1910 Soda Fountain Cookbook

Happy Labor Day Weekend to each of you!  In the spirit of Anerican workers and small businesses, I'm sharing a book from 1910 produced and distributed by a company in  Chicago, Illinois.

The first half of their book is an introduction to the carbonation of soda water, it's benefits and a business plan that includes possible profit margin!  The second half of the book is full of recipes for almost every old soda fountain drink you've ever heard of!

For me, this old cookbook brings back memories of one of my favorite musicals, "The Music Man"!  I love the cover of this book and the recipes are simply  a stroll through a gentler time in American history.  Enjoy the photos!

Very Special Southern Batter Bread

I hope your week is going well;  mine has been hectic, to say the least!  I had my house "staged" for pictures this week.  Now, that's an interesting process!  We had small piles of things from each room that were to be removed for the photo session.  My little rejected items, like players on some home-decorating team, sadly didn't  'make the cut.'  Stagers evidently don't care for throw rugs, cute items that sit on a surface or large baskets (anything that takes away that open-airy feeling).  When they finished, my home, devoid of anything very personal, looked spacious...mission accomplished!  I enjoyed seeing how they placed the furniture, and took notes for future reference.  They were very good at their job and moved quickly from room to room.  The whole process took only two hours;  finding places to store away the rejects took longer.  Thanks to Wendy and Julie, our home is ready for it's close-ups!

Today I've got an old Texas recipe to share.  It's for a batter bread that can be made quickly and popped in the oven.  This recipe was dictated verbally to Rachel Allen by Judge James Christopher Paul who established the first bank on the plains of Texas.  His home was called "The Square House."  I found this in The Square House Museum Cookbook.

Very Special Southern Batter Bread

1 pint milk, scalded
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 scant TBSP butter
3 egg yolks, well-beaten
3 egg whites well-beaten
7 heaping TBSP flour
4 heaping TBSP white cornmeal

Add butter to scalded milk,  whip yolks until light and add dry ingredients, alternating with hot milk.  Fold in beaten egg whites.  Butter a baking dish and place bread batter in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes (until browned on top and sides).  Be sure it is completely done.  It will be a velvety texture.  Serve hot.  It is delicious for breakfast with maple syrup.
                                                           ~Texas Square House Museum Cookbook 

SWAPS:
Raising Homemakers
Deep Roots at Home
We are That Family

Dad's Favorite Fluffy Tapioca Pudding

My dad has always liked down-home desserts.  He's a fan of pies, cobblers...and tapioca pudding!  He was happiest when Mammam made tapioca pudding and brought up to our house (I like it, too, but her favorite pudding surprise for me was rice pudding!)  I thought of him when I came across this great old recipe for tapioca.  If you've never made it, tapioca can be found near the boxed puddings in the grocery store.  This pudding is good warm or cold.  You know how they always feel the need to garnish an already-perfect food in these old cookbooks, well, they recommend dotting the top of your pudding (which is in sherbet dishes, of course!) with tart jelly.  Hmmm...I've never had it with jelly on top;  don't know about that!  I guess it would be pretty, but I'm not sure about the flavor combination.  Let me know if you try the jelly topping.  I, however, am  a purist, and will leave mine plain white and fluffy.  I'm sure that's the food-styling that Dad would approve of with his favorite pudding!

Fluffy Tapioca Pudding
Better Homes and Gardens All-Time Favorites ("Free when you buy one 7.0 oz. Crest") 1971

1 quart milk
1/4 C quick-cooking tapioca
1/2 C sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3 slightly-beaten egg yolks
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 stiffly-beaten egg whites

Combine milk, tapioca, sugar, and salt;  let stand 5 minutes.  Add egg yolks.  Bring to boiling, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat (mixture will be thin at this point);  add vanilla.
Put 1/3 of beaten egg whites in large bowl;  slowly stir in tapioca mixture.  Fold in remaining egg whites, leaving "pillows" of egg white.  Chill.  Pile into sherbets.  Garnish with tart jelly.  Serves 8 to 10.

SWAPS:
We Are That Family
Raising Homemakers
Deep Roots at Home