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Here is another episode of Great Depression Cooking with Clara. She was born in 1915, and in this lovely series shares recipes and memories of the era. This episode on peppers & eggs – so beautiful.
“Fake butcher block countertops” are another one of those original vintage house features that I often hear called “hideous” on other websites. (Crikey, how I have come to despise that word — it is overkill, please refrain.) I, on the other hand, not only have “no problem” with butcher block laminate, I am 100% on [...]
Seems like I’m starting the week off with the spotlight on RESOURCES! I was checking out Formica’s site recently – and saw these two new laminates. They both have a nice retro groove, underscored by their names, Atomic Orange and Atomic Turf. Back in the postwar era, there were a number of laminates that had [...]
Where to find speckled gold laminate? Also called “lame” (with an accent on the “e”, as in “lam-ae.”) A typical reader question, like this one: Hello – I really hope you can help me. I have been searching for weeks with no luck. I have an old trailer from the 50′s and need to replace [...]
Here is another set of products from the past — still available today — with a fascinating history: ‘Memphis’ style laminates designed in 1978 by Ettore Sottsass, “the greatest Italian designer of the last half century.” These laminates are still offered by Abet Laminati. This is not necessarily a name familiar U.S. consumers, but Abet [...]
Arborite has two new laminates in their 2011-2012 collection that just popped onto my radar. I haven’t seen these as actual samples yet — I’ll order them this week. Meanwhile, I wanted to put them out there, because I know that many Retro Renovators have been left kind of up a creek since Formica discontinued [...]
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Color photographs of the Great Depression: Living in a dugout house, New Mexico, 1940 
Retro cooking style – Kymmery’s entry 
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My Dad used to make peppers and eggs, he did not grow them, but love to cook for us. Wonderful trip down memory lane.
She’s the cutest. Does she have a book coming out soon?
Love the fact that Clara uses no fancy cookware, utensils or methods when she cooks!
My mother used to make a wonderful hash with leftover roasts. Food was never discarded because it was a day old, and that was passed down to me by my parents (God bless them!), along with other valued advice on how to conserve.
It’s too bad that the children nowadays do not understand the meaning of thriftiness. My parents always told us children about the depression and WW2 rationing, how they ate mustard and onion sandwiches because there was no meat to go in between the slices of bread. Or how my mother used to paint her legs with makeup and draw a seam line down her calf with a brow pencil to resemble hose. My grandparents trades skills for food and other necessities (my maternal grandma used to wash, starch and iron the family dentist’s smocks to pay for his services). I could go on.
I think I’ve watched them all over time. I love her videos!
tracy
Love this! I also learned how to cook with leftovers (as did sablemable). Leftovers are often better tasting! I have my own albeit small “victory” garden growing and I collect cookbooks from the 40′s & 50′s. I’d much rather cook from scratch than convenience. And with no fancy equipment either (just the basics is all you need).
Thanks for sharing this gem (ooh, gotta go-pie in the oven is almost done).
I love Clara, I want to get that collection. It’s so much better to make your own food, than to buy that over-processed poison filled stuff at the store.
Did you see her tablecloth? How typical, and how perfect. I could definitely sit at her table and eat a sandwich, although all those peppers would be a bit much. I like how she piles on the salt.
Watching her videos make me so happy that I want to cry – they make me miss sitting in the kitchen with my older family members, watching them cook and listening to stories.