From Household Discoveries, 1908 – 1909

To make crazy quilts, use as a foundation old flour sacks sewed together, old sheets, or any strong, washable material. Read more »

Home Life Magazine, December 1911
By Mrs. T. J. Summers

I have found that there is nothing better than a whisk broom to straighten out fringe on napkins, etc.  Place on ironing board and brush vigorously.  This saves time as well as the fringe. Read more »

Home Life Magazine, December, 1911
By Eunice Sandrock

In these days of high living and high-salaried servants the woman of small means must do her own work, and she surely wants everything so arranged as to make both for comfort and speed and with a view to the saving of as many steps as possible.

1.  Have the walls of your kitchen painted a restful green.  Have the floor covered with a rather dark linoleum of the same color.  Have at least two large windows in the kitchen equipped with green shades.  I do not believe in muslin curtains for the kitchen, as they collect dirt and are very much in the way.  If the space is not too limited, I would advise a small window seat, without cushions of course, as it gives extra seating room, does not occupy as much room as the other seats would, and the under part of the seats can be made into boxes to hold different things; it also serves as a cooling-off seat when when the atmosphere of the kitchen grows unbearably warm.   Read more »

1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Cream butter.  Add 3/4 cup sugar and cream thoroughly.  Add 1 egg and beat well.  Mix the flour and salt and add to the first mixture alternately with the cream.

Spread 1/8 inch thick on buttered cookie sheets.  Brush with the remaining egg, well beaten, and sprinkle with the remaining sugar mixed with the nuts.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.  Cut into 2-inch squares while still hot.  Makes 70 to 75 squares.

Adapted from Household Discoveries, 1908 – 1909

What do you do with your pile of old magazines?  Some of these may be thrown away, but in others there will be one or more stories or articles of special interest.  Here is an idea for preserving the content that you want to keep. Read more »

*Orange cocktail or oyster cocktail

*Cream of tomato soup with croutons

*Roast chicken or turkey

*Potatoes

*Peas

*Buttered rolls

*Cranberry jelly

*Celery

*Plum pudding

*Vanilla ice cream and small sponge cakes

*Fruit and nuts

*Coffee

Morrells’ Pride, Book on Hospitality, 1922

Christmas is Coming!

Christmas is coming!  The day of all days when homemakers bring to the highest point of perfection their knowledge of cooking.  Just now there is as much of an air of suppressed excitement in the kitchen as in the “spare room” where the presents are hidden away!  Now, as at no other time, does the good housewife utilize to the fullest extent, all the delightful puddings, pastries, soups and roasts.

From Armour’s Monthly Cookbook, December 1912

2 cups dry rolled oats

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup sugar

2 level teaspoonfuls ssalt

Combine ingredients and pour 3 cups of boiling water over the mixture.  Set aside to cool.

Put 2 cakes of compressed yeast into 1 cup of tepid water.  When the first mixture is cool, add yeast and water and 2/3 cup of chopped nuts, such as pecans, walnuts, or hickory nuts.

Knead into this enough white flour to make dough a little stiffer than white bread.  Form into 3 small or 2 large loaves.  Allow it to double its size in raising, and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

Home Life, December 1911