Irises and Throw-Back Casseroles

Greetings!

First, I need to seek advice on my irises, which are just lovely -- they are beautiful with peach, yellow, and white flowers. The problem is that once they bloom, they fall over! What might be the cause of this? I'll post a picture later if I can, but for now, let me describe: they seem to maybe grow up toward their bloom fairly vertically, but once the big bloom opens up, the ones on the edge of the bunch just fall right over. Is this because they are top-heavy? Because their roots aren't deep enough? Because of their placement in the garden? Any advice will be greatly appreciated, because all of my neighbors irises don't seem to have this same problem.

OK, so I said I was going to write something about an old cookbook or two. So, I want to begin the this old Nordic Ware promotional cookbook:



As you can see, this cookbook promotes itself as a collection of unusual new-world ("American") and old-world recipes, and I tell you, it is not just the recipes that recommend this fine little volume. First, I am sure a lot of you have owned Nordic Ware in your life; it's very versatile. A good product. But the sheer array of items detailed in this little paper book is amazing. And the colors. You can get the bundt-lette pans in "natural, harvest, avocado, or tangerine" exteriors! There are instructions for making gelatin-molds in their specific mold pans -- one featuring a cornucopia with a pumpkin and a corn-cob -- using different colors of gelatin! So, your corn-cob would be yellow and your pumpkin orange! The enterprising housewife had a true partner in the Nordic Ware home-economists who created this beauty of a cookbook! Other interesting recipes are the no-bake fruitcake, a snappy mold called "False Frommage," various kinds of Ebleskiver (I am not sure what that is), and sukiyaki. Nordic Ware showcases its product line, which includes the following items (among others): the "Ten-in-One Griddle King," a "Large Krumkake Iron," a "4-in-1 Broil, Roast, Bake, and Serve dish," and a "Bundt Brand Cake Stand with Cover."

My favorite recipe from the book bears mentioning, if only because it is my favorite for its "grossness" quotient:



I am not sure you can make out the ingredients list for that recipe, the "Sausage Cake," but I will go through them with you. The recipe calls for pork sausage, brown and white sugar, eggs, flour, ginger, baking powder, pumpkin-pie spice, baking soda, coffee, raisins, and walnuts.

The sheer stomach-churning power of this cake might be matched -- for me -- only by the dessert our friends Brett and Maria described to us last night: figs stuffed with blue cheese and wrapped in bacon. Blehhhhhhh. All three of those things make me ill. But, I suppose some people live for that sort of thing, and maybe it's those people who smack their lips, drool, and recline in a reverie induced by the very name "Sausage Cake." I do like sweet and savory together (think chocolate-covered pretzels), but this takes it to a whole new level. I guess maybe putting meat in a sweet pie makes some sense -- mincemeat pies have long been a holiday staple. But, they do not contain spiced pork sausage, that I know of. I think that's the kicker for me. In a dessert? Come ON!

OK, well, there are some nice sounding casseroles in the Nordic Ware cookbook (like the "Chinese Casserole"), which sure is appropriate since it comes from the American "Era of Casseroles," otherwise known as the '60s and '70s. At least I think about it that way. Our next cookbook features a fuller array of nice casseroles, and it is the "Your Share" cookbook, from the year 1943, and it is in many ways far more interesting than the one discussed above:



The cover of this cookbook discloses that it intended to teach the industrious war-time housewife "How to prepare appetizing, healthful meals with foods available today." The book was presented by Betty Crocker and it does feature several products produced by the General Mills company. What I love most about this cookbook is the illustrations:



The image and the accompanying text surely employ war-time rhetoric, and recruit the housewife as a force as important to the health of the nation as the young men (and women) fighting abroad. The introductory text declares:

"The efforts and accomplishments of women today are boundless! . . . [W]hatever you do--you are, first and foremost, homemakers--women with the welfare of your families deepest in your hearts. Now you face a new and more difficult problem in the management of your homes. . . . Never has there been such an opportunity, and a need, for what American women can contribute. So to you women behind the men, behind the guns, we offer this little book, with its daily helps for wartime meal-planning and cooking. And we salute you!"

With rousing prose like this, it is no surprise that images of carrots lined up at attention accompany the phrases "into service," "pass inspection," "inducted," and "combat"! Look at those beaming root vegetable in the above image! How proud they are!

The final image I will share is my favorite:



They think I'm all starch.
They think I'm fattening.
They think 'm just filler.
They think I'm not protective.

Don't cry, poor little piece of bread! How wrong "they" are! The accompany text here goes on the extoll the many virtues of the lowly piece of bread, who finally realizes that, actually, "I'm really a good pal."

My Grandma Rose always served me the most delicious tuna salad when I would visit her in the Bronx. I learned that the recipe came from my Uncle Bob's mother, and the recipe reflects some of the teachings of this little cookbook. Because bread could help housewives stretch war-time rations (and the Joy of Cooking of that era provides recipes too that give housewives suggestions on how to do this), my Uncle Bob's mom's tuna salad recipe included a day-old piece of bread, cut up and mixed in with the other ingredients. What a secret! So, no, little piece of bread, do not despair.

I will close with a recipe shared by my Auntie Marlene, one that is perhaps more sophisticated than the war-time recipes as it has "souffle" in the title, but that nevertheless would somehow fit along-side them, for its practicality and inventive use of on-hand items, items available then and now. A house-wife in 1943 -- or a housewife, househusband, or whomever does the cooking -- would be most proud to serve this dish.

Corn Souffle Casserole

1 can creamed corn
1 8oz container sour cream
1 whole corn kernels with liquid
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 stick butter, softened
1 8oz box Jiffy Corn Muffin mix

Method:

Combine all ingredients except corn muffin mix in a non-reactive bowl. Add corn muffin mix and stir to combine. Pour
into 2 qt baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-60 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 12 servings.

Happy gardening and cooking! Let me know if you try to make the Sausage Cake!