So for the new year, I’m researching recipes from the Great Depression. And yes I realize that Clara has a corner on the market with her recipes, video’s and stories of what it was actually like to live during the depression. I can’t compete with that. And I’m not about to try. I just want to try making a few of the more obscure recipes that were invented during the depression.

You know. For fun!

I’m planning on starting with this recipe. This sounds a lot like my Granma’s recipe called “Shipwreck”, but with a few variations. Although, I’m betting that during the depression ground beef might have been hard to come by, so I wonder if they used hot dogs instead? Or no meat at all? Anyone know?

1929 Depression Casserole

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
Kidney beans (1 can)
5 sliced raw lg. potatoes
3 sliced raw onions
10 oz. bottle catsup
Salt, pepper and garlic powder
Green pepper

Brown ground beef and flavor with salt, pepper and garlic powder. In 9 x 13 inch casserole pan layer kidney beans, sliced raw potatoes, sliced onion, diced green pepper, top with ground beef, and cover with catsup, repeat with a second layer in same order. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours. Uncover during the last 15 minutes of baking. May need to add small amount of water if too dry.

Recipe found at Cooks.com

You can’t make a depression era casserole without wearing a vintage inspired apron, right? Didn’t think so. Try these babies on for size.

A simple, easy down home meal. I’m really saddened that you can find these in the frozen food section of your grocery store. There are even some that are microwavable. *gasp* There really is no comparison to the real deal. The buttery, flaky, melt-in-your-mouth crust and thick, rich, savory beef and veggie filling that make up a Beef Pot Pie, made from scratch, just can’t be replicated in a microwave version.

I’m posting one of my versions here. This is the quick, spicy version that I make on a regular basis.

I usually have crusts on hand from a recipe that my granma gave me years ago. However, I have made these with a Pillsbury crust and the results were fantastic. I just happen to really prefer my pie crust recipe. Which, I shan’t be posting here. Sorry. Girls gotta keep a few secrets, right?

Beef Pot Pie

1 pound  beef stew meat, or sirloin steak, cubed
salt
pepper
cayenne pepper
onion powder
garlic powder
cumin
1 14.5 oz can of beef broth
3 large carrots, sliced into rounds
2 celery stalks, sliced
3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup water
2 pie crusts

Preheat oven to 350˚ F.

Sprinkle the beef with the cayenne, onion and garlic powders and ground cumin. Toss to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste. (I don’t have exact measurements. I just guess, like I do everything else.) In a saucepan, brown beef of both sides. Once beef has browned, add enough water to just cover, turn heat down, and simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes, or until beef is tender.

While beef is simmering, add potatoes, carrots, celery and beef broth to a pot and let slowly boil until veggies are almost tender. Remove beef to a bowl, but keep sauce pan. Drain liquid from veggies into sauce pan, and then add veggies to the same bowl as the beef.

Disolve cornstarch in 1/3 cup water. Slowly add to broth in saucepan and simmer until thickened. (sometimes I have to add a little extra water if it seems to thick). Salt and pepper to taste.

Line a 9″ pie pan with one of the crusts. Add veggie and beef mixture. Pour gravy over veggies and beef and then cover with 2nd pie crust. Bake in 350º F oven for about 25 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

How do you fix your Beef Pot Pie? Variations? What do you do differently!

Good afternoon!

Wondering if I’ve dropped off the face of the planet? Darn close! It’s been an extremely hectic, long, busy and fun past several weeks. I’m in Tioga North Dakota at the moment. Tioga is approximately 8 and a half hours from Helena. Basically…it’s a really long drive from my house.

This is where I’ve been for the past several weeks. Cook’n and clean’n and generally helping to keep the lodge running smoothly for 3 groups of waterfowl and upland bird hunters.

This is sort of the meeting/bar area of the lodge where everyone hangs out before supper and shoots the breeze. The lodge has a beautiful slate floor and lots of wood work. Very homey feeling.

Kitchen of course. This is a fantastic view of the rising sun in the mornings. I just love watching the color spread across the sky!

This is the living room. Again, another great fire place and lots of wood.

And that’s that. I’ve finally gotten into a bit of a routine now and have more free time so I’ll be posting again soon. The town of Tioga is definitely an interesting mix of agriculture and an oil boom. While here, I’ve had an interesting opportunity present itself so I’ve been really analyzing my life and my dreams and in what direction I want to head. Sometimes making adult decisions is so difficult.

This recipe is a true experiment. It’s basically goulash, but kicked into a bit of a heat overdrive.

I’ll have photos for this at a later day. It’s to dark tonight to take any.

Beef and Bow Ties

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
2-4 garlic cloves, diced
1/2 – 1 cup of zucchini, sliced and quartered
1 can tomato soup
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can pork and beans
2 cups bow tie pasta (or wagon wheels)
Worcestershire
paprika
chili powder
cayenne powder
dried cilantro
basil
salt
ground black pepper

Boil water for your pasta. I added salt, a tablespoon of butter, and a good drizzle of balsamic vinegar to my pasta water. Because frankly, I loved the taste of balsamic vinegar and noodles, and it adds a light salty sweet flavor to the pasta. I’m sure I’m breaking a cardinal cooking rule. What can I say…I’m a bad, bad person! Add pasta and boil until Al Dente.

In a sauce pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add onion, pepper, garlic. Saute until onions are soft. Add beef and zucchini, a shake or two of salt and a little ground black pepper. Cook until burger is browned. Remove from heat.

Drain pasta. In the pasta pot, add soup, tomatoes and beans. Also, add Worcestershire, paprika, chili powder, cayenne powder, dried cilantro, basil, salt and ground black pepper. I don’t know exact measurements, because I just add until it looks good. About even portions of all spices, except chilli and cayenne powders. Use your discretion there. If your family likes it hot, add more, less for milder. Use a dash or two of salt and a couple grinds of pepper. (anyone lost yet?)

Let the sauce simmer on stove top for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add beef mixture to sauce mixture and let simmer another 10 minutes. Add pasta, and simmer 2 more minutes. Remove from heat, and add a tablespoon or 2 of butter and stir in. This is something my grandma has done for years to about any meat and pasta dish she makes and I acquired the trick from her. I love how it helps smooth the texture and tastes and really blends everything.

Eat.

I added a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of cheddar cheese.

I’d love to read comments. *hint hint*

Have a wonderful evening!

Everyone loves a juicy, full of flavor all American Burger. Right? Right!

I do. I’ve spent the evening cooking up hamburger patties that are a.) Cooked to 160ºF, b.) Still Juicy and full of flavor c.) Are just darn good!

1 lb burger
bread crumbs
egg
salt
pepper
honey mustard

Properly thaw the 1 lb of ground beef. Properly means not in a sink full of hot water. One of the proper ways to thaw burger is to thaw over night in the refrigerator. This is a slow process but is the best way to thaw. You can also put the burger in a bowl full of COLD water, and turn the water on in your sink to a slow trickle, and place the bowl under the faucet. The convection of different temperature water currents thaws the burger in about 15 minutes.

Beat the egg, salt, pepper and honey mustard in a small bowl. Heat oven to 400ºF.

Once the burger is thawed, place in a large bowl, add bread crumbs and egg mixture and mix. Place onto a waxed paper sheet and cover with another sheet of waxed paper. Use a roller and roll out until it’s about the same thickness all around, roughly a 1/4″. Then remove the top layer of waxed paper, fold the burger in half and then cover with the waxed paper. Lightly roll over the burger again. Remove waxed paper, cut burgers into squares.

Usually, I use the outdoor grill to sear the burgers, but being’s as it’s -10ºF outside, I’m not going out, starting the grill, and standing out there waiting on burgers to sear. I used a pan on the stove. Drizzle a little oil into the bottom of a pan and slowly heat on low, then turn to medium for a few minutes and then turn to high. I place a couple burger patties into the pan. I try to get as many in the pan as possible, so I use a big pan. Grill for 1 minute. Flip and grill for another minute and a half. The patties should be lightly browned all around. Move from pan to an oven safe dish and place in oven for 2 minutes. Check with a meat thermometer, on thickest part of burger. Internal temperature should be 160ºF.

Top a bun with your favorite burger fixings, and enjoy! My choices? Caramelized Onion Dip on the bottom bun, Burger Pattie, Pickles, Spinach, and garlic pub cheese and ketchup on the top bun. Enjoy!

Hello!

Is everyone excited for the weekend? I most certainly am. I’ll be traveling to Cody Wyoming tomorrow, and will of course be snapping photos along the way. I’ll be visiting Cody for the Style West: A Fine Western Market of Fashion, Art and Interiors shows. I’m very excited to see all of the wonderful items being brought as well as having the opportunity to meet several people as well.

However, today’s post is not about this fantastic event. It is, however, about wheat, and a local Montana farm who’s taken their farming and baking experiences to a higher level.

Wheat Montana Farms & Bakery

Wheat Montana Farms & Bakeries headquarters isn’t far from my families farm. Roughly 40 miles. My family has grown wheat for the last 15 years on and off, and on many occasions we grind our own wheat into flour. This is by far my 1st choice when I bake. Nothing says “homemade” like; Home Ground Wheat.

However, there are occasions, when I run low on the home ground wheat, and I have to substitute. I don’t substitute with anything but Wheat Montana Flour. I love it. And no, Wheat Montana Farms & Bakery isn’t paying me for this post, nor do they have any clue who I am. I doubt they ever will.

There are three specific reason I use Wheat Montana Flour. 1.) I know where it’s being grown. 2.) It’s a Montana made product & 3.) I love their marketing, advertising and branding. It’s down to earth, yet very modern, catchy and clean, all of which are qualities I try desperately to obtain in all my own design projects.

If you’ve seen Wheat Montana Farms & Bakery items in your grocery store, and never tried then, I suggest you do so today. Try baking with it, or just make a yummy sandwich with some of the Potato Buttermilk bread. With Turkey. And bacon. And Avocado. And yes…I insist!

Have a fantastic weekend.

Good Morning All!

I woke up this morning, checked my email, and in my inbox was a quick note from Susanne of the “Hillybilly Housewife” blog, which you can find here. Susanne had blogged about video’s that can be found on YouTube, of depression era cooking, hosted by Clara, a 91 year old lady from upstate New York. Clara was born in Chicago in 1915 to Sicilian immigrant parents and learned to cook from her mother.

Pasta, Pasta, Pasta! Clara said that pasta is the secret to eating cheap.

I agree.

Visit Clara here.

Have a wonderful Saturday!

Good afternoon all!

Let me introduce my friends (well it’s really me) “The Skirts”. The Skirts are a bit like a sorority, in the sense that we all come together to make this unique mess.  Me!

Almost Betty – Red Skirt. Almost Betty is my inner Betty Crocker. She’s basically bursting at the seams to bake, cook, fry, saute and generally be in the kitchen. This is the me that wears the apron.

Almost Martha – Green Skirt. Almost Martha is my inner Martha Stewart. She’s the green thumb, jack-of-all-trades, crafty gal who can do it all. At least I think I can

Almost Laura – Orange Skirt. Almost Laura is my inner Laura Ingalls Wilder. She’s my inner child, story teller, writer, thinker, player and the one with all the fun stuff.

Almost Jeanette – Brown Skirt. Almost Jeanette is my inner Jeannette Rankin. My inner politician, fighter, and “I want to help change the word” me. Military and Liberty!

Basically, that sums it up. I have ideas for other skirts, so we shall see what the future brings. For now, four is probably more than enough to unleash on all the innocents of mankind. Mixed in with all of these you’ll find flights of fancy and some hard-knock lessons.

Soon to come – Almost Fanny. She’s a rip-roarin good time!