History Preserved

02/17/2025

And I thought that I had a lot of canning jars. 😆

Drying jars at canning time. A house purchased for the Lake of the Ozarks project. Missouri
Photographer: Carl Mydans
Created: June 1936

02/02/2024

So excited for this new post on the blog: WWII seed varieties you can grow today in your own Victory garden!

Seeds and Plants have disappeared. And they have been for years. I bought myself some seed catalogs from the years of WWII to see what kinds of things they were growing in their Victory Gardens. Some things looked familiar like Danvers carrots. Others were a mystery! Like the below picture for "Chic...

08/24/2023

https://history-preserved.com/celebrating-the-120th-anniversary-of-the-newsboys-strike-of-1899/

The Newsies' story is a pretty good one, but it's not really like the way Disney tells it. It's about time I set the record straight.

08/24/2023

https://history-preserved.com/dilemma-of-first-person-interpretation/

In my experience, first person interpretation in a museum setting isn't helpful or accurate in educating the public.

08/25/2022

⭐🇺🇸 Victory Medley! 🇺🇸⭐

Well, after talking about it so much, I was finally able to get the recipe up on the blog! It's a really yummy casserole that's easily adaptable. I really think it's the ultimate American Casserole!

Victory Medley

1/2 package of medium egg noodles (8 oz.)
1/2 pound sausage
1 cup whole kernel corn, canned (undrained) or frozen (+1/2 c. water)
1 cup tomato sauce
8 oz. shredded cheese (or 1/2 of a 1lb. block of cheese shredded)
1 cup ripe olives, sliced
1 cup diced green peppers
1-2 cups diced mushrooms, to taste
1 Tbsp. minced parsley, fresh or dried
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 - 1 tsp. garlic powder, to taste
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup

Cook the noodles in salted water until done. Drain and set aside.
Brown the sausage, then drain off the fat. Dice the green pepper and mushrooms.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Set aside 1 cup of the shredded cheese. Then in a large bowl mix together the ingredients, including the liquid from the canned corn, until well combined. If using frozen corn, add in the 1/2 cup water.
Turn into a lightly greased casserole dish and sprinkle on the 1 cup of shredded cheese.
Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an extra 5 minutes to brown the cheese, if desired.

• Try subbing in diced tomatoes (fresh or canned) instead of the tomato sauce for a different tomato flavor and some added color!
• Turn this into a vegetarian dish by leaving out the sausage or subbing in some veggie sausage crumbles.

07/06/2022

My latest project: A new, unique comprehensive guide to sugar substitutes in America during WWII. Part of a series I'm starting - Homefront 101.

When sugar was scarce during WWII, our grandparents turned to other sweeteners to satisfy their sweet tooth. What were these sweeteners and how did they use them? We examine ads, cookbooks, and recipes to find out.

06/04/2022

🍓 Citrus Strawberry Shortcake is your next must-make recipe with strawberries!

When I went digging in my wartime cookbooks for a shortcake recipe, I didn't expect to find this delightful 1943 gem: "Special Strawberry Shortcake", a recipe that uses orange juice and lemon extract in the shortcake dough. 🍊 🍋 Sign me up!

Citrus Strawberry Shortcake

2 c. sifted, all-purpose flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
4 Tbsp. shortening
2 eggs
1/2 c. orange juice
1/4 tsp. lemon extract
Sliced, sweetened strawberries

Sift together the pre-sifted flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut in the shortening until it resembles coarse crumbs.
Beat 1 egg plus the egg yolk of the other egg and combine with the orange juice and lemon extract. Reserve the egg white for brushing the tops of the shortcakes later. The egg yolk/OJ mixture will be a lovely sunny yellow color.
Add the egg yolk/orange juice mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring just until the dry ingredients are incorporated.
On a lightly floured surface, gently knead for 10 - 20 strokes until the dough comes together.
Roll the dough out to 1/2" thickness and cut using a large biscuit cutter. There should be enough dough to make 6 biscuits.
Brush the tops with the egg white and sprinkle them with white sugar. Bake at 425°F for 12 minutes or until the tops are just starting to turn golden on the edges.
To serve the vintage way, split hot biscuits in half and spread with a thin layer of butter. After that, fill with sweetened, sliced strawberries, replace the top of the shortcake, and layer on more sweetened strawberries. Garnish with a dollop of whipped cream on top.

🍋🍓🍊🍓🍋🍓🍊🍓

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05/27/2022

Try this for a tasty dinner idea! It's filling and easy to adapt to what veggies are lurking in your fridge.

https://americanvictorykitchen.com/tamale-pie-special-a-1943-mexican-american-inspired-dish/

03/10/2022

https://americanvictorykitchen.com/honey-dreams-1942-no-bake-mini-rolls/

Fresh off the griddle, this 1942 recipe for Honey Dreams are the cutest no bake mini rolls that are perfect for spreading with homemade honey butter.