One Year of Rationing

Today was our one year anniversary of living on wartime rations.
We have all enjoyed the challenge and are going to continue with this way of eating.
It's been interesting finding all the old recipes and creating new ones out of rationed foods.

We started after watching "The Supersizes Go.....Wartime" on tv.
Both Salem and I were watching it and then decided  later that it would be fun to try living on wartime rations ourselves and I thought it would be a good project for Salem as I home school him.
So we decided that Boxing Day was a good day to start.
It has become a way of life for us and we will continue for as long as we are enjoying it.

You can watch one part of The Supersizers Go...Wartime on the video above then get the rest on You Tube.
Or watch the whole episode on the link below..
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xr5ntx_s1e1-the-supersizers-go-wartime_lifestyle

Just before Christmas we appeared in That's Life magazine.
We were approached to do an interview to appear in the magazine in the lead up to xmas.
It was in the shops on the 17th December.
We were a bit disappointed with them getting facts wrong and the way they had portrayed a few things...putting their take on things we have said or didn't say...artistic licence I suppose.
But it looked good :^)

We had a lovely xmas, Salem put up our artifical xmas tree, we have had it quite a few years now and we had bought it from an op-shop too.
Good value, I don't like cutting down a tree just to be decorated for a few weeks.
Some years we just cut a large branch from a pine tree to have as our xmas tree for a change, not causing any damage.
Just love the smell of pine needles.
Salem decorated it beautifully with some of our old decorations.
We have got quite a collection as we make a few every year along with ones we have picked up over the years.
Great memories with all the ones that the kids have made.

I made our xmas cake the other night, it was such a hot night and the kitchen was sweltering,
that's Christmas in summer for you.
I included the recipe for the xmas cake in the magazine article.

Xmas Cake 3 oz sugar 4 oz margarine 1 tablespoon golden syrup 8 oz flour 2 teaspoon baking powder pinch of salt 1 teaspoon mixed spice 1 teaspoon cinnamon 2 eggs 1 lb mixed dried fruit 1/2 teaspoon lemon essence milk to mix Pre-heat oven to 160 degrees C.  (or a slow moderate oven) Cream the sugar and margarine then add the syrup. Mix in the dry (not fruit) ingredients alternately with the eggs. Beat well. Then add the rest of the ingredients with enough milk to make a soft dough. Put mixture into a 7 inch tin lined with greased paper and bake for two hours. Do check afterit has been in the oven for an hour as I found it was already cooked after this time. This cake should keep for about 2 months in an airtight container. We were going to top the cake with a chocolate topping but because it is so hot here at the moment we decided on a nice light lemon icing just made with lemon juice, icing sugar and water. It was just perfect. It is a lovely xmas cake recipe and not heavy which we all prefer. If you would like to try the chocolate topping the recipe is next. Chocolate Topping Mix 3 tablespoons of sugar with 2 tablespoons each of cocoa powder and milk. Stir in a saucepan over a low heat until the mixture is thick and bubbly. Pour over the cake while the mixture is hot.

Salem went to Grandma's and helped her make xmas mince pies and bought some home for us.
He made one with a grumpy face on for his brother, the Grumpy Teenager, and that was eaten straight away.
They were very yummy.

On Christmas Eve we made biscuits and some cupcakes (made with the Fairy Loaf recipe) even though it was another very hot day and the kitchen was still very hot that night.
We had cupcakes for xmas breakfast.

We made each other xmas presents, Salem made me a lovely flower brooch and made some coupons for his brother for Salem to be quiet.  Salem talks a lot!!!!!!
I crocheted the boys a pair of fluffy slippers each (for winter of course).
Grumpy Teenager drew me a picture, I will have to frame it.  It is very funny.
I can't remember what GT got Salem.
I also got Salem a pack of WWII aeroplane identification cards.
He loves them.

Grandma and Jimbo also gave us a "care package" to keep to the WWII theme, it had pictures of WWII posters and ration books.....

And stamps from that time......
All wrapped in brown paper and tied up with string.....

Salem had so much fun opening it.
There were so many goodies in it.... chocolates, fruit, nuts, jams etc....
even treats for the cats!!!
A very big thank you to Grandma and Jimbo!!!!!!

The cats enjoyed their treats and of course the paper wrapping.....
It's just like having young children who love playing with the wrappers and boxes.....
rather than the actual toys.
This kept the cats entertained for quite a while!!!!!
Because of the heat, Wellington's hottest summer since 1934, we had salad and potato salad with a good old fashioned New Zealand salad dressing.... for our Christmas Dinner.

• 
  
• Highlander Salad Dressing
• 
  
• 1 can  Sweetened Condensed Milk  (aprox 400 ml)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup malt vinegar
• 1 tsp mustard powder or wholegrain mustard
• Mix all together with a fork or whisk.
• Then refridgerate.

Use as a salad dressing, with coleslaw or potato salad.
I made the dressing using half the amount of everything as it makes quite a lot and there are only three of us.

This is the salad dressing I grew up with and I think most New Zealander's of my era remembers this one.
I don't remember there being any alternative.
I love it and the kids do too!!!!

We are having a little break from the Ration Hint of the Day and WWII Aircraft of the Day but will be resuming them in a week or two.

We hope you had a lovely Christmas with your family and best wishes for 2013.

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.

Nut and Raisin Loaf

This following recipe is so quick and easy and the kids love it.
They call it the Trail Mix Loaf.
It is even yummy when it gets a bit stale but it never lasts that long.
I use blanched peanuts as they are cheap.
I also don't chop up the peanuts, that's too much work ;^)

Nut and Raisin Loaf

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons of golden syrup dissolved in 1 cup of boiling water
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of nuts
1 cup of raisins (or sultanas)

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C.
Mix the dry ingredients together including the nuts and raisins.
Add the liquid and mix well.
Bake for 30 minutes or until skewer comes out clean when poked into the middle of loaf.

Serve sliced spread with a little margarine or just plain.
Do give it a try, it is so tasty.

If you do try any of my recipes, do let me know how it turned out and what you thought of it.

Ration Hint of the Day - Number Thirty-one

Ration Hint No. 31

What!  No Cakes!!!!!

Don't worry.
When those unexpected friends drop in for a cup of tea and a chat, cut thin slices of bread with a cookie cutter and spread with a creamed honey and butter mixture, about two parts honey to one part butter.
Sprinkle with a little cinnamon if you have it, or nutmeg, or even a little grated lemon rind.
Scatter chopped nuts on top and toast in the oven.

These are really delicious.

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.

Ginger Biscuits

Ginger Biscuits

These biscuits are very yummy and smell divine when cooking.
I have just made a batch now.
You can add another teaspoon of ginger if you want a very gingery bikkie.
Great with a hot cup of tea.
Don't forget to dunk!!!!!

Ginger Biscuits

1/4 cup margarine

1 Tablespoon golden syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

2 teaspoons powdered ginger

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup plain flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda.

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C.
Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl.

Melt the margarine and golden syrup together.

Stir in the vanilla essence then add to the bowl of dry ingredients.

Mix into a dough.  Use your hands as it is easier.

Roll into small balls and press down onto a lightly greased oven tray.

Prick with a fork and bake for 10-13 minutes.

Leave to cool down for a few minutes then cool on a wire rack until cold.

Cheese Loaf

Cheese Loaf

This loaf is extremely tasty and very yummy.
This recipe is another from the "Self Help Wartime Cooking Suggestion"s booklet.
It is the favourite of the Grumpy Teenager.
It keeps well and still stays soft after several days if it's not eaten up first.

Cheese Loaf

2 cups of flour
1/2 cup grated cheese
4 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon each of salt, pepper & mustard
1 cup milk

Mix all dry ingredients and add milk to consistency of a soft dough.
Pour into greased loaf tin.
Bake in oven  for 30 minutes at 180 degrees C.

I used half milk and half water and instead of the plain flour and baking powder I used self raising flour.
It turned out perfectly fine.
I also added 1 teaspoon each of dried chives and dried parsley which really bought out the cheesy flavour.
I didn't have mustard powder, just English mustard in a jar and this also worked well.

Do try this very tasty loaf.

Coconut Loaf

Coconut Loaf

This recipe is from the "Self Help Wartime Cooking Suggestion"s booklet.

I cooked this last week and thought it was quite nice and mildly flavoured.  

Not very sweet but was very nice with some jam and then was very nice toasted and spread with butter or margarine.

Then I made another last night and added a tablespoonful of coconut sprinkled over the top before baking it and that really added a nice toasted coconut flavour to the loaf.

It has also passed the kids taste test.  They love it.

Coconut Loaf

2 cups flour

3 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 dessertspoon  golden syrup

6 Tablespoons dessicated cocnut

Milk to mix.

Sift flour, salt and baking powder.

Add sugar and coconut.

Mix the syrup and milk.  (I found 1 cup half milk/ half water worked fine)

Stir into the dry ingredients to form a moist dough.

Bake in a greased loaf tin at 180 degrees C for 30 minutes.

Instead of using plain flour and the baking powder, I used self-raising flour instead.

Yummy, yummy, yummy!!!!!!

Ration Hint of the Day - Number Two

Ration Hint No. 2

Substitute for Whipped Cream.

Add a sliced banana to the white of an egg and beat until very stiff.

The banana will dissolve.

Victory Tea - Party Chocolate Biscuits

Chocolate Biscuits

Next up for our Victory Tea - Party table is our very easy to make and very yummy Chocolate Biscuits.

Another one to get the kids to make.

You can double up the recipe as they don't last long in the biscuit tin as the kids always raid it.

Keep them in an air-tight container so that they don't go soft.

They are perfect to dunk into a cup of tea.

Chocolate Biscuits

1/4 cup margarine

1 Tablespoon golden syrup

1/8 cup cocoa powder

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup plain flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda.

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C.

Melt the margarine and golden syrup together.

Stir in the cocoa powder until smooth, then add in the sugar.

Add in the flour and baking soda and mix into a dough.  Use your hands as it is easier.

Roll into small balls and press down onto a lightly greased oven tray.

Prick with a fork and bake for 10 minutes.

Leave to cool down for a few minutes then cool on a wire rack until cold.

Serve with a cup of hot tea, dunk biscuit in then eat.

Yum, yum, yum!!!!!!!!!!

Victory Tea - Party Nellie B's Oaty Loaf

Nellie B's Oaty Loaf

Our next recipe is a creation of mine which I have been cooking for years.  It is very quick and simple to make with a minimum of effort.
It is egg-less and is made with no butter or margarine except what is used to grease the loaf tin.

A firm family favorite which my boys LOVE!!!!!  So much so that I usually double the recipe and cook two loaves at a time.
We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Nellie B's Oaty Loaf

In a large bowl mix :
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup raisins, currants or sultanas (or a mixture of them)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1 Tablespoon cinnamon.

Leave covered in a cool place for two hours or longer.
Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees C.
Add 1 cup of self-rising flour to the mixture and stir to combine.
Pour into a greased loaf tin.

Cook for 30 minutes.  A skewer should come out pretty much clean after being put into the middle of the loaf.
Let it cool in the loaf tin for a few minutes before turning out on a wire cooling rack.

Serve spread with a bit of butter or margarine.  Great when still warm or when cold.

Enjoy!

Victory Tea - Party War Cake

One of the goodies we will be making for the 1940s Experiment Victory Tea - Party is War Cake.

This recipe was published in the New Zealand Woman's Weekly in 1941.

It is very moist and will keep well, great to send to soldiers.

War Cake

Boil together for 3 minutes the following ingredients:

1 breakfast cup brown sugar

1 breakfast cup currants or nuts

1 breakfast cup cold water

2 breakfast cups sultanas

1 teaspoon mixed spice

pinch of salt

3oz butter.

When the mixture is cold, mix in 

1 teaspoon of baking soda mixed in a little warm milk

1 teaspoon baking powder (or 2 teaspoons of cream tartar)

2 breakfast cups plain flour.

Cook in a moderate oven for two hours.

The fruit cakes would be made by women to send off to their loved ones giving them a taste of home.  They would be put into a tin then soldered shut and sewn in calico to be sent off to the soldiers with other items.  Another popular item, believe it or not, was Andrew's Liver Salts which were used by the soldiers to make scones in place of baking powder.