Lately it seems everyone's on a budget. Money is the main topic of conversation and the reason for most all of us to be cutting back lately on our usual luxuries.
I've been doing quite a bit of research lately on previous recessions in American history (did you know we've been through 19 recessions?!) including the infamous, Great Depression.
What's most interesting is what happens to families and home life during these times. People stay in more. We talk. We cook together. We focus on the important things in life, not the material things.
This sparked my interest in life during the Great Depression. What did people do? What did they eat? How did their differing cultures and backgrounds affect their food? There are many websites out there dedicated to the preservation of historic food of the 1930s, but what I love are the truly creative meals made out of love and necessity. A mother feeding her family on a pancake like bread made of flour, baking powder and water. An Irish immigrant family eating boiled haggis. Poorer families feasting on bone marrow before cooking it into a soup. And while I draw the line at braised tongue, I still couldn't help cooking a few Depression recipes.
My favorite was the Ginger Ice Box Cookie. The thing about ice box cookies is they were usually made in bulk, when mothers would save up their sugar rations and prepare a larger batch of cookies. Poorer families didn't have iceboxes, so the would often use the winter to their advantage and place the batter in the cold until it was chilled properly. These crunchy, spicy cookies can be easily modified depending on your taste.
Ginger Ice Box Cookies
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 teaspoons ginger
• 1 teaspoon soda
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 4 1/2 cup flour
Cream sugar and shortening. Add well beaten eggs, then the molasses. Sift all dry ingredients and add to the first mixture. Form into rolls and place in refrigerator to chill (overnight is best). Cut into thin slices with sharp knife and bake in a moderate oven, 375 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes.
I've been doing quite a bit of research lately on previous recessions in American history (did you know we've been through 19 recessions?!) including the infamous, Great Depression.
What's most interesting is what happens to families and home life during these times. People stay in more. We talk. We cook together. We focus on the important things in life, not the material things.
This sparked my interest in life during the Great Depression. What did people do? What did they eat? How did their differing cultures and backgrounds affect their food? There are many websites out there dedicated to the preservation of historic food of the 1930s, but what I love are the truly creative meals made out of love and necessity. A mother feeding her family on a pancake like bread made of flour, baking powder and water. An Irish immigrant family eating boiled haggis. Poorer families feasting on bone marrow before cooking it into a soup. And while I draw the line at braised tongue, I still couldn't help cooking a few Depression recipes.
My favorite was the Ginger Ice Box Cookie. The thing about ice box cookies is they were usually made in bulk, when mothers would save up their sugar rations and prepare a larger batch of cookies. Poorer families didn't have iceboxes, so the would often use the winter to their advantage and place the batter in the cold until it was chilled properly. These crunchy, spicy cookies can be easily modified depending on your taste.
Ginger Ice Box Cookies
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 teaspoons ginger
• 1 teaspoon soda
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 4 1/2 cup flour
Cream sugar and shortening. Add well beaten eggs, then the molasses. Sift all dry ingredients and add to the first mixture. Form into rolls and place in refrigerator to chill (overnight is best). Cut into thin slices with sharp knife and bake in a moderate oven, 375 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes.
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