Cooking with Jitterbug

Can you believe my first blog-iversary is coming up in just two weeks? I made my first post to this blog on November 15, 2008 - and what a ride. It's taken me to some thoroughly unexpected places. Some wonderful, some a little messy. I've got lots to celebrate as the big day draws near, but wanted to kick things off with a collection of some of the vintage (and near-vintage) recipes I've whipped up during the last twelve months. Most of these recipes hail from Ruth Berolzheimer's marvelous American Woman's Cook Book. (I own a wartime printing - 1945.)

I should probably have titled this post, "Baking with Jitterbug." Can you tell from the number of Quick Breads recipes that I'm a carb-lover? There'll be more to come in the year ahead...

Cereals
Corn Meal Mush

Quick Breads
Date Bran Bread
Baking Powder Biscuits
Graham Gems
Butterscotch Biscuits
Rolled Oat Muffins
Raisin Bran Muffins

Toast
Cinnamon Toast

Vegetarian Dishes
Lima Bean Casserole

Egg Dishes
Battered or Scrambled Eggs
Jelly Omelet

Vegetables
Scalloped Potatoes

Salads
Lettuce and Tomato Salad
Pennsylvania Cabbage Slaw
Pear-grape Salad
French Fruit Salad

Salad Dressings
French Dressing
Chiffonade
Sour Cream Salad Dressing

Cookies, Gingerbread, and Small Cakes
Brownies
Gingerbread

Fruit Desserts
Sliced Oranges

Hot and Cold Puddings
Honey Rice
Farina Pudding

Hot and Cold Beverages
Coffee

Back to the Basics: The Evening Edition

For the past week, I've been paying special attention to my morning housekeeping routine. No excuses, no corner cutting. Running right through my list of tasks and checking them off one by one. And I've been successful --- except for the juice glass I forgot to rinse and pop in the dishwasher before I left the house yesterday. It feels great to get my mornings back in proper order.

I think it's time now to get back to the basics when it comes to my evening housekeeping routine. It's not a lengthy routine, by any means, but these two items make such a difference. It's fantastic to wake up to a tidy house every day!

Make sure there is room in dishwasher for tomorrow's breakfast dishes. Wash any pots or pans that have been soaking in sink.

Put living room in order.

So let's try this again. For the next seven days, I'm going to be absolutely rigid when it comes to my evening chores - as well as my morning chores. No ifs, ands, or buts.

"a new era, when women are to be fascinating"

I was preparing a post on make-up last night and came across this lovely bit from an article which appeared on the woman's page in a Spokane, Washington newspaper, The Spokesman-Review, on October 30, 1949 --- sixty years ago tomorrow!

Begin the season as you should and be more meticulous about yourself - how you groom, what make-up you wear, your figure, your wardrobe. Look your best whenever you step out. You know what happens when you do not look your best? You meet the man of your dreams, a catty female friend or an old schoolmate. It never fails to happen. [Isn't that the truth!!!] So just make it a habit to look very well all of the time.

Casual fashions, casual manners and casual dressing are now of the past. We have entered (mind you, we are in it now) a new era, when women are to be fascinating, a trifle superficial, beautifully and expensively gowned, fragranced with costly brews, made up to look like very precious and very expensive dolls!

A marvelous preface to the '50s. It's funny to think of women in 1949 considering the fashions, manners, and dressing popular in the recent past as "casual." I guess the spare skirts and slim sleeves of wartime must have seemed like ancient history by the time Christian Dior's New Look hit the runways of Paris in February 1947. (What would the women reading this article in 1949 think if they could look forward in a crystal ball and see the fashions, manners, and dressing popular today?)

The weather here has taken a sharp turn toward autumn, so I've been trolling the stores for the last few days looking for warm pants, cozy sweaters, and non-open toed shoes. I even picked up some tights yesterday! As I step back and look at my own wardrobe, I can't help but think how the author of this newspaper article could be describing my own metamorphosis in 2009. There are still remnants of my frumpy past at the back of my closet - a few things here and there in a size that might fit, but I never reach for them. The colors I used to rely on are so drab and plain I can't bear to wear them outside the house. I've gotten hooked on the feeling of confidence that comes with knowing the fit of my garments is flattering to my figure and the colors make the most of my complexion.

Speaking of fit, I'm lovin' the cowl neck sweaters out there this season. With my hair up and my "new" collarbone on display, they make for a killer neckline. I bought a gorgeous sweater in royal blue the other day and felt so fetching in it all day long I had to go out and get another in black. And if I ever needed an excuse to buy some new earrings...

My metamorphosis even helped me come up with an idea for Halloween this year. Any guesses?

"There's Good News Tonight!"

Just a quick post this evening to share the news from today's long-awaited tests...

My First Mammogram was a bit uncomfortable - particularly when they were taking views of the breast with the lump - but there were some views that didn't hurt at all. Strangely enough, I started blacking out about three views in, so the technician sat me right down and had me put my head between my knees while she got some apple juice for me. "First timer," she said quietly to somebody on the other side of the door. I'm not sure what that episode was all about. Pure fear or all that breath-holding stuff.

The ultrasound was much easier. Both technicians were very kind. The radiologist came into the room at the end of the ultrasound. She had already started reviewing my images and explained that everything she saw was "consistent with fibrocystic changes." I have "dense" breast tissue with lots of "calcifications." The lump is deep, though, and will probably need to be aspirated by a breast surgeon. She wanted me to discuss next steps with my doctor as soon as the results have been communicated.

So there you go. Not bad all 'round. Everything seems to be pointing toward a cyst.

Thank goodness.

45 + 2 = 47

My scale and I are friends again. 2 more lbs. are gone and I weighed in this morning at 147 for a total weight loss of 47 lbs. since April. Can I make my mini goal of 145 by November 7? I'm sure going to try! I've been beating off the cravings for comfort food like crazy this week. Every time I worried about the lump in my breast and the tests coming up on Monday, my thoughts turned right to food. And the richest, fattiest, sweetest, most carb-laden foods you can imagine. None of those things is going to fix the problem that's worrying me, though. I know the same problem will be there still when I've cleaned my plate and digested all those calories --- and where will that get me! There's nothing I hate more than wasting hours of exercise on a snack that doesn't do me any good.

I've made it through six days now without caffeine. Almost. I slipped up last night during happy hour with some friends. I've gotten used to sipping a diet cola while they drink their beers and panicked at the last minute when I remembered that the diet cola would have caffeine in it. What's left to order besides a glass of water? I doubt most bars or restaurants stock any caffeine-free sodas. Maybe I should've tried ordering a sparkling water. This place we frequent is kind of a dive, so I'm not even sure if they'd have even that! I'll have to come up with a new solution for next time.

My special focus for the last few days has been getting my morning housekeeping routine back up to par and that's going well, too. I have to be a little extra disciplined with myself, but it feels good to be back in charge. Of something, anyway!

So there's my progress report on the last few days. Now on to something more exciting... One of my new tasks when I'm giving the living room its weekly cleaning is the care of any upholstered furniture:

Brush upholstery if necessary. Straighten covers. Plump up pillows.

The only brushes I've been using in my housekeeping are the brush attachment on my vacuum - for weekly cleaning of AC/heat registers - and the little brush I use to clean out the tray under my toaster. I do have one upholstered piece in my living room, though, that needs some care. It's a big club chair (with matching ottoman) upholstered in a wine-colored velveteen. This sounds like a topic I'd better do some brushing up on. What does America's Housekeeping Book (1940) have to teach me?

It is an expensive mistake to allow upholstered furniture to become badly soiled. Light surface soil which does accumulate slowly, despite regular cleaning, can be removed from certain fabrics by home methods, but deep soil calls for professional care. Greasy soil and perspiration, if allowed to remain on the fabric, will affect the dye, and there is no remedy except reupholstering or slip-covering to hide the damage.

The necessity for shampooing can be staved off for long intervals by regular care. It is sometimes necessary to brush the exposed surfaces every day with a whisk broom or upholstery brush. At least once a week the correct attachment of the vacuum cleaner should be run slowly over all exposed surfaces. Use the brush attachment for napped upholstery and the suction tool for smooth fabrics. Once a month, or oftener if necessary, a thorough cleaning is in order:

1. Remove all cushions. Clean them on all sides, using the correct attachment of the vacuum cleaner unless they are down-filled (the suction is apt to pull the down through the fabric).

2. Run the vacuum attachment slowly over the entire surface of the chair or davenport, not neglecting the backs, or fabric underneath.

3. Use the slender suction nozzle to get down into all crevices.

4. Replace the cushions.

This sounds like a doable plan. Once a week, I'll hit the "exposed surfaces" of that chair and ottoman with my brush attachment. When the living room moves into my rotation for a more intensive cleaning once a month, I'll give the chair a more thorough cleaning with both vacuum attachments. I can look at things like shampooing the upholstery once I start adding some seasonal chores to my housekeeping.

It occurs to me how bummed the 1940s housewife without a vacuum cleaner must have been as she read this portion of The Manual. There's such a focus in this section on vacuuming technique. The authors just seem to take it for granted that everyone knew exactly how to use a whisk broom or upholstery brush in caring for furniture. If those were the only tools a housewife had at her disposal, she must've felt like she was being left behind as the world on every side of her rushed pell mell into an electric future. Even today, sixty years later, just reading this piece makes me want to go out and invest in a more powerful vacuum cleaner. My little bagless stick vac might be okay for a little light carpet cleaning, but it's certainly not sturdy enough to do any serious damage to dust.

Fresh and Local

A pretty productive morning all in all. Completed my basic morning housekeeping routine from top to bottom. The weather has been cool enough here for the past few days that I've been able to leave my bedroom window open 24/7. What a relief to feel that fresh air circulating around my apartment again...

I had to make a last minute change in my breakfast menu as yesterday's meal was a semi-disaster. When I did my marketing last weekend, I was surprised to find that there wasn't a single grapefruit in stock at the supermarket. So I tried something very 1940s - they were fascinated by the idea that anything could be canned --- canned grapefruit sections. Ack! They were awful - rubbery, fibrous, and the flavor was all off. I'd been planning to finish the can for this morning's breakfast, but couldn't bear the thought of this sad excuse for grapefruit a second day in a row. From this day forth, it's fresh grapefruit - or I'll settle for juice.

We're so spoiled in this modern age. I haven't a clue where they ship fresh grapefruit from at this time of the year. I'm just so used to seeing it there every time I shop. One thing I'm just beginning to become more aware of these days is where my produce is coming from. The melons in my market this time of year are being grown right here in the Southwest, so they're super fresh. The berries are from California, but only the raspberries are truly tasty these days. The strawberries and blueberries are past their prime. The oranges are coming all the way from Australia. Still not quite sure about the grapefruit.

My vintage breakfast menus do a nice job of shifting with the seasons. Summer's berries and peaches are giving way to winter's dried prunes and apricots. I do think these menus from the past could be improved by shifting a bit with the produce that's local to your region. Let's face it: fresh, local produce is always tastiest and least expensive. But it does require a kind of flexibility that our modern appetites have gotten a little lazy about. Just like anyone else, I get used to being able to enjoy the same meals, the same treats year-round. So I'm feeling a push here to make some improvements along this line. To get to know better the kinds of produce being grown in this part of the world where I make my home. What's fresh and local during the various seasons and how can I incorporate that in my diet - if only for a few months while it's at its best?

This kind of awareness would probably have come quite naturally to a '40s housewife who made her home outside the city. If she lived in an area where orchards were loaded with apples and pears during the fall, then apples and pears would find their way into many of the meals she served her family that season. There are plenty of ways seasonal fruits can be preserved to be enjoyed during another time of the year, but that invariably requires some additional time and labor. Being able to shift your tastes with the season seems like a skill that's good for the wallet and good for the earth.

Back to the Basics

I've been off caffeine for four days now. You know what? It hasn't been half bad. A long nap on Sunday morning, lots of yawning on Tuesday morning, a fever/chills thing goin' on today - but no headache, no jitters. I'm surviving. Without that kick, decaf isn't even very interesting to me these days. So I spent some time looking at herbal teas at the grocery store this evening and finally settled on a box of vanilla honey chamomile. I do like nursing a hot cup of something in the a.m., so maybe I'll try out a few of these herbal teas...

This has been a tough fall. Ever since my boss went on vacation in September, I've been floundering a bit when it comes to The Experiment. And I can't seem to get my legs back under me. My crush really isn't doing me any favors either. Curly and I are definitely becoming what I'd call "work buds" --- which has been great, don't get me wrong. He's a wicked neat person and I'm enjoying getting to know him, but I'm also wildly attracted to him and I can't tell for the life of me whether it's mutual or not. As heady as it feels on the days I see or talk to him, I feel just as crushed as can be on the days I don't. It's got me in a tailspin. I thought a crush would be kinda nice in the beginning, but it's been a mixed bag lately and I hate that it's having a negative impact on my housework, etc.

What I'd like to do is to revisit some of my most basic missions and see if I can't pick myself up and carry forward with this thing. (I've still got so far to go!) Beginning tomorrow morning, I'm going to continue doing all that I've been doing, but there'll be no "hit or miss" when it comes to the specific tasks listed below. No excuses. I'm going to focus for the next seven days and make sure I've got my morning housekeeping routine back in place from beginning to end. This time without the caffeine.

Open window in bedroom on arising, for free circulation of air.

Throw back bed covers, including top sheet.

Carry soiled clothing to the hamper. Hang up other clothing. Put away any personal possessions out of place in the bedroom.

Prepare and serve breakfast.

Clear away dishes and misplaced articles from dining room, after breakfast.

Operate ventilating range hood while scraping, rinsing, and stacking dishes in the dishwasher. Leave pots and pans to soak in sink.

Put away food.

Make bed.

Close bedroom window if air conditioning will be used during day.

Switcheroo

If this lump is indeed just a false alarm, caffeine may play a part in the fluctuation of hormone levels that lead to the development of these kinds of things in my breast tissue. Both my mom and older sister cut most of the caffeine out of their diets long ago --- now it's my turn. This shouldn't be a hardship in most ways. I haven't touched chocolate since about one-third of the way into this reducing regimen. I'm not accustomed to drinking tea or soda. And it's way too hot in this part of the world to savor a cup of cocoa! What is definitely going to be tough is making the switch in my morning coffee.

Was decaf available in the 1940s? Apparently so. The process of stripping the "caffein" from coffee beans was developed in Germany in 1903. A brand called Dekafa was introduced in the U.S. in 1909 or 1910, but it wasn't until General Foods began distributing Sanka (French for "without caffein") nationwide in 1928 that the concept took off. By the '40s, Sanka was available in an instant variety, too.

Of course, the big selling point in those days was not any kind of link to fibrocystic breasts, it was the idea that caffein-free coffee could prevent the "jitters" and sleeplessness that came along with a nightly cup of coffee. Judging from my American Woman's Cook Book (1945), coffee or tea were still a tradition at the evening meal, so I wouldn't be surprised in the least if insomnia was a problem for lots of people - especially those who drank coffee with a late dinner! Here's what my cookbook has to say about decaf:

CAFFEIN-FREE COFFEES - Coffees from which most or all of its caffein has been extracted are on the market. These are sold under trade names. Together with cereal beverages they are used by those who prefer them to coffee or who may find coffee too stimulating.

Day One of the Switcheroo: I made myself a pot of decaffeinated Eight O'Clock and promptly took a 90-minute nap. Eeesh. Will I be able to stay awake at work tomorrow morning?

44 + 1 = 45

I've lost a pound this week - and gained a lump in my breast.

Which I'd happily trade for the pound.

Chances are it's nothing serious. Both my mom and my older sister have had false alarms, so I'm optimistic that my breast tissue is just as prone to these things as theirs. But boy does it feel like I've got a live grenade strapped to my body. And the powerless feeling is unfortunately very familiar. I remember it well from the illness I suffered during my late 20s.

So I've got to wait until the Monday after next for my (first) mammogram and breast ultrasound. Nine days. The only strategy I can think of for getting through this is just to throw myself into my housework and my fitness routine. Whatever it takes not to have time to dwell. It's actually kinda nice to have so much on my plate right now. Comfort food? I'm craving it like crazy, but these are things I have control over these days. I'll take what I can get. I'll be back later today with a more upbeat post, I promise!