Rationing of essential products was a challenge for homemakers during the Second World War.
Sugar, tea, coffee, butter and certain meat products were on the ration list and cooks had to improvise to make up for the lack of certain items.
Mary Moore, a columnist for the Windsor Star during the war years invited her readers to submit the recipes they had adapted to make economic and flavourful meals for their families.
This week's column features three of the submitted and published recipes.
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War Time Molasses Cookies (1945)
- 3/4 cup melted shortening
- 3/4 cup or less molasses
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup thick sour milk
- 6 cups sifted flour
- 1/2 tsp.sat
- 2 tsps. ginger
- 4 tsps. baking soda
- 1 tbsp. lemon extract
Mix melted shortening, molasses and brown sugar until smooth. Add sour milk. Sift flour with salt, ginger and baking soda and add to milk mixture, stirring to remove any lumps. Add lemon extract and mix to a smooth, stiff dough. Chill until firm.
Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 1/3 inch. Cut with round cutter and place on greased cookie sheets.
Bake in moderate oven for 8-10 minutes. Makes 150 round cookies.
Note: for crisp cookies, roll dough out thinner.
• • •
Beef Loaf (1943)
- 2 lbs. hamburger or minced stewing beef
- 1 egg
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1 tsp. salt
- pinch of sage
- pinch of pepper
- some chopped onion
Mix all ingredients together and press into a greased loaf tin or glass casserole. Cover and bake at 375 degrees F for 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 hours. Makes 10 or more servings.
Note: to make loaf go further, use 1 cup rolled oats and increase milk to 1 1/2 cups.
• • •
Bacon Substitute (1942)
- 1 qt. thick cornmeal mush or porridge
- 1 Oxo cube dissolved in hot water
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup finely chopped, leftover meat of any kind.
Just before removing mush from the fire, add the dissolved Oxo cube, salt and meat. Mix and pour into a bowl. Let stand and chill overnight.
In the morning, slice the mixture and fry in hot drippings or in deep fat to a golden brown.
Serve piping hot alone or with warm syrup.
Joyce Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net
