A simple salad dressing made from vinegar, oil, ketchup (catsup), mustard, onion and celery seed. 

Salad Dressing
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
1 cup oil
1 cup catsup (i.e. ketchup)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 onion cut in real small pieces (i.e. minced)
1 teaspoon celery seed

Mix well. 

A rich buttery, caramel flavored cooked frosting.  Perfect for any cake.

Brown Sugar Frosting
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup milk
1 3/4 - 2 cups powdered sugar

Boil butter and brown sugar for 2 minutes.  Add milk and return to boil.  Gradually add the powdered sugar until fully blended.  Remove from heat and allow to cool before using.

A simple and delicious tangy dressing, similar in style to a creamy ranch dressing.

Sour Cream Salad Dressing
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons grated onion
3 tablespoons wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
dash of pepper sauce
1 teaspoon paprika

Combine ingredients and mix well.  Refrigerate unused portion.

This recipe is one that I will likely never try. I confirmed with my mother that this is the method by which my family would preserve meat for storage (prior to refrigeration). The raw meat is covered in a salt brine then stored in a cool basement or cellar in large crocks. This brine can also be used to cure hams before they are smoked.

Meat Brine
6 gallons water
2 lbs. white sugar
2 oz. salt peter

Boil and skim off any residue that forms. Add 10 lbs. of salt (for 100 lbs. of meat). Allow the mixture to cool, then pour over raw meat in crocks.

It's noted on the card that, "I use 6 lbs. of salt, plenty strong". It's also noted that if it gets ropy or if mold forms, then skim off the residue, remove the brine and boil again, skimming off any residue that forms while cooking. The brine should be allowed to cool again before pouring over the meat.

>Recovered Recipes is dedicated to showcasing and sharing historical recipes. I believe there is beauty in recipes which are written down, splattered with a lifetime of cooking, and frayed by use and re-use. Old recipes have a soul and often give insight into the cook, as well as the recipe they depict.

Sadly, many of these recipes are in danger of becoming extinct due to modern technology. I've rescued the 13 recipes remaining from my great-grandmother's estate and use them as my starting point in building this online collection. I am continuing to expand this online collection by sharing recipes I've collected from friends and family, or ones which I've purchased.


Who created this site?
My name is Allen and I grew up reading my mother's old recipe books and loved snooping through the recipe box. I started Recovered Recipes due to my fascination with and enjoyment of reading/viewing old recipes.

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You can find me often writing at my other food blog, Eating Out Loud.

If you have any questions or feedback, please send me an email: allen [at] recoveredrecipes [dot] com

In pre-21st century cooking, you'll often find unique terminology not used commonly today.  As I discover and research new terms, I will add them to the following list of definitions:

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Butter Measurements: here are several common terms and equivalent measurements for butter:

   
• butter the size of an egg = 1/4 cup
   
• butter the size of a walnut = 1 tablespoon
   
• butter the size of a hazlenut or hickory nut = 1 teaspoon

Indian meal: coarsely ground corn (i.e. cornmeal)

Candy Temperatures:

Thread: 230-235F (106-112C)
Soft Ball: 235-240F (112-116C)
Firm Ball: 245-250F (118-120C)
Hard Ball: 250-265F (121-130C)
Soft Crack: 270-290F (132-143C)
Hard Crack: 300-310F (149-154C)

Drippings: the rendered fat from beef or pork (i.e. bacon drippings) often used in recipes as the primary fat

Oven Temperatures: many recipes do not state precise temperature but instead use the following terms.  Included next to each term is the corresponding temperature equivalent:

Very Slow Oven (250-300F)
Slow Oven (300-350F)
Moderate Oven (350-400F)
Hot Oven (400-450F)
Very Hot Oven (450-500F)

Pinch: a measurement method where only the amount that can be 'pinched' between your thumb and index finger is used.  Typically used to measure small amounts of spices.

Reciept (or Receipt): common spelling of 'recipe' frequently found on older recipes (ex. this is my mother's reciept)

Ropy (or Ropey): of poor quality or beginning to spoil

Rounding (or Rounded): rounding refers to a measurement that is not leveled off but instead is slightly 'rounded' on top (ex. a rounded cup of sugar). 

Salt Peter (or saltpeter): potassium nitrate, used since Middle Ages to preserve meat. Most widely known for use in creating corned beef.

Scant: just shy of the full measure (i.e. a scant cup of butter)

Seeded Raisins: during the early 20th century, raisins were often made from grapes that were not seedless and were often sold still on the vine

Smearcase (or Schmierkase): a soft cheese which can be spread or eaten with a spoon.  The word originated in the early 1800s in the north midland of the United States and is based on the German words schmier (smear) and Kase (cheese).

Speck: the tiniest amount, just barely noticeable; smaller than a pinch

Spry: a vegetable shortening similar to Crisco which was available from the mid-1930s until the early 1970s

Suet: hard pieces of fat, typically beef, before it is rendered

Sweet Milk: in older times, refrigeration was not possible and often milk soured quickly.  Sweet milk is fresh milk that has not yet soured.  Due to this, recipes differentiated between sour milk, sweet milk, and buttermilk (i.e. a fermented type of milk).