November 11, is Veterans Day. It was first called Armistice Day by Woodrow Wilson on November 11, 1919, as he addressed the American people and spoke of our enemies laying down their arms “a year ago today…” Bills calling for observance have been issued and approved in Congress with the final amendment in 1954 replacing the word “Armistice” with “Veterans,” and so it has been known since.
We cannot let this special day go by without printing the recipe for First World War Army cake that we found printed in the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs Inc., Paths of Sunshine book, and which just happens to be a special favorite of ours.
From Preserving the Big Potato recipe book published by the Apopka Historical Society, Lillian Cleghorn shares her Pork Chop and Potato Casserole, one of many that she shares with her Apopka neighbors and friends.
From Charleston Receipts, James Island Shrimp Pie is a shrimp and rice casserole contributed by Mrs. John Jenkins. You need two pounds of shrimp and a cup of raw rice, both of which you cook before making the pie. It is then baked in a moderate oven (350 to 375 degrees) for about 30 minutes or until brown on top.
Fried Catfish! Yumm. We have a recipe from Southern Living’s All-Time Favorites for one of our favorite dinners, fried catfish. You need to be sure and have all your other side dishes ready and steaming on the table when you get the catfish out of the cooking oil and drained for serving. There is nothing much to recommend cold fish!
Charleston Receipts shares Hush Puppies from Mrs. Taft Walker. This will go very well with the catfish recipe, above.
Also from Charleston Receipts, Mrs. Staats’ Spinach in Cream calls for fresh spinach and heavy cream or sour cream. It looks wonderful!
We have Mrs. Rosa Fussell’s Congealed Salad from our old friends in Plains, Georgia. They published Pot Pourri, which is full of delightful recipes.
I love Magic Cookie Bars. The recipe is printed on the Aldi company’s Baker’s Corner Sweetened Condensed Milk can. This is one of those recipes kids (and adults) love that they can do in the kitchen together. Kids are great at making crumbs from graham crackers. And they can measure ingredients. They may need a little help, but it can be fun to do together.
FIRST WORLD WAR
ARMY CAKE – 1918
Recipe from Florida Federation
of Garden Clubs
Paths of Sunshine Cookbook
1 3-ounce box raisins
3 cups water
1/2 cup lard (no substitute for this, recipe says)
2 cups white sugar
5 cups sifted flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 heaping teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup chopped walnuts
Boil the box of raisins in 3 cups of water for 15 minutes and let cool. Drain and reserve water. Cream the lard and sugar. Add alternately the dry ingredients and two cups of reserved water from raisins. Add chopped walnuts. (Fruit may be added instead of nuts.) Add cooked raisins. Pour into greased and floured loaf pans and bake at 325 degrees for about 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Test for doneness.
NOTE: This is an Heirloom Recipe.
LILLIAN CLEGHORN’S PORK CHOP AND POTATO CASSEROLE
Recipe from
Apopka Historical Society’s
Preserving the Big Potato –
A Collection of Potato Recipes
6 pork chops
8 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup minced onions
1 cup diced mild cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons salt
Dash of pepper
Fry pork chops in skillet until brown, trim off fat. Place alternate layer of potatoes, onions, and cheese in greased casserole dish. Combine mushroom soup, milk and seasonings in separate bowl and blend well. Pour soup mixture over cheese. Top with pork chops. Cover and bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until potatoes are done.
MRS. JOHN T. JENKINS’
(HESS LEBBY) J
AMES ISLAND SHRIMP PIE
Recipe from Charleston Receipts, America’s Oldest Junior League Cookbook in Print,
a Cookbook by The Junior League of Charleston, Inc.
1 cup of raw rice
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter
2 eggs
Pinch of mace
5 tablespoons tomato catsup
2-1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire
Salt and pepper to taste
2 pounds shrimp
1 cup milk (approximately)
Cook rice in salted water until very soft and stir butter into it. Combine all ingredients with cooked shrimp, adding enough milk to make mixture the consistency of thick custard. Put in buttered casserole and bake in moderate oven until brown on top (about 30 minutes). Serves 8.
FRIED CATFISH
Recipe from Southern Living’s
All-Time Favorites
6 (4- to 6-ounce) catfish fillets
2 cups milk
2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon seasoned salt
2 teaspoons pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
Vegetable oil
Garnish: lemon wedges
Place catfish fillets in a single layer in a shallow dish; cover with milk. Cover and chill 1 hour. Combine cornmeal and next four ingredients in a shallow dish. Remove catfish fillets from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature 10 minutes. Remove from milk, allowing excess to drip off. Sprinkle evenly with 1 teaspoon salt. Dredge catfish fillets in cornmeal mixture, shaking off excess. Pour oil to depth of 1-1/2 inches into a large skillet. Heat to 350 degrees. Fry fillets in batches about 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain on wire racks over paper towels. Garnish, if desired. Makes 6 servings.
MRS. TAFT WALKER
(MARY TAFT) HUSH PUPPIES
Recipe from Charleston Receipts, America’s Oldest Junior League Cookbook in Print,
a Cookbook by The Junior League of Charleston, Inc.
2 cups corn meal
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
Red pepper, to taste
6 tablespoons chopped onion
1 egg
2 cups buttermilk
Mix all dry ingredients, add chopped onion; then milk and egg, beaten together. Drop by small spoonfuls into boiling deep fat. They will float when done. Drain on brown paper. Serves 8.
MRS. HENRY P. STAATS’
SPINACH IN CREAM
Recipe from Charleston Receipts, America’s Oldest Junior League Cookbook in Print,
a Cookbook by The Junior League of Charleston, Inc.
3 pounds young tender spinach
1 heaping tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon finely grated onion
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Prepare spinach by washing carefully and discarding all tough stems. Throw spinach into a kettle of boiling water and boil three minutes – no longer. Remove from fire and drain. In a heavy pan, put butter. Shake on it the flour. Blend well. Add spinach, onion, cream, salt and pepper. Heat thoroughly and serve immediately. This is equally good if thick sour cream is used in place of the whipping cream. Serves 8.
MRS. ROSA FUSSELL’S
CRANBERRY CONGEALED SALAD
Recipe from Plains PotPourri, Food Favorites of Plains, GA
1 can Ocean Spray cranberry sauce
1 package raspberry Jell-O
1 cup hot water
1 cup chopped nuts
1 small can crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup chopped celery
Add hot water to Jell-O and cranberry sauce. Mix well. Add nuts, pineapple and chopped celery. Refrigerate until congealed.
MAGIC COOKIE BARS
Recipe from BAKER’S CORNER SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1-2/3 cup Baker’s Corner Sweetened Condensed Milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place butter in 8-inch square pan, heat in oven until melted. Combine brown sugar and graham cracker crumbs in a bowl and sprinkle evenly over melted butter. In layers, add chocolate chips, coconut and pecans. Put sweetened condensed milk over top. Bake 30 minutes. Allow to cool completely before slicing.
