Bonus Post: Homemade Helper

With soccer season beginning tonight and the first day of school looming ahead I thought I'd share some quick make ahead recipes that embody all of the wholesome real ingredients you're used to here at Ode To Mrs. Katz Cohn.

I've never been a fan of Hamburger Helper as my foodie-vegetarian mother never made it at home.  I'd tasted them at friend's homes but never made them myself as an adult.  Boxed meals are everything I've grown to despise about processed food.  They're made in a factory, use chemicals and artificial ingredients, contain too many calories and salt, and taste unsatisfying.  So why explore homemade versions?  In reading The Way America Eats by Tracie McMillan (see my review here) I learned why these meals are popular and that it takes about the same amount of time to make them from scratch.  (The biggest reason- not having to decide what to make for dinner.  Count me in!)  So while Tracie didn't include a recipe I was intrigued.  Off Googling I went and found Suzanne McMinn's blog, Chickens in the Road.  There are many recipes out there but Suzanne's has different flavors of Homemade Helper and she created each one herself.  I couldn't wait to try them!

First I made the Salisbury and then tonight I made the Lasagna.  Neither are the best meals I've ever made nor are they meals I'd make for a special occasion but for their intended purpose, making a nutritious meal from scratch in about 20 minutes, they were perfect.

Take a look at Suzanne's original post.  Poke around her site too.  There are tons of recipes she's created and most are made from real whole foods.  I already bookmarked half a dozen to try!

Since I enjoyed the first two I thought I'd prepare more as ready-to-make mixes to have in the pantry.  It took about 10 minutes.  

Yes, I still have holiday zip bags.  Ha ha!

First measure out the spices and mix them in a little container, labeling the tops.  Then measure out the pasta and put it in the big zip bag.  Write the fresh ingredients required on the bag so you know in a glance if you have everything else.  Slip the instructions into the bag and that's it!

What's nice about making Helper meals yourself is that you can adjust the amount of salt, sugar, and seasonings to suit your taste and dietary requirements.  Use gluten free pasta if you need.  (And pure cornstarch.)  Strict about organics?  Use all organic ingredients.   Want to make use of that bargain pasta that was on sale and you bought way too much?  Well here you go!  (Er, uh... I have no idea how it happened.  Really.  You should see my basement!)  Sneak in more veggies if you want.  Mushrooms or onions sound good in a few of these dishes but experiment when you have time.  (See Suzanne's original post linked above regarding fresh veggies.)  The recipes can be doubled or tripled if you have hungry teens or a larger family.  Each recipe made enough for 4 servings for us but I can see myself doubling them as my son grows up.  He's already eating more than his older sisters.

Everyone in the family gave these meals a solid B.   Pretty good since I feel like I didn't put forth much of an effort.  What more could a mom want?  (An easy A!  But in the kitchen an easy A is hard to get. LOL)

Here's to a terrific school year!

Sarah

Blue Ribbon Tamale Pie, Family Circle July 1949

This recipe, submitted by Mrs. Robert Estey of Alhambra, California,  took top prize in the Family Circle "Recipes Using Ground Meat" Contest.  (Hubby thought this was the best recipe contest ever.  He loves his meat!)  I'm sure back in 1949 this dish was considered to be a bit exotic, even in California.  I have to say, despite it's 18 ingredients and many steps,  this one's a keeper.  

Here's a pic of Mrs. Estey's Tamale Pie made in the Family Circle test kitchen.  

Here's my rendition made in my somewhat messy and untested kitchen.  

Like I said this recipe has 18 ingredients!!!  But they're all easy to find and the only thing I had to buy was the soup, corn meal, and the red pepper.  Here it is all laid out:

The big stainless steel canister in the back is flour and the small bowl in front is olives.

I took a picture of the recipe in the magazine but it's easier to read if I re-write it.  Mrs. Estey has it "Joy of Cooking" style where the ingredients are listed along with the directions.  I prefer a list of ingredients then the directions.

2 Slices bacon cut in half

1 Onion, chopped (I used 3/4 as mine was very large)

2 Cloves garlic, chopped

1 lb Ground beef

1.5 C Tomato soup (The original recipe called for condensed but I just couldn't buy over processed chemical ladened Campbells.  The organic version, even though it wasn't condensed, worked well.)

2t Chili powder

1/2t Salt

1/4t Paprika

Black or green olives (about 15)

5 Green or red pepper rings

1 and 1/2 C Corn, either canned and drained, frozen, or fresh

1C Flour

1C Cornmeal

1T Sugar

3t Baking powder

1t Salt

1 Egg

1C Milk

2T Shortening, melted

Step 1

Cook bacon in a 10 inch oven proof skillet.  Remove bacon and drain on a paper towel.  

Step 2

Saute onions and garlic in bacon grease until fragrant.  Remove from pan.

Step 3

Cook ground beef until no longer pink.  Drain fat if there's a lot.  

Step 4

Mix Chili powder, salt, and paprika in a small bowl.  Mix into ground beef.  Add onions and garlic back in.  Add tomato soup.  Mix well.  Then remove the mixture from the skillet.  I kid you not!

Step 5

Preheat your oven to 350.

Step 6

Arrange the bacon, pepper rings, and olives as shown in the pictures above.  Pour the corn over it.  Then spread the meat mixture on top.  

Step 7

Make the cornbread topping.  Mix the flour, cornmeal, sugar and salt together in a large bowl.  Measure out the milk and add the egg and melted shortening in a liquid measuring cup.  Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients and mix.  Don't over mix.  Just combine.  

Step 8

Carefully spread the cornbread batter on top of the meat mixture.  Put the skillet into the oven for about 35 minutes or until the cornbread is lightly browned.  

Step 9

Remove the skillet from the oven and using hot mitts cover tightly with foil.  Wait about 10 minutes.  Remove the foil.  Place a large serving platter on top of the skillet.  Using hot mitts pick up the skillet and platter (like you're holding a big hamburger) and flip it over.  Slowly lift off the skillet.  Marvel in your accomplishment.  

Step 10 (OPTIONAL)

Make a sauce using 1 8 ounce can of tomato sauce and 4 olives, sliced.  Pour around the pie.  I skipped this step.  The meat was moist enough and the troops were ready to eat!

This dish, having 18 ingredients (20 if you make the sauce.), has something for everyone.  My girls liked the beef and corn mixture but not the cornbread.  My son liked it all but said my regular cornbread recipe, which I copied off an old dish towel, was better.  Hubby, minus the red pepper, and I liked it all.  He even had seconds!  When I make it again I may try making my cornbread separately and serving it on the side.  Maybe I'll chop the bacon and peppers and mix them and the olives into the meat mixture to make it more of a casserole.  I bet then I could freeze the leftovers.

Does this sound like something you and your family would enjoy?  Let me know what you think!

Sarah

Chopped Beef Mounds with Noodles Women's Day June 1951 (FAIL!)

The beautiful cover of the June 1951 issue of Woman's Day.  

This should have been a success.  Beef and noodles were in the title.  My girls could live on pasta alone and my men could live on beef.  So what went wrong?  Following are the actual quotes I jotted down as everyone came to the table:

"Wow!  It looks like poooooop!!!!!!!!"

"What's wrong with the pasta?"

"Mom… I just don't think I can do this."

"Why does it smell like meatloaf?"

After a little encouragement begging I got everyone to try it.  And then I got to enjoy this:

"It tastes better than it looks.  I think it nom nom nom…" (The blessed child's mouth was too full to make out the rest.)

"Ok, I tried it.  Now can you make me a pb and j?  Pleeeeeeeeese???"

"Sorry, mom.  I just can't eat anymore."  (This was after one bite followed by what I hope was fake gagging.)

"What kind of meat is this??"  

I got one thumbs up and I liked it so I'm posting the recipe despite it being a "fail".  (It's a "fail" if not everyone likes it.)  Just be forewarned that if you don't like meatloaf you may want to skip it.

Here's the original recipe:

I doubled the recipe so here's what mine looked like:

1 15.5 ounce can of Tomato Sauce
1 LB Ground Beef
1/3C Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs (I'm thinking It could have used more- like 1/2C)
1/2C Hot Water
Dash of Cayenne
1t Garlic Powder
Dash of salt
1 16 ounce package of corkscrew pasta
(I forgot the parsley!)

Preheat oven to 400.

Mix the ground beef with the tomato sauce.  (This is gross.  Use a spoon and just keep mixing it until the beef looks like really thick beanless chili.)  Then measure the hot water in a large measuring cup.  Add bread crumbs and seasonings.  (This will also look gross.  A bit like baby vomit.)  Mix well and add to the beef mixture.  Mix until it's all uniformly together.  It will be loose like… oh never mind.  I'll leave the analogy to you.

Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray.  Using a large spoon or ice cream scoop spoon the mixture into 6 or 8 "mounds" on the baking sheet.  Bake in the oven about 30 minutes until done.

Make the pasta according to the package directions.

When "mounds" are done remove and place on a plate.  Tent with foil to keep warm.  Spoon the drained pasta onto the baking sheet and stir to pick up all the yummy drippings and greasy bits.  Keep moving the pasta around on the sheet until it's well coated.

Serve "mounds" on top of pasta.  Top with chopped parsley if you wish.  (I bought fresh and forgot to use it!!  I wonder if it would have made a difference to my table mates?)

Here's the finished product:

Make at your own risk!  ;)

Sarah

Meat Sauce, Women's Day May 1951

This week's recipe comes from an article in the May 1951 issue of Women's Day entitled, 16 Spaghetti Sauces.  They all looked pretty good expect for the "Chick-Pea Sauce" (As much as I like chick peas I just can't fathom them in anything else but salad.  I'm such a modern gal!)  The "Bread-Crumb Meat Sauce" just seemed weird.  Seemed like it would be dry.   Anyway, I chose the Meat Sauce, per hubby's request.  (The Tuna-Fish Sauce kind of freaked him out. I thought it would be a nice meatless meal.  Maybe that's what scared him!  NO MEAT??  Well this had "flavor".  But I'm getting ahead of myself...)

Here's what you need:

I made a few changes to the recipe.  I omitted the green pepper as hubby absolutely hates it.  I'm not a big fan either so it's ok with me to leave it out.  Also I didn't have any crushed red pepper so I substituted cayenne pepper.  Just a dash.  At first it was a bit much but mellowed out with cooking and added depth to the flavor.  

Here's the original recipe:

Here are my ingredients:

1 Onion, really large, chopped

3 Cloves garlic (Each of the Dorot frozen garlic is 1 small clove.  Adjust accordingly if using fresh garlic.)

Olive oil

1LB Ground beef

5C Canned tomates

1.5C Tomato sauce

1/4C Fresh parsley, chopped

1t Basil 

1/2t Thyme

1T Salt (seems like a lot but it wasn't)

1/4t Pepper

Dash of Cayenne pepper

First let me talk about that onion.  The original recipe called for 2 onions.  As you know from my previous diversions into onion sizing I believe that onions were much smaller back in the '50's.  When I looked around my kitchen for an onion I saw that I only had a huge monster onion that appeared to be  genetically modified to grow bigger and faster.  But happily it wasn't. It was just a big organic onion.   Here's what it looked like chopped up:

I estimate it's 4-5 cups.

Cook the ground beef in a large pot over a medium high heat.  Drain the beef and set aside.  Add a little olive oil to the pot and heat to medium again.  Add chopped onions and garlic.  Sauté until fragrant.  Here's some video!

Then add the meat back into the pot.  Add the rest of the ingredients.  Stir well and simmer covered for 90 minutes.  

This makes a lot of sauce.  The original recipe said to use with a pound of spaghetti but I had a lot left over even with a healthy spaghetti to sauce ratio.  Here's what our plates looked like:

I would estimate this recipe made about 10 servings for us.  I put about half in the freezer to make a quick dinner later.  Hubby asked for me to save some in the fridge for his lunch the next day too.   I haven't tried the frozen sauce yet but if it's like most tomato based meat sauce it probably freezes well and will taste just as yummy as when it's made fresh.  

Guess what?  Everyone loved it!  Hubby even said it had enough flavor.  Seriously.  And this was after a week of work travel eating in restaurants!  (I really think it kills his tastebuds.)  Must be the long cooking time because I was afraid the amount of herbs wasn't enough.  I usually use a lot more when I wing it tossing canned tomatoes with bottled Italian seasoning.  The flavors really melded well together and as I mentioned the cayenne added some depth to the flavor without making the sauce spicy.  

Enjoy!

Sarah

"No- Recipe" Pot Roast and first ever video!!

Pot Roast is one of those dishes that used to be a standard fare due to its simple preparation, tastiness, and high nutritional value.  Somewhere along the line pot roast developed a nostalgic following and became more complicated than was necessary.  So it became a comfort food made only on long winter weekends.  But your grandma's pot roast was just fine - no need to make a special trip to Williams Sonoma for new pots and 22 specialty ingredients.  I say keep it simple and enjoy it more often.  It's a one dish meal with meat, veggies, and an optional starchy vegetable.  What could be simpler on a busy weeknight?

I make my pot roast by memory and usually with what I have on hand, except the meat. I buy it fresh.  So if I'm at the grocer or the butcher and the pot roast meat looks good I'll buy it knowing that I usually have everything else at home and can make it without a lot of prep time.  My "recipe" is based on various pot roast recipes I've made over the years.  I've made it so often that I no longer need an actual written recipe and I can improvise with the ingredients.

This and a nice fresh roast is all you need!

Basic pot roast consists of either chuck roast, rump roast, or another cut of beef your butcher says will be tasty with long and low heat cooking.  Tougher cuts of meat are very flavorful and are less expensive than tender cuts. See, pot roast is economical too!  Then you need some liquid.  Water will do but using beef broth (either store bought or homemade is fine) and red wine adds a complexity to the flavor.  Some people use vinegar or Coke.  (To each his own!)  Then you need seasonings- salt, pepper and herbs.  Some recipes coat the meat with flour before browning but I find this added step to be easily skipped.  The flavor is different but both ways create an excellent meal.  All you need to complete the dish is vegetables.  Root veggies work well and onions add an excellent flavor.  But use what you have.  Potatoes give pot roast a "stick to your ribs" feeling but I'm trying to have less starch in my diet so I often leave them out.

Here's a pot roast recipe I found slipped between the pages of the 1943 edition of The Joy of Cooking I bought from the estate sale of a lady in my neighborhood.  I don't know if Mrs. Mather ever made this recipe but from the stains on the paper I assume she tried it at least once.  She chose to use sirloin tip roast and uses vinegar and water for the liquid.

Here are two versions of pot roast from my mother's 1951 edition of The Settlement Cookbook.   Number 1 is a simple version while number 2 adds tomatoes.  Both are pretty simple.

And here's my "no recipe" pot roast:

1 3-4 lb Chuck roast
Salt, pepper, garlic, and herbs- thyme, bay leaves, chives and parsley work well
1/2 to 3/4C Beef broth
1/2 to 3/4C Red wine
Veggies- about 3 carrots, 1/2 a large onion, 6 mushrooms
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 300 or 325.  (See slow cooker cooking directions below.)  Heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy pot over a medium high heat.  Rub the herbs and salt and pepper on all sides of the roast.  Brown on all sides.  Add the liquid.  Bring to a boil. Then put the covered pot into the oven.

I thought a video would be helpful so here you go!

After at least an hour of cooking time (and about 1 hour before you plan to eat) add the vegetables.  Submerge some under the liquid if you can.  Also spoon some of the juices over the meat.  Cover and put back in the oven for an hour or more.  Cooking times can be loose based on your needs.  When I made this is was a busy night so total cooking time was about 4 hours.  2 hours is fine though.

An optional step is to boil the liquid to make the juices thicker and stronger in flavor.  Simply put the pot over a medium heat on the stove and leave uncovered until boiling.  Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 15 minutes or so.

Here's what you get!!

You can also make this pot roast in your slow cooker.  Just brown the meat with the seasonings and then put it into your slow cooker.  Add the liquid and the onion.  Turn your slow cooker to low for 8 or more hours or high for at least 4 hours.  If you're home add the other veggies during the last hour or 2.  You can add them in the beginning of the cooking time but they may get too mushy for your liking.  If that doesn't appeal to you just have steamed veggies or a salad with the pot roast.  The taste of a slow cooker pot roast is different than one made in an oven but it's still delicious.  If you want a thicker and richer broth you can put it all back into your pot on the stove top and boil as directed above.

Here's a bit about the herbs I used:

As always the leftovers were great for lunch today.   If there's a lot of solidified fat on top of the juices you can scrape it off just as you would with refrigerated chicken or beef broth.  I find the meat juicy enough without the extra fat.

I may do more "no recipe" posts if you, dear readers, are interested.  Let me know in the comments below.  Also tell me if the videos are helpful!

Sarah

Chopped Beef Potpourri, Woman's Day February 1949 and bonus recipe Speedy Artesian Bread

This recipe was originally published in a 1938 Women's Day issue.  It was part of an article called "Our Best 64 Hamburger Recipes".  That's a lotta beef!  Perfect for my carnivore hubby.  In 1949 this recipe costs only $0.14 to make.  Using the CPI Inflation calculator that's $1.37 in today's dollars.  Food prices sure have gone up independent from inflation because I spent way more that that!

Chopped Beef Potpourri is just ground beef stew.  It's a great all in one meal (Includes protein, veggies, grains, and starch.) to make on a weekend and there's enough for leftovers throughout the week.  Judging from the ingredients it would probably freeze well.  Warning:  total cooking time is 2 hours.  Plan accordingly.  ( I caught the end of Hairspray and about half of Grease while making dinner tonight.  Yes, I was in the kitchen a good looooong time!)  I also made an herbed artesian bread using a speedy version of my Aunt Alice's favorite bread recipe.  I'll post my fast recipe below but click on the link to see the original.  It's not vintage but it's a keeper.  Even if you've never made bread before you can make this recipe.  Really.

Here's the original Chopped Beef Potpourri:

Here's my version, aka Ground Beef Stew:

• 1 Lb Ground Beef
• 2 Large onions, sliced 
• 1/3C Barley
• 2 1/2C Diced tomatoes (about a can and a half using two 14.5 oz cans)
• 1 1/2 Quarts water
• 2 Beef bullion cubes
• 1T Salt (or less depending on the saltiness of your bullion)
• 1/2t pepper
• 3 Carrots, sliced
• 2 Large potatoes, diced
• 3 Stalks celery, diced
• 2t A-1 steak sauce
• 1/2t Worcestershire sauce
• Garlic powder to taste

First brown the ground beef in a BIG pot over a medium high heat.  Add the onions and cook for about 10 minutes lowering the heat if necessary to avoid burning them.  You'll see the original recipe calls for 3 onions.  Remember my whole thing about onion sizing?  How I'm betting they're larger now?  Well if not click on the "onion sizing" label on the right.  Here's how much onion I used:

The onions on a 9 inch salad plate.

Heat the water and add the two bullion cubes.  Dissolve completely and add to the beef and onions along with the barley, tomatoes, salt, and pepper.  Cover and simmer over a low to medium low heat for one hour.  (This is when I baked the bread.  I mixed up earlier so it had already risen.)

Add the veggies, sauces, and garlic powder.  Stir well and cover and simmer for another hour.  Here's what you get:

This was after dinner.  The pot was filled to the ring around the top.
About half was left.  Not sure why the color is off.  Probably the lighting.

I was lucky to have another helpful taster tonight as my son is having a friend sleep over.  These boys are such little men!  Both agreed that they loved the meat and the potatoes best.  When I asked them to describe the flavor they called it "meaty".  Hubby liked their description adding that he thought it would taste even better if I made meatballs to join the pound of ground beef already in the stew.  (I supposed then I could call it "caveman stew" which would be kind of funny like I'm Betty Rubble.  "Barney, your caveman stew is ready!!!")  One daughter didn't care for it but the other loved dipping the bread in the juice.  The puppy of course loved the little taste he got.  Here he is looking cute and hoping for more.

Focus on the doggie, not the stuff on the counter.
Cooking is messy.  At least in my kitchen.

Now on to the bread!  

Speedy Artesian Bread

3C Regular flour (NOT bread flour!)

2t Rapid rise yeast (1 heaping T of regular yeast can be substituted.)

1.5t Salt

1.5C Warm water

Seasonings:  I used about 2 tablespoons dried chives, a few shakes each- garlic powder, onion powder, and oregano and about 3 tablespoons of parmesan cheese.  Be creative and add what you like.  Start with a little and smell it to make sure your combo works for you.  Then add more if you feel like it. 

Use a large mixing bowl.  Put in the flour, yeast, salt, and seasonings if you're using them.  (This bread is awesome plain too!)  Mix well.  Add the water.  Mix really well, scraping as much of the flour off the sides of the bowl as you can.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise.  Since it was cold today and my counters are on an outside wall I turned on the oven while I was mixing to warm up the room a bit.  Let rise for 3-4 hours.  (The regular recipe takes 12 hours to rise.)  The dough will be bigger, spongy and you'll see air bubbles when it's ready.  

Preheat your oven to 450.  When hot put in a heavy covered pot large enough to hold the dough when it rises even more.  I use a cast iron Le Creuset pot like this one.  (On a side note these are awesome and definitely worth the price.  My brother still has one of our mother's and he uses it all the time.  I plan on passing mine down to my kiddos.  Luckily I have a few different sizes, as I do kids!)  Leave the pot in the oven for 30 minutes so it's really hot.  While it's heating use a rubber spatula to loosen the dough from the bowl and pour it onto the center of a large piece of parchment paper.  Use the spatula to reshape if you wish or leave it how it falls.  Cover with the plastic wrap while you wait for the pot to heat.  

When the pot is hot carefully take it out of the oven using hot mitts.  (The term "hot mitts" comes from a night of wine and dinner in my not so big old kitchen with me, my friend Janet, our hubbies, and our collective 7 kids running through every so often.  I can't remember what the meal was but when I needed to take it out of the oven my middle aged fuzzy brain couldn't think of the words "oven mitts" and the term hot mitts was born.)  Remove the plastic wrap and carefully lower the dough loaded parchment paper into the pot.  Cover (And use your hot mitts please!!  The lid will be HOT.) and put in the oven for 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake another 10 to 15 minutes until brown and yummy looking like this:    

The left loaf is plain and the right is the herbed.  I used a square Le Creuset pot for the plain and my smallest round for the herbed.

Using your trusty hot mitts turn the pot over and let the bread fall out onto a cooling rack.  Remove the parchment paper and flip the loaf right side up.  Let cool before slicing.  A serrated knife cuts best.

Either version of the bread is delicious with/for soups, stews, grilled sandwiches, toast, etc.  My friend Lauren, who probably hasn't had bread in 10 years, tried a little that I brought over on her "cheat day" and she loved it.  She had it with smoked Gouda.  (I'm drooling just thinking about it.  My poor computer.) Full disclosure- Lauren has an awesome figure to match her awesome willpower.  I feel kind of bad I tempted her but the bread was really for her also awesome fiancé Brad, who loved it too.  

I make the plain version of this bread weekly.  It's become our "house" bread.  I've searched for years to find a bread recipe my kids like to replace the store bought varieties.  This isn't soft like store bought though.  It works for us except for pb&j's.  So guess what?  The kids are eating less pb&j!  They practically lived on them for the first 7 years of their lives so I don't feel too bad.  

Sarah

Chili Bake, American Home, January 1954

I've never seen this magazine, American Home.   From what I can find on the internet it ran from 1928 to 1977 and then merged with Redbook magazine, which is still around.

Apparently in the 70's the magazine changed direction and was written for "newly liberated women".   But my 1954 copy it is clearly marketed to the pre-Women's Lib housewife. Beautiful gardens are pictured as are family friendly dens.  Ads for cleaning products use cute babies as motivation for keeping a clean home while another promises the "carpeting of your dreams."  Of course many liberated women appreciate the importance of a germ free environment and dreamy carpeting but the ads are written in such a way that assume a woman is only concerned with home and family.  I'm a sucker for idealism of post war advertising nonetheless.

Now the recipe!

Chili bake is an easy mixture of ground beef, tomatoes, rice, cheese and seasonings.  Presto- all 4 food groups!  It was simple enough for a busy week night and the leftovers were good.  I didn't try freezing it (not enough for another meal) but I think it would do ok.

Preheat oven to 375.

1 No. 2 can of Tomatoes (2 1/2 C)
1lb Ground Beef
1C Chopped Onion
1t Salt
1/8t Pepper
2C Cooked Rice (White I assumed.  But brown would be good too.)
2t Chili Powder
1t Paprika
1C Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Brown the meat in a large pot or really large skillet over a medium heat.  Drain and set aside.  Cook the onions until soft.  Turn off the heat.  Put the beef back in pot/skillet with the onions and add the seasonings, tomatoes, rice, and 1/2C of the cheese.  Spread the mixture in a greased baking dish and top with the remaining cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes.

This is a great way to use up leftover rice and it would make the preparation even simpler.  You could also use precooked frozen rice.  Or leftover white rice from Chinese take out.  Having none of these options in the house I made the rice while I browned the beef and cooked the onions.  Didn't take much more time but added another pot to wash.  I much prefer cooking to cleaning!

Here's the original.  Can you spot the mistake?

Click on the image to see larger.

The recipe never says to mix in the tomatoes!  I'm surprised this was never caught in the editing phase of publication.  Go figure.  So I took it upon myself to add it.  I also used a half cup less cheese and cooked the beef and onion separately.  These are the only changes I made.  I served it with green beans and oranges (but not together).  Everyone was happy.  Most of all me.  :)

Here's the dish just seconds after coming out of the oven.

  I baked it in my vintage Hall baking dish.  (My aunt, who is a collector, said this was quite a find as she chastised me for putting it in the dishwasher.  I've been better about washing it by hand I promise, Aunt A.)   My family gave this dish the thumbs up but added their own opinions of course.  One of the girls didn't like the cheese on top but her brother loved it so he rescued the abandoned cheese from his sister's plate.  My other daughter said the cheese was just right.  (I'm living with the three little bears.)  Hubby came home starving and had two extra helpings.  I had to cut him off so I could save a bit to test as leftovers.  He said it could have used more onions but liked it and said it had enough "flavor."  I'll take that as a victory.  

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Sarah

Hamburger Cobbler, Woman's Day December 1949

I have to credit Mrs. D. E. Dick of Worcester, MA for submitting this delicious recipe to Women's Day.  I don't know if it was her own creation or something she adapted from another recipe but it was a part of a section entitled "New Hamburger Dishes" in which contest winners' recipes were published.  Good job, Mrs. D. E. Dick.  (I wonder if the "D" and the "E" are her initials or her husband's.)

I had an interesting time explaining this dish to my younger kids.  They had only tasted cobbler as a dessert, not as a main dish.  Once tasted everyone enjoyed it.  Hubby said it was good enough to make again.  My 15 year old daughter said it was very filling.  (She eats like a bird so this isn't saying much though.)  My 13 year old daughter thought it tasted like pizza and my son, age 9, liked the meat and the biscuit topping- but not together.

Here is Mrs. D's original recipe:

Original recipe.

Here is my tweaked version:

Beef mixture

• 1 Small onion, sliced  (*see note below)
• 1 Clove garlic, minced
• 3-4 Mushrooms, sliced
• 1 lb Ground beef aka hamburger
• 1t Salt
• 1/4t Pepper
• 1/4t Marjoram

The cheese (stands alone...)

• 8 to 10 Slices American cheese, thinly sliced

Tomato mixture

• 1-14.5oz Canned diced tomatoes, drained well (About 1C chopped tomatoes.)
• 2T Worcestershire sauce
• 3T Ketchup

Biscuit topping

• 1 and 1/2C Flour
• 1 and 1/2t Baking powder
• 1/4C Shortening (I found a non hydrogenated brand at Whole Foods.)
• 1/2C Milk 
• 1/2t Salt

Preheat your oven to 450.

First brown the ground beef in a sauce pan or small Dutch oven over a medium high heat.  Dump meat into a colander in a clean sink to drain and set aside.  Heat the pot on medium and sauté until fragrant the onion, garlic, and mushrooms (my addition to Mrs. D's recipe) in the fat left in the pan from the ground beef.  Put the beef back in the pan and add the salt, pepper and marjoram.

In a bowl drain the tomatoes and mix with the ketchup and Worcestershire sauce.  (If you've never used Worcestershire sauce and are tempted to leave it out thinking you're buying a whole bottle for just two tablespoons DON'T.  It adds depth to the recipe and is used a lot in vintage recipes so you'll likely use it up.  It's also great with steak.  I grew up thinking it actually was steak sauce.)   Add to the beef mixture and mix well.

Grab a 9" X 9" pan and spread the beef mixture evenly in it.  No need to grease it.  Top with overlapping cheese slices.  (Here's where I deviated a bit from Mrs. D's grand creation.  She calls for "processed cheese".  This may or may not have meant Velveeta.  I used organic American.  There's just so much time travel I can do you know?)

Now it's time for the biscuit topping.  Mix the last 5 ingredients in this order in a bowl:  flour, baking powder, salt.  Then cut in the shortening.  (If you don't have a pastry blender use a whisk.  If you don't have a whisk use a fork or your fingers.  There are videos on You Tube to teach you how.)  Then add the milk.  (I used whole milk as this is what we use in the house.  You can try it with a lower fat milk if you like.)  Mix until you get dough.  But not too much or your biscuits will be hard.

Mrs. D says to drop the biscuit dough on top of the tomato mixture but I found the dough to be too thick to drop.  I would have rolled it but I took the quick way out (I had no clean counter space and just needed to get dinner on the table.)  and just formed it into flat circles with my hands. While the dough was nice I might try this recipe next time.  I prefer a lighter biscuit but it may not hold up with the heavy meat and cheese so use it at your own risk.

Bake your beautiful cobbler in the oven for about 25 minutes or until the biscuits have browned a bit and the beef-tomato-cheese underneath is bubbly.  Then Mrs D. says to cut it into squares.  The baked cobbler was too loose to cut into squares but scooped up easily biscuit and all.

Ta dah!!!!!!!!

*A note about the onion.  I seem to have an issue with onion sizing.  This recipe called for a "small" onion but exactly what constitutes a "small" onion? Or a "large" one for that matter?  I tried to measure what I thought was right but the slices were too big to fit into a measuring cup.  So I took a pic.  How did people cook before cell phones??  ;)

Looks like a little less than a cup to me.

I would totally make this again.  It was warm and yummy on a cold night.  I served it with a salad and sliced apples.  If I made it on a weeknight I'd start in the morning cooking the meat and adding the tomato mixture then stick it in the fridge.  I'd put the biscuit topping on right before I popped it into the oven.

Reheating note- Dear son was home sick from school today and we had this for lunch, reheated in the microwave.  It was good but a smidge dry.  I think it's fine for leftovers but I wouldn't make it a day ahead for company.

Sarah

Beef Noodle Medley, Woman's Day 1953

I've made this dish a few times and it's a winner- every time!   This is a big deal.  I have 3 kids and a hubby whose tastebuds are skewed from eating out so often on business trips.  Everyone likes this meal.     I serve it with a green salad, a veggie, and fruit.  Perfect on a cold day!

The recipe in the original form.

Notice how under the phrase "Precook meat; reheat while noodles cook" it says the cost and "(August 1953)"?  Well I promise you this is from the September 1953 issue.  Not sure why it's an August recipe.  All the recipes on the page are from "August 1953".  It's a vintage mystery.  

The magazine, September 1953

Here's my tweaked version (Not to be confused with my twerked version.  That would be inappropriate, especially at my age.):

• 1 and 1/2lbs Stew meat cut into 1 inch cubes (My butcher does this for me.  Saves time.)
• Salt and Pepper- amounts aren't given.  Start with 3/4t salt and 1/2t pepper.  You may want to change it next time.
• Flour- again amounts aren't given.  I use about 3/4C, which is way too much.  Use 1/2C and let me know how it goes.
• 8oz Tomato sauce
• 1/2C Red wine (preferred) or water
• Garlic salt- no amount given.  Just shake the bottle a few times over the pot.
• 8oz Fresh sliced mushrooms (My addition- totally optional.)
• 8oz Pasta (Corkscrew works well but any sturdy bite sized pasta will do.)

Make seasoned flour by mixing flour, salt and pepper in a bowl.  Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a medium pot or Dutch oven over a medium high heat.  Toss the meat a few pieces at a time in the seasoned flour.  Shake off the flour or if you have a small handheld strainer put the meat in and give it a good shake.  Put the floured meat into the pot and brown on all sides.

Add 3/4C boiling water to the pot.  Cover and simmer for 2 hours.   Meat will be tender.

Add tomato sauce and wine or water to the pot.  Stir and add the garlic salt and more salt and pepper if necessary.  ( I don't add more salt/pepper here but hubby adds more at the table.  See what I mean about his wonky tastebuds?)

[Now you have a choice.  Either let this cool and put into the fridge, add fresh sliced mushrooms and cook a bit longer, or continue with the recipe.]

Cook pasta in salted water.  (This is from 1953 after all.  I personally don't add the extra salt.)  When al dente (Back to 2013!), drain.  Serve meat mixture over pasta.  I prefer it without the parmesan cheese listed in the original recipe but add a sprinkle if you'd like.  Be sure each plate gets lots of yummy sauce.

[If you've stopped the recipe after cooking the meat mixture just reheat in the microwave or on the stove and cook the pasta.   Voila.  You're all caught up!]

This dish is great reheated, pasta and all, the next day for lunch.

Sarah