Getting Our Sweet Ration

There are so many to choose from.  I think
I will start with these.....

It is a real treat for Salem to get his sweet ration for the week.
We like to go to "Over the Tea Cups" tea shop at Paraparaumu Beach shops.
They have a great selection of old fashioned sweets.

I'll have some Black Balls.....

Salem loves being able to choose his sweet ration for himself.
We have a ration of 4 oz (113 g) each a week which was one of the maximum allowances during WWII.
It did go down to 2 oz (57 g).
We are not huge sweet eaters so this is ample for us, and often I don't have my ration at all.
I'm sure that Grumpy Teenager has a black market supply!!!!

.......and some Humbugs!!!!

During WWII, cough lollies and pastiles were not rationed so they were often eaten as sweets.
I really love my cough lollies, especially Throaties which I think were around at that time.
I think next week we will have to go and get our ration for over Christmas.

Spamtastic

A can of Spam

The boys have been very curious about Spam.
It is mentioned so many times in wartime books, websites and recipe books.
Grumpy Teenager was very interested in trying it so I went and bought some today.
We were very lucky, it came in a 75th Anniversary can.

Mmmmm.....Spam

Salem was really curious and even though he is a vegetarian, was wanting to have a try to really have the wartime experience.
So after it plopping out of the can, I sliced it up and then pan fried it in a little dripping so it had a nice crispy golden crust.
I served it up with a baked potato each and mushrooms and onions in gravy.
I just had the veges.
The boys really liked it but said it was very salty.
Grumpy Teenager said it tasted like bacon.
There is plenty left over for dinner tomorrow night, served diced up in a salad.

Ration Hint of the Day - Number Thirty-nine

Ration Hint No. 39

A very small amount of meat.......
bits of cold beef or mutton or veal etc,
will make a delicious forcemeat with brown breadcrumbs and seasoning.....
onions, tomato, parsley, thyme, sage, pepper, salt, etc...
according to fancy....which can be used to fill large tomatoes, young marrows, potatoes or onions, for a delectable baked meal.

Cheese can be used in place of the meat......
or flaked fish, left over from baked or steamed fish, or you can use both cheese and fish together to build up the protein value.

In need of Party Food? Try Fairy Loaf!!!

Fairy Loaf cupcakes

On Friday night we had Salem's dance school's Christmas Party so we needed to make something to take with us.
Hmmmm ...... what would be good to take and is a wartime recipe?
First thing that came into mind was the Fairy Loaf that I make for the boys which is very similar to a sponge cake.
The boys love it!!!
I really don't know why it is called fairy loaf????????

Spreading on the icing

It is very easy to make and I use a whisk to mix it.
The recipe doesn't state any oven temperature to cook it but I cook it at 180 degrees C.
I also doubled the recipe and used two small bantam eggs from our lovely girls.
Our two eggs would equal one large-ish egg which I find really works well for the doubled recipe.
Also I use half milk/ half water too.

Mmmmm .....pink icing!!!

Fairy Loaf

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C.
Break one egg into basin.
Beat in 3 tablespoons sugar, whisk well.
Add 1/2 cup milk, pinch salt, 1 cup sifted flour and 1 teaspoon of Baking Powder.
Put in a greased tin and bake for half hour.
Do check before the half hour is up.

Our yummy cupcakes plus an extra

Instead of using a loaf tin, I put the mixture in small cupcake paper pans in a mini muffin tray.
The double mixture made 24 mini cupcakes and a small star-shaped cake with the leftovers.
We had eaten a few before we took the above photo.

Tasting time

We iced them with a simple icing of 1 cup of icing sugar, some raspberry essence, a tiny bit of butter (about 1/8 tsp) and a drop of boiling water.
And to make them look extra festive, we decorated the icing with some jelly crystals we had in the pantry.
It was a good excuse to then make up the jellies afterwards.
The cupcakes were extremely yummy....so was the jelly.

Chemically Speaking Part IV

The following is from an article which appeared in The Red+Cross War-time Rationing Cookery Book  which was printed around 1944.

This is part four and also the last part of this article..  
It gives a good outline of chemicals which the body needs for health and how to get them.  
As meat was heavily rationed, it gives mainly vegetable sources as a way to get these nutrients especially for iron.


16 Elements for Health and Beauty Part III

Iodine

This is the gland regulator; wrinkles and drawn faces suggest a deficiency of iodine.
And the enlarged thyroid gland in the neck is sometimes treated with drops of iodine in water ordered by a doctor.
Iodine foods are onions, shrimps, salmon, egg yolks, spinach and pears.

Fluorine

This is the youth preserver, the protector against infectious diseases.
It helps to protect the enamel in teeth, and is a strong antiseptic.
It is found in egg, cod liver oil, watercress, veal bone broth and oatmeal.

For those who are curious about why fluorine(fluoride) may have been included, check out some more information at:  http://www.best-home-remedies.com/minerals/fluoride.htm

Silicon

Lack of silicon is said to produce baldness and bad nails.
It should be included in your diet by having spinach, carrots, wheat and barley and almonds.

Manganese

Manganese is said to be deficient in the stutterer.
Tomato juice is a good way of taking this, for it also has potassium and iron.
Canned tomato juice is as good as fresh, provided, of course, it is taken out of the can as soon as it is opened.

By a good, mixed diet of fresh and dried fruits, with some milk for breakfast, a large raw salad for lunch; and then steamed vegetables, with some form of protein in the way of meat, fish, eggs or cheese, you will be providing yourself with all these elements without much difficulty.
Water should be taken freely between meals, but not with food.

Ration Hint of the Day - Number Thirty-three

Ration Hint No. 33

Pickled Nasturtium flower buds and/or seeds have it all over capers - which are nothing but buds anyway - when you dream of lamb or mutton.
Anybody can grow nasturtiums, and ought to.

Food Rationing in New Zealand in 1944

Even though we are following the rationing from wartime England, we have been finding it interesting to see what was rationed over here in New Zealand and the differing amounts compared to Britain.

The foods that were rationed here were :

BUTTER

TEA

SUGAR

EGGS

MEAT

These foods were rationed under the coupon system and as from the 1st August 1944, were available in the following quantities per person.

BUTTER -   8oz a week.  No ration was available for children under 6 months of age.

The British ration amount we are following is 2 oz a week.

TEA -    2 oz a week.  None for children under 10 years of age on 1st January in the ration year.

 This is the same amount as the British ration.  Luckily my boys are over 10 years of age as they couldn't do without their morning cuppa.

SUGAR -    12 oz a week.  With additional quantities in season for jam making, as announced from time to time.  No ration for children under 6 months of age.

The British ration amount for sugar that we are following is 8 oz, with no extra for jam making.

EGGS -    In districts with priority rationing is in force, a priority ration of 3 eggs a week for children 6 months and under 5 years, and 6 eggs a week for expectant and nursing mothers.

The allocation to general consumers varies according to the supply and is informally rationed through the grocers.

The British ration was 1 egg per person.  I'm not sure on quantities for expectant or nursing mothers.

An extra egg weekly was allowed for vegetarians.  Powdered egg was also part of the ration, enough for 4 "eggs" a week, I think.

We aren't really following this as we have our own chickens, 4 lovely bantams who give us lovely little eggs every day, which is more than enough for us.  They even laid all through winter with at least one egg every day.

When they do have a break in laying, we will follow the two egg each allowance but powdered egg is not available here and I don't think it sounds too appealing anyway.

MEAT -    The basic meat ration is 1/9 worth a week, with a half ration for children from 6 months to 5 years.  

Prices differed slightly between the islands.  In the North Island 1s 2d could buy you 1 lb of 1st grade rump steak.

We don't do the meat thing and the Grumpy Teenager eats meat at his dads.

      

Ration Hint of the Day - Number Twenty-four

The next lot of hints are from The Red+Cross War-time Rationing Cookery Book.
This was published here in New Zealand in around 1944.
I was lucky to come across this book, it has a recipe for every day of the year, nutritional information, hints and heaps more.....

So here is the next installment....

Ration Hint No. 24

Boil small beetroots and serve hot as a vegetable with white sauce.
It is delicious with mince.

Rationing in Britian

Have a look at this video.
It shows how rationing affects an average British family.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=o9wNJ78S2GY

Ration Hint of the Day - Number Twenty-three

Ration Hint No. 23

Potato water improves scones, etc, and lightens the milk bill.

This is my last Ration Hint from the Self Help "Wartime Cooking Suggestions" booklet, but I still have plenty more hints to share so keep an eye on future posts.

Ration Hint of the Day - Number Twenty-Two

Ration Hint No. 22

Use cake baking powder in making short-pastry.

It is a great improvement.

Also, use half flour, half wholemeal and all dripping, with lemon juice and water to mix it.

Ration Hint of the Day - Number Twenty One

Ration Hint No. 21

When creaming lard and sugar together, in making war-time cake, beat it well over basin of hot water, as lard is less easily blended than butter.
Add a little salt always.
Lard makes good cakes.

Ration Hint of the Day - Number Twenty

Ration Hint No. 20

Try mashing potatoes with bacon dripping and milk instead of butter.

Ration Hint of the Day - Number Nineteen

This is very short and sweet.

Ration Hint N0. 19

Fat from mutton broth makes good cakes.

Ration Hint of the Day - Number Eighteen

Ration Hint No. 18

Bacon fat is delicious in a ginger cake or gingerbread, 
spice cakes, cookies and foods with a strong flavour.

"Mince" made with Oats

"Mince" with Tomato on Toast

Well I am back, I needed a bit of a break as I wasn't feeling the best and had my hands full with my son's dancing but here is the promised "Mince" recipe.

It can be done with either a tomato sauce or with gravy.

Oaty Mince

1 cup of porridge oats
2 cups boiling water
1 stock cube
1 onion chopped
1 carrot grated
1 tablespoon cooking fat, dripping
Salt and pepper to taste
fresh or dried parsley
Mixed herbs and/ or Sage

Any of the following... 
1-2 stalks of celery finely sliced
sliced mushrooms
1 grated potato
finely sliced spinach or puha

1 tin of tomatoes or cup of fresh chopped tomatoes
or
1 cup of gravy, can be made up from gravy powder


In a bowl mix porridge, boiling water and stock cube.  Put to the side.
In a large pan or frying pan, fry onion in the dripping.
Then add the other vegetables of your choice (except spinach or puha) and cook until tender.
Then add the leafy vegetable and either the tomatoes or gravy.
Followed by the oats and the dried herbs.

Mix together well and simmer.
You may have to add more water as the oats really make the sauce thick.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.

I also like to add a good squirt of HP Sauce and some Worchestershire Sauce.
It is important to season well as the oats are quite bland.

Serve on toast, with pasta or mashed potatoes.

A little grated cheese with the tomato version is really yummy.

Give this a try and experiment with the seasonings.
It is a very economical meal and we generally have plenty for the next day.
Grumpy Teenager loves eating meat but really enjoys this "mince".

Ration Hint of the Day - Number Seventeen

Ration Hint No. 17

Use 4/5ths as much dripping in cakes as you would butter.
Cream it very well, adding a little lemon juice and a pinch of baking soda.

Ration Hint of the Day - Number Sixteen; Plus Oats, Wonderful Oats

Ration Hint No. 16

How to use baking powder in recipes that call for sour milk and soda or other leavening agents.

You can use baking powder in any recipe that calls for sour milk and soda by using sweet milk and 2 level teaspoons of baking powder for each cup of flour the recipe calls for.

This will give you perfect results with the recipe.

We have been doing a lot of cooking this week, have filled up the biscuit tins and made sweet and savoury loaves for a quick breakfast and/or lunch.

Grumpy Teenager is loving his slices of buttered loaf for school lunches.

Tomorrow I will be trying a brown bread recipe using baking powder instead of yeast.

It looks very quick and easy to make.

I'll let you know how it turns out.

We have been using a lot of oats.  

They are very versitile and great for porridge, anzac biscuits, vegetable and oatmeal casserole which is on an earlier post and as a replacement for mince beef or lamb, yes a meat replacement, in many recipes.

"Mince" on toast.

In the Vegetable and Oatmeal Casserole I ended up using a whole cup of oats instead of the couple of tablespoons and added more water and we all loved that, sooooo I experimented in using the oats in other recipes instead of meat as Salem and I are vegetarians but the Grumpy Teenager isn't.
I find that 1 cup of oats is more than enough for the three of us and I cook them up as per making porridge and then add a stock cube and/or some vegemite (or marmite) and stir it all in.
Then I use it in whatever recipe or creation that I am doing for dinner.
Fabulous as mince on toast with either tomato or gravy sauce.
It's well worth experimenting with.
I'll post my "mince" recipes tomorrow.

Ration Hint of the Day - Number Fifteen

Ration Hint No. 15

To stop nuts and fruits sinking to the bottom of cakes, etc.

Heat them in the oven and then mix them in a little flour before adding to batter.

Ration Hint of the Day - Number fourteen

Ration Hint No. 14

To keep yolks of eggs fresh and stop them drying out.

Place the unbroken egg yolks in cold water.
Have sufficient cold water in the cup or bowl, to cover the egg yolks and they will keep perfectly.