carolyn ekins

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My favourite wartime recipes revisited- pt 1

I’ve had lots of recent comments left or sent regarding the wartime recipes so far re-created during the 1940s Experiment. Many people have expressed delight in finding out that wartime food was actually rather yummy! Here are some of my favourite ones I have re-created to date

 
Wartime Vegetable Turnovers: I am not sure whether there was a typo in the cook book for this one- it said serves 4 so I made 4 veggie turnovers out of the ingredients …they were each the size of 1/2 a dinner plate! BUT if Marguerite Patten tells me it feeds 4 then I will eat a whole one… click for recipe 
Wartime Pumpkin Soup: ALWAYS make pumpkin soup with the smaller, non carving variety! I had stocked up on some honey crisp apples (for pies) and some sugar pie pumpkins and butternut squash for soups from www.indiangardenfarms.ca  The pumpkin soup I made today nearly stopped me following through with our thanksgiving meal it was so delicious.. click for recipe
Glory Buns: This is a recipe for simple currant spiced buns that turned out so absolutely tasty and yummy and easy to make that I simply called them GLORIOUS.. They are not only economical but taste sooo good! …click for recipe
C xxxx
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Eggless Pancakes

Being vegan and immersing myself in the 1940s Experiment (to live on wartime rations for 1 year, recreate 100 authentic recipes and lose 100 lbs) is not without it’s challenges. Tonight I will recreate a 1940s recipe with meat in for my youngest daughter (Em) but I won’t be able to taste it… instead I will smell it and closely observe my youngest Hobbits face as she takes the first mouthful. Hopefully there will be no wrinkled up noses or horrified expressions..

But the real challenge is finding or adapting recipes from the 1940s to suit my new vegan lifestyle. Luckily many of the authentic recipes I am finding were eggless or meatless..

For lunch today I made 4 very tasty eggless pancakes and both Em and I gobbled them down. I totally recommend you try these!

Eggless Pancakes

  • 4 tablespoons of flour (UK)- 5 tbls (US) – 60 ml (Europe)
  • pinch of sugar and salt
  • milk and water to bind (vegans use almond milk)
  • lard or dripping to fry (vegans use Earth Balance shortening)

Method

  1. Mix the flour with the salt and sugar and add the water/milk to make a nice thick batter
  2. Heat the lard/dripping until smoking hot in the pan then lower the heat a little
  3. Pour in 1/4 of the mixture to make a medium sized pancake
  4. Cook until browned and then turn over and repeat
  5. Eat with jam, golden syrup or lemon juice (if being authentic)

Makes 4 pancakes

 

PS If you have a Kindle you can now take out a subscription for the 1940s Experiment on Amazon. This means the latest postings including all the photos etc are delivered automatically, as soon as they are available, to your Kindle, ready for you to read. Click here..

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Article in The Awl….

Stephany Aulenback has written a very enjoyable and interesting article in THE AWL about rationing in Britain during WWII and the 1940s Experiment is featured!

But that is only a small part.. she has found many interesting facts and references other articles and memoirs… you HAVE to read it. Fascinating stuff!

Diane Duane, for example, explains how C.S. Lewis’s experiences under rationing may have influenced his writing about food in the Narnia books…

Below is a snippet of the article and a link straight to it…..

Mock Goose And Other Dishes Of The War-Rations Diet

There is a website, called The 1940s Experiment, whose proprietor, Carolyn Ekin, who was born and raised in the UK but now lives in Canada, is attempting to lose a hundred pounds by following a wartime rations diet, specifically made up of the foods eaten by the British public during World War II. For every pound she loses, Carolyn will recreate one authentic wartime recipe and post about it. She has already posted recipes for Mock Goose (made with lentils), Potato and Carrot Pancakes(“delicious”) and an Eggless Fruit Cake (“looks curiously like meat loaf”), among many others. Carolyn has attempted—and succeeded at—this type of diet before; in 2006, she lost 57 pounds following the diet. This time, about six weeks in, she’s lost around 25 pounds.

Click here for the rest of the article!

http://www.theawl.com/2011/11/mock-goose-and-other-dishes-of-the-war-rations-diet

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Potato and Lentil Curry

I based this recipe on an authentic carrot curry recipe (which wasn’t very inspiring) which I have already re-created on my blog. This version however is totally awesome and I enjoyed a large plateful last night served with fresh broccoli and I have the same packed for my lunch today at work!
Lentils became popular in the UK the US and Canada during WWII and they are an excellent source of protein and fibre and are a very filling addition to soups and stews

Potato and Lentil Curry (serves 2-4)

  • 4 medium potatoes
  • handful of sliced mushrooms
  • 1 onion
  • 1 carrot diced small
  • 1/2 cup dry lentils
  • milk (or almond milk for vegans- coconut milk would be wonderful in a modern adaption)
  • curry powder to taste (or turmeric, cumin and chilli powder)
  • 1/2 cup of finely chopped canned tomatoes
  • salt and pepper
  • thyme
  • parsley
  • tablespoon of sweet chutney or raw sugar to add some sweetness

Method

  1. Dice washed potatoes (no need to peel), chop onion and mushrooms
  2. Put some margarine or butter in a pan (vegans can use vegan spread)
  3. Heat and add above ingredients and lightly saute
  4. Add a cup of milk (or half milk and half water), lentils, chopped canned tomatoes and mix well
  5. Add curry powder (or turmeric, cumin and chilli powder), salt and pepper, thyme, parsley and your sweet chutney.
  6. Mix well again and turn down to a low/medium heat and cook until sauce thickens and potatoes are tender to eat (about 20 minutes)
  7. Add more water or milk if you need too
  8. Add more spices etc to your own taste
I served mine with some lightly cooked fresh broccoli but you can serve with rice or anything you wish.
Serves 2-4 people
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Marmite Mushrooms (a modern recipe)

I love Marmite, I love mushrooms..

But it’s been well over a year since I’ve bought myself mushrooms. They are about $3 for a small container and nobody else likes mushrooms in the Hobbit house so I’ve drooled over them and walked away, knowing that my $3 needs to be spent on something for everyone. That’s the reality of living on one income..

Today I thought SOD IT! The mushrooms in my local store beckoned me and I grasped them before I could change my mind..

Driving home I began to pathetically salivate like some rabid zombie with buggered up taste buds… the imaginary smells of browning mushrooms totally driving me to distraction (I find this to be the case with food and thoughts of nookie)

Throwing aside my cat and several shoes to get to the frying pan it was time to lovingly clean the mushrooms with a bit of kitchen roll and drop a generous blob of my favourite organic butter into the pan.. followed by the sliced mushrooms, some chopped broccoli and a teaspoon of Marmite…

Here is the recipe (inspired by a recent recipe on Marmite’s Facebook Page) that is guaranteed to make you emit sounds several times like…mmmmmm and ahhhhh and ohhhhh 🙁 (when it’s all gone).

Marmite Mushrooms

  • Small punnet of mushrooms
  • Marmite
  • A few florets of broccoli
  • A blob of butter
  • Toast

Method

Wipe clean the mushrooms and slice
Heat up frying pan and add a generous blob of butter
Chop up some florets of broccoli
Throw ingredients in the pan
When the mushrooms start to brown add in the rounded teaspoon of Marmite
Continue frying until mushrooms are browned sufficiently
Serve on top of toast
Top with a little grated cheddar cheese and pepper for extra taste!

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Faux bangs with an old sock

So waiting here for Tropical Storm Irene to share its winds and rain with us here in Nova Scotia, I decided it was about time to TRY a 1940s’s hairstyle, just for the fun of it, and take a photo… I haven’t really tried anything like this yet. For one thing I am self conscious of my fat face and I do lose my self confidence at times. There are always so many things I really want to do but talk my way out of them..

Taking the bull by the horns I went for it…. found a video on YouTube about “faux bangs” and substituted a rat (the foamy thingy you wrap your hair around)  for a slightly stinky sock and did my best…

It was rather fun in the end ….

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Marmite- My blog recipe won a prize in a national contest!

This has been a good week…. not only do I now weigh 299 lb (OK I am sensing some quizzical looks but trust me this is a very positive thing getting below 300 lbs- yay!) BUT yesterday I had an e-mail from MARMITE CENTRAL…. Oh yes, I really did… when I saw the word “congratulations” I needed picking off the floor.

For those of you who have never heard of Marmite let me tell you something…. it is ABSOLUTELY the food of the gods for British people … it has achieved cult status.

It is basically a “yeast extract” vegetarian spread (a by product of brewing beer) that is crammed with nutrients and was used during WWII in the 1940’s for seasoning stews and gravies (it originally was marketed in earthenware pots in the 1920’s).  It tastes salty, tangy, a little meaty and most people either love it or hate it. You may taste it and think it tastes like poo (it kind of looks like it too) , you may taste it and immediately become obsessed with slathering it on toast, chucking it in every single recipe you create and even use it as a lip gloss (yes they do actually make marmite flavoured vaseline)

The reason I needed picking off the floor on seeing the word congratulations, was that one of my 1940s recipes was a runner up in a “National Marmite Facebook Contest”….

Here was the first sentence that greeted me…

“You have won a Marmite Oven Glove Double and six month’s supply of Marmite to be enjoyed with friends and family….”

And here is the recipe that won our family so much Marmite I will promise to do plenty more 1940s recipes with it!

“Marmite- You either love it or hate it”

.. I LOVE it!!

 

 

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1940s Recipe: Mince Slices

Had a very satisfying dinner this evening… simple and quick to make and let me tell you my belly is very full indeed after eating this meal. I had intended to make a dessert but in the end I had a handful of wild blueberries..

I always half fill my dinner plate with fresh veg and I served my mince slices with steamed cauliflower and string beans with a small shaving of salted organic butter on top.

Mince Slices

  • 8 oz minced meat (any type cooked)
  • 4 oz cooked mashed potatoes
  • 3 slices of stale wholewheat/wholemeal breadcrumbs
  • salt & pepper (thyme added is also nice)

Method

Mix all the mashed potatoes, cooked mince, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper together thoroughly
Form into an oblong shape (like a small meatloaf)
Slice up into about 10-12 slices (if crumbly place in fridge for a while)
Pre-heat a frying pan and melt some butter
Place slices in and cook until browned on a medium heat
Serve with fresh veg
Serves 3-4 people
PS Oh I nearly forgot to say I got the recipe from this little pocket book..
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Mock cream recipe 2

There is no way to get away from the slightly gritty texture of mock cream recipes if you use granulated sugar it BUT as confectioners (icing) sugar was not really being produced alternatives had to be thought of for those special treats and occasions that warranted a little decadence from limited rations…

Today I treated my Hobbits to split scones topped with mock cream and sliced strawberries….Em Hobbit even licked the bowl !

Here is the recipe I used- it tasted pretty good!

Mock cream recipe 2.

  • 125 grams margarine or butter
  • 4 tablespoons of castor or fine granulated sugar (6 tablespoons in Canada or USA)
  • a little water if using butter
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Method

Mix margarine and sugar together well and whip for 5 minutes until white and fluffy.
Add a teaspoon of vanilla essence and a little water if needed (if using butter)
Dollop on scones or spread inside a cake.
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1940’s Fitness

I posted this to my regular blog I keep on my employers web site first but thought it was important as part of the 1940’s Experiment to share this on here…. people were on a day to day basis more active during the 1940’s and I think exercise will be key to losing weight and improving my general health….. PS Just got back from another brisk walk during my lunch break- am on a roll….. woo hoo!

Frugal Fitness

In my ongoing quest (have been procrastinating about this for 10 years) to lose weight and get fitter, one of the stumbling blocks (OK excuses) for me, for my lack of exercise, has been the cost of gym membership, swimming pool membership etc etc ad nauseum.. Finally, and I do mean finally, I seem to have got my well padded arse into gear and for the past 10 days I have taken a leaf out of “Forrest Gump’s” achievement bible and simply “started walking”..

Walking is free, walking is frugal, walking is a safe exercise to do if you are as large as I am. But the walking I really like to do is hiking….being outdoors, feeling the cold wind on my face, walking and laughing with my kids, being silly, while all the time moving forward, burning the fat.

I’ve taken advantage of the various trails around Bridgewater. I use the Centennial trail for a short walk during my coffee break at work (it’s literally just outside the door), the kids and I walked the woodland trail around the duck pond last weekend and on saturday we drove to Miller Point Peace Park….. There is so much to see and appreciate while hiking, it is never boring!

In addition to gauge my fitness level improvement, I have been going to HB Studios Sports Centre in Dayspring once a week. The rubber elevated track is wonderful to walk on and the air is climate controlled so walking conditions are perfect. It’s just $2 a session (you can walk for as long as you like). Walking once around the track is 200 metres, 5 times is 1 km and 7 times is 1 mile. 10 days ago, I walked as far as I could and was horrified that all I could manage was 2 laps…. part of the reason is that when I walk a quite severe crushing pain kicks in around my lower spine. This is simply weight related as it always massively improves the more weight I lose….(another incentive to keep on going!). On Sunday Em Hobbit and I popped over to the sports centre to walk the track again. I ended up walking 6 laps in total (4 on one go followed by a short rest and then another 2). This was a huge improvement in just one week and it has supplied me with a much needed dose of motivation.

Above all, what I have liked about the hiking we have done is it gets us out together as a family and we have FUN…and exercise is good for producing endorphins and yes I really do feel quite wonderful for a few hours afterwards!

FUN is free and I like that…

Coming next: A fabulous school initiative that all schools should participate in to not only teach our kids how food grows but to inspire a healthier diet http://www.classroomvictorygarden.org. At the Hobbit House we will be planting our very own!