Vintage Recipe Friday: Fudge Cupcakes

Just in time for spring: cute flowerpot fudge cupcakes.

Fudge Cupcakes
from Woman's Home Companion, February 1954

Heat oven to 350

You will need:
1/4 cup shortening
Two squares (two ounces) unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup water
One cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
One cup cake flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
One egg
1/4 cup sour milk or buttermilk

Melt shortening and chocolate in 1 1/2-quart saucepan over low heat; blend in water and sugar; cool to room temperature; add vanilla. Sift flour, measure; add salt, baking powder and soda; sift again. Add egg to chocolate mixture in saucepan; beat well. Add flour mixture alternately with milk; blend well after each addition; beat until smooth. Fill muffin pans (greased or lined with paper baking cups) 2/3 full. Bake in moderate oven (350 degrees) about 18 minutes. Cool slightly; removed from pans, cool thoroughly. Makes about one dozen medium-size or 1 1/2 dozen small cupcakes.

Flowerpot:
Cover cupcake with coffee frosting; lightly sprinkle top with instant coffee to resemble soil. Pipe border of frosting around top edge and base. Cut flowers and leaves from gumdrops; stick on separate toothpicks.

Vintage Recipe Friday: Easy Mix Muffins

Rich! Tender! Quick!

These look delicious - and not only are they easy, but muffins are perfect for the first delicious early berries and fruits of spring! Hit up your local Farmer's Market this weekend and enjoy these nibblies.

Easy Mix Muffins 

From McCall's, July 1953

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

You need:

Two cups sifted flour

Three teaspoons baking powder

One teaspoon salt

Two tablespoons sugar

One egg, well-beaten

1 1/4 cups milk

1/2 cup cooking oil

Mix and sift first flour ingredients into a bowl. Make a well and add remaining ingredients. Stir only enough to dampen flour; batter should be lumpy. Fill greased muffins pans 2/3 full. Bake in hot oven (400 degrees) 25 to 30 minutes. Makes 12 muffins. 

Blueberry Muffins: Increase sugar to 1/3 cup and add one cup fresh berries to sifted dry ingredients.

Peanut Butter Muffins: Cut 1/2 cup peanut butter into mixed and sifted dry ingredients.

Vintage Recipe Friday: Corn Tamale Loaf

I feel like the last Vintage Recipe Friday was pretty gross, and this one might be too. Sorry. But it cracks me up the weird and disgusting stuff that people used to (and still do) eat.

Corn Tamale Loaf
From Ladies' Home Journal, March 1967 

Heat oven to 375

You will need:
1 medium onion, minced
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/2 cup cooking oil
1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 3/4 cups hot chicken broth
1 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
3 eggs, beaten
1 can (17 oz.) cream style corn
1 tbsp. butter
Green onion for garnish
Olive slices for garnish

Saute onion and garlic in oil until tender. Mix with next eight ingredients and blend well. Pour mixture into well-greased 9" loaf pan; set in pan of hot water. Bake at 375 for one hour or until firm and brown. Heat corn with butter. Turn out loaf on platter; top with corn. Garnish with green onion and olive slices, if desired.

Serves six.

Vintage Recipe Friday: Barbeque Salad

Are you in the mood for "tomato aspic with personality"?

Yeah, I don't really know what that means either. But I love these old weird recipes featured in so many advertisements from womens' magazines in the 1950s.

 Barbeque Salad
From Woman's Home Companion, February 1954

1 package Lemon or Orange Jell-O
1 1/4 cups hot water
1 can (eight ounces) tomato sauce
1 1/2 tablespoon vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash of pepper

Dissolve Jell-O in hot water. Add tomato sauce and other ingredients. Blend. Pour into individual molds. Chill until firm. You can serve four to six people for about a nickel each.

NOTE: For extra spiciness, add any of the following before chilling: onion juice, seasoning or celery salt, cayenne, Worcestershire sauce, pepper sauce, or horseradish.

If you actually eat this, let me know and I will send you a prize. I'm serious. You deserve props for eating spicy, tomato-y Jello. God knows I never would.

Non-Toxic Home Cleaning and Care

I'm moving soon so that means cleaning - a lot of cleaning. Ugh. I hate cleaning with harmful chemicals like ammonia and bleach, so I wanted to find something that will make my home sparkle without making me and my pets sick. I found this great website, eartheasy.com, that is just packed with various home cleaning concoctions. Here are some of the ideas I found most useful:

• All-Purpose Cleaner: Mix 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/4 cup baking soda (or 2 teaspoons borax) into 1/2 gallon (2 liters) water. Store and keep. Use for removal of water deposit stains on shower stall panels, bathroom chrome fixtures, windows, bathroom mirrors, etc.

• Air Freshener: Commercial air fresheners mask smells and coat nasal passages to diminish the sense of smell.

• Baking soda or vinegar with lemon juice in small dishes absorbs odors around the house.
• Having houseplants helps reduce odors in the home.
• Prevent cooking odors by simmering vinegar (1 tbsp in 1 cup water) on the stove while cooking. To get such smells as fish and onion off utensils and cutting boards, wipe them with vinegar and wash in soapy water.
• Keep fresh coffee grounds on the counter.
• Grind up a slice of lemon in the garbage disposal.
• Simmer water and cinnamon or other spices on stove.
• Place bowls of fragrant dried herbs and flowers in room. 

• Deodorize:

• Plastic food storage containers - soak overnight in warm water and baking soda
• In-sink garbage disposal units - grind up lemon or orange peel in the unit
• Carpets - sprinkle baking soda several hours before vacuuming
• Garage, basements - set a sliced onion on a plate in center of room for 12 - 24 hours

• Disinfectant: Mix 2 teaspoons borax, 4 tablespoons vinegar and 3 cups hot water. For stronger cleaning power add 1/4 teaspoon liquid castile soap. Wipe on with dampened cloth or use non-aerosol spray bottle. (This is not an antibacterial formula. The average kitchen or bathroom does not require antibacterial cleaners.)
• To disinfect kitchen sponges, put them in the dishwasher when running a load.

• Floor Cleaner and Polish:
• Vinyl and linoleum: mix 1 cup vinegar and a few drops of baby oil in 1 gallon warm water. For tough jobs, add 1/4 cup borox. Use sparingly on lineoleum. 
• Wood: apply a thin coat of 1:1 vegetable oil and vinegar and rub in well.  
• Painted wood: mix 1 teaspoon washing soda into 1 gallon (4L) hot water.  
• Brick and stone tiles: mix 1 cup white vinegar in 1 gallon (4L) water; rinse with clear water. 

• Oven Cleaner: Moisten oven surfaces with sponge and water. Use 3/4cup baking soda, 1/4cup salt and 1/4cup water to make a thick paste, and spread throughout oven interior. (avoid bare metal and any openings) Let sit overnight. Remove with spatula and wipe clean. Rub gently with fine steel wool for tough spots. Or use Arm & Hammer Oven Cleaner, declared nontoxic by Consumers Union. 

• Toilet Bowl Cleaner: Mix 1/4 cup baking soda and 1 cup vinegar, pour into basin and let it set for a few minutes. Scrub with brush and rinse. A mixture of borax (2 parts) and lemon juice (one part) will also work.

• Tub and Tile Cleaner: For simple cleaning, rub in baking soda with a damp sponge and rinse with fresh water. For tougher jobs, wipe surfaces with vinegar first and follow with baking soda as a scouring powder. (Vinegar can break down tile grout, so use sparingly.) 

• Window Cleaner: Mix 2 teaspoons of white vinegar with 1 liter (qt) warm water. Use crumpled newspaper or cotton cloth to clean. Don't clean windows if the sun is on them, or if they are warm, or streaks will show on drying. The All-Purpose Cleaner (above) also works well on windows. Be sure to follow the recipe, because using too strong a solution of vinegar will etch the glass and eventually cloud it.  

All recipes from eartheasy.com.

Vintage Recipe Friday: Caramel Surprise Upside-Down Cake

From McCall's, July 1953

Caramel Surprise Upside-Down Cake
1 cup caramel sauce*
6 slices pineapple
1 pkg. yellow or white cake mix

Pour the caramel sauce in a grease 10-inch skillet. Place one slice of pineapple in the center of the skillet. Cut the remaining pineapple slices in halves and arrange around the center slice. Prepare the cake mix according to directions on the package and pour the batter over the pineapple slices. Bake in a moderate oven, 350 degrees, for 55 to 60 minutes. Turn out of the skillet onto a plate to cool.

*Caramel Sauce
1/2 lb. caramels (about 28 caramels)
1/2 cup hot water

Place the caramels and hot water in the top of a double boiler. Heat, stirring frequently, until the caramels are melted and the sauce is smooth. Makes 1 cup sauce.