Retro Apricot Chicken

I had typed this out when I was a teenager

Apricot Chicken

Put pieces of one chicken, 1 can of apricot nectar, and 1 packet of French Onion Soup mix into baking tray and bake until cooked.

Notes: Heat apricot and soup, flour chicken. 1 1/2 hours at 350oF.

Old-fashioned Apple Crumble & Chocolate Fudge

I typed this up ages ago on my original blog.  My daughter recently asked for chocolate fudge, that is what I call self saucing chocolate pudding, I called it that as a child.  These recipes would not be metric. 

My Nana was a good cook.  She loved to bake slices and make puddings.  She also made trifle.  I loved her mixing bowl, it was a slightly different color at the bottom from use.  All was made on the kitchen table, mostly baked in the wood oven.  She had flour drawers built into her cupboards when she ordered them.  Her drawer had a broken tea cup for measuring.

Apple Crumble
1 cup Self Raising Flour
3/4 cup coconut dessicated
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter
Rub butter into dry ingredients.  Put onto top of stewed apple and bake. 
This recipe is before metric.
Chocolate Fudge
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 cup Self Raising flour
2 level dessertspoons cocoa
Cream butter and sugar, add unbeaten egg.  Fold in milk, flour, and cocoa alternately.  Pour cake mixture into deep greased baking dish.  Make topping with 1/2 cup sugar and 2 level dessertspoons cocoa and sprinkle on top of cake mixture in dish then gently spoon 1 1/2 cups hot water onto mixture.  Bake in moderate oven 35 mins. 
Also a non metric recipe.

Lovely Simple Song

Free Design - Love You

Simply Retro

My Tech School year level are having a reunion this month. I was not born in '75, but I thought it fits in with the retro theme.

Agricultural Show

Today my girls and Dad went to the Agricultural Show which is like a County Fair. We won a few prizes, which was pretty good I thought. I was a little disappointed that there wasn't a section for our apple sauce, they only offered tomato and plum, which is fair enough I suppose.

Our dog got two show ribbons, second place ones. My youngest daughter entered a doll and did a floral saucer and got two red second place cards. My middle daughter got a first prizes for her photography, and a caterpillar made from the tomatoes she grew herself.

When I was a girl (boy)

I saw this song on CMC music awards last night, Sara and her brother talk about the influences on them as children. Sara talks about collecting eggs, baking a cake and having a cup of tea, helping her Mum rather than her Dad. Also making cubbies (cubby hut) in the scrub (bush). I made cubbies at school, we made booby traps in the pinetrees. And I'd rather hang with Dad. Nana's had footy on the radio.

Auld Lang Syne

I love to hear any memories that this song reminds you of.

Do you think you could drive an old Cortina?

This is a show I came across the other day where the family of 6 go back to live in the 70s for the TV show. There is an earlier post on youtube and some other ones. I liked the one where the guy was trying to change gears. I didn't realise, perhaps he now has an automatic car? Perhaps he doesn't know about synchromesh? Maybe he never used gears? How old is he do you think?

Actually by the time we got rid of our 71? Holden I don't think I was driving it anymore, though obviously I could drive it well before I got out of practise with a newer car.

Simple Living & Tuna Casseroles

It is not so simple finding an old-fashioned tuna casserole recipe. My usual place to find recipes doesn't quite cut it for tuna casserole. No sorry, Taste site, that and unusual ingredients is my only complaint.

I have two old-fashioned recipes, apart from our favourite, but I saw them not so long ago, then forgot where. So today I got out an old, perhaps early 80s PWMU cookbook and there were two nice sounding ones there that don't use cheese. One had white sauce, curry and potatoes instead of pasta. So that is what we had. It was very nice. A little like shepherd's pie.

Bright Eyes

I was reading a blog this morning named Simple Journeys and they mentioned the song Bright Eyes. Was a bit lost on Youtube, apparently it was used in the movie Watership Down. I had heard of it, but it turns out to be about rabbits and the destruction of their warren!



Anyway, in Australia people can relate to destruction of warrens. But it kept lots of Aussies alive during the Depression, eating them. The US had other options, but for lots of Aussies rabbits were the way to go.

Have you heard of Watership Down? Do you love the song Bright Eyes?

Kerosene Tins

What a basic thing everyone had once. If we were all poor I guess we wouldn't have one to use. It is the one with the grindstones on it.

I promised to post my recipe for homecuring meat since there are some chemicals available in some supermarkets to do that I think. Not very clearly marked though. But I will buy some next time I see it.

I found I have lots of recipes in my new book. I bet the pickled meat was actually cooked in the tin, any thoughts?

Pickled Meat
(Excellent)

Meat pickled this way keeps like fresh. Take a good half kerosene tin of water, and put in two-pint mugfuls of salt and 1 pint mugful of sugar and boil well. Skim. Now, while boiling, put the meat in, and boil for 10 to 15 minutes. Lift off fire, put a weight on the meat to hold it down under the brine, and cook as quickly as possible. Tie cloth over tin, and keep in cool place. This is good for beef or mutton, and it can be cooked any way you like - baked or boiled. - Still Smiling.

To Corn Mutton

2lb salt, put into 2 gallons (be careful gallons may vary by country) water and bring to boil. Put in mutton, and boil for 15 minutes. Take off fire to cool, and when lukewarm add 1/2 teaspoon saltpetre dissolved in a little warm water. Cover over, and keep in a cool place. Tested, and found good. - Still Smiling.

Salt petre may be considered unhealthy, not sure. My husband suggested small amounts, so you wouldn't want to add extra. However, our large knob of luncheon meat that I bought commercially last week or nearly two weeks ago has this ingredient in it.