâte à Beignets (Basic Fritter Batter):

1 cup flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
pepper
½ cup milk
1 egg, beaten

Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. Beat egg and add to milk, mix; add to dry ingredients, stir to get a smooth batter. Cut meat, fish, fruits, or vegetables in small cubes; add them to the batter and drop by spoonfuls into the deep hot fat.

Beignets au Saumon (Salmon Fritters):

Add chopped parsley and ¾ cup of shredded salmon to Basic Batter. Fry, and serve with a fish sauce.

Beignets au Blé d’Inde (Corn Fritters):

Prepare Basic Batter recipe but with 2 eggs (separated) and only 2 tbsp of milk. Salt a little more, add 1 cup of corn and, at the end, fold in stiffly-beaten egg whites.

Beignets aux Fruit (Fruit Fritters):

1 cup flour
1-½ tsp baking powder
pinch salt
¾ tsp cinnamon (optional)
3 tbsp powdered sugar (confectioners’)
6 tbsp milk
1 egg
2 cups fruit

Sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon (if using), salt, and sugar. Gradually add milk and beaten egg. Beat to get smooth batter. Dip peeled apple slices, pineapple slices, peach or pear quarters, into the batter. Fry, and drain. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with whipped cream or a sauce.

Beignets aux Bananes (Banana Fritters):

Peel 6 bananas, cut into ½-inch slices, sprinkle with 2 tbsp powdered sugar and 1 tbsp orange juice. Let sit for 20 minutes. Dip slices in the batter, drop into the hot fat one by one. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve immediately.

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Boulettes aux Champignons (Mushroom Dumplings)

1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp fat (butter or margarine)
½ tsp salt
½ cup condensed mushroom soup (undiluted)
6 tbsp water

Sift flour once, measure, sift again with other dry ingredients. With two knives, cut in the butter; add condensed soup and enough water to get a soft dough.

Drop by spoonfuls into simmering broth. Cover tightly with lid and cook without lifting the lid for 10 to 12 minutes. Have enough high heat to have broth simmering.

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Agneau aux Boulettes (Lamb with Mushroom Dumplings)

3 lbs lamb
½ cup sliced onion
5 cups boiling water
salt and pepper
flour
½ cup diced carrots
2 tbsp chopped parsley

Cut lamb into chunks, coat with seasoned flour; brown in a little butter or fat. Add boiling water and simmer for 2 hours. Add vegetables after 1 hour of cooking. Serve with mushroom dumplings (posted above) and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

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Foie de Boeuf en Moule (Beef Liver Mold)

1 lb beef liver
1 medium onion
½ lb pork sausage
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp celery salt
pepper
2 eggs, beaten
½ cup consommé
4 slices bacon

Cover the liver with boiling water, and simmer for 5 minutes, reserve the liquid. Pass the onion and liver through a meat grinder, add other ingredients except for the bacon. Pour into a well-greased 5-½ x 10-½ inch mold, garnish with the bacon and bake in 350 F oven for about 45 minutes.

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Oignons Farcis (Stuffed Onions)

Peel onions, remove part of the root only so that the onion doesn’t fall apart. Place in cold water and boil lightly for 15 minutes. Remove; scoop out center with a spoon. Grind the onion that you scooped out and add to the stuffing. Prepare your stuffing and fill onions. Place the stuffed onions in a baking dish, garnish with salt pork, bacon or butter, sprinkle with a little of the cooking liquid and bake for about 1 hour.

Stuff the onions with either:

-sausage meat, salt, pepper, sage and breadcrumbs.

-breadcrumbs, shredded cheese, salt, pepper, hard-cooked eggs, parsley and the ground onion that you scooped out.

-a mixture of cooked ground meat, well seasoned, parsley and buttered breadcrumbs.

*** Recipe does not indicate oven temperature.

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Hi everyone! Do you like the old recipes that I’ve posted? Want more? I’ve got a lot of them! While I don’t mind sharing my recipes, I would appreciate others to do the same. So I’ve decided that I won’t post another recipe until I see other contributors. It’s nice to receive, but you gotta give too!

Want to know a way to cook a roast chicken that I KNOW you’ve never thought of? It surprised the heck out of me!! A stuffing recipe that doesn’t use bread in its ingredients! Turnip soufflé! Potato soufflé!
8) You know what you gotta do… POST !!!

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Tis the truth…and that’s a fact Jack! Thanks for starting us off Aline. Your recipe posts are marvelous. Who’s next to SHARE?

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My great grama grew up with this little treat and passed it on to us:Its actually called a : Tittie ,it was a piece of buttered bread with sugar sprinkled on top.She was born in the 1900s ,and had it when she was a child so its pretty old.

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This has both the taste of pie and cake. My family has been making it since forever. My Mother always made her cakes from scratch. We lived on a farm and usually had access to fresh ingredients (eggs, milk/cream, butter, etc). I have tried to update as best I can. She was a cook by taste not measuring and I followed her around in the kitchen to try and put her recipes in writing. Have made this cake many times but it never turns out as good as hers.

Sweet Potato (Pie) Cake Date (1950’s)
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 can Milnot (evaporated milk)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 cups sweet potatoes/cooked/peeled/mashed

Mix all together and pour in a 9 X 13" pan, lightly sprayed or buttered.

Next, sprinkle homemade (recipe to follow) or bought yellow cake mix. Melt one stick butter (homemade) and add one cup roasted chopped pecans; sprinkle over cake mix. Do not stir. Bake for one hour @350 degrees or until a knife inserted comes out clean. Serve on a platter with whipped cream (from your own cow, of course). Can also be baked in a bundt pan and just glazed.

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Home Made Cake Mix (Date 1930s)

1 7/8 cups plain flour
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter or lard
3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs

Grease and flour two round cake pan. Mix ingredients together and pour into pans, dividing evenly . Bake for 25-30 minutes @375 degrees (350 for glass or dark pans). Cool in pan for approx 8-10 minutes then turn out onto a platter. Cool completely before frosting.