Worm Castles

This guest post is from nali (also known as "my mom"), who informs us about hardtack. Splendid! Hopefully this is the first of a few guest posts. Try out those recipes and send them in, readers!


When the traveler must travel in space as well as time, life-sustaining travel food is a necessity. A food staple of the Civil War soldier was hardtack, also sometimes called worm castles due to the infestation of ‘worms’ living in the hardtack. During the war, most hardtack was made in government bakeries, but it could also easily be made at home.



The objective with hardtack is to make a food that will not spoil or mold before it is eaten. It must also last a long time. I have made hardtack that was perfectly edible after a year in storage with no refrigeration. So what is the downside? It is bland....horribly, horribly bland. Still, it will sustain life. The secret to its long life is the lack of ingredients which are prone to spoilage.

Mix together:
5 cups of flour
1 cup of water
1 1/2 teaspoon of salt

Sometimes it is necessary to add just a bit more water, but don’t put in much! Knead the ingredients until they hang together enough to roll out with a rolling pin. I usually put the dough in a pastry cloth to help it stay together while I work on it. Roll the dough out until it is about 3/8 inch thick. This is not as simple as it sounds. This dough is rather dry and doesn’t roll easily. You’ll give your arm muscles a really good workout!

After it is rolled out, cut it into 3 inch squares, then use a fork to poke lots of holes into the hardtack.




Next the hardtack must be baked until all moisture is gone. I have tried it two different ways. Way #1 is to bake it at 400 F for 30 minutes. I found it did not get quite dry all the way through. Way #2 is to bake it at 225F for about 2 hours. Whichever way you choose to do it, make sure it is completely cooked.

Once it is cooked, it is almost ready to eat....or saved for traveling.

Like soldiers anytime in history, Civil War soldiers were inventive with the ways they ate their ration of hardtack. Eating it plain is just an invitation to break a tooth. Here are 3 ways to use your hardtack. First, put your hardtack on a hard surface and use your rifle butt to crush it.



Once it is crushed you are ready to begin to prepare your meal.


1. Hardtack Mush: Mix hardtack crumbs with hot water until softened. Eat.


2. Hardtack Pancake: Mix hardtack crumbs with hot water until softened. Form into a little pancake and cook in pan over fire. If you can find some syrup or jam, that would go well with it.


3. Hardtack Pudding: Mix hardtack crumbs with hot water until softened. Mix in a little bit of brown sugar before serving.


For a verdict, we enlisted the services of two actual soldiers in order to get a genuine reaction. To my surprise, they both ate all three items and cleaned their plates. Maybe a true soldier will just eat everything. One commented he’d had worse and he’d had better.

The least favorite was the mush. This was just warm, soggy hardtack crumbs. Still, if a person were hungry enough, it IS edible.

The easy favorite was the pancake. The crispiness from cooking made a nice texture. I’m sure the maple syrup also helped.

The pudding with the brown sugar wasn’t too bad either. In a travel situation, it would probably be easier to prepare than the pancake as it doesn’t require extra cooking.

Happy Trails to you!

Mom for President! With the help of milk.

Carnation's Easy-Does-It Cookbook [1958]

We Vote YOU 8th Vice President!!!

Take a tip from your husband. Run your home as efficiently as he runs his office! Over 1,000 meals a year makes you a B.H.E. (that's short for Big Household Executive) in your kitchen.

Personalize your office (the kitchen, that is) with gay, attractive curtains and colorful accessories. There are so many inexpensive ones these days! You can afford to change them often.

Organize your work space. No home or apartment kitchen is perfect, but you can store your equipment near the logical food preparation, cooking, and serving areas to make your work easier.

Periodic reorganization isn't just for office efficiency experts. (Or, are you the exceptional woman who remains sweet-tempered when the mixer "conks out" midway through angel cake batter?) Periodically, devote a day to maintenance. Have the knives sharpened, straighten kitchen drawers and shelves, scrub the can opener. Surprising how much difference it makes!


Yayyyyyyy! I'm a Big Household Executive! Yayyyyyy!

Scalloped Turkey, Brown Bread Sandwiches, Lettuce Salad, Cheese Straws

Boston Cooking School Cook-Book [1896]

With the progress of knowledge the needs of the human body have not been forgotten. During the last decade much time has been given by scientists to the study of foods and their dietetic value, and it is a subject which rightfully should demand much consideration from all. I certainly feel that the time is not far distant when a knowledge of the principles of diet will be an essential part of one's education. Then mankind will eat to live, will be able to do better mental and physical work, and disease will be less frequent. -Fannie Farmer



From the quote above, you may be thinking, "Ha! We have learned nothing and we eat more terribly now than ever before!" We certainly do eat terribly, which is why there is so much obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. However, there are now far fewer cases of rickets, scurvy, and general malnutrition because of the year-round availability of vegetables and increased knowledge of nutrition. So that's something. Furthermore, nowadays you can get gout even if you are not filthy rich! Viva la Revolucion!

Discuss: How do you feel about that quote? In what ways have we gotten better, and what ways have we gotten worse? How would Fannie Farmer feel about eating habits and nutritional education today?

Wow, that sounds just like a writing prompt I would have been given in 9th grade English. Maybe it is the inner need for responsibility and organization after having just been through the 60's and 70's. Come to think of it, that explains a lot about my English teacher as well.



Scalloped Turkey.
Make one cup of sauce, using two tablespoons butter, two tablespoons flour, one-fourth teaspoon salt, few grains of pepper, and one cup stock (obtained by cooking in water bones and skin of a roast turkey). Cut remnants of cold roast turkey in small pieces; there should be one and one-half cups. Sprinkle bottom of buttered baking-dish with seasoned cracker crumbs, add turkey meat, pour over sauce, and sprinkle with buttered cracker crumbs. Bake in a hot oven until crumbs are brown. Turkey, chicken, or veal may be used separately or in combination.



Brown Bread Sandwiches.
Brown Bread to be used for sandwiches is best steamed in one-pound baking-powder boxes. Spread and cut bread as for other sandwiches. Put between layers finely chopped peanuts seasoned with salt; or grated cheese mixed with chopped English walnut meat and seasoned with salt.



Cheese Straws.
Roll puff or plain paste one-fourth inch thick, sprinkle one-half with grated cheese to which has been added few grains of salt and cayenne. Fold, press edges firmly together, fold again, pat and roll out one-fourth inch thick. Sprinkle with cheese and proceed as before; repeat twice. Cut in strips five inches long and one-fourth inch wide. Bake eight minutes in hot oven. Parmesan cheese or equal parts of Parmesan and Edam cheese may be used. Cheese straws are piled log cabin fashion and served with cheese or salad course.


Verdict:

Scalloped Turkey: It is turkey bits, in gravy, with cracker crumbs surrounding it. That's... pretty much it. I ate a few bites and really didn't feel like finishing it. Husband ate all of his and the rest of mine, declaring it to be the perfect soup. ("But it isn't soup!" "It is like stew with all meat. And crackers!") He found it even better when saturated with cheese straws. ("What... what..." "It is like stew with all meat, and crackers, and cheese straws!")



Brown Bread Sandwiches: Another example of sandwiches having fillings before a certain point in time rather than ingredients. Tell a person in the 1890's that you want a ham sandwich with cheese, pickles, and lettuce, and they will look at you oddly, chop them all up into a paste and spread it on. It is frustrating. Anyway, the key to getting the filling to stick the sandwich together is to mash down the cheese really well. It tastes of cheese and walnuts. Not altogether displeasing, but not something I shall ever crave. Husband thought it was good, and said he'd prefer it grilled. Grilled cheese sandwiches are fantastically delicious. Try one with walnuts, why not.

Lettuce Salad: I made lettuce into a salad. Hooray!

Cheese Straws: Why has no one told me about these before? First of all, "paste" here means "pastry." Puff paste, in historical cookbooks, can either mean "puff pastry" or "pie crust", but more usually the latter. I made pie crust and used Parmesan cheese. They were delicious. Pie crust + Cheese = Awesome. As it is written, you can use cheese straws to build a little corral for your salad. So festive!

If you make these, grate your own Parmesan cheese, moisten the surface you are going to put cheese on slightly for better sticking, and don't use store bought pie crust. 1.) Store bought pie crust is terrible 2.) Making pie crust is easier than you think and 3.) The more pie crust dough is handled, the more the gluten develops. The more the gluten develops, the stiffer and harder to work with the dough becomes, thus making it really difficult to roll out thinly. This particular recipe, because of all the folding, re-rolling, and laminating with cheese, makes the dough pretty stiff to roll out by the end, and that was using dough I had handled as gently as if it were a basket of kittens. Store-bought dough comes to you already sharing many characteristics with cardboard.

Carnation Can-Can

Carnation's Easy-Does-It Cookbook [1958]

Vegetables Continental will spark the tired vegetable appetite, or intrigue the most sophisticated guest! Try these intriguing new ideas!

"By Jove! She is a corker!" *monocle pop*

Am I wrong, or is this the flimsiest excuse ever for a picture of a monocle and top hat wearing, bow tie sporting gent ogling a can-can dancer ever? I'm not complaining, I'm just saying.

Additionally:
*Where are those sparkles coming from?
*Why does the woman in the right back have no body?
*Have her companion's legs been replaced with tentacles?
*Where is Monocle Man sitting?
*The dancer's ankles. Those bows seem suspicious. They may have malicious intent.

I suspect the involvement of the Green Fairy in this work.

TTK wants YOU... to guest post.

Some of you may be wondering why the time machine has not appeared in a while. This is because it is malfunctioning. Until I can get it tweaked, posting for the next while may not be as timely as usual.

Consequently, I would be delighted to have a guest post from you! Try something out, and send pictures and your thoughts to: timetravelkitchen AT gmail DOT com. In return, you will receive the glory and admiration of the internet!

Rules:
*Nothing after the 1980's
*It has to be something you haven't done before.

Sources:
*Your cookbook shelf
*Your library's cookbook shelf
*Your parents' or grandparents' cookbook shelf
*Feeding America (highly recommended)
*Project Gutenberg: Cookery Shelf (highly recommended)
*Things A Lady Would Like to Know [1876]
*Mrs. Beeton's
*Advertising Cookbook Collection
*Food Rationing Pamphlets

Pizza Potatoes and Lemon Butter Peas

Betty Crocker Recipe Card Library [1971], Betty Crocker's Good and Easy Cookbook [1972]

I think this will be the end of the 70's for a while. And none too soon, either. Yeeeeesh. The 1970's was not the most wonderful of times in culinary history. I tell you what though, time travelers, they are fun. Just avoid the food and drink lots of water.

Trivia Question: What baked good, invented in the late 60's, became so popular in the 70's that almost every one of you has eaten it?

Hint: One of the main ingredients is green.

Sometimes, one is in the mood for potatoes. Sometimes, one is in the mood for pizza. But what does one do when both moods strike at once? The 70's would not leave us hanging on such an important question.



Pizza Potatoes
A pre-measured time saver that's easy on the budget, too!

1 package of our [Betty Crocker's] scalloped potatoes
1 can (16 ounces) tomatoes
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon oregano leaves
1 package (4 ounces) sliced pepperoni [Thank you, Betty, I was going to drop a whole pepperoni sausage on top. My face, how red it would have been.]
1 package (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Empty potato slices and packet of seasoned sauce mix into ungreased 2-quart casserole. Heat tomatoes, water, and oregano to boiling; stir into potatoes. Arrange pepperoni on top and sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered 30 to 35 minutes. 4 servings.

Hamburger Pizza Potatoes: Substitute 1/2 pound ground beef, browned and drained, for pepperoni; stir into potato mixture.

Sausage Pizza Potatoes: Substitute 1/2 pound bulk pork sausage, browned and drained, for pepperoni, stir into potato mixture.




BUTTERS FOR VEGETABLES

Almond Butter: Melt 1 tablespoon butter or margarine; stir in 2 or 3 drops almond extract.

Almondine Butter: Melt 1 tablespoon butter or margarine; add 1 tablespoon toasted slivered almonds.

Lemon Butter: Melt 1 tablespoon butter or margarine; stir in 1 teaspoon lemon juice.

Mustard-Dill Butter: Melt 1 tablespoon butter or margarine; add 1/8 teaspoon dry mustard and 1/4 teaspoon dill weed.

Olive Butter: Melt 1 tablespoon butter or margarine; add 1 tablespoon sliced or chopped ripe olives.

Oriental Butter: Melt 1 tablespoon butter or margarine; stir in 1 teaspoon soy sauce.

Seasoned butter: Melt 1 tablespoon butter or margarine; add 1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt and dash pepper.

Enough for 1 package (9 or 10 ounces) frozen vegetables or 1 can (16 ounces) vegetables.


Verdict:

Pizza Potatoes: Like many things 70's, slightly overwhelming. The processed, pre-made seasoning mix, plus the pepperoni, plus the cheese made it really salty, probably about the same level as ramen with two packets of seasoning. Like other people have done when they were teenagers. Not me. Other people. If it weren't for the saltiness, though, and the anathema I feel towards buying anything packaged that I can make 10x better and cheaper (I am here referring to the boxed scalloped potatoes), I'd make it again. There was sauce, cheese, potatoes, and pepperoni. I have weaknesses. I tried making it again with sliced, boiled potatoes, but the magic was gone. Further research must be done.

Husband loved it, and did not think it was salty at all. However, Husband regularly eats food provided by the military. Let this factor in your judgment.

Lemon Butter Peas: While eating them, I retraced my steps to make sure I had put the lemon juice in. I had. They did not taste of lemon. They tasted of peas. I am intrigued by some of these other variations, though. Almond extract? Soy sauce?

Carrots make your hair curly, I guess

From Carnation's Easy-Does-It Cookbook [1958].

This little girl is having none of that nonsense. Or is it nonsense? How many carrots has this lady eaten??

I also enjoy that her bosom has a jaunty bow, or possibly a propeller. It seems as if it is about to take flight.