Sooo, I was paging through this 77 year old cookbook and a section labeled "sandwiches" caught my eye. A whole section on sandwiches? For real? The beginning of the chapter actually explains what a sandwich is. The following is from the sandwich chapter:
"Sandwiches are made of one of more slices of bread or toast, spread with a flavorous filling.
There are two types: closed and open. A closed sandwich is made by spreading a filling on one slice of bread and covering it with a second slice. An open-faced sandwich is made by spreading the filling on a slice of bread and serving it without placing a second slice on top.
Any open-faced sandwich made with meat should be served with a well-seasoned hot sauce.
The filling may be a single food or a combination of foods. It may be softer or it may be firmer in texture than the bread.
Ingredients used in making fillings should be selected for flavor. They should have an appetizing appeal."
As opposed to making disgusting, unappealing sandwiches.
It goes on to talk about how to slice loaves of bread. For you real younguns, bread didn't come pre-sliced in plastic bags back then.
Sandwiches in my life consist of peanut butter or turkey and cheese with the occasion tuna or chicken salad. I searched through this section and was amazed at the "sandwich" combinations in there. It was as if someone opened their cabinet, closed their eyes, reached in and grabbed out the first 4 things they found. They proceeded to mix them together, spread it on bread, and call it a sandwich. Anyway, in no particular order, here are ten of my favorite (and by favorite, I mean "most interesting") sandwiches from this cookbook.
10. APRICOT HORSERADISH
2/3 c. dried apricots
1/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. cold water
Few grains salt
Horseradish
Wash apricots. Add water. Cover. Simmer slowly until fruit is soft. Add sugar. Simmer 5 minutes. Drain. Mash fruit. Add salt. Add horseradish to taste. Use as a filling between buttered slices of whole wheat bread.
OK, it was sounding like a nice dessert until the whole horseradish thing.
9. BAKED BEAN
Mash baked beans. Add finely chopped pickle to suit taste. Moisten with mayonnaise until of spreading consistency. Use as a filling between slices of whole wheat bread. If desired, a relish spread may be substituted for the mayonnaise and chopped pickle. Minced onion, and catsup may be added.
Oh good - I'm glad you can add catsup. It would be just gross without that.
8. PRUNE
Remove stones from dried prunes which have been cooked until tender. Drain. Chop prunes. Combine with an equal quantity of peanut butter. Moisten with lemon juice, honey, or mayonnaise to a spreading consistency. Add a few grains of salt. Mix thoroughly. Use as a filling between buttered slices of whole wheat or white bread.
Use in place of Alli
7. DEVILED PEANUT
1/2 c. deviled ham
salt
1/2 c. ground peanuts
2 T. chopped pickle
mayonnaise dressing
Combine ham, peanuts, and pickle. Season to taste. Moisten with mayonnaise to a spreading consistency. Use as a filling between thin slices of graham bread.
Otherwise entitled The Pregnant Woman's Delight
6. TONGUE CHICKEN
Arrange thin slices of tongue on hot buttered toast. Spread with mayonnaise. Cover with slices of chicken breast. Cover with a second slice of buttered toast. Serve at once. If desired, lettuce and sliced tomato may be added.
I don't know how to spell the gagging noise I just made.
7. SARDINE
Remove bones and skin from 10 sardines. Shred sardines. Moisten with mayonnaise dressing to a spreading consistency. Add a few drops lemon juice and 1 teaspoon melted butter. Mix thoroughly. Use as a filling between slices of whole wheat or white bread.
Mmmmm, imagine the tasty goodness!
6. GRAPENUT
1 c. Grapenuts
1/4 c. grated cheese
1/4 t. paprika
1 t. dry mustard
2/3 t. salt
1 T. catsup
5 drops Tabasco sauce
Combine ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Use as a filling between buttered slices of bread.
I've never been fond of breakfast cereals that look like rabbit pellets, but maybe I've just been doing it wrong. I simply need to add cheese and Tabasco to it!
5. DUTCH LUNCH
Cover thinly sliced onion with ice-water. Let stand 1 hour. Drain. Dry. Dip in French dressing. Place on buttered slices of rye bread. Cover with a thin layer of sauerkraut. Dust lightly with paprika.
Finish with breath mints. Really strong breath mints.
4. OLIVE PINEAPPLE
6 slices pineapple
12 stuffed olives, sliced
1/4 c. chopped raisins
1/2 c. cottage cheese
cream or mayonnaise dressing
salt
Combine raisins, cheese, and 1/2 the olives. Moisten with cream or mayonnaise. Season to taste. Cut each slice pineapple in 2 slices. Spread cheese filling between 2 slices of pineapple. Garnish with remaining olives.
This isn't a sandwich. It's nausea inducing, goo-filled fruit.
3. BOSTON BROWN BREAD
Prepare steamed brown bread. Cool overnight. Cut in thin slices. Spread with cream cheese which has been moistened to a spreading consistency with cream and catsup, or mayonnaise.
Steamed brown bread? Anyone? Any clue? Anyone?
2. TOASTED CHEESE
Place thin slices of cheese between slices of bread. Toast in oven or in toaster. Serve at once.
Seriously? They needed directions for this?
1. MARSHMALLOW
Place plain or chocolate covered marshmallows between crisp crackers. Press firmly together. Serve at once. If desired, the marshmallows may be toasted before they are placed between the crackers.
Yes, we call this a s'more in the 21st century.
I can't wait to share some other sections with you guys!
oh my that apricot one sounds so yummy. I will cut back a bit on the sugar as apricots are so sweet to begin with. Vegetarians and vegans are always looking for something different.
ReplyDeleteAnything with catsup-blech!!! and marshmallows are yucky too.
I have actually heard of steamed brown bread...actually I think I've heard it called Boston Brown Bread. If it's the same thing you make it in tin cans in a pressure cooker. I've never made it but a customer that comes to the bakery/coffeehouse where I work keeps telling me about it and how she's going to bring me the recipe. I think the recipe just might be a figment of her imagination because she has yet to bring it to me! = )
ReplyDeleteThose sammies sounds hilarious by the way...and something I would NEVER eat.
I am absolutely CERTAIN the section on gelatin salads will REALLY whet your appetite after the section on the Sammiches of Satan.
ReplyDeleteImagine if only all children had overeaten these for the past 70-odd years, perhaps they'd be lucky to be facing tongue or olive allergies instead of peanut.
*shudder*
Great blog fodder though. Go Dawn!
Boston Brown Bread - traditionally, the dough was placed in a coffee can and either baked in the oven or, apparently, steamed in a pot full of water.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how I know that. I've always wanted to make it, but our coffee cans are plastic. I don't think that would work.
And I'm sort of intrigued by the apricot-horseradish combo, you know? Maybe I should take a pregnancy test.
LOL. My kids love cookbooks. They like to pick out things for us to try. Not sure they'd pick many of those though.
ReplyDeleteHi Dawn, I guess I am the First to leave a comment? LOL !!! Love the recipes. I must say...Everyone must Own ....The Joy of Cooking...The book. It not only has recipes, It tells you anything you want to know...say about? Nutmeg? How is it harvested? Bark from a tree? Kristine in Michigan,
ReplyDeleteOMG the only thing that sounds remotely appetizing was the toasted cheese. FYI I remembered that my husband's great aunt used to make Brown Bread in a can. We would pretend to "LIKE" it. ICK...ICK...ICK. Good luck finding anything that will work on the Feingold Diet.
ReplyDeleteSteamed brown bread -
ReplyDeleteI'm sure it's delicious, but it sounds nasty.
http://www.dianaskitchen.com/page/recipes03/0913_brownbread.htm
Deviled peanut? Tongue chicken? Excuse me while I throw up!(gag bleagh) =(~
ReplyDeleteROFL!!! This is as funny as the site my friend sent to me that shows Weight Watchers recipes circa 1970. I was seriouly laughing out loud at this one!
ReplyDeleteOh, and the answer to this: "I don't know how to spell the gagging noise I just made." My best attempt was "aaahhuuucckk". I actually had an uncle that used to do the sardine sandwiches. I made that same sound back then, too.
Thanks for giving me a great laugh tonight, Dawn!
I think i just threw up a little in my mouth... especially #4. GROSS!
ReplyDeleteAre you serious? These are recipes from when? EWWWWWWWWWW! Blech! Yuck! That's all I have to say! LOL--you seriously crack me up Dawn! For the record my Father used to eat peanut butter with onion or bologna. I still gag at the thought!
ReplyDeleteThat's so hilarious!
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me of my Mom's old 50's Betty Crocker cookbook. I couldn't stop cracking up when I read how you should "brush your hair and apply some fresh lipstick" to make yourself look pretty for your husband before he comes home from work. It wasn't worded exactly like that, but pretty close! Funny stuff!!
Oh my... I am seriously laughing myself silly for two reasons.... first, your commentary on the recipes. Second, uh, my grandfather used to do the onion sandwiches and something very similar to the sardine sandwich, but he did that one on saltines. I still eat sardines on saltines.... it's really not much different than tuna sandwich filling when you mix it up with mayo.... honest.....
ReplyDeleteApparently in the early 20th century, people had not yet developed tastebuds. Either that or the english language has morphed to the point that "apricots" would be more accurately translated today as "roast ham".
ReplyDeleteRhonda
I love old cookbooks! Those sandwiches crack me up. Although don't all kids like gross sandwiches though?
ReplyDeleteOh and ummm I have to admit that my family does something really close to deviled peanut and it's YUMMY. ham, cheese, pickle, red pepper, onion, mayo, egg. Put it on a bun and cook it for 25 minutes. Yum yum yum yum yum! It does sound gross though, doesn't it?
Can't wait to hear more from the cookbook!
Okay, sardines sandwiches yes, but not shredded and only on white with mustard or mayo.
ReplyDeleteThat gagging noise, totally made it on the tongue one too.
If it tells you to put cow/pig brains in the eggs...run, run far away from it. LOL
Boston Brown Bread: I think I had it years ago at an Outback Steakhouse. (Since when is Boston in the Outback?) It was sweeter than normal bread, but not as sweet as banana bread.
ReplyDeleteThose last three sandwiches are the only ones I would try!
I just checked my bookshelf and found the 1911 cookbook. It has 6 recipes for brown bread, and I can't find a single mention of sandwiches anywhere.
There is a section called "Recipes for Fireless Cooker." Can't really tell what it is...(maybe a crockpot?), but it is fueled by gas (guess there wasn't too much electricity back then).
Hmm, in the "For the sick" section, for consumption it suggests 1 tablespoon tar beaten into 3 egg yolks, 3 times a day!
O.K. maybe I am old (turning 40) but my mom actually used to make brown bread and it's really good..I am going to check that link because she can't find her recipie! I think, Dawn that you have stumbled onto the perfect "diet" plan. Whenever you are hungry, just choose one of those sandwiches...I bet you drop 20 pounds in like 1 week...hee hee hee
ReplyDeleteYeeech, most of those sound absolutely disgusting!!
ReplyDeleteBut boston brown bread? My mom used to make that when I was a kid. My mom is in her late 70s now. She made it in a can -- a coffee can maybe, or a soup can? I can't remember. It is a very moist, sweet bread. Very delicious! And spread with cream cheese sounds yummy.
The rest of the recipes? Not so much.
If you love the crazy stuff in old recipe books, then you will LOVE The Gallery of Regrettable Food by James Lileks. Unfortunately, he's now published it in book form, which means it's no longer available for free on his site. :-( Your loss. But seriously, if you have $16 to blow, it's worth it.
ReplyDeleteYou can buy Boston Brown Bread in the store. It comes in a can and it's quite good. I like to put some cream cheese on it. It's very similar to banana bread but it's got raisins in it.
ReplyDeleteBoston Brown bread is really quite good. Around here, you can buy it in the grocery, right by the baked beans. The brand they sell here is B & M...beans or Boston Brown bread...in a can!
ReplyDeleteI'll take a number #10, and if possible, could I have it crust-free, please?
ReplyDeleteOops! Left this in the wrong comment section ... anyway, my Mom and Dad still like to eat the baked bean sandwich on white bread! They both say they remember thier Moms eating it, too. No pickles tho, or whatever else is in the recipe. Baked beans (right out of the can) and white bread is yummy!
ReplyDeleteMy dd eats baked beans on white bread all the time. I have no idea where she got the idea, must be an inhertited trait lol!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, lol! Some of those would have sounded really good to me while I was pregnant. Except the tongue sandwich. *gags and wretches*
ReplyDeleteBoston Brown Bread is really very good, especially buttered slices eaten with homemade baked beans. I've made this while we were camping, and everyone really enjoyed it.
It sounds as though those recipes were probably submitted by frugal folks that lived through the depression era, making use of whatever they had on hand. My grandma and her siblings, who grew up with fruit and nut trees in their yards, often made chunky nut butters and added dried fruits for a little kick of flavor. She much preferred those 'odd combinations'of sandwiches to processed lunch meats and other 'junk' food, as she called it.
One of my mother's favorite sandwiches was pickle relish and mayo. Which I always thought was basically bread and condiments, no actual filling. Anyone for a catsup and mustard sandwich?
ReplyDeleteOh, and I love deviled ham sandwiches, but never with peanuts. It's salty enough, esp when you add mayo.
ReplyDeleteHmm.. My dad loves this Boston brown bread - if it's the same thing i'm thinking of, they sell it at the grocery store (in ours it's with the soups I think) and it comes in a CAN. Yes, brown bread in a can! Maybe that's the stuff they're thinking? I can see it wamred with cream cheese or something... (Not that I would eat it or anything....never have tried the stuff!)
ReplyDeleteSeems like an interesting book though. Happy reading! lol!
Yikes! Are these depression recipes? The horseradish and onion sandwiches might even work for birth control..LOL!
ReplyDeleteI had an old cookbook from my mother that had recipes calling for bowlfuls of flour and butter the size of an egg. Of course, it also had you test the heat of the oven by placing a piece of paper on the rack. If it was a nice brown after five minutes the oven was "just right". If it turned black, the oven was too hot!
now, what's wrong with the tongue one, tongue's actually excellent meat :D
ReplyDeleteWouldn't mind trying out the sardine one either, but that marshmallow thing sounds horrible (yes, really)
Brown bread I make, it's got syrup in it, and has to bake in the oven, very low heat, for 12 hours. People up here that have a hot spring in their garden (yes, in certain parts of the country, that actually exists) bake the bread in there, it's really yummy!
(up here in Iceland, to be a bit clearer)
ReplyDeleteOkay, sardines & salted butter = very yummy. But sardines & mayo? Hm. I'll have my husband try that - he's French, he can tell (just kidding!).
ReplyDelete:-))
As a dutchie, I have never heard of that dutch lunch and quite honestly I don't think I'd like to try it!
ReplyDeleteApart from all the descriptions already given here, there's probably a section on breads in the book too and it can probably tell you how to make it. I have a book similar to yours that was originally written in 1910 (although I have the 16th print), that was the cookbook for the Amsterdam Household School. From back in the days that girls didn't have to learn an occupation, but had to learn to run a household before they got married! LOL (If only I could have gone to it, then maybe my house wouldn't be such a mess!)
Ohmygosh! My mother has that very cookbook. She's had it for years and it's become mostly a place for her to store her loose recipe sheets. She's coming for a visit this week, I might have to convince her to bring the book with her.
ReplyDeleteI'm not so sure I'd put the cheese on the toast before it went into the toaster. It wouldn't fit like that in mine anyway. Also, I'm too lazy to clean the mess. Thanks for posting that, Dawn. Those sandwiches are a riot.
ReplyDeleteBoston brown bread is made with lots of molasses and two or three kinds of flours. My grandmother always put white flour, oat flour and corn meal in hers. It can also be made with rasins in it, not my favorite. It is traditionally served with homemade baked beans on Saturday night in old fashioned New England families, mine included. It is made in a small coffee can set inside a large coffee can filled 1/3 with water and covered with foil.
ReplyDeleteLeftovers were served for breakfast Sunday, as cooking was considered work and not allowed on the Lord's day of rest. It must have made for some very ummm...musical church services.
Brown bread can be bought in the baked bean isle, probably the top self. It is very good toasted with real butter or cream cheese.
As for the baked bean sandwiches, yup, I have seen my family eat those too. I have been told they are great. *SHUDDER* I can't bring myself to find out for sure.
That apricot-horseradish-thing sounds like something an Austrian would come up with. These folks put horseradish on anything.
ReplyDelete"Oh my, that apple strudel looks delicious! Pass the horseradish?"
Just 2 comments:
ReplyDelete1. As a New England girl now living in the Midwest, I happen to know that Boston brown bread spread with cream cheese is delicious, and tastes kind of like date nut bread. If you can't find it at Jewel or Dominicks, I'm sure you can buy it (in a can) online!
2. Both my parents and inlaws grew up during the Great Depression, when baked bean sandwiches had to substitute for meat, and this cookbook (written in '31) sounds just like their Depression-era resourcefulness when it comes to food. If the economy keeps going south, maybe we'll be eating a lot more prune and apricot and onion sandwiches!
Boston Brown Bread, made by B&M, comes in a can and is actually pretty good. We always had that with baked beans and "franks" when we were growing up. It is good with just some butter on it too.
ReplyDeleteOk, the ONLY one of those sandwiches that sounds edible is Toasted Cheese. Which is what my grandpa used to call grilled cheese sandwiches. I always thought that was cute.
ReplyDeleteI love old cookbooks. I have one that is REALLY old too. One recipe in it calls for possum. It goes into great detail about shooting it and gutting it and so on. Its quite gruesome. THere are several recipes for squirrel and such too. Sounds quite appetitizing NO? Ughhhhhhhhhhh. Give me McDonalds anytime
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your blog & with 2 kids if my own,I saw this advert on YouTube & thought his would be right up your alley lmao!
ReplyDeletewww.youtube.com/watch?v=Fitxofd7kOA&feature=related
Well if the book was published in 1931 that was two years into the great depression. I suppose these sandwich recipes an indication of what foods were most available at the time and how to put them to use. Makes you appreciate things today, doesn't it? Or maybe it should make us even more fearful of the way our economy is heading! *eek* After getting over the barf factor I actually found this post to be quite interesting. Thanks Dawn!
ReplyDeleteThe sardine one doesn't sound that weird (maybe it's cultural thing, here in the UK that's a pretty common sandwich filling =) but the others.. Wow! I like pineapple and cheese on sticks but as a sandwich? With OLIVES?! =X
ReplyDeleteOh, baked beans on toast are really popular too.. But not with mayo or catsup *lol*
ReplyDeleteOk, the prune one? ick.
ReplyDeleteThe tongue chicken one? double ick.
Sardines? gag and no thank you
The marshmallow one? just add peanut butter and make a fluffer-nutter ! YUMMY
Hope you actually found something in there worth making for the whole family that would work with your Feingold diet.
Have a great day Dawn!
Am I the only one that thought Scrabblequeen's comment about the Boston brown bread in a can was funny....the name of the company was B&M...thank goodness for the "&". Maybe I'm just warped but after a few comments about some NOT liking the bread BM brown bread gave me a chuckle!
ReplyDeleteThose recipes made me laugh! The grapenuts concoction really does sound disgusting.
ReplyDeleteAs for boston steamed bread here's a recipe http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Steamed-Black-Bread/Detail.aspx It's actually pretty good - dense and sweet.
you SO should have warned to finish eating your breakfast before reading that. bleck :-)
ReplyDeleteThese were Great Depression recipes from 1929-1940s. My parents/grandparents ate these same things during this time. My Dad tells of hunting along RR tracks for anything hobos might have thrown off the trains.
ReplyDeleteOne grandmother ate radish and butter sandwiches and ate raw onions like they were fruit.
My Dad raised all of us 8 kids eating sardine sandwiches and baked bean sandwiches. We kept up the sardine sandwich, but admittedly, the baked bean sandwich fell by the wayside. Eating sardines on crackers was a luxury that we were afforded as kids; in Dad's time, crackers weren't available.
To this day, I still like sardines and have found whole websites devoted to sardine recipes.
Pat
Dawn,
ReplyDeleteIf you think that cookbook has a crusty old nostalgic feel check out these! I didn't find these myself, but AI always pass on this site to food lovers, they are weight watchers recipe cards circa 1974. Talk about hilarious, the comments are great! My favorite is rosy perfection salad, who knew Jello could be used in a main course huh? Enjoy!
http://www.candyboots.com/wwcards.html
email me if you want to be invited to my blog, im 10 weeks preggers with my first and documenting the whole thing, your a big role model to me, one of the reasons I started blogging. jennifer.lleras@gmail.com
You can still buy Brown Bread, at least around here (Massachusetts). It indeed comes in a can. There's a ton of molasses in it, which makes it both very sweet and dark brown. Raisins are also included. I'm not sure about the Chicago area, but it's usually in the section with the baked beans in the grocery store. I hated it as a kid, and most likely still do.
ReplyDeleteThose were appalling. What was the author/"chef" thinking??? I suppose it WAS in the age of the depression. "Syrup sandwiches...mmmm!"
ReplyDeleteSo they had an explaination of what a sandwich is, but left "prepare steamed brown bread" all up to your own devices? Nice.
I'm interested to see the decent recipes out of that book. We are anti-preservatives around here and try to buy as little processed foods as possible. Don't forget to post the recipes that your family eats and enjoys!!!
Remember, that was during the great depression. People didn't have much money to buy meat, so they had to improvise a lot. If you're hungry enough, you'll eat anything.
ReplyDeleteJulie
Use in place of Alli
ReplyDeleteLoved it...
Yes, Boston Brown Bread. Never had the homemade kind but you can get it canned (in where else Boston) or at least you used to. I think you can find it where the Boston Baked beans are. Made by the same company B&M. http://www.buythecase.net/product/9264/bm_raisin_brown_bread/?bcf=1. It's actually pretty good.
I have the same cookbook. Mine is a later printing in 1977. Just in case you are wondering all the recipes are still there. I say we serve prune fluff to drink with the prune sandwich to make a complete meal (I mean trip to the bathroom).
ReplyDeleteBoston Brown Bread is whole wheat bread made sweeter with Molasses and Raisins. There are tons of recipes for it, if you google it. Sounds really good! I may make some once I get a working stove back in the house. Good thing it's summer, and the neighbors won't think I'm TOO wierd for grilling EVERYTHING we eat!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the out-loud, gut-busting laugh!!!! THat was wonderful!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, I have this from my Mom's collection too! I remember her making Parker House Rolls from this cook book for Thanksgiving.
ReplyDeleteKMOM
Any Amish recipe book would probably suit your needs, Dawn. However, the recipes are usually a lot of work. But OH so GOOD.
ReplyDeleteHmmm....maybe they were on to something back then. If this is all there was to eat now, the obesity level wouldn't be so high. I think this is my new diet. Thanks Dawn. I'm off to buy me some sardines, tobasco, baked beans and tongue!
ReplyDeleteNo wonder they died young!?!
ReplyDeleteBut I make the Boston Brown Bread often. Yummy.
2 C WW flour
1 C all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2/3 C Brown sugar
1/4 C molasses
2 C buttermilk
can add dry fruit and nuts
grease/ flour 9 x 5 bread pan
bake 350 degrees for 1 hour. let it cool before you cut
I have a 1946 Lily Wallace cookbook that has some truly wonderful things in it, but also has a recipe for opossum in which you first place the dead animal in your freezer for a day before removing the hair an stewing it!! YUMMY!
ReplyDeleteEwww..did people really eat that stuff?
ReplyDeleteThis makes me re-evaluate my dislike of the ol' PBJ sandwich. Some of those recipes were simply revolting...that must be why they aren't offered at Subway. : )
ReplyDeleteThankfully, our forefathers practiced their sandwich making skills so that we would have tastier sanwiches. We have so much to be greatful for.
Melainie
My mom used to make Boston Brown bread when we were growing up. It's got a batter similar in consistency to banana bread batter, and it's stemed in large tin cans in a large dutch oven filled with water. It's a sweeter bread than regular wheat bread, and it's very good spread with real butter and homemade jam. Think I'll go google the recipe.
ReplyDeleteMy husband totally eats bean sandwiches. I've always thought he was crazy, but he grew up eating them. My kids now like them too. Now I know he isn't completly insane! Thanks Dawn!
ReplyDeleteMelissa
I'll add my yuck for the tongue/chicken sandwich. At first I thought we were talking about a chicken-tongue sandwich. I was thinking, "Man, they'd have to mute a whole bunch of chickens just to make one sandwich."
ReplyDeleteFor the record: I think it's a mistake of your publisher to put off the release of your book. I know you're at their mercy, but I think one should always strike while the iron is hot, and I think your popularity is pretty strong at the moment.
I just had to add that serious comment to my usual less than serious thoughts.
no wonder they died young
ReplyDeleteMy brother used to eat sardines and peanut butter. Yeah, eww.
ReplyDeleteBrown bread is an old favorite of mine - you can still get it at the grocery store. B&M makes it with or without raisins (I like it with raisins in). It's bread in a can! Sliced thick, buttered, and broiled until the surface caramelizes, it's the perfect accompaniment to hot dogs and baked beans.
If you make it yourself, it requires a recipe (duh!), a large coffee can, and is steamed in the oven to bake it - hence the "steamed brown bread".
Yeah, I just buy it at the store and freeze what I don't use right away. Hmm...I have some in the freezer, and I'm a mite peckish...
Shade and Sweetwater,
K
LOL You were right! I need to go combine some of the things in MY cabinet and see what other options we could come up with.
ReplyDeleteHow about this one?
Strawberry crab salad sandwich
1 packet of Kool-Aid
1 can of crab meat
1 chicken boullion cube
Get a bowl. Dump crab mean into bowl. Mix contents of Kool-Aid packet with crab meat. Attempt to not puke during this process.
Add enough mayonaise for spreading consistency. Crumble boullion cube and add to mixture and then spread on bread. Because, really, you can't make it any worse than it was to start with.
You must have made the same gagging sound that I made! What were these people thinking! My Grandma would have appreciated these recipes. During the depression era you had to make things with what you had! I am so glad we live in better times!
ReplyDeleteI grew up eating boston brown bread. My Mom would buy it at the store, not sure they make it anymore, but it came in a can, like baked beans. She would warm it, slice it, and serve with beans and ham. I think I just dated myself. Yup, I am old!
ReplyDeleteMy mom used to try all sorts of bizarre combinations and recipes when we were little. We didn´t have much money, so sandwiches were a big thing. :D
ReplyDeleteShe made steamed brown bread a few times in old coffee cans. I don´t remember how, just that I didn´t like it much! Except for the fact that it was round and had lines like the can.
Our favorite sandwich as kids was . . . the hamburgerless hamburger. Take a slice of bread. Spread with relish, mustard and ketchup. Top with another slice or not. Enjoy. :D My sister and I invented that one after the hamburger ran out one night.
I have a bartenders book from my grandpa, dated 1899. It is very clear on how to get drunk, how to cure a hangover, and how a lady should drink! Maybe the creator of the sandwiches had instructions from this book because some of the hangover solutions were nasty sandwiches!
ReplyDeleteI can remember my mom making Boston Brown Bread for holiday dinners when I was really young. She used either a coffee can or large soup/veggie can and steamed them over a pan of boiling water. Then they changed how cans were made (the sides were no longer straight) and started coating the inner surface. You can't use those to make Boston Brown Bread so she stopped making it. I can't remember what she made it with or what it tasted like. I seem to remember liking the smell when it was cooking but not the bread itself.
ReplyDeleteUm *abashed* actually, several of those don't sound so bad at all. However, I am the mother of the "turtles n cheese" 12 year old, so maybe his insanity has rubbed off?
ReplyDeleteI used to have tomato ketchup sandwiches as a kid.
The BEST sandwiches in the WORLD are made thusly:
1. Take 2 slices really unhealthy gooey white bread.
2. Spread liberally with butter.
3. Place chips on one slice. Lots of chips. Any flavour, but my personal favourite is salt and vinegar. Pile 'em high
4. Smash chips down with other slice. Make sure a ton spill out all over your plate so you can eat them too. Also, pile more chips from the bag around the sandwhich. MUCH more than the "one serving size" haha that they print on the bag.
5. Eat. Enjoy.
OMGosh! I had to stop at #5 when I felt breakfast threaten to reappear! I am preggers and EWWWWWWW! is all I can say about any of them.
ReplyDeleteTara
My grandmother eats baked bean sandwiches. Bleh.
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing how our taste buds have changed because of the availablity of different foods.
ReplyDeleteI love boston baked bread. You can also buy pottery crocks from a kitchen store or Pampered Chef to bake it in.
My grandmother gave me a searchlight cookbook too. Now I'm dying to go looks through it! ;-)
ReplyDeleteSome of those sandwiches sounded quite disgusting.
ReplyDeleteBoston Brown Bread is delicious and is in a large can in the baked bean section of the grocery store. Cut off both ends of the can and slide it out. Cut it into slices, keeping the shape, wrap it tightly in foil and heat at 350 for 20-25 minutes until warmed through. Remove from oven and foil. Slather on lots of butter and enjoy. It's like a dessert, very sweet like a muffin with raisins. Yum. It's also good served with any fish and baked beans.
ReplyDeleteYou've created a new diet! Just post this list on the fridge and any time you're tempted to eat anything just read this.
ReplyDeleteI see a ton of responses on here so don't know if someone else found anything about the steamed brown bread but found this link:
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/steamed-brown-bread-recipe.html
There are actually a lot of 'em so if you want to try to make it just look in a search engine................................
Just kidding!
OK, remember, people used to eat ALL of whatever they had...horseradish? gotta give it some flavor!
ReplyDeleteI worked in a Polish Deli when I was in College, There is NOTHING worse than slicing
"Blood & Tongue" or
"Head Cheese"...eww.
Just the sound alone kept me away from that stuff.
My Grandfather was #5 of 12 kids...they grew up on a farm...they ate everything!
I can still remember my parents and grandparents sitting up late, playing cards and nibbling on "pigs knuckles"...yuck
I have a suggestion that might be more appetizing for your family... are you familiar with the SAVING DINNER series? check out www.savingdinner.com (also featured on www.flylady.com)
ReplyDeleteShe provides a full week menu with downloadable shopping lists. 75% of the shopping list is vegetables, and very few processed foods (canned tomatoes and beans are about it) I vowed to make them in order, and try them all... kids have liked most of them so far.
I'm glad I wasn't a child in 1931. But then again, I'd probably be quite a bit skinnier. Those "recipes" wow. (shudder)
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI think I understand why no one has repeated those recipes since 1931.
ReplyDeleteOne thing we used to eat was date nut bread with cream cheese. It came in a can like the brown bread (and it was brown - I'm wondering if it's the same thing). I can't find date nut bread here, but then again I can't find a lot of things here in east Boondock, so that doesn't mean they don't make it anymore.
I used to be fascinated about trying British food, until I found out that Black Pudding was made with . . . well I won't tell you, you've been grossed out enough for one day.
Ummm, were you drunk when you numbered those recipes? LOL! ;o)
ReplyDeleteThose were very interesting... thanks for sharing... although I don't think I will be trying ANY of those. Did you find any recipes that you could actually use? That is neat to have a cookbook that is that old.
Keep those laughs coming...
Everyone else has summed up Boston Brown Bread pretty well--and it would be good with cream cheese, but I would NOT thin it with catsup!!! blech!!!
ReplyDeleteCheck a used bookstore for an older copy of The Better Homes and Gardens red checkered cookbook (something pre-80's and not to be confused with Betty Crocker's cookbooks). The older versions were pretty much all non-packaged ingredients. I learned to cook using my mom's (I think hers was a 50's or 60's edition) and everything was made with straightforward, non-packaged ingredients.
Hi Dawn,
ReplyDeletefunny you bring up brown bread - my mom used to serve this when I was a kid, and I saw it at the store the other day - yes it comes in a can - and it was never one of my favorite things... I'll have to buy more to see if I like it as an adult...
I'll share one of my favorite sandwich recipes - I found this in a cookbook - and it is delicious!!!!
Turkey
Mayo
Dash of curry powder
apricot jam
Yea, I know it sounds weird, but it is YUMMY!!!! I look forward to this with my turkey leftovers at Thanksgiving!
My mom taught cooking for 27 years - she passed away last year. My brother and I split her recipe book collection - and we found some GREAT books just like this one you have!!!! We've had a few laughs! Enjoy!!!
Pam (Seattle)
Basically- everything is better with mayo!
ReplyDeleteSeriously those sound disgusting- except for toasted cheese- yumm.
Boston brown bread is delicious - like a moist nut bread. It's really good with cream cheese, especially strawberry cream cheese (make your own, so no additives).
ReplyDeleteSimilar would be banana bread & cream cheese sandwiches. Those are addictive! We eat them here for breakfast.
Brenda in SC
this must be why my 90 year old grandmother thinks that frosting between bread is a sandwich
ReplyDeleteOops, I blew my cover! I had to delete my comment because I accidentally posted my name and picture, so here it is again:
ReplyDeleteYou're kidding! You made these up, right?! Actually, I don't think you could have! You're right, it sounds like someone just put on a blindfold and pulled things out of the cupboard! How funny.
Made by B&M...as in bowel movement? I had no idea canned bread existed. That's so weird. So is eating a baked bean sandwich!
ReplyDeleteAmy, nope I wasn't drunk when I numbered the recipes. I'm just not very mathy.
ReplyDeleteOops! That numbering was just sad and pathetic! LOL!
***DAWN!!!****
ReplyDeleteI HAVE GREAT NEWS FOR YOU!!! A few weeks ago you mentioned in a post that you couldn't get your scanner to work with vista. I was having the same problem and have now figured out how to do it. Open Windows Photo Gallery, go to File>Import from scanner or camera. As long as your scanner is connected to your computer you can scan! YEA!
We followed the Feingold Diet for years! It was fairly easy to do once I got used to it, and we homeschooled so I had a lot more control over what they ate. However, once the kids got into their teens it got harder and when we stopped homeschooling... impossible!
ReplyDeleteThe kids often request some of our favorite Feingold meals. All of our absolute favorite (and many guests that I've served it to) is:
Cinnamon Pear Pork
Brown however many thick boneless porkchops you need
Carmelize a ton of onions, sliced
Babyfood Pears (or if you are on Stage 2, regular applesauce)
Layer in crock pot... Pork, pear or applesauce sprinkled with cinnamon, carmelized onions. You only need to put a tablespoon or two of the sauce on each porkchop. Turn the crock pot on low and your house will smell wonderful!!!
Those recipes remind me of that Friends episode where Joey was eating a recipe that Rachel made: "Meat: gooooood! Potatoes: gooood! vegetables: gooooood! Strawberries: gooooood! Whip cream: gooooood!
ReplyDeleteThe pages in the cookbook had stuck together and she combined two VERY different recipes. Had you of not shown the actual recipe here in your blog, I would have thought the same thing happened to those sandwich recipes.
Can I just say, Ummm... Ew.
I think I noticed a trend to use ketchup as an ingredient in pretty much every recipe! (or catsup, as it was spelled back then.) I was wondering, do you think this is how Ronald Reagan decided that ketchup was a vegetable? Maybe he actually used some of these recipes!
ReplyDeleteNo wonder why people were thin back then...I thought being thin was due in part to the Depression. I think I just found my new diet. The 1931 Diet!
ReplyDeleteI have about 20 VERY old cook books I get a kick out of reading them... I think you hit a grand slam posting these LOL...
ReplyDeleteGreat weight loss idea!
ReplyDeleteActually, (cow) tongue sandwiches are some of my favorites of all time...but I could do without the chicken in it, too!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a fun cookbook!
I had know idea mayo complimented so many different foods- baked beans, prunes, peanuts, tongue, sardines, pineapple, raisins, olives...and all along, I thought it was just for ham, turkey, or tuna!
ReplyDeleteThis would explain why everyone was so thin back then...
ReplyDeleteThis is like the 1940s cookbook that I got from my grandma. There's a section on how to prepare sandwiches for school lunches, how much milk a child needs a day, even how much food a grown man should have depending on his job (office worker or farmer or laborer).
ReplyDeleteDoes yours have a list of recipes for invalids too?
I love reading cookbooks- this is just one example why.
Dawn,
ReplyDeleteIf you need some really good recipes, let me know. My son David was diagnosed with celiacs disease years ago, so I have had to make MANY foods fresh.
I have some really great bread recipes, although nothing like that Boston Brown bread. (LOL)
Do you have a bread machine?
Debi
wow, hold onto that cookbook! my friend finds cookbooks like these all the time at estate sales and sales them for crazy $$$$ on amazon... what a great book!
ReplyDeleteAny votes for a Keylime sandwich, graham cracker crusts?
OK guys - I grew up using this wonderful (?!) recipe book. It's entire name is the Household Searchlight Recipe Book and "...was printed in 28 editions, reaching a distribution of 2,400,938 by the year of its last printing in 1958."
ReplyDeleteThat is when I began using it, at age 6.
When the Capper's Weekly Newspaper reprinted and offered it again beginning in 1977 - I bought 12 copies for my 8 sisters, 2 brothers and a new one for my mom. Her old book now belongs to one of my older sisters and every time a page is turned, a tiny piece of clay-like paper breaks loose. My younger sister Kathy and I would make a quadruple batch of Popcorn Balls (page 79) and after wrapping each one in waxed paper, we would hide about half of them in the bottom drawer of our dresser upstairs. When we were able to go up to read we had a ready stash to gorge on, that no one else knew about. My sister mastered the Penoche recipe on pg74, and my mother made it for us every Christmas. The basic Cream Pie recipe (pg 207) is still my husband's favorite for banana cream or coconut cream pie.
I know it is a very funny and mostly gross recipe book, but this brought back such fond memories of it and my favorite newspaper, The Capper's Weekly. The Capper family was a prominent Topeka, Kansas family. I loved reading the newspaper with its farm wife written letter/anecdotes, a serial story, a very small "World News at a Glance" column. We should have that now!!
Thank you for bringing back such awesome memories.
The cookbook has explanations for all sorts of different permutations of a recipe. What is the difference between a Brown Betty and a Crumble. When is it Jam, Conserve, Marmalade, or Preserves? I'm telling you ladies - you are going to want one of these cookbooks for your very own. : ) What a trip down memory lane. I am only 55 years old, too.
When I was younger (8-9 years ago) my friends and I had a sandwich that we made alot. It was called The Chocolate Sandwich. We'd take white bread )only because they don't make chocolate,lol) and spread chocolate peanut butter on them, add a handful of cocoa krispies, a drizzle of chocolate syrup, and some chocolate chips. We'd then wash it down with a big glass of chocolate milk! Ah..fun times!
ReplyDeletei found this website
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dreamdinners.com/main.php?page=order_location
today through a friend and wanted to share it with you. then when i check you blog, behold a food post! it was perfect.
now, i haven't tried this place, but it sounds fabulous. . .there is even one in chicago!
Try http://www.foodtimeline.org/ for seriously weird and/or inspiring recipes. I love reading it when I run out of cooking ideas. Of course, I'm deep into Medieval cuisine, but food history is fascinating!
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome! I'm going to have to dig around through my cookbooks and find something interesting. LOL
ReplyDeleteAs far as weird sandwiches go, my favorites are: Lettuce sandwich (yup...just lettuce and white bread - nothing else), and spaghetti sandwiches. That last one may not be too weird, as we eat bread with our spaghetti all the time. My DH looks at me like I'm a fruitcake when I fix one, though!
when I read this, I thought of the movie The Breakfast Club and the sandwich that Ally Sheedy's character made -
ReplyDelete2 slices bread
butter
2 Pixy Stix (flavored sugar in straws)
2 handfuls of Cap'n Crunch cereal
Butter the bread.
Pour contents of one pixy stix on each slice of bread.
Sprinkle handfuls of Cap'n Crunch cereal on each slice of bread.
Smash cereal down with your hands.
Carefully put slices together, and enjoy!
These were great! Right up there with my ex-husband's favorite, dill pickles and peanut butter! LOL
ReplyDeleteNo wonder people were thinner back then! :-D Yuck!
ReplyDeleteSue
www.booksaroundtheclock.com
Anyone but me notice the common denominator? Buttered bread! Maybe that's why grandmas today generally look far different than the grandmas I remember in their frumpy dresses! God love 'em!
ReplyDeleteI've been down the whole Feingold Diet route. It was very effective for my son, and I still highly recommend it. Do you have the "official" handbook/cookbook? There is a recipe in there for spaghetti sauce, made with beets. Don't try it--I did and it was awful.
ReplyDeleteMy best source of recipes was a cookbook published in 1944, when rationing was still in effect. Loved it, and still use the cookbook today. My fave section? Cooking for large crowds -- 50 or more.
I have a cookbook that was published here in Oklahoma that has recipes from the turn of the last century called "Seems Like I Done it This Way". It has all kinds of things in it including how to cook oppossum, rattle snake, squirrel, turtle stew, etc. I use this cook book so much the front and back covers are now gone. It has great recipes in it but it's not for the beginning cook because the recipes don't always tell you how to put it together or they say a "pinch" of this or that. I love knowing that if the tornadoes leave me homeless I at least know how to cook wild rodents...maybe I should put that cookbook in my survival pack.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite cookbook is the Joy of Cooking by Irma Rombauer, circa 1933. These old books are a wealth of information and do include some strange combinations of food - but I have never prepared a recipe from "Joy" that we didn't want to have again. The combo of the apricots and Tobasco isn't really all that weird. Have you had BBQ hot wings? Very similar flavor! Enjoy your "sammiches"!
ReplyDeleteMe again! Sorry - I forgot the Boston Brown Bread - B&M brand baked beans used to sell Boston Brown Bread in the same sized can as their baked beans. We would open both ends with a can opener and push the bread out of the can by pushing the metal lid on one end. This bread is a very rich flavored, moist, dark brown sweetbread that is almost dessert fare. I haven't bought any for at least 10 years so am not 100% sure they still make it, but it is worth the trouble if you like whole grain or sweetbreads. I'd omit the catsup (not a tomato fan) but the cream chees is awesom with this bread.
ReplyDeleteHmmm. I think your cookbook had mine beat. The one I have from '83 only has wild game recipes. You know, the good old kind like squirrel and opossum.
ReplyDeleteGood heavens, I have this same cookbook! I have a 1941 version. It still has the tongue chicken sandwich, among others. Must have been pretty popular. *shudder* lol! I remember my grandma feeding us tongue sandwiches when I was little. And cod liver oil, but we won't go there, ok? :D
ReplyDeleteThough I'd let you know that cookbook is selling for $16.99 on eBay right now.
ReplyDeleteMost of those sandwich recipes are so bizarre! But the brown bread, now that's really good. It's sweet, made with molasses. I helped my mom make about a gazillion little loaves of it - yes, you make it in tin cans - to give away as Christmas gifts one year. Better than fruitcake! :-)I'd never put ketchup on it though, but it's great with cream cheese.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness. Yes, they did sound a bit strange, but not all that disgusting. I think I might be checking this post out again to maybe try one of these sandwiches.
ReplyDeleteActually a sandwich a friend of mine told me about is a hot pepper sandwich.
Take white sandwich glue, I mean bread.
Take the skinny, long hot yellow peppers(sometimes called cubanelles). slice in half length wise, deseed & saute until as browned as you like them, best to start skin side down. After sauted, pour a bit of water in & cover to steam them. Pull peppers out of pan, place on bread, salt peppers & put mayo on other slice. Eat & enjoy. It isn't as spicy hot as you would think! Yum.
-Gail
OK, there are alrady 131 comments here, so I'm SURE somebody has told you, but...steamed brown bread is sold as Boston Brown Bread in the stores, usually on the same aisle as the baked beans. (I think H&M makes it?) It's cooked in a can, it has raisins in it, and it's AMAZING when spread with just as much butter as it will hold. We used to slice it up, toast it, and then slather it with butter.
ReplyDeleteOne more comment about old cookbooks. I have a Family Reunion cookbook from a family in Franklin County Virgina (that I'm told is birthplace of the white lightnin' runners that ultimately became NASCAR)that includes a recipe for making moonshine. My favorite part of the recipe is when it reaches a certain stage and looks like an oilslick, you're supposed to lightly skim a finger across the top of the liquid. If the streak glows white it's done and ready to pour into jugs.
ReplyDeleteEww gross, tongue, yuck, who does that??
ReplyDeleteIf you like that then you'd love the gardening book I have from the around the same era. Every time it mentions lifting a pot or digging a hole it always suggests "getting your husband or a friendly neighborhood gentleman to help." I love it.
ReplyDeleteOMG!!! I HAVE this book too!!! I got it from my step great granmother. That is too, too funny. I guess I need to go read through the sandwich recipes and see how to best scare my children!
ReplyDeleteTo Dawn2,
ReplyDeleteI also have the same book, "Seems Like I Done it This Way".
I purchased it in the early or mid eighties at a craft fair called War Eagle Craft Fair.
I bought it from the author of the book. She signed it for me.
It is one of my most treasured cook books. Yes, it does have some pretty weird recipes..lol. It also has some very good recipes. I found a lot of recipes that are similar to the way my Mother cooked.