Seriously, I am looking through my vintage cookbooks more and more these days, especially those published around the time of the Depression through World War II. Those women had to feed their families on limited funds and limited ingredients. More and more, as grocery prices seem to swing out of control I find that these old recipes work great for me.

I was skeptical about this rice tart. It seemed a little weird to me but I had several cups of left-over rice that needed to be used up and it seemed a good way to do it. Since it was leftovers there was not much to lose on this one.

I made pate sucre for the crust.  I was afraid that the tart would not be sweet enough. A lot of vintage recipes use much less sugar, palates were more refined and less glotted with high fructose corn syrup back then so you will find you often need to add a little more sugar for today’s tastes. I needn’t have worried. It was plenty sweet, although not overly so. I liked this, and so did the family. The thing I had to get past was the texture of rice…I am not a big fan of rice pudding because of texture issues.

This tastes a lot like an egg nog flavored rice custard. The meringue would not stiffen…the day was a bit too humid and the house was a bit too hot..and then I was talking while I was using the torch to brown the meringue quickly..so it isn’t beautiful.

If you like rice pudding you will probably like this a lot. It is a great way to get rid of leftover rice. Use what you have..I had brown rice and jasmine white so I mixed them. It was fine. I also used a ten inch pie plate for this.

Pate Sucre

• 2 1/3 cups  pastry flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 pound unsalted butter, chilled and chopped
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions

1. In a food processor  combine the flour and sugar.
2. Add the butter and process until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and 1 tablespoon of the cream.
4. Pour  it in the food processor and process until a ball begins to form.
5. Use the other tablespoon of cream if necessary.
6. Remove the dough from the machine, and on a lightly floured surface, press down into a circle.
7. Wrap  and refrigerate for an hour or overnight.
8. Roll and fit into pie plate.
9. Prick with fork and bake at 350F until done – about 15 to 20 minutes.

Rice Custard Filling

• 3 cups of cooked rice
• 3 cups of whole milk
• 2 tablespoons of flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 egg yolks, beaten
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup rum (or 1/2 tsp rum flavor)
• Freshly grated nutmeg

1. Heat the milk,  rice, flour, salt and sugar stirring constantly until it begins to thicken.
2. Spoon a little of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks, beating well until the temperatures of the milk mixture and the eggs are about the same.
3. Pour the yolks into the milk mixture simmer for about three minutes.. stir constantly.
4. Remove from heat and add 1/4 cup unsalted butter.
5. Stir in the vanilla and the rum and pour into the baked crust.
6. Grate nutmeg over the top.
7. Chill overnight.
8. You can use the egg whites to make a meringue or top with whipped cream.

serves 8-10

images-Marye Audet

Post from: Baking Delights

It is cooked slowly in tomato, pepper, onion, and celery. The tomato helps to tenderize the meat. The flavor of this is incredible, totally understandable that it was so popular with Mrs. Cleaver’s crowd back in the day.  One thing I changed that I really loved was I added a chopped Poblano pepper in place of the bell pepper. Added just a touch of spice, and caused my tastebuds to pay attention.

I got the round steaks for 50 percent off on clearance. You know, have some recipes that you can pull out when you find a great deal like that. For the eight of us this Swiss steak dinner was less than five dollars. I was happy and so was my budget.

In a tough economy it is a good idea to browse cookbooks from the earlier decades of the 1900s for frugal recipes. So many of them have been forgotten. I hope you will give this a try. You can make it in the oven as I did here, or in a slow cooker.

Swiss Steak

• 3 to 4 pounds of round steak
• 2 slices of bacon
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2  1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• Drippings from bacon
• Olive oil as needed
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1 poblano pepper, chopped
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 2 lbs canned organic tomatoes
• 1 cup water or beef broth

1. Preheat the oven to 300
2. Cook the bacon until crisp, remove bacon from pan but leave drippings
3. Pound meat until thin with a tenderizer
4. Mix flour, salt, and pepper
5. Dredge the meat in the flour
6. Add about 2 tbs of olive oil to pan with bacon drippings
7. Heat oil  until it shimmers a bit, add steak
8. Fry until just golden
9. Flip and fry on the other side.
10. Repeat with all steaks. You may need to add a little more olive oil
11. Lay steaks in a 13 x 9 inch pan
12. Cover with crumbled bacon, peppers, carrots, onions,  and celery.
13. Pour tomatoes over  and add broth or water.
14. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 2 hours.

Serves 8 (freezes well)

image: Marye Audet

Post from: Baking Delights

Back in the day, when I forst got married everyone made taco salad the same way. Doritos, canned kidney beans, cheddar cheese, hamburger, sour cream, iceburg lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and catalina dressing.  There might be a little variation on that but not much.

Well, taco salads have evolved into much more than that. They are still easy and budget friendly, but fresher and more delicous I think. If you have an electric fryer I highly recommend making your own fresh tortilla chips. They don’t take long at all and the difference is amazing. It is one of those small things that takes food from average to incredible.

I like to cut the corn tortillas in long strips. It is different and I like the way it looks. Then I add any number of ingredients based on what is available.

I guess maybe this is a pretty lame blog post. Everyone knows how to make taco salad, and I think I have even shared my basic recipe before.

But it is worth sharing again.

One of the best tips for a great taco salad is to use mixed baby greens rather than the standard iceburg. It not only adds a beautiful color but it adds flavor and texture as well.

It takes a little longer to make an individual salad on each plate but it is worth it. It is more appealing that way. You can also just make the salad bases and allow everyone to add what they like at the table by putting ingredients out in dishes.

Brown lean ground beef or pork (or a combination) in a pan with a little oil. Add taco seasoning, your own homemade or some from the store. McCormick still makes it in an envelope, it has no msg (most of the others I have seen do have msg) and it is about 75 cents. It is funny though, when I first started buying it it was 33 cents. LOL! Drain the meat and set it aside.

I liek to use Vidalias or Texas sweet onions because they give a lot of flavor but they are mild. Now add the following as you like:

• Kidney beans
• Black beans
• Pinto beans
• Chopped bell peppers
• Jalapenos
• Corn kernels
• Tomatoes
• Cheese
• Salsa
• Sour cream
• Celery
• Avocado
• Chicken
• Tortilla chips
• Fried potatoes (trust me)
• Roasted pumpkin seeds
• Sunflower seed

Just layer them on top of your salad, top with a scoop of salsa and then a scoop of sour cream.  Add chopped cilantro, grated cheese and you have an entire meal in under 30 minutes. If you feel like you need dessert add vanilla ice cream with chopped mango spooned over it. Seriously. Does it get better than that?

Image:MaryeAudet

Post from: Baking Delights

Another thing I love is chicken and noodles, or Pennsylvania Dutch chicken pot pie.  I thought I had come up with every variation known to man but I was inspired the other day to add rosemary and Swiss cheese to a basic recipe.

The flavor went from comfort food to sophisticated comfort food.  I was in love.  This is my entry into this week’s Presto Pasta Nights, hosted by Patsy of Family, Friends and Food.  I am getting to know her on Twitter and she is so very sweet!  Many thanks to Ruth, of Once Upon a Feast for keeping this going!

One thing I do, that you might like to try, especially if you are wanting to save a little money is this.  I buy bone in chicken thighs rather than breast.  The bone and skin adds an incredible amount of flavor.  Now, I buy like 20 lbs at a time and dump it all in my big slow cooker.  I add some salt, an onion  (just peel it) and a few cloves of garlic.  Add a few cups of water and then slow cook for about 12 hours.  Let it cool and then remove the bones.  What you end up with is a lot of great tasting chicken meat, about two quarts of homemade stock, and a savings of about $3.00 a pound over chicken breast.  You can just bag the meat in freezer bags in two cup portions and you have a casserole ingredient that is ready to go.

Nothing special about this.  I used whole wheat egg noodles but you can use what ever you like.

I had some left-over mixed vegetables so I stirred them in.  Traditionally I would add carrots, peas, and celery.  Hey, if you have something leftover? Go with what you’ve got!

Chicken and Noodles with Rosemary and Swiss

• 2 lbs egg noodles
• 3 cups cooked chicken
• 2 cups rich chicken stock
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tbs.  flour
• salt  and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup fresh rosemary, leaves stripped form twigs
• 1 cup cooked vegetables of choice
• 1 cup grated Swiss cheese

1. Cook the egg noodles until tender.  Drain.
2. Meanwhile beat flour into the stock  until smooth.  Add the rosemary, and the seasoning to taste and bring to a simmer.  Simmer for several minutes until the broth thickens slightly.  Stir in cream.  Allow to simmer three minutes but do not allow to boil.
3. Pour the noodles in a casserole dish and cover with the stock mixture.  Stir in the vegetables and chicken.  Cover the top of the mixture with the Swiss Cheese and bake at 375 for 20 to 30 minutes.

Serves 8

images:maryeaudet (c) 2009

Post from: Baking Delights

Happy weekend!

We had two simultaneous sleepovers last night.  BOY sleep overs.

Why do girls have the reputation of being giggleboxes? Seriously? A roomful of boys is just as bad, or worse.  Poor Shiloh braved the testosterone as long as she could and then retreated to her pink room with the antique Victorian bed.  Kyrie, being much younger and yet just as aware of the testosterone condensation appearing on the walls asked to sleep at our oldest daughter’s house with our grandkids.  Smart girl.

I retreated to my room, with the rose themed border and bedpread.  And here I am still, this morning, hiding with my computer.

There were two boxes of pizza left over and I told them to just eat that for breakfast.  Marc and Matthew were headed to a mens meeting at church, and as long as I have coffee I don’t care about food.

So, that is what my Saturday is looking like.  Yours?  Are you staying warm?  I have been watching twitter with interest as everyone gives their highs and lows.  We have had highs in the 30s followed by highs in the 70s.  That is just how Texas is.  You learn not to put ANY seasonal clothes away from October to June because it could be 86 one day and 37 the next.

This week I wanted to concentrate on soups since the majority of the country seems to be bombared with blustery blasts, swirling snow, and icy toes.  Soup makes your house smell great, is generally pretty frugal, healthy, and it is warm.

Here’s what I found.

Anna, who blogs Morsels and Musings, has a fantabulous looking Mushroom and Barley soup. Mushrooms add a lot of flavor and in this vegetarian soup they give the rich, beefy taste that goes so well with barely.

Kevin, of Closet Cooking, creates on of my comfort foods.  His Hot and Sour  Soup looks amazing !

On Andrea’s Recipes, Andrea posted a recipe for a Carrot and Ginger Soup that is way different from mine.  I am definitely trying this one.

A new blog to me is SImple, Natural, Nourishing.  Shannon has a fantastic looking Tomato and Balsamic VInegar Soup recipe up.  What IS it about tomato soup? It is just that good.

How can I resist the blog of a fellow Texas housewife?  Nessa, from  Texas Housewife’s Homemakin’ Blog has a great Chicken and Rice Soup recipe posted.

I am a big fan of Judy’s at No Fear Entertaining.  Her Tuscan Pumpkin and White Bean soup might be just the thing to defrost with this afternoon.

Smell’s Like Home has a recipe posted for Sausage and Lentil Soup.  That sounds like comfort food to me.

Alejandra has posted a recipe for one of my favorites, Split Pea Soup on Always Order Dessert.  This particular recipe is different in that it is lighter and has a “smoky garlic swirl” to add both visual appeal and flavor. Yum.

From Jill, at Hey, That Tastes Good!, comes this recipe for Hungarian Bean Soup.  If it has worked all these years for cold Hungarians you know it will thaw you, too.  Right?  And it is gluten free.

From me, a recipe for Zuppa Tuscana.  Warm, rich and creamy, this is the kind of soup I love best.

What are your favorite soups?  Do you have any favorites that I missed?

Stay warm!

Image:Bennigan’s Baked Potato Soup (c) 2009 Marye Audet, all rights reserved.

Post from: Baking Delights

I am getting this in under the wire.  In fact, I am counting on the fact that Cathy is on Pacific time and I am on Central.

It isn’t that I forgot. It really isn’t.  It is just that I sometimes put things off until the very last minute. Like this.

Oddly enough one of our family’s favorite foods is potato and cheese tacos.  What’s not to like? They are cheap, spicy, cheesy, and ..umm.. cheap.  And they will fill up a sixteen year old boy.  Eventually.

Versatile? You bet.  You can do about any combination and it magically turns into something really good.  Here are some of our favvorites:

• Potato, Monterey Jack and chard
• Potato, and cheddar
• Potato, cheddar and jalapeno
• Potato, pinto beans, and cheese
• Potato and cabbage
• Potato, cheese, and  taco seasoned beef

I haven’t tried potato and chocolate yet..but you never know….

The ones I did tonight were potato, cheese, onion and ground buffalo.  Happy trails!

Awesome Potato and Cheese Tacos

24 corn tortillas- warmed until pliable

4 potatoes, peeled and diced

1 onion, peeled and chopped

1 tsp dried chipotle

1 lb ground buffalo

1/4 cup good quality taco seasoning, preferably homemade

1/4 c cilantro

1 cup shredded colby

garnish: 

ripe chopped tomatoes

chopped and seeded jalapeno

salsa

Put about a tablespooon of oil in a large frying pan.  Add the buffalo, onion, potato, and chipotle.  Brown over medium heat until the meat is cooked and the potato is tender.  Add the taco seasoning, and about 1 cup of water.  Simmer until the water is absorbed.  Add the cilantro and the cheese and mix well.

Spoon into warm tortillas and add tomatoes, salsa, and jalapenos to taste.

Makes 24 tacos.  The number of people that will serve will vary. Alot.

See? Perfect.     Simple.  Best of all…cheap.

For more Potato Hos check out the roundup on Noble Pig 

Banner: Noble Pig, used by permission.

Image: Marye Audet 

Post from: Baking Delights