Old Cookbook Menus

These two days of menus come from a 1945 cookbook written by Vera Bradely. The book has an entire years worth of suggestions for three meals a day. It is interesting what was suggested and what actually is achieved in my kitchen. 

January 2nd Week - Tuesday 

Breakfast:  Sliced Oranges, Fine Dark Wheat Cereal, Toasted Raisin Bread 

Lunch: Pork Dice Baked with Macaroni, Baking Powder Biscuit, Lettuce and Pimento Salad, Canned Raspberries

Dinner: Canned Corn Soup, Pan fried Lamb chops, Mint Jelly, Turkish Pilaf, Five Minute Cabbage, Chocolate Cornstarch Mold with Soft Custard.

 

In my kitchen, we have to be carbohydrate aware. Most breads, grains, deserts and sweets simply disappear from the list. Items that no longer exist are canned raspberries, and canned corn soup. So this is what's left.

Breakfast:  Sliced Oranges, Fine Dark Wheat Cereal 

Lunch: Pork Dice Baked with Macaroni, Lettuce and Pimento Salad

Dinner: Pan fried Lamb chops, Turkish Pilaf, Five Minute Cabbage, 

 

Now let's remove what is too expensive or I simply don't have this leftover.

Breakfast:  Sliced Oranges, Fine Dark Wheat Cereal 

Lunch:  Macaroni, Lettuce Salad

Dinner:  Turkish Pilaf, Five Minute Cabbage

 

Not much left, let's go shopping in my frig.

Breakfast: Whole oranges, Wheatena Cereal with Milk

Lunch:  Leftover Potato Leek Soup, Grain and Bean Salad with Veggie Scraps Salad

Dinner:  Chicken Breast and Pepper Stir fry, Rice, Cauliflower, Lettuce Salad

 

What to see the next day?

January 2nd Week - Wednesday

Breakfast:  Raspberry and Orange Juice, Quaker Crackles, Toasted Biscuit, Marmalade. 

Lunch: Canned Corned Beef Hash, Cole Slaw, Cooked Salad Dressing, Yeast Biscuit, Stewed Dried Apricots

Dinner: Tomato Soup, Baked Liver and Bacon, Pepper Relish, Potatos Baked with Butter, Turnip Dice en Caserole, Baked Custard with Carmel Sauce.

 

Becomes the following menu. 

Breakfast:  Frozen Blueberries, Oatmeal, Plain Yogurt. 

Lunch: Leftover Ham and Egg Quiche, Cole Slaw with Vinegar Dressing, Oranges

Dinner:  Hamburgers in Tomato Sauce, Rice, Cooked Broccoli, Lettuce Salad

Is the book still useful? That's debatable since there are so many changes. It is a start place for the eternal question of "what's for dinner?"? Undoubtedly, yes. 

The most interesting part about the book is the organization. Each week has a marketing list that is divided so that you shop every couple of days. This helps with food waste, nothing is bought too far ahead only to rot and you can review your leftovers for substitutions.

The menus are seasonal. I am unlikely to find fresh strawberries in January menus, and pumpkins in June. 

Finally, the menu for the day is on the left hand page and directly following are all the recipes need for that day. Open the book and all the reference material for the day is right there. Need to place a grocery order for the next day? That list is at the very end of the day. Review, rinse, and repeat. Ingenious!