Monday Mishmash: Vintage Recipes

With AC, the heat of summer is no longer a deterrent to using the stove or oven.

In case you haven't gone very far into the archives, here are two delicious vintage recipes from January and February. (Anyone of the "Can't nuke it, can't cook it" philosophy can quietly slip out now.)

I came across the first while scrolling through an old 1936 newspaper on microfilm at the Kansas Historical Society. I'm sure there are ways to make this less of an artery clogger, but you're (hopefully) not going to eat it every day for the rest your life, so toss caution to the wind and enjoy!

Pineapple Porkettes from the Topeka Daily Capital, August 12, 1936:

3 cups ground ham
1/4 cup catsup
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp pepper
8 slices pineapple
4 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
4 Tbsp butter
1/3 cup cream
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Marshmallows (small)

Combine ham, catsup, evaporated milk, dry mustard and pepper. Mix thoroughly and form into 8 small flat cakes the same diameter as the pineapple slices. Put one patty on each pineapple slice.

To mashed sweet potatoes, beat in butter, cream salt and pepper. Pile lightly on ham patties. Place on well-buttered baking sheet and bake in moderate (350 degree) oven for 30 minutes. Top each with marshmallows and return to oven for 5 minutes to puff and brown.

Serve with salad or vegetables of your choice and dinner rolls.


On to a dessert published February 2, 1967 in The Emporia Gazette in Nell Hill Amburn's Cooking Corner. It says "pudding", but on this side of the Pond we'd definitely call it "cake".

I can personally verify the rum-flavored sauce is also a wonderful topping for cinnamon ice cream.

Apple "Pudding" with Rum Sauce

1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter (one stick + half of another)
2 eggs
4 cups apples, peeled and diced
1 cup walnuts or pecans OR 1 cup raisins
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Cream butter and sugar, Add all other ingredients. Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan on bottom only. Bake at 350 degrees around 45 minutes. [Note: the toothpick test will not be an accurate gauge of doneness.] Serve with the following:

Rum Sauce

3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 cup boiling water
4 Tbsp (one stick) butter
1 Tbsp rum flavoring

Combine all ingredients except flavoring in saucepan. Cook, stirring occasionally, on medium heat until thick. Remove from heat; add flavoring. Serve either hot or cold.

Enjoy!!