The word “bonbon” comes from the French “bon,” meaning good. Typically, they are sweet chocolaty morsels that melt in your mouth. However, this cheese bonbon recipe is savory rather than sweet, with cheese, flour, pecans, and butter being the main ingredients. Cheese bonbons are great to take to a potluck or served as an hors d’œuvre.

Cheese Bonbons

¾ c. shortening (part butter)
1 ½ c. shredded sharp cheese
¼ c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 ½ c. sifted flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. paprika
Small pecan halves

Cream shortening until light and fluffy; add cheese.

Sift together dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture and mix well.

Form dough into small balls about 1” in diameter; put on baking sheet about 1” apart. Place pecan half on each. Bake in moderate oven (350 degrees) 15 minutes. Makes about 6 dozen.

Potato chocolate cake is one dessert recipe that I’ve never heard of—until now! Way back when in the olden days when money was scarce, potatoes were used in place of flour. It’s such an interesting concept—and a great way to use leftover mashed potatoes.

Potato Chocolate Cake

½ c. milk
3 squares unsweetened baker’s chocolate
1 c. shortening
1 ¾ c. sugar
1 c. hot mashed potatoes
4 eggs, separated
2 c. sifted cake flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
¼ c. sugar

Heat milk slowly in saucepan. Add chocolate, stir to melt. Cool.

Cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy.

Combine chocolate mixture with potatoes. Add to creamed mixture. Beat in egg yolks.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt; stir into batter. Add vanilla.

Beat egg whites until stiff, adding the ¼ c. sugar gradually. Fold into batter. Pour into 3 greased waxed paper-lined 8” layer pans.

Bake in moderate oven (350 degrees) for 30 minutes. Cool and frost as desired.

This old cooking video, “Preparation of Foods: Stone Age to Space Age,” gives a brief overview of old cooking techniques and moves quickly into Space Age cooking techniques, shamelessly plugging the amazing capabilities of the microwave and how it brought us into the 20th century.

Microwaves? Truth be told, except for a brief 6-month stint, I haven’t owned one of those things since college, when I lived off Ramen and Easy Mac. Why anyone would voluntarily eat Easy Mac is beyond me now. I got my fill of it then. Now, microwaves conjure up terrible images of drunken eating binges, reheated coffee from the day before, and pulling all-nighters. I’d just as rather not have one.

Maybe this movie will convince me:

This molded fruit salad recipe has peaches, pears, bananas, and watercress in it to make a colorful side dish, great for picnics and cookouts. In the summertime, use fresh fruit to get the best flavor.

Molded Fruit Salad

1 (3 oz.) pkg. lemon flavored gelatin
1 (3 oz.) pkg. orange flavored gelatin
4 c. hot water
1 (1 lb.) can sliced cling peaches
1 (1 lb.) can pear halves
3 bananas
1 bunch watercress

Dissolve lemon gelatin in 2 c. water as directed on package. Dissolve orange gelatin the same way in separate bowl. Chill lemon gelatin in syrupy stage. Set bowl in big pan of iced water to speed job.

Drain peaches and pears. Lightly oil 7 c. mold. Set in pan of iced water. Add ¼ c. lemon gelatin. Tilt and turn mold to make thin coating of gelatin to anchor peach slices. Place 5 slices, or more if needed, around edge of mold for a pretty crown. Add a little gelatin to anchor.

Add 1 sliced banana to half of lemon gelatin. Spoon into mold. Cool until firm (takes only a few minutes).

Dice remaining peaches into rest of gelatin. Make another layer. Chill.

Meanwhile, cool orange gelatin to syrupy stage. Add 2 sliced bananas. Pour about 1/3 over molded layers. Line sides of mold with well-drained pear halves, letting ends rest on firm layer. Fill mold. Chill until firm.

To unmold, run tip of knife around edge of gelatin to loosen. Dip mold in warm (not hot) water a few seconds. Invert on serving tray. Garnish with fresh watercress or lettuce.

Serve with Tangy Fruit Dressing.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Tangy Fruit Dressing

Combine 1/3 c. sugar, 1 Tbsp. flour, ½ tsp. Salt and ¾ tsp. Ginger in top of double boiler. Beat 1 egg yolk; add ¾ c. pineapple juice, 2 Tbsp. lemon juice. Mix with dry ingredients. Cook over boiling water, stirring constantly, until thick, about 3 minutes. Cool. Blend in ¼ c. mayonnaise or salad dressing and ½ c. heavy cream, whipped.

Another great video from the Depression Cooking with Clara series. This time, she makes egg drop soup with potatoes, onions, bread, and, of course, eggs.

This is supposed to be an authentic Southern Pecan Pie recipe, and although I haven’t had the privilege of growing up eating a lot of pecan pies, the recipe appears to hold true to its promises. Let me know if it doesn’t! Serve with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream and you’ll be in pie heaven!

Southern Pecan Pie

1 c. pecan halves
3 eggs
1 c. light corn syrup
1 Tbsp. melted butter or margarine
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. sugar
1 Tbsp. flour
1 (9″) unbaked pie shell

Arrange nuts in pie shell.

Beat eggs, add and blend corn syrup, butter and vanilla.

Combine sugar and flour. Blend with the egg mixture and pour over nuts in pie shell. Let stand until nuts rise, so they’ll get a nice glaze during baking.

Bake in moderate oven (350 degrees) for 45 minutes.

A pilau is like a rice pilaf dish, and this beef pilau recipe is made into a one dish casserole for a quick meal. It originally calls for quick-cooking rice, but regular rice should do just fine.

Beef Pilau

1 lb. round or chuck steak
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1 lg. onion, finely chopped
1 tsp. salt
1 c. rice
1 (1 lb. 4 oz.) can tomatoes
1 (1 lb. 4 oz.) can red kidney beans
1 (10 ½ oz.) can beef consommé (stock)
1 tsp. chili powder
¼ tsp. oregano
1 tsp. salt

Cut meat into 1” cubes; heat butter in skillet. Add onion, salt and meat; brown.

Fill 2 qt. casserole with: layer of meat, then rice, tomatoes, and beans. Repeat.

Combine consommé, chili powder, oregano, and salt. Pour into casserole.

Bake, uncovered, in moderate oven (350 degrees) for 1 hour. If casserole is shallow, add a little water as needed to keep mixture moist. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

This old video shows the way of life of Kentucky settlers. There’s a bit on cooking as well as log cabin building, tallow-candle making, weaving, farming, and even a hoedown!

It’s incredible to see that people lived like this not so very long ago. The video is from 1941.

Steamed Date Pudding

½ c. melted shortening
1 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs, well beaten
1 ½ c. dates, pitted and chopped
1 ½ c. sifted flour
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. grated lemon rind
½ c. chopped black walnuts

Fluffy Hard Sauce **recipe below**

Combine shortening, brown sugar, and eggs; stir in dates.

Sift together dry ingredients. Fold into egg mixture with lemon rind and nuts. (If pudding seems dry, add 1 to 2 Tbsp. milk.) Fill 8 greased individual molds 2/3 full. Steam on rack (with 1” hot water) in covered kettle for 1 hour, or in pressure pan as directed by manufacturer.

Serve warm with Fluffy Hard Sauce. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Fluffy Hard Sauce

½ c butter or margarine
2 c. sifted confectioners sugar
1 egg yolk, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg white, beaten stiff

Cream butter; blend in sugar. Add egg yolk and vanilla; beat well.

Fold egg whites into creamed mixture. Serve at room temperature. Makes 1 2/3 cups.

This recipe for molded beet salad is another jello mold recipe from the 50s. Ingredients include beets, lemon juice, beet juice, cabbage, and horseradish.

Beet Perfection Salad

2 (1 Tbsp.) envelopes unflavored gelatin
½ c. cold water
1 ½ c. hot beet juice or boiling water
1 c. cider vinegar
Juice 1 lemon
1 Tbsp. prepared horseradish
½ c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 c. finely shredded cabbage
2 c. coarsely shredded or diced cooked beets

Soften gelatin in cold water; add hot liquid to dissolve. Stir in vinegar, lemon juice, horseradish, sugar and salt. Chill until thick and syrupy.

Fold in cabbage and beets. Pour into 1 ½ qt. mold or 8 individual molds. Makes 8 servings.

I want to try this one! It’s a spin off of the typical meatloaf, with ground pork giving it a little more zing. Plus, it uses ketchup, which is how my dad makes his meatloaf. Or does he use tomato paste? I’ll have to get his recipe! Yum!

Beef and Pork Loaf

2 lbs. ground beef
1 lb. ground pork
2 c. bread crumbs
½ c. chopped onion
1 Tbsp. salt
1 egg
1 c. milk
¼ tsp. pepper
¼ c. tomato catsup

Mix all ingredients thoroughly in large bowl. Put in loaf pan, cover with a mixture of ½ c. catsup and 2 Tbsp. brown sugar and bake in moderate oven (350 degrees) for one hour.

A casserole fitting for this day of the week. I don’t know why this tuna casserole recipe is meant only for Fridays—maybe because during Lent you’re not supposed to eat meat on Fridays? Or maybe because it’s a quick and easy dish after a week of cooking for the family. Either way, Friday Casserole has the signature macaroni and tuna, with canned lima beans, corn, bread crumbs, cheese, and more.

Friday Casserole

2 (8 oz.) pkgs. macaroni
3 (7 oz.) cans tuna, drained and flaked
2 c. canned, drained whole kernel corn
2 c. canned, drained peas or baby lima beans
2 c. cubed Cheddar (sharp) cheese
1 qt. milk, heated
4 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
½ c. dry bread crumbs
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine

Cook macaroni in boiling salted water, as directed on package, until tender. Drain. Put in 2 greased 2 qt. casseroles.

Add tuna, corn, and peas.

Melt cheese in milk; add seasonings. Pour over macaroni and fish-vegetable layer, mixing slightly. Sprinkle bread crumbs over top; dot with butter.

Bake in moderate oven (375) 20 minutes, or until browned. Makes 12 servings.

This is a great series I just found on YouTube called Depression Cooking with Clara. This 91-year-old woman talks about growing up in the Depression and what types of meals they ate. She says all they ate was pasta… pasta with garlic, pasta with peas, pasta with tomatoes. She says the only thing they ate more of than pasta was potatoes.

It’s amazing to capture and record these stories firsthand—what a generation! We can all learn something from these people.

Watch Clara make pasta with peas in this episode. I’ll be posting more episodes in upcoming weeks.

Oxtail soup is an old Southern recipe. It’s a dish that warms the bones on a cold day. The gelatin from the beef bones cooks into the soup to make a rich and savory broth. Try this basic recipe and feel free to add your favorite spices.

Oxtail Soup

1 large oxtail (about 2 1/2 lb.)
Flour
Fat or oil
3 qts. cold water
1 Tbsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs parsley
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. diced turnips
1/2 c. chopped celery
1/2 c. diced carrots
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Have oxtail cut between joints. Singe to remove hairs; wash and dry. Dredge with flour and brown on all sides in hot fat in soup kettle. Add water, salt, pepper, bay leaf and parsley. Bring to boil and boil 10 minutes. Skim; cover and simmer 2 or 3 hours, or until meat is tender. Remove meat from bones and add meat to broth (or serve joints in soup if you are short of time).

Add vegetables and simmer until they are tender. Stir in Worcestershire sauce. Serve very hot. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Can also cook all day in the crockpot.

I’ve only been to the Northeast once, so I’d never heard of Scrapple until some friends of ours from Pennsylvania mentioned it. Scrapple is a famous dish in states like Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland, and it hasn’t yet made it up to the Pacific Northwest. The dish originated as a way to use up pork scraps. The scraps are combined with cornmeal, buckwheat flour, seasonings, and broth to make a mush, then chilled till firm. Before serving, the scrapple is cut up and fried.

Historically, scrapple is an early American dish. It was created by Dutch immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania in the 17th and 18th centuries. A German dish, called Pannaus, is closely related to scrapple in preparation and flavor.

Philadelphia Scrapple

2 lbs. lean bony pork
2 qts. water
1 Tbsp. salt
Pepper
1/2 tsp. sage or poultry seasoning
1/8 tsp. mace
1 c. fine cornmeal
1/2 c. buckwheat flour

Put meat in kettle; add 1 1/2 qts. water, salt and pepper; simmer until meat is very tender. Skim fat from top, strain off broth and set aside.

Remove meat from bones and chop it fine (do not grind). Pour broth into saucepan; add meat, sage and mace and bring to boil.

Combine cornmeal and buckwheat; slowly stir 2 c. cold water into mixture. Add a little at a time to meat, keeping it simmering continuously. Stir until mixture reaches the consistency or soft mush. Lower heat so scrapple will not scorch (or cook over boiling water 1 hour), stirring occasionally.

Pour into two 9×5x3″ pans, rinsed with cold water. Chill.

To cook, turn scrapple out of pan and cut in 1/4″ to 1/2″ slices. Lay them, so slices do not touch, in a cold, heavy skillet. Set over moderate heat; let brown slowly but thoroughly on one side; repeat for other side. It may take about 30 minutes to brown scrapple properly. Makes 8 to 14 servings.

For extra flavor, add 2 slices pork liver, chopped, with pork.

Okay, okay, so this movie is a little dull after the initial opening sequence, but it’s still pretty amusing and worth watching.

From Centron Productions in Lawrence, Kansas, this old movie from 1949 teaches young housewives important terms for how to bake chocolate cake, make scalloped cauliflower, jelly, and more old favorites.

From the Farm Journal’s Country Cookbook. Gotta love the aspic!

Molded Ham, Chicken, or Tuna

2 (3 oz.) pkgs. lemon-flavored gelatin
4 c. hot water
2 Tbsp. lemon juice or vinegar
4 c. ham, chicken, or tuna salad

Dissolve gelatin in hot water, add lemon juice. Chill until thick and syrupy.

Stir in ham, chicken, or your favorite tuna salad. Pour into two 9 x4×1 ½” pans. Chill until firm enough to slice. Makes 25 servings.

For the purists out there, this is a very basic meatloaf recipe.

Meat Loaf

1 lb. ground beef
¼ onion, finely chopped
1 c. cracker crumbs
1 c. milk
1 Tbsp. melted butter
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp. salt
1/3 tsp. pepper

Mix all ingredients together with the hands. Then again with the hands, form into loaf in pan, add any extra seasonings desired and bake at 350 degrees for about 1 ½ hours till done.

This wild duck recipe is taken from an old hillbilly cookbook I borrowed from a friend. I don’t know that my mom will like it very much, as she raises ducks for their eggs. If you’re a hunter though, try this wild duck recipe the next time you get back from a day of fowl hunting.

Wild Duck

5 Jonathan apples
Bacon strips
Ducks (2 mallards)
1 c. raisins
Salt and pepper
Spices

Season ducks with s & p inside and out. Don’t peel apples, instead quarter them and place some apples and some raisins in each duck. Place ducks in roasting pan and put the rest of the apples and raisins around them. Add the spices which you favor. Place bacon strips on each duck. Pour about 1 ½ c. water into the pan. Bake at 350 degrees until tender. Add more water if needed.

Cider Stew Recipe

3 large onions, sliced
3 Tbsp. drippings
2 lbs. beef (neck or shank), cut in chunks
3 Tbsp. flour
2 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
¼ tsp. thyme
1 c. cider
1 Tbsp. ketchup
3 large potatoes, peeled and diced
4 medium carrots, cleaned and sliced

Brown onions in hot drippings; push aside and brown meat.

Combine flour, salt, pepper, and thyme; add gradually to meat. Put in crockpot, then add carrots, potatoes, cider and ketchup. Cook on low to medium-low heat all day. Meat is done when it’s tender.

Remove meat and vegetables to platter, and thicken drippings for gravy. Makes 6 servings.