Tag: 1944

1940's · 1944 · The Arts

Reading 1944

Anna L EriksenLeave a comment

I have a confession to make. I am, unabashedly, a book nerd. Interests and passions come and go over the course of a lifetime, but I can easily say that reading books has been tops for me since I can remember. Even as a wee lass, I preferred the company of my fictional friends to  real humans.  The eminent Charles William Eliot said it best, “ Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counsellors, and the most patient of teachers.” 

Quite right.

As I’ve gotten older and the world has gotten crazier, I take more comfort and pleasure in books than ever before. And boy oh boy, has the world gotten crazy. I feel like 2025 was the year we all jumped into the handbasket and took books with us. This year I discovered the dark side of BookTok and BookTube, something called performative reading, and because it’s the internet – a “safe” space for us all to be downright and anonymously nasty to each other – book shaming. 

Seriously, people?

Pretending to read in public to appear more intelligent? Boasting about the number of books you have read specifically to shame other readers? Publicly criticizing other readers for reading too much? (No such thing as too much reading, by the way!) Insulting people for not reading the kinds of books YOU appreciate? Judging folks’ morality based on what they read or banning books outright? 

Have we really slid this far down the totem pole of humanity? Yes, yes we have. What is wrong with us as a society that we can take something as innocent, as wholesome, as reading and wanting to share the joy that it brings with others and turn it into a toxic social media trend? 

Reading should be a joyous pastime, a way to expand your mind, challenge your own thoughts and entertain yourself, not something to use as a “flex” (to quote the kids) or a way to publicly shame other people. 

I enjoy watching videos on YouTube about books and have added many a tome to my TBR list (to be read, for those of you not hip with the lingo) based on the review of a favorite YouTuber. I’ve also chosen NOT to add the same creator’s book recommendations to my TBR because I know I won’t enjoy it. I have not nor will I ever leave snarky comments complaining about their selections, morality, or intellect. I will never judge other readers for picking up a book – any book – even if I don’t appreciate the genre. I will also not censor what I read – publicly or privately – to appear highfalutin. Reading is a deeply personal pursuit and any time a book is bought, borrowed, and cracked open to enjoy, it’s a win. Full stop. 

Despite all of the negativity surrounding books and reading, 2025 was a banner year for me. I read (for me) a record number of books. I read books by long-familar and  favorite authors and I picked up quite a few novels by authors that were new to me. Some of these books were fantastic. Some were…not so great. And there were about a half dozen or so that I just couldn’t finish. 

I also learned something about myself over the course of the past twelve months. I really don’t enjoy reading books that take place in modern day. Especially now. I need and want to escape from the sheer insanity going on around the globe and reading a novel that includes all of the components of modern society is not something that I, personally, find helps me disconnect. 

Which brings me, finally, to the whole point of this blog post. (Yes, there was a point and it wasn’t a bitter diatribe about the state of humanity.)

Too many hours of doomscrolling and reading about wars, unrest, economic uncertainty, and a seemingly constant barrage of just plain bad news made me think of the last time the world was engulfed in a never ending cloud of doom – the early 1940s. And I wondered…during a time of utter chaos and perpetual sadness, what were people reading? What did they choose to immerse themselves in when there was heartbreak abounding? What did they choose to spend their (extremely) hard earned money on during a time of rationing? What books got them through the dark days of the war?

So I went down a literary rabbit hole to find these answers and along the way decided that, in an attempt to retain some of my sanity in a world gone mad, I would turn back the page and read 1944.

For the new year, I decided to read 14 novels that were either published in or became best sellers in 1944. Seven books made it to number one on the New York Times Bestseller List and I will be reading all of them, at the time of year that they made it to the top spot. The other seven books all made it to the top five and spent more time on the Bestseller list than any others. Again, I will be reading them during the seasons that they were most popular.

I did not base my decisions on subject matter, author, length or any other criteria. Only after making my list did I look up any of the books. I must say that I am very much looking forward to reading them. 

So, without further ado…here’s my 1944 reading list for the new year:

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

The Apostle by Sholem Asch

So Little Time by John P. Marquand

The Lost Weekend by Charles Jackson

Strange Fruit by Lillian Smith

Bedford Village by Hervey Allen

A Bell for Adano by John Hersey

Leave Her to Heaven by Ben Ames Williams

The Razor’s Edge by Somerset Maugham

The History of Rome Hanks by Joseph S. Pennell

Immortal Wife by Irving Stone

Green Dolphin Street by Elizabeth Goudge

Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor

The Green Years by A.J. Cronin 

I’ll be starting 2026 with A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and hope you’ll read along with me. If not, be sure to check back soon for a full review of 1944’s best selling book. 

In the meantime, happy reading and the happiest of new years!

1940's · 1944 · desserts

Vintage Recipe – Steamed Christmas Fig Pudding with Hard Sauce

Anna L EriksenLeave a comment

 

“So bring us some figgy pudding,

So bring us some figgy pudding,

So bring us some figgy pudding, and a cup of good cheer!”

Ah, figgy pudding – the stuff of Christmas music legend. 

I have fond memories of figgy pudding, but growing up on the other side of the pond my memories are solely tied to the above referenced lyrics. Many a Christmas grade-school concert featured a rousing version of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”, entirely out of tune and sung at a volume that would have undoubtedly made Victorian Englanders cringe. 

Yet fond and abundant memories do I have of figgy pudding despite never having tasted it. 

I had every intention of making my own 1944 (and undoubtedly, very Americanized) version of figgy pudding last year. Unfortunately, there was nary a pudding mold to be found and even the great and glorious Amazon couldn’t deliver it faster than mid-February. So, I tabled the idea and made Holiday Fruitcake instead, which I am now realizing with a fair amount of shame, is the last time I posted to this blog. Quelle horreur!

Regardless, I did eventually find my pudding mold quite accidentally in a kitchen supply shop a few weeks after Christmas and made my purchase with glee.

Fast forward 11 months and I excitedly retrieved my pudding mold from the storage cupboard, opened up my 1944 Good Housekeeping cookbook, and…was instantly concerned when I read “1 ⅓ pounds of ground suet”. Oh…no…foiled again?

Thankfully a bit of research revealed that frozen, grated Crisco would make a suitable enough replacement so I elected to go with that option and started baking.

As soon as I started the preparations I was taken back to last Christmas and the fruitcake. Somehow I had managed to forget just how messy and time consuming it is to dice dried fruit. Alas, I persisted with ease until it was time to grate the frozen Crisco. I anticipated a mess and was not disappointed. If I had it to do it again, I would skip this step entirely and just use room temperature shortening as it was practically melted after being handled and grated anyway.

Overall, the recipe was quite easy to make and took exactly 45 minutes from start to steam, as it were. 

To steam the pudding, I used a pot that was just about a half inch larger in diameter than the pudding mold and followed the instructions to fill the pot halfway with boiling water and steam, covered for 2 hours. I checked periodically and added more boiling water from the kettle as needed. With no obvious way to check for doneness, I blindly trusted the recipe and my hob and pulled the mold out of the pot at 2 hours on the nose. I then placed the still-sealed mold on a wire rack and let it rest for 30 minutes before I attempted to release it. My mold is made of some indeterminate metal and I greased it (but didn’t flour it) well with leftover Crisco. The pudding required a bit of encouragement both from a chopstick and the Mister’s firm hand, but it did release cleanly and in one piece.

I left the still-steaming pudding to rest a bit longer while we ate dinner and then served it up with a small spoonful of Hard Sauce, which was very much not the pourable sauce I envisioned but rather a nice, hearty buttercream icing. No matter. The first piece fell apart upon slicing, but the second and third held together nicely. 

And the verdict? The Mister, who is not a fan of overly spicy (meaning, nutmeg, ginger, etc) baked goods proclaimed that it was, in fact, not too spicy at all and the flavour of the figs really came through. My Maman agreed with his take on the spice and said that, while it wasn’t her favorite dessert, she would eat it again if I made it. Both mentioned, and I concur, that the Hard Sauce was unnecessary and was almost a bit too sweet. 

Overall, I was pleased with the pudding. It was a bit drier than I expected it to be and having never had pudding before, I have no idea if that is normal. But, it did have a delicately spiced and figgy flavor which I enjoyed. The Mister rated it 7.75/10 and Maman gave it an 8. I would give it a 6. It was good, but I don’t know if it was worth the effort. I would love to try an authentic British pudding to compare as I’m sure the differences would be striking.

Steamed Christmas Fig Pudding

  • Servings: 8-10 Depending on Slice Size
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients

    For the Pudding:
  • 3/4 lb. (2 1/3 c) chopped, dried, whole figs
  • 1 1/2 c. bottled milk or 3/4 c. evaporated milk and 3/4 c. water
  • 1 1/3 c. suet, ground fine
  • 1 1/2 c. soft bread crumbs
  • 3 eggs, well-beaten
  • 1 1/2 c. sifted all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/4 teasp. baking powder
  • 1 c. granulated sugar
  • 1 teasp. nutmeg
  • 3/4 teasp. salt
  • 3 tablespoon. grated orange rind

    • For the Hard Sauce

  • 1/3 c. butter or margarine
  • 1 c. sifted confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 teasp. vanilla extract or brandy
  • Pinch of salt

Directions


Pudding:
Cook the figs with the milk in a double boiler for 20 min. Combine the suet, bread crumbs, and eggs. Add the cooked fig mixture with the sifted dry ingredients and the orange rind, and mix well. Pour into a 2 qt. greased or oiled, covered pudding mold. Steam on top of the range for 2 hours. Serve with Hard Sauce.

Hard Sauce:
Work the butter with a spoon or beater until light and creamy. Then add the sugar gradually, while continuing to work with a spoon or beat with an electric beater until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract, a little at a time, and the salt. Pile lightly in a serving dish, and chili until needed.


I used frozen sticks of Crisco to replace the suet, dried black mission figs, and standard issue white sandwich bread for the breadcrumbs. For the sauce, I used butter and vanilla extract.

Bon appetit and Joyeux Noelle!

1940's · 1944 · desserts

Vintage Recipe – Holiday Fruit Cake

Anna L EriksenLeave a comment

 

I have a confession to make. I have never, not once in my life, eaten a single, solitary bite of fruitcake.

I have no explanation for this. Is it because my Maman doesn’t like it and therefore never made or bought it? Is it because of fruitcake’s longstanding reputation as the King of Holiday Food Jokes? Is it simply because I’ve seen it in the shops in all of its dark brown, slightly gelatinous looking glory and felt no desire at all to try it? Likely all of the above. 

Regardless of the reasoning, I have managed to make it to the start of my fifth decade on this Earth without a crumb of the Christmastime legend passing my lips. 

So when I was perusing my 1944 Good Housekeeping cookbook for Christmas recipes, I nearly skipped right past today’s recipe without giving it a second glance. “Fruitcake,” I mused, YUCK”. But then I stopped and actually read the recipe. (Novel idea, I know.)  And much to my shock, thought “That doesn’t sound THAT bad. Actually, it sounds rather nice.” The recipe looked easy enough and relatively inexpensive, to boot. So I decided to give it a go. 

Right off the bat, however, I faced a completely unexpected hurdle – finding the necessary candied fruit. I never considered that as fruitcake has become more and more of a joke, it had fallen hopelessly out of favour with the younger crowd and that finding the ingredients to make this old-fashioned dessert would be difficult. Thankfully, one of the grocery chains in my area was stocked with an assortment of brightly colored (and potentially radioactive) vittles that may or may not have actually been fruit at some point. 

In addition to believing the conjecture that fruitcake is inedible, for some reason I also assumed it was very difficult to make. Ordinarily, when making recipes for this blog I keep track of how long I spend preparing the dish. This time, however, I chose simply to enjoy the process and not keep tabs of the minute hand. My sense is that it took about 45 minutes to gather and prep all of the ingredients. A little time consuming? Yes. But difficult? Absolutely not. 

So I chopped and I diced and I mixed and I poured. And then, of course, I licked the mixing bowl and became thoroughly befuddled by the entirely light and slightly sweet batter. “Hmmm”, I thought to myself, “That doesn’t taste bad at all.” Off it went into the oven for an hour and half, slowly scenting the air and creating a bakery-like atmosphere. The Mister returned home while it was baking and commented on how nice it smelled. He asked what it was. I told him fruitcake. He was suitably crestfallen and seemed a tad fearful for his tastebuds. 

After letting it cool and removing it from the pan (I used a metal pan), I admit I was a bit concerned. The exterior was…hard. As in hard tack hard. So hard, in fact, I was slightly concerned my bread knife would not be up to the task of sawing through it. I considered, briefly, dispatching the Mister to his shed to retrieve a saw. But alas, I put all my muscle behind my Sabatier serrated knife and managed to hack off three pieces. The inside, thankfully, was moist and tender. I will not lie. I assumed those three pieces would be the only three we would eat. I assumed the cake would dry out even more upon sitting and the Mister would refuse to use one of his power tools to cut it, for fear of breaking his beloved tool. 

Nonetheless, I plated three pieces and served the Mister and my Maman. Never one to beat around the bush, the Mister commented “well, it doesn’t look like those nasty fruitcakes you see at the store” to which my Maman heartily agreed. We cheers’d and all dug in with our forks…only to have the cake completely fall to crumbs. Oh dear. So we put down our cutlery and dug in like savages with our bare hands. And were all shocked that it was, in fact, good. Actually, it was better than good. It was downright delicious. The Mister and my Maman both agreed – the cake itself was lightly flavoured and tasty, the fruit was complimentary but not overpowering and – perhaps most importantly – it had absolutely zero resemblance to the rubbish found in the shops. I commented that I’d never had fruitcake before, to which the Mister replied “I had one piece one time and never again” and pulled a face. 

I asked round the table how many stars out of 10? 7, said the mister. 8, said Maman. Then I asked “Would you actually want me to make this again next Christmas?” And, much to my shock, they both agreed. Perhaps the best testimony is what happened next. The Mister got up and sawed off another slice. And with that I knew it was a winner.

The recipe states that the cake keeps well. I was a little nervous given the rather brick-like resemblance, but I enveloped it in plastic and hoped for the best. And keep it did. I heartily enjoyed the cake daily for tea time over the next week and only at day 9 did it even start to seem a little dry and stale. Not too sweet and not heavy, this holiday fruitcake was the perfect tea time treat and a lovely antidote to the modern tastes for overly sugared deserts.

Overall, I was tickled with how this turned out. I highly recommend you put aside your negative notions and give it a go – you will not be disappointed.

Holiday Fruit Cake

  • Servings: 8-12 Depending on Slice Size
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients

  • 1/2 c. shortening
  • 1 c. granulated sugar
  • 3 eggs, well-beaten
  • 1 tablesp. grated lemon rind
  • 1 tablesp. grated orange rind
  • 2 1/2 c. sifted cake flour
  • 1/2 teasp. salt
  • 1 c. chopped seeded raisins
  • 1 c. chopped walnuts
  • 1/2 c. cut-up candied cherries
  • 1/2 c. cut-up candied citron
  • 1/4 c. orange juice

Directions

Work shortening with the back of a spoon until light and fluffy. Then add sugar gradually, while continuing to work with the back of spoon until fluffy. Add eggs and lemon and orange rinds, stirring until thoroughly combined. Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. Combine 1/2 c. of this flour mixture with combined raisins, walnuts, cherries, and citron. Add remaining flour mixture in halves, alternately with orange juice, to shortening mixture, blending well after each addition. Last, add raisin mixture, and mix well. Pour into a greased and floured 9″ x 5″ x 3″ loaf pan, and bake in a moderate oven of 325 F. for 1 1/2 hrs, or until done. This cake keeps well.


I cheated and used my electric mixer, instead of working with a spoon. I baked my cake in a metal pan and used the standard as a measure of doneness (toothpick inserted in middle).

Bon appetit!

1940's · 1944 · beans · beef · main dishes · side dishes · vintage recipes

Vintage Meal: Somerville Meat Loaf and Mashed Potatoes with Lima Beans and Scallions

Anna L EriksenLeave a comment

Winter is still in full swing here in the United States and after feeling a bit under the weather for the better part of a month, I decided some good old-fashioned comfort food was in order. 

I asked The Mister what he was craving and all I got was “meat” as a response. Pressing harder, he narrowed it down to beef so I set off in search of a relatively quick dinner – so many of the beef recipes in my Good Housekeeping cookbook take quite a long time. There is one recipe in particular (involving, beef, bacon and dill pickles) that I am especially intrigued by, however it takes a full 2 hours of simmering time and a busy business housekeeper just can’t pull that off during the week. 

So, I gave the Mister three options – Beef Curry, which he vetoed; Creamed Beef on Toast, which he so eloquently referred to by its military nickname of S**t on a Shingle; and meatloaf. He enthusiastically chose the meatloaf, so meatloaf it was. Not quite as quick of a turnaround time as I had hoped, but we still managed to eat at a respectable hour.

I, of course, have made many a meatloaf in my day and tried many recipes – sometimes I’ve used no recipe at all. Meatloaf’s saving grace is that it’s pretty darn hard to screw up. Even a “bad” meatloaf is usually still salvageable with the right condiments. One of my favorite recipes for meatloaf comes from a famous YouTube chef and includes mushrooms, celery, and Worcestershire sauce. It’s divine. It is also extremely time sensitive and also somewhat expensive, making it a special occasion meatloaf. And, somehow, special occasion and meatloaf just don’t belong in the same sentence.

Anyway, of all the meatloaf recipes I’ve tried I’ve never made one with horseradish and I was mightily intrigued. 

It took me about half an hour to get the meatloaf prepped and into the oven, and I was able to prepare the mashed potatoes and lima beans while the meatloaf baked. The mashed potatoes were just average run-of-the-mill. I didn’t use a recipe. 

The lima bean recipe,  however, is also from my 1944 cookbook. I LOVE lima beans. I feel like lima beans are much maligned as a boring bean, not that there’s necessarily an exciting bean I suppose. But I do love them and usually eat them plain, maybe with a touch of salt and pepper for seasoning. Come to think of it, I don’t believe I’ve ever made a recipe out of lima beans. So, I was very excited to try this dish out.

I didn’t time myself making the lima beans, but I would say it took roughly 20 minutes from start to finish. I used frozen beans and microwaved them, so that cut down on the cook time. They were very, very easy to make. I also learned a new cooking term – bean liquor. Who knew? I always call the cooking liquid bean juice. Bean liquor is definitely a more sophisticated term than bean juice and is now firmly entrenched into my vernacular.  

Right at 60 minutes, the meatloaf was done as were the mashed potatoes and the lima beans. At first blush, the meatloaf looked…like it imploded. I was a little worried as I lifted it out of the pan and onto a plate. As I cut two slices for the Mister, the meatloaf started falling down like a brick wall without mortar. Yes, I realize it may have held together a bit better had I let it cool down for 15-20 minutes instead of 2. But we were hungry and I wanted to enjoy dinner while it was still hot. 

And the result?

After one bite of the lima beans, the first word out of the Mister’s mouth was “Wow!” followed immediately by another “wow” and “these are awesome!”.

And they were. The scallions gave a nice hint of onion flavor but were not overpowering. Lima beans, much as I love them, can be a bit flat but in this dish they were elevated to a new dimension. I’m not sure the paprika added much flavor but did lend a nice color to the – ahem – bean liquor that formed the sauce. Perfectly seasoned, creamy, and unique, this dish will most certainly make it into my permanent recipe file. The Mister and I each gave it 5/5 stars (my Maman did not try them). In fact, the recipe was supposed to serve 4-6 but the two of us devoured them all in one sitting – that in and of itself, should tell you how delicious they were. My dedicated carnivore husband loved them more than the meatloaf. 

Speaking of the meatloaf…

The meatloaf, as I mentioned, was so moist it fell apart. Nothing is worse than a dry meatloaf, and this recipe didn’t disappoint in that regard.

As to the taste, well, the results were a bit shocking. Who knew horseradish could be so controversial?

As a backstory, the Mister loves wasabi (and most wasabi sold in the USA is essentially green horseradish). My Maman hates horseradish. I like it, but it wouldn’t necessarily be the first condiment I reach for when I’m rooting around the refrigerator. That being said, my Maman and I loved the meatloaf. We both thought the horseradish gave the meatloaf a really nice flavor and voted it 5/5 stars. The Mister, on the other hand, said the meatloaf was good but the horseradish “just hangs on”. He said if I use the recipe again to skip the horseradish entirely. Then he got up and retrieved the ketchup bottle from the refrigerator. After squirting America’s favorite condiment on his meatloaf, he pronounced it better balanced and finished his serving. He did not go back for seconds of the meatloaf and voted it 3.5/5 stars. He also firmly declined the opportunity to take a meatloaf sandwich to work the next day. So perhaps 3.5 stars may have been pushing it.

Overall, I enjoyed dinner quite a bit. Regardless of what the Mister thought, I would personally make the meatloaf again exactly as it was written. And the lima beans? They were unequivocally the star of the show and I cannot wait to make them again soon.

I highly recommend both recipes and the dinner menu as a whole. 

Somerville Meatloaf

  • Servings: 6
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 lbs. chuck beef, ground
  • 1/4 c. minced peeled onion
  • 1 1/3 c. fine soft bread crumbs
  • 2 teasp. salt
  • 1 egg
  • 4 teasp. bottled horseradish
  • 3/4 tsp dry mustard
  • 3 tablesp. minced green pepper
  • 3 tablesp. catchup
  • 1/2 c. bottled milk or 1/4 c. evaporated milk and 1/4 c. water

Directions

Mix all the ingredients, and turn into a greased or oiled 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ loaf pan. Bake in a moderately hot oven of 400 F for 1 hr. Serves 6. For individual meat loaves, prepare as above. Then form into 6 individual loaves, arrange in a baking pan, and bake at 400 F for 30 min. 1/4 lb sausage meat may replace an equal amount of the ground beef.

Lima Beans and Scallions

  • Servings: 4-6
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients

  • 2 c. shelled green lima beans
  • 6 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 2 tablesp. butter or margarine
  • 1 tablesp. flour
  • 1/4 teasp. paprika
  • 1/2 teasp. salt
  • speck pepper

Directions

Cook lima beans until tender. Drain, reserving 1/2 c. bean liquor. Simmer scallions in butter for 2 min; then stir in flour. Add bean liquor, and cook, stirring, until thickened. Add beans, remaining ingredients, and heat. Serves 4-6.

I used the entire scallion – both green and white parts.

Bon appetit!

1940's · 1944 · WWII

Dispatches from the Front: Naples, January 1-8,1944

Anna L EriksenLeave a comment

Welcome, 2024! To say that I am glad 2023 is now in the rearview mirror would be the understatement of the century. Last year wasn’t ALL bad, mind you, just mostly. Thank goodness 2024 is off to a much better start and I am looking forward to the next 12 months with hopeful anticipation.

80 years ago a lot of folks felt the same way as I do now – reflecting on a year best forgotten and praying for peace (both in the world and in the heart) in the days to come. January 1, 1944 saw World War II in full swing and, unbeknownst to the weary world, D-Day was still a year and a half away.

One of those undoubtedly praying for peace was my dearest Grandpa, pictured above, handsome as could be, in his US Army Signal Corps uniform taken on December 6, 1943 in Naples, Italy. My grandfather served honorably, like so many other brave men, from 1942 until October of 1945. He was the epitome of The Greatest Generation.

Unfortunately, my Grandpa passed away when I was just 10 years old, so I was never able to know him as an adult and ask the limitless questions I have about life back then. I do, however, have the journal he kept during his time in the service and am grateful to be able to read his unfiltered words. What have I learned from reading his journal?

I’ve learned that war isn’t all guts and glory. I’ve learned that war, like everything else in life, is multifaceted. I’ve learned that, sometimes, war is boring. I’ve learned that, sometimes, it’s mundane. I’ve learned that, sometimes you even laugh. I’ve learned it’s true that there are no atheists in fox holes and I’ve learned that homesickness is sometimes the worst sickness of them all.

To that end, my Grandpa was the original familial author of Dispatches from 1944 and throughout this year I will post selections from his wartime musings in his honor. Let us remember and learn from the past. History forgotten has a tendency to repeat itself and the darkest days of 1944 should remain in history books and not on the nightly news.

So without further ado, I bring you Dispatches from the Front.

New Years Day, 1944 in Naples

More rain and no mail yet. Got up in time for dinner. Spent very quiet day. Played 500 with Bunk & Doop tonight and won 2 out of 4 games. Finished last game 2000 –

Sunday, January 2, 1944 in Naples

Went to church this morning and had Holy Communion. Had turkey for dinner. Worked on protector frame at IC this afternoon. Received two journals but still no letters. I wonder why?

Monday, January 3, 1944 in Naples

Worked all day at IC on frame. Went to 15th FC dance at wing theater. WAC’s were there. We had ice cream, coffee, punch, and cookies. Very nice party.

Tuesday, January 4, 1944 in Naples

Worked in IC all day on frame. Played cards tonight with Bunk, Voj, and Doop. Received two journals but still no letters.

Wednesday, January 5, 1944 in Naples

Worked in IC on frame all day. Still no letters. Am getting worried. Spent a quiet evening reading in bed.

Thursday, January 6, 1944 in Naples

Worked on protector frames in our hut all day. Had supper and spent the evening at Tony and Rita’s house. Still no letters.

Friday, January 7, 1944 in Naples

One year ago today I joined the 562nd in Drew Field. I have come a long way since then. Worked in IC on frame all day. Played 500 with Bunk, and Voj, and Doop. Doop and I won 2 out of 3 games. Still no letters.

Saturday, January 8, 1944 in Naples

Well, I finally received a letter dated December 20 and I feel very much better now. I worked on frame in IC all day. Went to show tonight and saw “Five Graves to Cairo”. It was very good.

1940's · main dishes · vintage recipes

Vintage Recipe: Tuna and Mushroom Casserole

Anna L Eriksen1 Comment

After two beef recipes in a row, I decided to break out of the barnyard and try my hand at a vintage seafood recipe. After flipping through my 1944 Good Housekeeping Cook Book, I  selected Tuna and Mushroom Casserole for another weeknight meal. After all, what could be more quintessentially vintage than tuna casserole?

The first recipe for a tuna casserole is believed to have been published in 1930 with, as is usually the case, copycat versions soon to follow. In 1934 Campbell’s introduced their now world-famous condensed Cream of Mushroom soup and the popularity of tuna casserole soared. Prior to the introduction of Campbell’s concoction, tuna casseroles were made with a white sauce and, despite the widespread availability of canned cream of mushroom soup in 1944, this recipe is made using the original method. After making this recipe, I must say that I have a newfound appreciation for canned cream of mushroom soup.

The recipe itself was not altogether difficult to make, but it was more time consuming than I anticipated thanks to…the white sauce! Yes, I understand fully now why Campbell’s little creation was a game changer in the realm of tuna casseroles. 

Four recipes into the Good Housekeeping Cook Book and I have noticed a trend: while the cookbook is purported to be for basic home cooks, there are quite a few blanks to fill in and the authors made some heady assumptions about the skill level of their readers. Case in point, the instructions for the white sauce gave no details about the temperature to set the stove at. Hindsight being 20/20 and all, I realize that I initially cooked the white sauce at too low of a temperature. I knew enough not to set the hob on high, but evidently medium-low (on my stove, at least), wasn’t quite hot enough. Medium-high? That was the ticket. 

It took me exactly 40 minutes to get this casserole in the oven. Had I cooked the white sauce at the correct temperature, it likely would have taken half that time. But alas, 40 minutes it did take plus another 30 in the oven. An hour and ten minutes? Way, way too long for a weeknight supper. 

Naturally, however, no one minds waiting for dinner if it’s delicious. What did the Mister think? He said the recipe was a bit heavy, ironically enough, on the tuna. My Maman said she thought it would have tasted better with canned mushrooms. I thought it had a delicate flavor that perhaps was just a bit bland. Oddly enough, despite the ungodly amount of potato chips that were in this dish, it needed salt. Go figure.

Were I to make this recipe again, I would reduce the tuna by one can (the recipe called for a 13 ounce can. I used three, 4 ounce cans) and I would try my Maman’s suggested swap of the canned mushrooms. 

I served this Tuna and Mushroom Casserole with bread and butter. And an extra dry gin martini. Because sometimes a busy business housekeeper needs to relax after spending 40 minutes standing over a hot stove making white sauce following a long day in the office. 

Overall, 3.5/5 stars. 

Tuna and Mushroom Casserole

  • Servings: 6
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients

  • 3 tablesp. butter or margarine
  • 1 tablesp. fat or salad oil
  • 4 tablesp. flour
  • ¼ teasp. pepper
  • 2 ¼ c. milk
  • 1, 3 ¾ oz pkg potato chips, crushed
  • 1, 13 oz can tuna fish, coarsely flaked (2 c.)
  • ¾ c. sauteed, sliced, fresh mushrooms

Directions


Melt butter and fat in double boiler; stir in flour and pepper; stir in milk gradually. Cook until smooth and thickened. Combine ¾ of the crushed potato chips, the fish, mushrooms, and the sauce. Pour into a greased 1 ½ qt. casserole; top with the rest of the crushed potato chips. Bake in a moderately hot oven of 375 F for 30 minutes. Serves 6.

What would a wartime home cook do? She would use what she had in her store cupboard instead of buying ingredients and that is precisely what I did. I used 3 cans of oil-packed yellowfin tuna and rehydrated so-called gourmet dried mushrooms. I also used rendered bacon fat and whole milk.

Suggested Variations: I would absolutely recommend the addition of either frozen or canned peas.

Bon appetit!

1944

Let’s Travel Back in Time

Anna L EriksenLeave a comment

There is a song (the title of which I will not name here because, frankly, it’s quite vulgar), popular in the late 1990’s, that opens with the line “I hate the world today”. 

So many times I feel that way and then quickly admonish myself. Hate, as our mothers all told us, is a strong word. But then again, the Oxford English dictionary defines hate as:

“To feel intense or passionate dislike.”

Passionate dislike. Yes, that’s exactly how I feel about the 21st century and its third decade. And passionate dislike has a much more elegant and ladylike ring to it than hate. Talk about vulgar.

I digress.

I’ve always felt I was born in the wrong era. I don’t particularly enjoy today’s fashion, music, movies, or much else to be frank. I have always been fascinated by the heyday of my grandparents’ generation, the exquisitely named Greatest Generation – specifically the 1940’s through the early 1960’s. 

Now, before I go any further please allow me a moment to state emphatically that I am fully aware that the era I just mentioned was not without tribulations. I do not romanticize it. The world during that period was filled with unbelievable turmoil, sadness, and despair. But, of course, today in many ways is no different. Same song, different tune. 

I am also aware that the modern society I so passionately dislike does have its advantages. 80 years ago, sitting at a desk, writing, and then sending that missive out around the world INSTANTLY was entirely impossible. The wealth of knowledge at our fingertips now is unprecedented and easily attainable for nearly anyone who has a passion to learn. 

That all being said, I am an old soul and always have been. I am also a student of history and believe that the lessons to be learned from the “good old days” have immense value. 

So, specifically, what inspired this blog?

A few months back I was browsing in a local antique store and happened upon a cookbook. The Good Housekeeping Cookbook, 7th revision, published in 1944 and in excellent condition. Like a moth to a flame, I was drawn to it and started flipping through it, absolutely riveted. Instantly, I thought of the cookbook I learned to cook with – my Maman’s battered and well-used copy of Betty Crocker’s New Picture Cookbook from 1961. 

Filled not with just recipes, but also practical advice on homemaking, marketing, meal planning, and more, the Good Housekeeping Cookbook offered a wealth of knowledge and insight into wartime home life in the United States. And with our modern economy in shambles and inflation through the roof, who couldn’t use a few tips on how to stretch a grocery budget while still living an elegant and well-curated life? 

So of course, I purchased the book. Took it home and stored it safely in my antique secretary (also from the 1940’s). And there it sat for a few months, mostly untouched but for a few peeks here and there coupled with several fleeting thoughts of how I really should select a recipe and give it a go. 

Then, my Aunt arrived for a visit. Said Aunt is an excellent cook. My husband much prefers her cooking to anything I make. And during her visit she got out a cookbook filled with recipes her mother (my grandmother) used to make. They were a big hit. After her departure, my husband looked through the cookbook and requested I make a dish that was one of my grandpa’s favorites: Spaghetti-Meatloaf.

I’d never had it. My Maman never made it, as she never liked it. So, I gathered the ingredients, put on my apron, and started cooking. It was delicious. It was inexpensive, nutritionally balanced, and relatively easy to make.  Most importantly, my leftover averse Mister happily ate it again the next night. Even my Maman liked it. 

Well, the lightbulb went off. I’ve very much felt lately like everything I cook using contemporary recipes and modern ingredients ends up being absolute rubbish, yet this old recipe turned out great. So I decided the day had to come to see what 1944’s Good Housekeeping could teach me. I thought it would be fun to cook my way through this vintage tome and share my experiences with you. 

And, as so many thoughts do, the idea got bigger and I thought it would do my old-lady soul good to write about all things from the decades that have been a lifelong fascination. 

The next January 1st we see will usher in the year 2024. That will be 80 years since my Good Housekeeping Cookbook was published. 80 years, in the context of humanity, is not a terribly long time. And yet the changes we’ve experienced have dramatically shifted life in the West, some for the better and some – many – for the worse. 

Consider this your invitation to come time-traveling with me. Back to a day when “farm to table” wasn’t a trendy catchphrase, but was an accurate description of how folks actually ate. Back to a day when the radio didn’t have to bleep out half the lyrics in a song. Back to a day when grocery shopping in your pajamas wasn’t even a consideration, let alone the norm. Back to a day when holes in your clothes were patched, not created intentionally in the name of fashion. Back to a day when “ladies and gentlemen” wasn’t just a way to start a speech but an ideal for how to behave. Back to a day when certain subjects simply weren’t discussed in polite company. Back to a day when respect, faith, community, and loyalty were the bedrocks of society. Back to the good old days. 

Back to 1944…