Basic Baked Beans

During WWII, beans were an essential food.  With shortages and rationing of meats and grains, beans filled a void, being both a high-quality protein and a high fiber carbohydrate. Beans were also very versatile and could be combined with whole grains to make a complete protein.  Although the bean that was most popular during the war was the soybean, because it is the only bean that is a complete protein, there were many other beans that were very plentiful and used to make delicious meals.

After the war, the bean's glory fell to the waste side, being replaced by the meats and grains so dearly missed during those five difficult years.  Beans tend to come back into our periphery during difficult economic times, due to its good nutrition-to-dollar ratio. But, with America's obsession with health and fitness, beans are an excellent food to add to the modern diet.  It works well with many diet plans, such as Paleo, Vegetarian/Vegan, Meditarainian, as well as low-fat and diabetic.

In our household, we have a diabetic, a vegetarian and a person requiring a low-fat diet.  In an attempt to make the meals healthier, but still filling, I decided to start adding more beans to our diet.  Although canned beans are great, recent studies find BPA in canned goods at unhealthy levels. Dried beans are a great option but require a little more work and considerably more time. If you use a crock pot, pressure cooker or an oven, much of the work is saved.

In this post, I am going to focus on a great recipe for Basic Baked Beans that are made in a crockpot or dutch oven. It can also be made in the oven, but it is not as energy-efficient, unless you also have other things to cook, such as slow roasting a beef or poultry. I am also offering options for the bacon and non-bacon lover combined.  We use turkey bacon and vegan "bacon" around here to accommodate the necessary nutritional/taste needs, but in this picture below, I used liquid smoke.  I have to say it was enjoyed by all and tasted just like a popular brand of canned baked beans (and no dog had to give me the recipe)!

BASIC BAKED BEANS

• 1 lb. bag of Navy, Great Northern or Pea Beans, cleaned and sorted
• 1 medium Onion, chopped (1 C)
• 2/3 C Molasses
• 1/2 C Maple Sypup or Brown Sugar
• 1T Salt
• 1/3 t Pepper
• 1t Dry Mustard or 2 t Wet (Yellow) Mustard
  (Yellow mustard makes it just a little more tart)
• 1/3 C Catsup 
• 1/2 lb Bacon, chopped and browned or 2 T Liquid Smoke

Soak the beans overnight. If using a crockpot, put in 8 cups of water, and leave it on WARM all night. If using a dutch oven, just put the beans in the pot with 8 cups of water, using no heat.

In the morning, if using the crock pot, turn the crock pot on HIGH and let go for 3-4 hours, until the beans are tender but not mushy. If using a dutch oven, bring the beans to a boil in the soaking water. Reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 hours until the beans are tender but not mushy. 

Once cooked, drain beans but save the liquid.  I drain into a colander that is inside a large bowl. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine remaining. Put beans back into the pot. Add remaining mixture. add just enough of the reserved liquid to just cover the beans.  In the crockpot, cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 4-6 hours. In Dutch Oven, cover and simmer for 6-8 hours, stirring often. You could also put the covered dutch oven in the oven at 300° for 6-8 hours.  You will know it is done when the liquid is thickened to the consistency of syrup.  Serve.

Makes the equivalent of three large cans of baked beans. After dinner, I froze the remaining in separate containers for future meals.

Leftover Love

Leftover Love

Although, like every good WWII Ration-conscious housewife, I keep a weekly menu, sometimes there are leftovers that need to be used and it is best to veer off the menu to use up what's in the fridge. 

During WWII, not using every scrap of food was considered unpatriotic. And sometimes, between shortages and ration point balancing, some foods were just plain unavailable. Buying in bulk was frowned upon, as everyone was expected to just use what they need. Consequently, leftovers became a very precious commodity in households. And further, a homemaker needed to know how to make leftovers into something new and delicious to keep her family happy and well fed.

I had a 2" x 10" piece of leftover cooked round steak, a cup and a half of corn meal mush, and some greens from the garden. From this bounty, I made Scotch Patties (I made up the name) with a horseradish sauce, soft dinner rolls, a blueberry, cherry and pecan salad with a balsamic vinaigrette (also leftover), and baked beans (a reheated leftover). According to my hubby, it was a wonderful feast! 

Scotch Patties

I called these Scotch Patties because it reminds me of Haggis when it is uncooked. When our daughter saw it, she thought it was the dog's food.... either way, its not pretty before it is fried, but wonderful after! In true WWII form, this recipe saves by using leftover meat, and cooking in a small amount of oil. 

2 Cups finely ground cooked meat (I used beef in this recipe)

1 Onion, minced (about 1/2 cup)

1/3 Cup Oatmeal, ground fine

1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour

2 Eggs

1-2 t Seasoned Salt, to taste

• Combine all the ingredients and let sit in the fridge for 30 min or more.
• Heat 1/2" oil in a skillet about to 325° ("Medium" on the stove)
• Shape into patties, and carefully place into the hot oil.
• Fry until brown (about 5 min.), turnover.  Continue to fry until brown.  Drain on paper.
• Repeat until all the patties are cooked.

Horseradish Sauce

2 T Horseradish

2 T Sour Cream

2 T Mayonnaise

• Combine well, chill.

Piece of Leftover Meat

Scotch Patties Frying

Yummy Dinner Rolls

I had about 1 1/2 Cup of Cornmeal Mush from breakfast the day before leftover in the fridge.  Of course it turned into a bit of a brick, as mush tends to do, but fortunately it crumbles pretty easily.  I might mention, if you have leftover oatmeal or Cream of Wheat, this will also work. And the amount of the leftover grain does not matter.  If you have less than 1 1/2 Cups, just add more flour until the dough is the proper consistency. Adding 1/2 Cup Currants, 1 T Cinnamon, and a dash of vanilla also would be a tasty treat!

1/4 Cup Warm Water (95°  - 115° )
1 t Sugar or Honey
1T (or 1 pkg) Dry Granular Yeast, or 1 Cake Quick Acting Yeast

• Dissolve the yeast in the water. 
• Let stand 5 minutes

1 t Salt

1/4 Cup Shortening or Rendered Fat or Oil

2 T Sugar

1 1/2 Cup Cooked, Cooled Corn Meal Mush

2-2 1/2 Cups Flour

• In a bowl, combine salt, shortening, sugar and crumbled mush. Blend until well combined.
• Add yeast mixture.
• Starting with 1 Cup, begin stirring in the flour.  Continue adding until the dough barely sticks to the side of the bowl, stirring with each addition.
• Turn onto a floured board and knead until the dough springs back when pressed.
• roll to 1/2 thickness, and cut with a biscuit cutter.  Re-knead when no more rolls can be cut out.  Repeat until dough it all used.
• Place rolls on greased baking sheet.  Let rise 1 hour or until doubled.
• Bake in preheated 400°  oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Leftover Mush

Yummy Soft Golden Rolls

Reducing Food Waste

I noticed lately, there has been a lot of food waste in our household. Actually, waste in general, but as far as food goes, it has been about 10-20% of our food in unused leftovers, frozen food that is collecting freezer burn, and stale grain items.  I decided the other day, before I buy food, I need to see what we already have and use that first, so I made out a menu plan using those items.  This is a habit that was highly encouraged during both WWI and WWII, as rationing was required in both wars due to shortages.

I inventoried what we had in the chest freezer, the basement pantry and our kitchen storage.  I found the following:

2# Beef Roast. 8 Chicken Drumsticks, 2-1#pkgs of Ground Beef, 5 Chicken Wings, a couple boneless/skinless Chicken breasts, a 1# Pkg of Hot Dogs, Frozen Stew Veggies (carrots, celery, potatoes, and pearl onions), 2 # Frozen Collards, 1 pkg Frozen Broccoli, 3-4 pkg Green Beans (why I keep buying them, I don't know), and 1 pkg each frozen Blueberries, Blackberries, Mixed Berries, and Peaches.  I also found canned mixed fruit, peaches, apricots, pears, baked beans, tomato sauce and diced tomatoes, several pkgs of pasta, a cake mix, pie fillings, canned and dried beans, rice, and various grains.  In the fridge there were a couple fresh pears, celery, carrots, leftover squash, leftover baked beans, cheese and eggs. I also found dried fruits, nuts, fresh potatoes, onions, and sweet potatoes.  I also have the staples of  flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, spices, margarine, shortening, tea, coffee, condiments, etc. Taking ALL these items into consideration, I came up with the following menu. 

June Week 1 Menu
(Click to view full size) 

So far, so good.  Sometimes, there are little gremlins in the kitchen that like to eat foods I anticipate for other meals, like the "cheese napper", the "egg scrambler" and the "fresh fruit muncher". Wartime homemakers had a similar issue in that they would make out a menu, and an item they needed was not available due to shortages, so they would have to make on-the-fly menu changes, and still try to provide their families nourishing and satisfying meals.  I try to be adaptable as well. Most baked goods can still be made, should I run out of eggs, and dried fruits can make good additions to meals too.  I primarily use cheese as a flavoring, and less as a source of protein, making sure there is plenty of protein in other elements in the meal, from whole grains and legumes.  I try to use the fresh fruits and veggies first, and I anticipate leftovers in the meal plan. 

I'll have to let you know how this works out at the end of the week.  I am hoping in the future, by doing my shopping and cooking more carefully, and making a conscious effort to NOT waste, I not only will eliminate some of our waste, but also, shrink our grocery bill a bit.

Cheap easy antacid

I have heartburn, chronic, annoying heartburn.  Found a recipe in one of my LIFE magazines that actually works! This is not to be used often not more than once or twice a day as it is a little high in sodium, but boy, does it work!  It is also the basis of Alka Seltzer, fizz and all.

• 6 oz water (the colder, the better for taste)
• 2T Lemon or Lime juice
• 1/4t Baking Soda

Combine and stir until soda is dissolved.  Drink all at once.

Victory Garden 2014

   Well, its that time of year again, and boy are we ready!! After the weird winter and spring in our neck of the woods, foods prices are expected to be high, especially produce.  It is almost a necessity to grow your own food if you want to make the most of your grocery budget. During WWII, with food being shared with the troops and allies, the government encouraged people to garden, no matter what kind of space they had to spare.  Container gardening became very popular, as every little bit of soil became a commodity. The government put out free publications instructing the Homefront gardener on creating Victory Gardens, no matter where they may live. Here is just one of many books (available in digital form on Archive.org) that was offered by the Dept. of Agriculture.

https://archive.org/details/VictoryGardenLeadersHandbook

(Click image for PDF format)

     When planting a garden, give a good mind to where the plants are going.  Is it sunny, partly shaded, very shaded?  What does your family eat?  It would be silly to plant turnips and parsnips if your family refuses to eat them! Also take the area available into consideration.  Don't grow watermelon or pumpkins in a 4'x4' garden!! Your taxes pay for all kinds of gardening resources and information.  It should be taken advantage of.  Here is a link to just a few resources:

http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=GARDENING&parentnav=CONSUMER_CITIZEN&navtype=RT

      As we have been doing the last few years, we are also growing a Victory Garden.  We decided on Beets, as the greens and the root are both edible (and delicious!). We are also doing spinach in the garden bed, because it can be eaten raw or cooked, and is very versatile (and full of nutrition).  We are thinking we might do one or two others, but have not decided as of yet what to plant (though I am thinking onions).  In a container, we are doing bush tomatoes. There is no need to use cages or supports, as they do well in smaller containers.  In hanging baskets we have strawberries as well.

   

Bush Tomatoes

Step one: clear out the weeds!!

      There is one more advantage to creating a Victory Garden that is never taken into consideration, your health! Gardening is an excellent form of exercise. Plus it gets the gardener outdoors in the sunshine, helping the body make lots of vitamin D.  During WWII, there were no video games, almost no TV's or TV stations, so families spent much of their time puttering around the yard.  Gardening can bring a 21st Century family together as well, teaching kids there is more to life than indoor pursuits.  Children feel a real sense of accomplishment when they tend a garden and see the actual fruits (and vegetables) of their labor!!

    For more information on gardening in your climate and other questions about the Homefront Kitchen, contact me via comments below or on our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/HomefrontKitchen.

When You're Hungry, You Eat

Thought I would post a couple recipes I found in one of my WWII cookbooks.  I think they show you, when you are hungry, you eat what you can get.

Pictures: P. 301, P. 302 Victory Binding of the American Woman's Cookbook, Wartime Edition, Consolidated Book Publishers, Chicago 1944

Vegetables and Your "Victory Cooking"

Molasses Deliciousness

During WWII, sugar use was very restricted. The OPA suggested using other sweeteners, such as brown sugar, honey, saccharine, and molasses. Here are some recipes from Brer Rabbit Molasses.

Log Cabin Waffles

From LIFE magazine December 6, 1941.

Low Point Ration Meal

A WWII low ration point meal. Whole grain clover leaf rolls, to be served with meatless split pea soup, and in the background, Angel food cake to be served with fruit cocktail. Not only good for the pocket book, but for your health as well.