Wonderful Wednesday Recipe: Feta Cheese and Mixed Spring Veggie Pilaff

Every season has its enduring qualities and charms, those things that make you wish, in certain ways, that it would linger on indefinitely so that you could continue to enjoy your favourite perks of that time of year. For me, one of my absolute most beloved elements of spring is the return of fresh, young produce at the grocery stores and outdoor markets alike.

Few things in the culinary realm can compare to the sweet, beautiful taste of new spring vegetables and this recipe – one I’ve been whipping up each April and May for at least five years now – positively teams with some of the loveliest vegetables this gentle season has to offer.


{Asparagus can be a tricky vegetable to make looking appealing when illustrated, but I think this charming vintage crate label does a great job of making it appear fresh and very inviting – just as it is in today’s rice pilaff recipe. Vintage illustration via Box of Apples.}


One of the beauties of this dish – as is often the case with pilaffs – is that you have quite a bit of creative freedom with what goes into it. You could, for example, swap out the basmati rice for brown, the asparagus for leaves from young artichokes, and the feta cheese with any variety of chèvre that you’d like.

While highly flavourful, this lovely rice pilaff is not the sort of dish that steals the show. It compliments a slew of foods such as chicken, lamb, baked fish, grilled shrimp, vegetable stews and even curries. Should you wish to make this recipe the centrepiece of your meal, I’d suggest following with a light fruit dessert (such as berry sorbet, poached pears in vanilla syrup, or simply a plate of your favourite spring/summer fruits and a bowl of whipped or clotted cream to dip slices into).

The season for early-in-the-year vegetables is all too short-lived, so while it’s still here, I plan to make this dish and others that burst with the verdant, flavourful goodness of the spring, as seasons – for better or worse – do not last forever.



Feta Cheese and Mixed Spring Veggie Pilaff


Ingredients

• 100 grams (3.5 oz) feta cheese (drained of any brine it may have come packaged in) cut into small cubes

• 300 grams (10 oz) basmati rice

• 700ml (1 ¼ pt) vegetable stock (preferably organic or homemade)
• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 medium sized white onion, peeled and finely chopped (or equal amounts of shallots or leeks)

• 100 grams (3.5 oz) white, green or purple thin-stalked asparagus, cleaned and cut into small (about 1 inch/2.5cm) pieces

• 1 yellow or green zucchini, cleaned and cut into thin disks (rounds)

• 100-300 grams (3.5-10 oz) of green peas (either fresh or frozen) or if you prefer you can use broad beans (or a mixture of both)

• 6 tbsp (or to taste) of fresh dill, finely chopped (or favourite herb of choice – tarragon and parsley are both wonderful here, too)

• Freshly ground salt and black pepper, to taste


Directions

Over medium heat place a deep, wide frying pan (skillet) or large heavy bottomed pot on your stove top (hob), to which you’ve added the olive oil. Let the oil heat up for a minute and then add in the chopped white onion; cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the onion has softened and turned slightly golden (but not brown!).

Next add in the basmati rice and vegetable stock, stir the contents of the pot, and increase the heat to medium-high. Allow the pot to come to gentle boil, then reduce the heat to medium low, cover and cook for 10-12 minutes (or until the rice has just cooked through).

Once the rice is cooked (sample a few grains to ensure it’s cooked to your desired consistency), add in all of the vegetables, stir the mixture well and continue cooking for 3-6 minutes, or until the asparagus and peas (or broad beans) are nicely tender, but not limp (if it’s looking like your pilaff is getting too dry before the veggies have cooked through, stir in a little more vegetable stock or some warm water).

After the vegetables have cooked, remove the pot from the stove top and set it aside (covered). If there is any remaining liquid, the rice should absorb it at this stage.

After five minutes, lift the lid and stir in the chopped fresh dill (or herb of choice) and the feta cheese cubes. Season to taste with salt and pepper (note that the feta will have its own natural saltiness, so you may find that you’d do not need to add any additional salt).

Bring to the table while warm, with extra chopped dill to sprinkle on individual servings, if desired – or you could top this delicious rice pilaff as I often do, with paper thin slices of tiny new spring radishes.


Serves four people as a side dish or two as a main course (this recipe can easily be multiplied if you’d like to serve more)

Bon appétit!

Wonderful Wednesday Recipes: Asian Chicken Noodle and Vegetable Soup

This dish is one of those aromatic, marvellous, ready-in-a-flash recipes that looks and tastes as though it took much more effort than it really did. Bursting with a delightful menagerie of enticing flavours and gentle textures, this soup has the ability to booth sooth and invigorate at the same time.

I love to make this recipe when I’m under the weather, heeding my grandpa’s advice that garlic cures all colds and flues. However, I adore it equally when I’m feeling well, especially as a fantastic weekend breakfast, which I like to imagine I’m consuming at bustling outdoor market in a distant Asian city.


{If cooking at home is more likely than a trip overseas for a bowl of noodle soup, why not slip on your favourite apron and look every bit as lovely as the cook in this adorable vintage illustration? Image via Jello Kitty’s Flickr stream.}


If you’re a fan of spicy foods, you can by all means add a sliced chili pepper or two to this beautifully fragrant soup, or up the garlic and ginger quotient.
Fantastic warm or at a room temperature, this soup transports well and can also be frozen for at least a couple of months and thawed before reheating on the stove top.


Asian Chicken Noodle and Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

•1 tsp vegetable oil

•1 clove of garlic, finely minced (or more to taste, if, like me, you’re a garlic lover)

•1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and finely minced

•8 cups chicken stock (homemade or good quality, preferable organic, store bought)

•2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced

•125 grams cappellini or angel hair pasta

•1 can (284 ml/10oz) water chestnuts, drained and sliced

•2 cups bean sprouts

•1 package (approximately 300 grams) of baby spinach leaves

•4 green onions, sliced

•Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste


Directions

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat; add in the garlic and ginger, stirring rapidly for a few seconds until the garlic turns golden (but not brown). Quickly add in all of the chicken stock, increase the burner (hob) temperature and bring the stock to a gentle boil.

Reduce heat slightly and add in the finely sliced chicken breast; cook for eight minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Add the sliced water chestnuts, bean sprouts, baby spinach and sliced green onions to the soup, stirring everything well to combine. Cook for a couple of minutes, then break the cappellini (or angel hair) pasta noodles into thirds and add them to the pot; cook for 2-4 minutes, until pasta is al dente.

Season soup with salt and pepper to taste, give it a final stir to really combine all the ingredients well, and bring to the table or ladle into serving bowls while still wonderfully warm.

Garnish with a few wisps of green onion, if desired, or sprinkle some sesame seeds into each bowl.


Makes at 4 to 8 servings, depending on if you want the soup to be a starter or main dish

Bon appétit!

Wonderful Wednesday Recipe: Springtime Berries ‘N’ Cream Roll-Ups

If I’m not mistaken, this recipe hails from amongst my mother’s collection, though I’ve tweaked it a little over the years. The original suggested that the roll-ups be baked sans berries inside (and to instead top the baked roll-ups with all of the berries), but I much prefer to include most of the berries in the rolls-ups before I slide them in the oven.

This dish works equally well as a sweet – but certainly not cloyingly so – dessert or as a decant breakfast or brunch entrée. While I like to eat it piping hot, you can allow the roll-ups to come to room temperature before serving them, though I feel that they are their finest while still piping warm, the juices from the berries leeching into the soft, lightly toasted white bread.


{Strawberries, such as the ones featured in this old school fruit crate label, make a particularly nice inclusion in this tasty, cream cheese filled recipe, but you can use any variety of berry you fancy. Beautiful vintage illustration for Ozark brand strawberries via Meaghan Courtney’s Flickr stream.}


If you’re fortunate enough to have your own garden, harvest whatever fresh, gorgeous new springtime berries you have on hand. Failing that, I encourage you to seek out ripe, small, luscious organic berries from your local farmer’s market or produce shop. Just about any berry (strawberries, raspberries, boysenberries, blueberries, blackberries, huckleberries, etc) works well here, so let your imagination run wild.


Springtime Berries ‘N’ Cream Roll-Ups

Ingredients

•4 ounces cream cheese, softened (reduced fat cream cheese can be used)

•1/2 cup white sugar, divided in half

•1 egg yolk

•10 slices white bread, crusts removed

•1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

•3 tbsp butter or margarine, melted

•1/2 whipping (heavy) cream, whipped (add sugar and/or vanilla to taste)

•1 1/2 cup (plus a few extra, set aside) fresh springtime berries, such as a mix of strawberries and raspberries, or blackberries and red currants


Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C/gas mark 4).

In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese together with 1/4 cup of white sugar, add in the egg yolk and beat until smooth.

Lay out the ten slices of white bread on a flat surface and spread approximately 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture on each slice. Next evenly divide the 1 1/2 cups of berries between the slices of bread and top each piece with an equal quantity. Proceed by rolling each slice of bread up as though it were a jelly-roll, starting with the longer edge. Place the rolled up slices of bread, seemed side down, into a lightly greased 10 inch x 15 inch glass (or ceramic) baking dish, in a single layer.

Lightly brush the top of each bread roll-up with melted butter (or margarine). In a small mixing bowl, combine the cinnamon and remaining sugar and spread evenly (with a spoon or using your fingers) over the buttered tops of the bread roll-ups. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly toasted and gently golden hued.

While the roll-ups are baking (and filling the kitchen with the most inviting, sweet berry scent), whip the cream until light and fluffy, adding sugar (I prefer powdered sugar any time I sweeten whipped cream) and a little pure vanilla extra, if desired. Once prepared set aside in the fridge until needed.

Once the berry roll-ups are done, remove from the oven, allow them to sit in their baking dish for a couple of minutes (to cool off ever-so-slightly) and then transfer to individual serving dishes. Serve one or two roll-ups per person, with a dollop of whipped cream and a few of the reserved berries scattered on top or around the plate.

Eat at once, while the berry roll-ups are still warm and the whipped cream is cold, the two temperatures mingling beautifully together in your mouth.

Makes 5 to 10 servings, depending on if you serve one or two roll-ups per person.

Bon appétit!

Wonderful Wednesday Recipe: Maple Syrup and Apple Bread Pudding topped with Sugared Apples

Maple syrup is for many Canadians the most iconic food in our collective culinary repertoire. Glistening like polished amber, real maple syrup, tapped during the last weeks of winter and boiled into one of nature’s finest sweet offerings, is a taste that instantly makes us glow with national pride.

Generally it is between February and April when maple syrup is harvested in Ontario, and though I won’t be tapping any trees myself this year (as fun as I’ve always imagined doing so would be), when maple syrup season rolls around, I – as if almost by instinct – am drawn to dishes (both sweet and savoury) – that include this home-grown ingredient.

This recipe, which I first discovered many years ago (I’m inclined to say in an old copy of Canadian Living magazine, but am not entirely certain of that) is sometimes known by its French name “Pouding Au Pain À l‘Érable”, which I rather enjoy using (doesn’t any dish sound lovelier when its name is spoken in French?) – and most definitely relish eating, no matter what it’s called!


{One of the lovely things about most brands of genuine maple syrup is that it still comes packaged in charming glass bottles, just like the one in this 1950s advertisement for Log Cabin maple syrup, a brand that it still on the market today. Image via Jackie121467’s Flickr stream .}


A simple, uncomplicated recipe (which is vegetarian and can be made vegan if you opt to use vegan margarine in place of butter or non-vegan margarine) with soothing flavours, this dish can easily be jazzed up further with the inclusion of a hit of apple brandy, some chopped nuts, cinnamon, or your favourite dried fruit. I’ve served it piping hot, cold from the fridge, and perhaps my favourite, at room temperature (call me odd, but I really like my bread and rice puddings at room temperature). It’s scrumptious, comforting and very morish, whether eaten toasty or chilly.

The apples you put to work here can be any baking variety that you like. I lean towards Cortland, Macintosh, Red Delicious, Liberty or Spartan, but the choice is entirely up to you. If you wanted to take this recipe is a slightly more tart direction, you could use Granny Smith or Greensleeves and introduce a whisper of lemon or orange peel into the mixture before popping it in the oven.

Serve this tasty dish for breakfast, brunch, dessert or even with afternoon tea, paired, should you fancy, with whipped cream, clotted cream swirled with a little maple syrup, or a dollop of cinnamon or vanilla ice cream.



Maple Syrup and Apple Bread Pudding topped with Sugared Apples

Ingredients

-1 cup fresh bread crumbs (I like to use day old French or sourdough bread with the crust removed)

-4 cup peeled, cored and chopped apples

-2 apples, peeled or un-peeled (as you like), sliced (note: you will need six apples in total for this recipe)

-1/2 cup real maple syrup (this is not the time for imitation maple syrup!)

-1/2 tsp salt

-1 cup of water

-1/4 cup dry bread crumbs

-Approx. 1/2 cup white sugar

-2 tbsp light brown or muscovado sugar

-3 tbsp (unsalted) butter or margarine


Directions

Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C/gas mark 4).

In a large mixing bowl combine the fresh breadcrumbs, chopped apples and salt. Place these ingredients in a buttered baking dish (I generally use an 8x8 or 10x10 inch dish for this recipe, but a similarly sized oval or rectangular dish could be used, too), and set aside for the time being.

In small sauce pan, heat the maple syrup and water over high heat just until it comes to a boil (you don’t want it to caramelize). Remove from heat and pour over the apple and bread crumb mixture. Sprinkle dried bread crumbs evenly over top, and then set aside for a moment more.

Combine the white and brown sugars in a shallow dish or plate and then dredge the apple slices (from the two apples that you sliced, not the chopped ones which went into the fresh bread crumb mixture) through the mixture, coating each side (add a little more sugar to the dish, if needed). Place the sugared apple slices evenly atop the bread pudding, and then dot the top of the pudding with small pieces of butter or margarine.

Place baking dish in the oven, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes, or until the apples feel tender when pierced with a skewer (or fork) and the top of the pudding has taken on a pleasingly, pale golden hue.

Allow to stand for a few minutes before serving this soft, fragrant, wonderfully Canadian pudding. Saying "dessert is ready, eh!" when you bring it to the table is entirely optional :D

Serves 4 to 6

Bon appétit!

Wonderful Wednesday Recipe: Creamy Gala Apple, Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup

Before launching into today’s recipe, I wanted to take a moment to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who left Valentine’s Day wishes for me over the weekend; it was such a joy to share Cupid’s special day with you all for the first time on Chronically Vintage. I really hope that you each had a marvelous February 14th!

I should also mention that this post brings my "blogcation" to an end. Even though I’ve been under the weather for several of the days I was "off", I really cannot believe how immensely fast an entire week and a half whipped past.

During my time away from actively blogging, I was able to catch up on a sizable portion of my (massively overdue for a reply!) emails and various other online tasks I’d hoped to accomplish, as well as to (finally) do a few things around the house that I’d been yearning to take care of for some time, yet never seemed to have enough hours in the day to quite accomplish.

While I don’t feel like I’ve just returned from a dazzlingly lovely tropical holiday, I do genuinely feel a renewed sense of blogging energy. I’ve better come to terms with the issue that was plaguing me heavily regarding staying abreast with my blog comments, and have also decided that I simply have to allow myself a little R&R sometimes (we all do!).

Once more I extend my deepest and most sincere of thanks to all those who have left comments for me over the past few weeks. Your encouraging, caring, friendly words have been a true help to me. I’ve missed you all dearly, dear friends, and look forward everything that the feature holds in store for Chronically Vintage!



Creamy Gala Apple, Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup

The alternative title for this dish– the one by which it’s best know around my kitchen – is “comfort soup”, for that’s what it instantly delivers to anyone who sits down before a bowl of it. Mild, yet far from bland, nourishing (you can practically feel the many wonderful nutrients from the squash, yams, carrots and apples seeping into your body with each steaming spoonful) and absolutely perfect during the winter months, this soup is exactly what I need today to help banish the rather unpleasant sinus cold I woke up with on Monday morning!

It’s by no means essential that you use Gala apples here, though I do prefer a sweeter apple such as Red Delicious or Pink Lady if I’m out of Galas (if you like would like a bit of tartness, feel free to use Granny Smith instead) – you could even opt for ripe, juicy pears instead of apples should the desire strike.

As with many soup recipes, this one is forgiving. You can forgo the squash and increase the amount of yams (or vice versa), omit the ginger, nutmeg or cinnamon and spring for a jolt of zing with a little curry powder, paprika or lightly sautéed shallots sprinkled over the top right before serving (actually, I have employed shallots before even when I’ve kept the cinnamon in place).



{As if I’d possible contemplate using any other kind! ;-D If you’ve got a hankering for both carrots and a beautiful piece of artwork featuring this humble root vegetable, you can pick up this charming vintage inspired Old Fashion Carrot print for $12.99 (US) from art.com.}

There’s something both heartily rustic and yet so elegantly refined about this soup. It calls to mind quite weekend afternoons spent watching the snow fall tranquilly, the pleasure of happily flowing conversation and many requests for second helpings.


Ingredients

• 4 cups of (homemade or good quality store bought) vegetable broth

• 2-3 medium sized carrots peeled and sliced into circles (thickness of your choice)

• 2 Gala apples peeled, cored and sliced

• 1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed

• 1 large yam, peeled and cubed

• 4 tbsp of butter or margarine

• ¾ cup cream (either single or double, the choice is yours)

• ¼ tsp nutmeg, cinnamon or ginger (optional)

• ½ tsp sea salt (or to taste)

• Freshly milled pepper (to taste)


Directions

In a large, heavy bottomed sauce pot combine the vegetable stock, butternut squash, yam and nutmeg, cinnamon or ginger. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer for 15 minutes over medium-high heat. Lower the heat to medium and add in the sliced carrots and gala apples. Continue cooking for about 20 minutes (or until the vegetables are cooked through), stirring often.

Next, take the pot off the stove and carefully pour the soup base through a colander, into a large bowl or another large pot, but do not discard either the stock liquid or the apples and vegetables. Return the stock to the pot, but not the veggies and apples. Next puree the vegetables and apples with a hand-held mixer or in the food processor (even a sturdy blender would work, if you don’t have a stick mixer or food processor – I’ve made it this way many times and it always comes out great).

Reintroduce the pureed vegetable and apple mixture into the broth over medium heat; add in the cream, butter and salt and black pepper. Stir often and bring to a rapid simmer (but not quite a full-on boil), reduce the heat and cook for another 5-10 minutes depending on the consistency that you prefer (the longer you cook this soup for the, the thicker it becomes).

Serve while nicely warm, ladling ample portions into soup dishes or generous sized cappuccino mugs. Should there happen to be any, leftovers can be stored (covered) in the fridge for up to 3 days.

I adore serving this delicious soup with fresh or toasted slices of French or sourdough bread, homemade apple butter (to keep the apple theme going), and a little jug of fresh cream to be passed around and drizzled into the bowls by all those you may be sharing your table with you.

Serves 3-4 as a starter or light lunch

Bon appétit!

Wonderful Wednesday Recipe: Quinoa, bell pepper and green onion salad

~ Quinoa, bell pepper and green onion salad ~
During a recent phone call with my mother, she mentioned that she’d bought quinoa for the first time and was curious if I’d cooked with it before and if I had tips regarding its preparation. I have indeed, I informed her, and it’s really a delightful grain that lends itself beautifully to being paired with a myriad of other flavours (from dried cranberries to oven roasted tomatoes). I suggested preparing it with a tasty stock, some fresh herbs and whatever vegetables she fancied.

While I don’t cook quinoa as often as I do certain other grains like rice, barley and couscous, I do enjoy whipping up a dish with this adorable little ingredient (which is technically a cereal, not a grain, that’s related to the spinach plant) from time-to-time, and when I do, the recipe below is one that I often turn to. I put it together a few years ago after a different quinoa centered discussion with someone else, and adore how well this dish works in either its warm or cold state.


{This cheerfully lovely vintage sign for fresh sweet peppers would have definitely been enough to get me to pull over and check out the produce on offer at a roadside vegetable stand. These days however, you can spot it over at AllPosters.com, where it’s for $10.99 (for a 12 x 12 inch version).}


If you’ve never tried quinoa before, I highly recommend picking up a package (it’s available at nearly all well-stocked health food stores and most larger supermarkets). Quinoa, which is naturally gluten-free, is high in protein and essential amino acids, meaning that it works very well as a complete protein source. It’s also rich in fiber, iron, and magnesium. When cooked quinoa has a very pleasant, gentle, vaguely nutty flavour (it’s a bit reminiscent of brown rice) that makes it well suited to both savoury and sweet dishes (it makes a delightful alternative to oatmeal for breakfast or brunch when mixed with ingredients like fruit, nuts and honey).

Once cooked quinoa is light and fluffy, perfect for absorbing dressings and lending it’s gentle flavour to more robust vegetable and/or meat overtones. This particular salad is vegetarian, but you could toss in a handful of grilled meat or prawns for a heartier meal, or keep the vegetarian theme going by including zucchini, eggplant or any other veggie you wish for more substance.

All this talk of quinoa has me suddenly craving its mild, wonderful taste and soft yet slightly crunchy texture so much, I think I too will have to pick up a package the next time I’m out grocery shopping. In the meantime though, I’ll call up my mom to see how her first foray into quinoa cooking turned out.


Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups quinoa (ensure that you buy the type which is labelled as having been washed so as to remove the slightly bitter outer coating that quinoa contains naturally)

• 3 cups water

• 1 green bell pepper (capsicum), chopped into even sized pieces

• 1 red bell pepper (capsicum), chopped into even sized pieces

• 1/4 cup chopped scallion (green onion), both green and white parts (if you don’t have green onions on hand try using leeks or chives instead)

• 1/4 cup chopped red onion

• 1/2 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley (or other fresh herb of your choice, dill is particularly lovely with quinoa, I find)

• 4 tablespoons liquid honey

• ½ tbsp balsamic vinegar (optional)
• 2 tbsp olive oil

• Freshly cracked black pepper and sea salt (to taste)


Directions

In a medium-large saucepan (the heavier the bottom, the better) combine the three cups of water and quinoa; bring to a soft boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer covered for about 13-18 minutes. You are aiming to have as much as possible of the liquid absorbed, much like a pot of rice, and for the quinoa to have softened.

Meanwhile combine the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, and salt and pepper in a jar or bottle with a secure lid (one that won’t leak). Shake the mixture vigorously to emulsify the oil and vinegar. Store at room temperature until you are ready to dress the quinoa salad.

While the quinoa is cooking, dice all the vegetables and fry them for about two minutes over medium-high heat in a large non-stick frying pan or skillet (the scallion may only need a minute), just so that they sweat and release some of their natural oils. Remove from the heat, toss with the flat leaf parsley (or your choice or herbs), and stir into the quinoa once it’s finished cooking.

Pour the dressing over the veggie and quinoa mixture and toss lightly to coat all the grains. Serve warm or chilled. Any leftovers can be kept, covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight plastic container, in the fridge for up to 3 days.

This dish travels well and is absolutely perfect to take to summer picnics, backyard barbeques and potlucks all year round (you can easily multiple the recipe as needed).

Serves 2 people as a main dish, 4 people as a side dish or starter

Bon appétit!

Wonderful Wednesday Recipe: Spiced Apple Cinnamon Butterscotch Chip Cookies

Yesterday, brushing my ever-present shyness aside, I posted a few fairly recent photographs of myself here on Chronically Vintage, and in response was met with an outpouring of the most thoughtfully kind comments imaginable.

I mean it with the utmost sincerity when I say that you, my amazing readers, have the ability to undo a lifetime of self-esteem and negative body image issues with your heartfelt, caring, supportive words. I read through all of your comments, trying to keep my tears at bay, this morning and honestly wished I could reach out and hug every one of you.

I know that there are many out there who haven’t the slightest qualm about sharing their photos publicly, but for those of us who struggle for whatever reason with showing our faces (in photographic form) to the world, positive, caring feedback can truly make an astronomical difference in terms of how our ability to develop better self-confidence, but also to help our self-esteem levels on a day-to-day basis.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone who left a comment on yesterday’s post, this recipe – a little something sweet for some of the sweetest people on earth - is dedicated to all of you.



~ Spiced Apple Cinnamon Butterscotch Chip Cookies ~

Bursting with the heady, soothing scent of warm spices, these cookies are just the thing to have on hand for lunch boxes, desserts and serving to company with mugs of hot tea, warm milk or even eggnog during the holiday season.



{Making cookies is such a fun (and deliciously rewarding!) activity that usually requires less time than many other forms of baking, making it the perfect for those days when you want a homemade treat but aren’t able to devote ages to hanging out with your oven. Vintage photo of a woman dropping spoonfuls of cookie batter onto a baking tray from the Life Magazine archives.}


Cinnamon is my favourite of all the spices and I constant try to track down, or create my own, recipes that include this aromatic, zingy flavour. This particular cookie recipe is one I whipped up a few years back – during the fall, naturally (no other season calls to mind the pairing of apples and cinnamon quite like autumn) – and continue to make each year when the mercury starts dropping and you’re suddenly hit with the feeling that you want every morsel of food you eat to be wholly comforting in terms both of taste and aroma.


Ingredients

• 1/3 cup vegetable shortening or butter (or a 50/50 ratio of the two combined, which is a favourite cookie baking approach of mine as I find it helps to yield a really nice crumb), softened (room temperature, not melted)

• ½ cup homemade or store bought sweetened applesauce (you want a fine textured apple sauce, so if yours is on the chunky side, you may want to run it through a food mill or food processor before including in the cookie batter)

• 1 extra large egg (or equal amounts of egg whites, I’ve made these cookies with egg white many times and they turns out just as well)

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 ¼ cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

• 1/3 cup white sugar

• 2 tbsp dark brown sugar

• ½ tsp baking soda

• ¼ tsp salt

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• ¼ tsp nutmeg (optional)

• 1 cup butterscotch baking chips (such as Hershey’s “Chipits”)



Directions

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C/gas mark 4).

In a large mixing bowl thoroughly cream the white and brown sugars and butter (or shortening) together with a mixing spoon or electric beater. Add in the egg and vanilla extract and continue to beat until well combined with the sugar and butter; once those ingredients have mixed together well, stir in the apple sauce and beat until amalgamated with the other moist ingredients.

In a separate mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg; stir well, ensuring that the spices are evenly distributed through the dry ingredients.

Next stir one third of the dry mixture to the wet ingredients at a time, stirring (or beating, if using an electric mixer) well after each addition. If the mixture seems slightly dry to you (it should be pretty moist thanks to the apple sauce), add a tablespoon or two of lukewarm water, milk or more apple sauce, if you have extra on hand. Now pour in the butterscotch chips and blend well to ensure even distribution throughout the batter.

Grease or line two baking trays (cookie sheets) with parchment paper (or a non-slip silicon baking liners) and drop cookie mixture onto the trays in rounded teaspoon portions, leaving a bit of space between each cookie (I usually put about 12 cookies per tray). (Note, if – like mine – your oven tends to cook things unevenly based on what height the tray is placed at, you can either bake one try of cookies at time or rotate the racks that the trays are placed on half way through baking.)

Bake cookies for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the bottoms are firm and the tops are lightly golden brown. Allow warm cookies to rest on their baking trays for a couple of minutes and then transfer them to wire cooling racks.

Serve warm or at room temperature, storing leftovers in an airtight container for up to five days (these cookies can also be frozen for at least two months in a freezer safe container).

For an extra special treat, serve the cookies while they’re still toasty from the oven with bowls of French vanilla or caramel ice cream, or with dishes of sweetened whipped or clotted cream for dipping.

Makes approximately two dozen cookies

Bon appétit!

Wonderful Wednesday Recipe: Parsnip, Potato and Caramelized Onion Mash

~ Parsnip, Potato and Caramelized Onion Mash ~
This recipe came about when I was living in Ireland, where humble root vegetables have long been amongst the strongest backbones of traditional local cuisine. It is an unpretentious, lovely dish that works wonders as either the star or as a supporting player at any cold weather meal. If you opt to use soy, instead of dairy, cream this dish – which is already vegetarian approved – becomes vegan.

A malleable recipe, you can add or subtract from it, swapping the potatoes for rutabagas or yams, if you prefer. Forgo the saffron and use mild, sweet chillies, grainy mustard, fresh or candied ginger, or a handful of your favourite herbs (whether I’m using the saffron or not, I nearly always toss fresh, marvelously soothing thyme into the mix or garnish the dish with it before bringing it, steaming warm and smelling of the inherent comfort that comes from Mother Earth’s bounty, to the table).


{Parsnips, which largely resemble a carrot in appearance and loosely in taste, are one of my absolute most favourite vegetables. Whether eaten on their own such as slow roasted with garlic and rosemary in the oven, or tossed into a hearty stew, I’m always looking for ways to incorporate these mild, versatile winter vegetables into my family’s menu. Antique parsnip seed package image via thelableman.com}


Serve this hearty root vegetable symphony with roast meats (it shines alongside duck and turkey or a lemony, slow cooked chicken), grilled seafood (particularly those with powerful flavours or seasonings), or, if you make this recipe the centerpiece of your meal, a light salad such as one encompassing other beloved winter tastes such as roasted beets, zesty citrus fruit, or glistening ruby red pomegranate seeds.

When I prepare this dish now in my cozy (re: matchbook sized) Canadian kitchen, I am reminded of wet Irish winters that set a chill into bones so far-reaching, it took a recipe comprised of piping hot starchy vegetables, faintly exotic seasonings and pleasingly sweet onions to work the warmth back into one’s very soul.


Ingredients

• 1lb 8oz (675 grams) of potatoes (I often use Yukon gold or Red Rose potatoes on this dish), peeled and cut into cubes

• 3 large parsnips, peeled and cut into cubes (cut the same size as the potatoes)

• 3 tbsp olive oil, plus an additional 3 tbsp to cook the onions in (6 tbsp in total)

• 2 ¼ cups (600ml/1 pint) of vegetable or chicken stock (preferably homemade or organic)

• 2/3 cup single cream (half and half) or soy cream (such as “Silk Creamer” or “Carnation Soy Creamy Cooking Milk”), heated to a gentle simmer directly before use

• 3 tbsp of saffron threads which have been lightly crushed in a mortar and pestle (or with a wooden mixing spoon in a bowl)

• 1 ½ tbsp soft (light or dark) brown sugar

• 1 large white onion (or equal amounts of shallots) peeled and finely sliced

• Kosher or sea salt to taste and freshly ground black pepper


Directions

In a large sauce pot over high heat place the stock, potatoes, parsnips and saffron and cover the pot with a lid. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to medium-high, continue to simmer (covered) until all of the potatoes and parsnips are cooked (approximately 20-25 minutes, depending on how warm your stovetop/cooker is and how tender you like your vegetables to be).

Meanwhile heat 3tbsp of oil in a frying pan over medium-low heat and stir in the sliced onions. Cover and allow the onions to brown and absorb the oil. Once they’ve begun to turn a lovely fawny hue, reduce the heat a little and stir the onions occasionally to prevent them from sticking to the pan. They should be sufficiently, wonderfully tender, golden brown and naturally rolling around in their own juices after about ten to fifteen minutes.

Next add in the brown sugar and allow it to be absorbed fully by the onions. Stir for gently for a minute or two until all of the sugar has been dissolved by the onion and onions. Take the onion mixture off heat and set aside until the mashed vegetable portion of this dish is ready.

When the turnips and potatoes have fully cooked to the desired degree of tenderness, remove the pot from the heat and drain the vegetables in a colander (strainer). Reserve a little of the cooking liquid, in case you need to add some of it to the mash for a moister consistency later on.

If you’ve not already done so, heat your cream (or soy cream) in a small sauce pan over medium-high heat just until it comes to a mild simmer (you do not want a rolling boil, which is apt to scorch the cream). Once the cream has been warmed, turn off the burner, but allow the cream to remain in the pot (you’re going to use it momentarily)

Transfer the vegetables to a large mixing bowl and pour the cream and remaining three tablespoons of olive oil over top of them (you could skip the added oil here or use butter, if you wanted). Next mash everything with a vegetable masher (you can also do this in a food processor or stick blender, if you'd prefer) until the mixture is as soft and lump free as possible (alternatively, and this is how I generally mash all of my vegetable dishes, you can whip the lumps out and aerate the root veggies with a hand-held electric mixer/beater). If you feel the mixture is still a bit dry for your liking, add a little of the reserved cooking liquid, so that they end result is a creamy, fluffy mash.

Season to taste with salt and pepper (if you wanted to add fresh herbs, now is the time to include them) and transfer to a serving dish. Slide the warm caramelized onions on top, smile as you breathe in the scent of earthy goodness radiating from up from the serving bowl, and serve at once.

Any leftovers will keep, well covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Makes 4-5 side, or 2-3 main, dish sized portions.

Bon appétit!

Wonderful Wednesday Recipe: Welsh Rarebit

For as long as I have memories stretching back, cooking and the realm of gastronomy has been a beloved passion of mine. Raised by a mother who likewise adored the culinary arts, I began learning how to cook from a very early age and haven’t stopped since then (nor do I plan to ever cease!).

While I would consider myself a foodie, I’m not a “food snob”. I love a tasty, rustic homemade dish as much as I do one from a swanky, multi-stared restaurant. I believe strongly that one gets that most out of eating when they’re able to appreciate the beauty and diversity of foods from all walks of life, at all price points, and encompassing a myriad of styles and ingredients.

Though two of my medical conditions have lessened the number of foods I’m able to eat rather significantly for the past several years (and baring the discovery of cures for said conditions, likely will for the rest of my life), I’ve tried never to let this point dampen my love of cooking. Instead of bemoaning those ingredients that were suddenly missing from my plate, I looked at the situation as a challenge to be even more inventive with those foods that I did still have my disposal.

Any time I start longing to toss together a dish I can’t eat (for I love the act of preparing food perhaps even more than actually eating it – or at least I adore the two equally), I just make it for my husband or serve it to dinner guests. Cooking for others is something I enjoy so deeply, I actually dreamed of becoming a professional chef all through my childhood, though (for better or worse) certain events that unfolded in my life meant that this dream didn’t quite come to fruition. Nevertheless, I don’t lament too much over this point, I still get to be a chef for my little family everyday and that brings me a profound sense of joy.

Why, you may ask, am I telling you all this? The reason is that for quite some time now I’ve been thinking about how much I wanted to start sharing some of my most treasured recipes with my readers. Thusly, henceforth from today onwards, every Wednesday (when circumstances permit) I plan on sharing a “Weekly Recipe” from my own personal collection with all of you.

Some of the recipes will be ones I’ve devised myself, others stem from repertoires of my mother and other relatives, while others still are the creations of fellow homecooks and professionals akike that I’ve gleaned over the years and come to count favourites of my own. I will strive to feature a diverse group of dishes that veer towards being both economical (aka, white truffle and foie gras pâté is not likely to crop up any time soon) and easy to prepare (though I do realize that different people have different definitions of what constitutes “easy” when it comes to cooking).

Each week one recipe will get the limelight, paired with a photo of the finished dish (if I happen to have one of my own) or, far more commonly, with a vintage image that relates to the recipe in some way (for example, if the recipe was for spaghetti sauce, I might show a vintage ad for canned tomatoes).

I know that many of my readers are avid cooks and food lovers, too, and really hope that everyone enjoys this delightful new weekly post. If you’d ever like to request the recipe for a particular food, please feel free to email me or leave a comment letting me know what you’ve got a hankering to whip up, and if I have a tried and true recipe for such a dish, I would be honoured to share it with you. (If you happen to try any of the recipes featured on Chronically Vintage, I would truly love to hear your thoughts on them.)

So without any further ado, it’s time to slip on a lovely vintage apron and dish up this Wednesday’s recipe!


Welsh Rarebit
One of the most popular dishes of the early to mid-twentieth century (and certainly one that I’ve seen in a myriad of vintage cookbooks and ladies magazines) was Welsh rarebit (sometimes simply called “rarebit” or “rarebit cheese”), a hearty, homey, wonderfully simple dish that in both comforting and energizing at the same time.

Comprised of a zippy cheese sauce poured over relatively thick slices of bread, this dish is close cousin to both grilled cheese sandwiches and croque-monsieur. It pairs wonderfully with soups (such as roasted red pepper or minestrone), salads, fresh fruit (especially apples, pears and figs), and light fair such as grilled vegetables or chicken.


{This charming vintage illustration, from Eudamonius’ Flickr stream dictates that Welsh Rarebit should always be paired with toast. Good advice, but if you’re in the mood for something a little different, this tasty, versatile cheese sauce also works terrifically over English muffins, crackers, or as a fondue style dip.}


This particular recipe is one I’ve tweaked over the years, sometimes adding fresh herbs such as basil or chives, or jazzed up further with the inclusion of (rehydrated) sundried (or oven roasted) tomatoes or pitted and sliced black olives. Some people like to include a little ale or even hot sauce in their recipes, but I’ve not tried such versions myself.

I don’t know where the original recipe came from, but a handwritten version the basis of this one appears in the first recipe collection I began (in a coiled school notebook) as a youngster, so it may have come from either my mom or one of her cookbooks. Wherever it hails from, this rarebit recipe is a wonderful dish that can be thrown together in a matter of minutes, making it perfect for meals on the go or times when unexpected lunch or dinner gets drop by.


Ingredients

• 6 slices white or brown bread of choice, provided the bread you use is somewhat sturdy (I like varieties such as ciabatta, French, and sourdough – or a luxurious spin, you can even brioche, if you fancy), cut about ¾ of an inch (2cm) thick

• 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese (Gruyere is also nice, if you prefer)

• 1/2 cup milk (or, if you’re feeling indulgent, cream)

• 1 tbsp unsalted butter

• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour

• ½ tsp dry English mustard (such as Colman’s) or, alternatively, ½ tsp Hungarian paprika

• ¼ tsp Worcestershire sauce (optional, best omitted if using paprika)

• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste


Directions

In a double boiler (or a heat resistant glass bowl over a saucepan partially filled with boiling water), first bring the water up to a boil and then reduce the heat (burner temperature) to medium. Melt the butter, add the flour and mustard (or paprika) and stir briskly for a few seconds to combine (thereby creating a pale roux).

Next gradually add the milk and Worcestershire sauce (if using), stirring as you add. Allow mixture to come to a gentle simmer (not a rolling boil) and thicken somewhat. Next add the shredded cheddar cheese, salt and pepper (now would also be the time to include ingredients such as herbs, if you were using them), stirring moderately until the cheese had melted and the sauce has thickened to a consistency reminiscent of hollandaise sauce.

Meanwhile as the cheese sauce is nearing completion, toast the six slices of bread. Once cheese sauce is ready and the bread is toasted, divide the toast between three plates (two slices per serving) and spoon (or ladle) the sauce equally over each portion of toast. Serve and enjoy immediately :)

Makes three servings (two slices of bread each), or however many you wish to divide up between the six slices of bread.

Bon appétit!

A quick good morning wish & scores of thanks!

Happiest of Thursday greetings, my darling readers! I hope that your morning is off to a marvelous start!


{Ensure you begin your day off right with a big bowl of vintage goodness via this adorable 1940s Rice Krispies ad featuring Snap, Crackle and Pop :D Image from Saltycotton’s Flickr stream.}

♥ ♥ ♥

I just wanted to post a quick message to extend my utmost deepest of heartfelt thanks to everyone for your comments on my opera outfit post; you literally brought me to tears with your incredibly sweet, encoring, beautiful words. Thank you so much, everyone, for your phenomenally kind comments; to say they mean the world to me would be an understatement.

As I mentioned briefly on Monday, this week has been a bit of a chaotic one because there was some work being done on our apartment and we (and poor Stella, who we boarded at her vet’s, as tenants weren’t allowed to have animals on the premises while the work was being done due to some harsh chemicals being used) had to vacate the premise for a while (before which we had to pack up quite a lot of stuff so that it wouldn’t be in the way of the work that needed to be done). As such I haven’t been on the computer much in the past few days (I’m actually just logging in now for the first time since Tuesday), and am a bit behind in catching up with not only each of your wonderful comments, but also in visiting your gorgeous blogs. As things stand now my schedule is a little freer as we head into the later part of this week, so I’ll be doing my absolute best to catch up over the next few days.

I also have so much to write about just bursting to jump out of my head and onto this blog! In the very near future (aka, sometime in the next few days) I’m going to be announcing a brand new giveaway contest which will be open to all of my readers wherever you reside in the this world. As well, I want to start a series of posts devoted to vintage Christmas gifts for different types of vintage enthusiasts (think along the lines of those magazine articles that feature pages upon pages of gifts for different types of people on your holiday shopping list like “the avid golfer” or the “eco-chic gal”, neither of those will be categories in my holiday roundup, but I will feature gifts for lots of different kinds of vintage loving folks).
Several other post ideas are simmering on the burners of my mind, so I know that I’ll definitely be a busy blogger as we head into the tail-end of 2009.

Giant thanks again, everybody, for your fantastically sweet comments – not only on Tuesday, but for each post you share your thoughts with me on.

Wishing you all a delightfully terrific Thursday!

Come on everybody, let’s go trick-or-treating!

An eerie wind rustles through the leaves, a shiver crawls like a spider up your back. The moon hangs low and round, it’s pale buttermilk hued face almost seems to cackle at you. All around hobgoblins and fairies, vampires and werewolves run amuck, laughing as they clutch their plastic pales and pillowcases close. Once inviting houses suddenly seem as cozy as a mausoleum, their porches bedecked with glowing eyed gourds, front lawns scattered in tombstones and scarecrows. An electric energy pulses through the crisp air, there’s magic a foot, on this ancient eve of festivity mischief and grand fun, for all Hallows Eve has arrived!

Or, as is the case today, it soon will, and with it comes the marvelous tradition of trick-or-treating! Though it has evolved and changed over the centuries, the practise of dressing up (mask, costume, etc) and going door-to-door, appealing to your neighbours for food (in days of yore, the door knockers would offer up prayers for the deceased relatives of their community members on All Souls Day) has been going on since at least the middle ages in Europe (some sources say as far back as the ancient Celts).

Trick-or-treating as we know and recognize it today (an act carried out annually by youngsters on October 31st) is thought to have emerged in the early years of the twentieth century, and the 1930s its popularity had really begun to spread across North America. Though various treats ranging from home-baked goodies to candy apples, nuts in their shells to fresh fruit have been handed out to trick-or-treaters over the years, for decades now, I think it’s a safe bet to say that candy has been both the most common and most beloved of goodies that a costume clad child could find waiting for him or her at the next front door.

Candy spanning the gamut from loose "penny sweets" to homemade taffy (in the days before widespread fear of tainted/poised/razor blade laced Halloween treats) has been doled out at one point or another, but for decades now store bought goodies have been commonplace, and are what most trick-or-treaters receive these days.

Everyone it seems has a favourite Halloween candy or two! I know that I certainly look back with immense fondness on any house that offered up Butterfinger, Crispy Crunch, Crunchie or Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, as well as “Dots” and Tootsie Pop lollipops. I was also eager to get Coffee Crisp bars which I would rush home at the end of the night to give my mother, for they were her favourite chocolate bar when I was growing up.

I can remember nearly every Halloween night I’ve had since I was three years old with vivid clarity. Some years we marched from house to house in the snow (this being Canada after all), others we slipped raincoats and rubber boats over our costumes to fend off chilly rain. A few however were not freezing cold, they were lit by stars that tumbled like tinsel across the raven black sky and brought with them the feeling that the night would stretch on forever – or at least until the last front light in our neighbourhood had been turned off.

Buzzing with excitement (and a wee bit of a sugar high) rush we would tromp home, to a friend’s house or onwards to a Halloween party (sometimes at the local community centre), our pails and sacks brimming with what seemed like a monumental volume of candy, ready to carry out the all important candy swap with our friends and siblings. I remember we executed this ritualistic act with negotiating skills the likes of which would make most seven-figure-a-year lawyers quake in their boots.

Halloween night was for me one of tremendous joy and merriment. It was the chance to escape into a world of make-believe, to feel independent (I can recall perfectly the first year we were allowed out without adult supervision), and to revel in the spooky, enchanted, incredible spirit that only Halloween could deliver.

It has, however, been a few years since I last trooped around the local streets, melodically chanting “trick-or-treat” as my knuckles rapt at a door, and I miss it something fierce! (I joke to my husband that since I’m petite and have a very young sounding voice, I should just don a costume with a mask and go out, even if I am 25! ;D) So I thought it would tons of fun if we took at a look at a mixture of vintage Halloween and more general (aka, not Halloween specific) vintage ads for candy together. Reliving as a collective group, the joys of seeing some of these scrumptious treats land in our pillowcases and then later poured out on our bedroom floors as we hunkered down, a mile-wide smile on our face, over the spoils that Halloween night had provided us with.

Come, one and all, even if you have never trick-or-treated before (perplexingly, some countries have yet to take up this tradition – if only such nations knew the fun they’re missing out on!), and join me as we, dressed in our Halloween night finest, parade around the block (errrr, blog) collecting sweet treats!




{A stylishly dressed woman hands out candy to a pair of adorable trick-or-treaters in this vintage ad for Baby Ruth and Butterfinger chocolate bars from the 1950s. Don’t you just love the little girl’s witch hat and both or their treat bags?}



{For the absolute bargain price of just a nickel during the 50s one could satisfy their sweet tooth a classic Hershey’s candy bar, such as Krackel (which had crispy rice cereal in it) or Mr. Goodbar (chocked full of peanuts). By and large Hershey’s products (with the notable exception of Kisses) have never been quite as common in Canada as they are in States, but I do still recall finding the occasional, delicious Hersey’s bar amongst my Halloween treats.}



{Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (as well as Reese’s Pieces) were highly sought after Halloween night treats when I was growing up and I remember they often commanded two or three “lesser” chocolate bars (or a handful of chewy candies) if you were swapping with a friend. This charming 1950s ad is rich with the colour orange, making it perfectly suited to October!}



{Black liquorice is a flavour I instantly and fondly associate with Halloween, particularly in the form of black jelly beans, lollipops, and jujubes, though it most certainly came via Good & Plenty candies, too.}



{Lovely artistry fills this delightful 1929 vintage ad for Wrigley’s Spearmint chewing gum with oodles of vintage Halloween appeal.}



{Hard, sweet and ever so slightly salty, Heath (toffee) bars were always marvelous on their own, enjoyed slowly over the course of a favourite TV program perhaps or, alternatively, crumbled and tossed in with a big bowl of warm popcorn for an easy-for-an-eight-year-to-make spin on caramel corn.}



{An ageless classic, the humble fruit flavoured Lifesavers candy was a frequent Halloween loot bag find, in both miniature roll size and in the form of Lifesavers lollipops, all throughout my childhood – just as they have been for those of trick-or-treaters for decades.}



{A rather solemn looking woman graced this 1955 ad for Aero bars, her expression in stark contrast with the pleasant fun that usually came from letting the Aero bubbles melt on your tongue as you nibbled your way through one of these light milk chocolate bars.}



{Tootsie rolls are a Halloween staple in my books, not only the delicious chewy chocolate variety, but also the Tootsie Fruit Rolls (which feature flavours such as vanilla, lemon, and cherry) which, in Canada at least, you can only ever seem to find in October (and thus I was extra cautious to ration the fruit flavoured Tootsie rolls for as long as I could each year).}



{Tropical beauty flows through this wonderful 1950s ad for Bounty bars, which are shows here with a deep almost red wine and white hued label, which is quite different than the blue, green and white variety that I recall seeing in my pile of Halloween candy. Pretty as the modern wrapper for this tasty coconut candy bar is, I think I prefer the vintage one shown here.}



{To this day Crunchie bars with their deep golden, intensely crisp – yet airy – sponge candy (aka, honeycomb or cinder toffee) centre and thin outer coating of milk chocolate remain one of my favourite sweet treats at Halloween – or any time I need a sugar rush.}



{A true chocolate classic, Cadbury milk chocolate (and Caramilk) bars always went head-to-head with Neilson's Jersey Milk, Nestle Aero, and Hersey’s Milk Chocolate bars when kids debated which “plain” chocolate bar was best.}



{If you were particularly lucky, each Halloween there would be a handful of houses that went above and beyond pint sized chocolate bars, candy corn, lollipops and bubble gum and handed out something extraordinary (by Halloween treat terms) like bags of potato chips or cheese puffs, cans of soda, or boxes of Cracker Jacks, as this fantastic 1950s ad suggests doing.}

{All images above are from Flickr. To learn more about a specific image, please click on it to be taken to its respective Flickr page.}



Gosh, gang, wasn’t that that a swell time?! Did it call to mind happy memories of childhood Halloweens? I hope it did and that you enjoyed this make-believe trick-or-treating excursion (and that you didn’t get too spooked out! :D).

I had a terrific time putting this post together (not surprisingly, I’ve got a hankering for chocolate now!) and I would adore hearing about your favourite (or scariest!) Halloween night memories, what you loved to find in your pumpkin pail, and how you celebrate Halloween these days!

Adventures in vintage advertising: Green Giant Vegetables

Perhaps I was the odd child out, for there was nary a vegetable that I wasn’t a fan of while growing up. While my young relatives and peers found creative ways to mask carrots in crumpled napkins, slip beets to the dog, or feign being too full to possibly consume another bite of squash, I was tucking to my plate of broccoli with almost as much excitement as had it been chocolate cake.

While few things match the culinary experience of freshly harvested veggies, the advent of modern food preservation methods over the past two centuries has helped to ensure that good quality, nutrient rich vegetables are available all year long.

One of the best known and most widely available brands of canned and frozen vegetables is Green Giant, who are perhaps as famous for their hulking verdant mascot the Jolly Green Giant, as they are for the vast assortment of vegetables they package and sell to consumers the world over.

Whenever I buy an item from a brand I know has existed for numerous decades, I find myself joyful over the thought that I’m purchasing something that my grandparents and perhaps even great-grandparents also stocked their home with. I love this sense of a living connection to the past through items that are available to the modern shopper. When picking up a tin of Green Giant sweet peas, I can easily image some distant, beautifully dressed relative from the 1940s doing exactly the same thing on her weekly grocery shopping trip. Such thoughts are entirely nostalgic, I know, but I am of the nostalgic ilk after all.

Green Giant is currently owned by food conglomerate General Mills, but when this brand started out in 1903 it was known as the “Minnesota Valley Canning Company” and specialized in sweet corn. During the 1920s the name Green Giant was introduced to help promote green peas, and by the 50s the brand as a whole had taken on this moniker.

Instantly recognizable as one of North America’s most well known advertising mascots, the Jolly Green Giant appeared on the scene in 1928 (he was named after a variety of large peas called Green Giant). In 1953 this friendly, emerald hued fellow (who, while not the most talkative chap around, is famed for his cheerful “Ho, ho, ho” slogan) made his TV commercial debut and has since stared in a bushel of commercials over the decades, not to mention cardboard standees and vinyl banners in grocery stores, as well as remaining a staple in Green Giant print ads.

In the 1970s the JGG was given a sidekick in the form of a smaller, younger – and rather adorable – green giant named Sprout.

Today Green Giant produces a wide range of vegetable (and fruit) products, from classic canned veggies to frozen side dishes such as mixed vegetable medleys and “steam in the bag” varieties like broccoli with cheese sauce and cut green beans, as well as fresh produce like asparagus, mushrooms, potatoes and kiwi fruit.

In this post however, we’re going to peer back at the older days of Green Giant through some of the companies ads from the mid-twentieth century. Whether you’re a niblet fan or a lover of green peas, there’s sure to be an advertisement below that brings back fond memories or makes you think of the Green Giant commercials and ads that you’ve seen throughout your life.



♥ ♥ ♥



{The iconic Jolly Green Giant holds up an equally mammoth ear of corn as rays of sunlight shine around him in this serene and beautiful 1939 advert.}



{This cute ad for peas from 1957 has a sweet hand-drawn quality to it and features a Jolly Green cupid character who strikes me as being something of a precursor for Sprout. Image from Adclassix.com.}



{An elegantly dressed family sits down to dinner with the Jolly Green Giant – who sports a black bow tie – in this 1953 ad, which showedcased the brand’s range of products at the time.}



{This 1950s ad promotes the fact that each can contained two pounds of fresh-picked peas, which makes me think that it was a larger sized can that the ones on shelves today – at least in my neck of the woods.}



{It’s “summer in a can” according to this wonderfully Normal Rockwell-esque example of a tinned corn ad from 1947.}



{The Jolly Green Giant flashed his pearly whites while totting a hefty sized pea pod in this 1955 ad for sweet peas which ran in Family Circle magazine.}



{Famed TV and radio personality (and fellow Canadian!) Art Linkletter lent his image to this 1951 ad for creamed golden sweet corn and Mexican Niblets (corn with diced red and green peppers).}



{A lovely wreath of pods encircle a tin of peas in this festive holiday themed ad from 1951.}



{A sharply dressed young mother watches over two baby carriages, one containing a can of creamed corn, in this charming 1952 ad.}



{This adorable double page ad for sweet peas invited shoppers to send in $2.50 along with proof of purchase if they wanted to take home a darling “Country Girl” doll clad in an outfit featuring an apron with the Jolly Green Giant splashed across it. I’d imagine that this doll is now quite a collectors item.}

{All images above, except for the one example which was denoted otherwise, are from Flickr. To learn more about a specific image, please click on it to be taken to its respective page.}


For even more fantastic vintage Green Giant, be sure to swing by the Gallery of Graphic Design to the collection featured there.

The Green Giant brand is ensconced in both the past and present history of store bought vegetables and canned goods. Their products are tasty, reliable, and as the company’s classic 1930s slogan chimed, they’re “Picked at the fleeting moment of perfect flavour”, making these veggies the perfect year-round staples to have on hand.

Do you have a favourite – past or present – Green Giant product? I for one have always been a big fan of their creamed corn. I know how to make this dish from scratch and often do, but there is still something comforting and wonderful about opening up a tin and eating it by the spoonful (call me odd, but I like really like room temperature or cold cream corn, especially alongside other piping hot foods).

What do memories of Green Giant products, ads, and the friendly mascot duo of the Jolly Green Giant and Sprout, bring to mind for you?

Summertime Classics {Monday Muses, August 3rd}

It’s a little bit hard to believe that we’re already well over a month into summer, less than two more to go until it will be time to wave sayonara to the dry, electric nights and drowsy, blisteringly warm mornings of this season. When shorts fade into ribbed tights, popsicles become overshadowed by straight-from-the-oven pumpkin pies, and the majestic blooms of gardens everywhere are replaced by a kaleidoscopic array of tumbling, crunchy leaves.

While this current season of extremes is still underway, I’ve found myself thinking about the elements that make summer so iconic. Those things that are the July equivalent to snowmen in December or tulips come April, and which speak to nearly everyone on as a collective whole. Simple pleasures, distinct moods, sun-kissed hues, the desire to escape the heat and yet an equal longing for it to linger, its presence like a memory that makes you smile more often than frown.

Every day of summer is a wild inspiration, the long desired relief from winter’s wrath, the fiery affair before level-headed autumn blows into town. So many places, scents, hues, people, and emotions fly into my mind when I think of this season the way it was lived when I was a child. Wisteria and honeysuckle branches tangoing on the back porch, canning peaches in a kitchen that had to have verged on 110 degrees. Countless – and I do mean truly mean countless – hours spent swimming in sparkling lakes, yet somehow never tiring in the least. Whiffs of barbeque smoke rising up into the crisply parched August air, so incredibly enticing in nature that you were tempted to start gnawing on your own shirt. Walks taken with dusty feet at dusk, the breeze from indigo clouds pushing the strands of sun-streaked hair from your face. The notes from certain wonderful, brilliant songs like “Sitting on the dock of the bay” and “I heard it through the grapevine” cascading into our laps as we sat on rickety lawn chairs around the flickering, dying embers of the backyard fire pit.

The older I get, the more I realize how truly dear I hold summer, what it means to me and why these things matter. To honour the summers of both past and present, a host of elements are my Monday Muses this week. Each one is inherent to the season, but in no way cliché; beautiful as a crimson sunset and special as the first time you tried a snow cone.

♥ ♥ ♥


{The three S’s of summer: sun, sand, surf}


{1. The Blonde on the Beam, 2. 40s swimsuit, 3. Aquamaids, Cypress Gardens, posing after a show, 4. 1960's fashion}


{The finest fruits Mother Nature can possibly create –
and the labels they once came packaged with}


{ 1. Cherry ripe, 2. Fresh Strawberries, 3. Vintage Fruit Crate Label 22, 4. When the fox cannot reach the grapes he says they are not ripe.}


{The lure of the open road}


{1. route 66. seligman, az. 2007., 2. Del Ray Beach Columbia (the Trailer) and Cadillac Lunch 1954, 3. Hollywood! 1956, 4. Pismo Beach, California - 1950's - from a postcard.}


{Flavours that embody a season}


{1. Happy Days, 2. Summer Time Cool..., 3. 365_263 / Roasting Marshmallows, 4. pecan craquelin, vanilla bean and flourless chocolate cake ice cream sandwiches.}


{Inexplicably perfect, intensely soothing light}


{1. osoyoos lake, 2. M A R M A L A D E . S U N S E T, 3. A Studebaker sunset, 4. The hottest day of summer so far was drawing to a close....}

{To visit an individual image, please click on the corresponding link below each collage.}


In many respects summer has evolved for me, or perhaps simply adapted as I’ve aged. Gone are the endless barefoot hours spent scorching my soles on radiator-hot sand, in their place are kisses with my love in the shade. Where once two months out of the year scarcely seemed like a heartbeat’s worth of time into which to cram scores of activities, we now find a single weekend spent soaking up the sun all it takes to send a thousand stresses fleeing from our minds.

Yet no matter my age, there are so many extraordinary things about summer that remain truly timeless, each one a gift, a reason to smile, the fuel that will get me through another harrowing Canadian January, a Muse in the truest sense of the word.

What, my dear readers, are your eternal sources of summer inspiration?