This week, for fun, our dinner menus are coming straight out of my 1940s cookbooks. The seasonal menu planning sections are my favorite, as they give such telling glimpses into those ideals of family life. I have had to tweak a few things to accommodate a dairy-free boy, and to account for the fact that lamb has gone up in price in the last sixty years!
Monday's Dinner (from Meta Given's The Modern Family Cookbook, suggested as "Seasonal Foods in Thrifty Balanced Menus for the Month of July"):
• Quick-baked catfish (fillets are rinsed, rolled in breadcrumbs, drizzled with oil, and baked at 500, quite successfully)
• Greens (I braised kale in a little bit of bacon grease and some water, simmering for about an hour)
• Cornbread and butter (uh-huh)
• Radishes (I omitted the green onions from the plate; no one will eat them raw)
• Sliced peaches (instead of the suggested bananas. Peaches are *more* seasonal. I also left out the top milk, which I am interpreting as half-and-half).
I completely left out the "escalloped" potatoes as there was hardly room on the plate or in our stomachs. Besides, we'll be seeing plenty of potato action later in the week. A very generous meal!
What a fun idea! I have this book too. My husband and I get a kick out of their menu suggestions. I'd love to hear how your week progresses. I also love that tea or coffee and milk for the children is suggested for every meal.
ReplyDeleteMmm, I would love to see some photos of your kitchen mid preparation!
ReplyDeleteSounds delicous. I LOVE kale.
ReplyDeleteThat really sound good... peaches and radishes, mmm!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun idea. I also hope that you continue to post about your week of vintage dinners. I have gotten into a very big food rut lately. I think I need new inspriration, which is why I love to visit your blog, I always seem to find it!
ReplyDeleteQuick question...do you plan your breakfast and lunch menus as well? If so, what kind of foods do you offer? Sorry to be so nosy but as I said I'm trying desperately to get out of this rut!
Thanks so much for everything you do by writing this blog. You give us all so much to think about and aspire to!
God Bless
Carolyn
Sounds delish! I bought some fresh fish last week and baked it up fast in a high oven also - it's good to remember in the summer how fast you can cook fish.
ReplyDeleteMmmmm, delicious! It does seem that in bygone days there were a great many more items on the menu.
ReplyDeleteHow fun!
ReplyDeleteI am a new reader to your blog and truly enjoy and appreciate it.
I notice you said you have a child that needs to be dairy-free. Could you possibly post (sometime) some tried-and-true recipes he loves? Thank you!
Ah. Looks delicious. And may I share our menu last night? In the Southern Tradition: a Summer Vegetable Dinner. Butter beans, cornbread with butter, fresh broccoli, sliced tomatoes right off the vine and cantaloupe for dessert. You have a complete protein from the legumes and grain; the rest is for vitamins from different colors of food. Yum.
ReplyDeleteDid your kids actually eat the greens?
ReplyDeleteCarol
I have a cook book titled "The American Woman's Cook Book" from 1939. I adore it, and use the menus often. My favorite heading is the one titled "Entertaining without a maid." Thanks for your post.
ReplyDeleteMelanie, I have that cookbook! It was my mother's. It's green, by Ruth Berolzheimer. Mine is a later edition than yours, c1947, but it says the original was 1938. I confess I haven't looked at mine as closely as you examined yours. It seems very comprehensive.
ReplyDelete