Today I want to share some old, old recipes with you… some are just for fun and others because they remind us of what food was like in the early 19th century.

One thing Covid has given me has been time to try new things in the kitchen. This is something I have never enjoyed to this extent. Not long ago my sister said, “I knew the cooking bug would get you eventually.” I guess she was right. My problem with cooking was that it was always a “must do” rather than something I wanted to do. Our family was always busy with activities and so meals were something we had to make happen but time at the table was much more important that the time it would take to prepare the food. So we ate things that could be prepared quickly and inexpensively. I hope that one day your life will allow you to express creativity in the kitchen – even if that time is not right now.

All of the following recipes are from a book I helped compile during my internship with the Lamar County Texas Extension Service in 1986 and the book is meant to highlight some of Paris’s history, along with recipes that were popular during particular time periods.

The first recipe is one that I plan to try very soon. I’ve never done anything like this and will share with you my results and would love if you would share yours too!

Grandmother Denton’s Salt Rising Bread

by Lura Denton Cawthon

Ingredients:

2 Medium Potatoes, sliced 1/4 -inch thick

2 Tablespoons Corn Meal

1 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Sugar

1 Pinch Baking Soda

1 Pint Boiling Water

Later Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Grease (oil)

1/2 Cup Sugar

1 Tablespoon Salt

1 Pint Warm Milk

Directions:

1. Slice 2 medium sized potatoes and place in a quart jar. Add 2 tablespoons meal, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, a pinch of soda, and a pint of boiling water.
2. Store the jar in a warm place overnight. Check the next morning – it should be covered with foam. If not, place jar in a pan of warm water. Don’t use until foam appears. Remove potatoes and discard. In a medium-sized glass bowl add everything but potatoes and enough flour to make a stiff batter when stirred with a spoon. Let stand until light and puffy with the bowl in a pan of very warm water.
3. Once the dough is light and puffy, add 1/2 c. oil, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 Tablespoon salt, and 1 pint warm milk.
4. Add flour and knead until dough will not stick to board. Make into loaves. Put in well-greased pans. Let rise. Bake for one hour at 325° F.

Mrs. Cawthon reports that as of 1986 this recipe has been in her family for over 150 years. Does anyone else have a recipe their family has passed down like this?

Taffy Pull!!!

Myrtle Conder shared this fun recipe for taffy that I intend to try. I plan to add a little lemon extract for a fun flavor in the second batch if the first one works. This recipe makes it sound so simple! Please let me know if you try this. I’ll post (probably hysterical) photos when we try it.

Taffy Candy

Ingredients:

3 cups Sugar

1/2 cup Vinegar

1/2 cup Water

1 Tablespoon butter

Directions:

1. Cook without stirring until hard when dropped in cold water (hard ball stage). Pour in greased pan and pull when cool.