Comments On Article: The Scrapbook And The Pie Judging

If you would like to share your comments for article The Scrapbook and the Pie Judging, this is where to do it! 

Click the Reply To This Topic button below to post yours.

That's a surprise to me, too, that the older pie recipe was the preferred one.  I don't like the foamy texture of meringue, so I rarely make those kinds of pies.  If I do make one, I top it with whipped cream and have to find a different way to use the whites, so I normally make other pie recipes.  

One of my favorite recipes that is old is one my mother and grandmother both grew up eating, as did I, which is called eggs in a frame or eggs in a basket or Birmingham eggs or.... It's the recipe in which a hole is cut in the center of a piece of bread then an egg cracked into the hole, and both are cooked in the skillet.  My grandmother was born in 1896 and my mother in 1920.  We cook ours in the skillet with butter and cook the "hole" along with the bread and egg dish.  The hole is buttery and toasty and just right for a little honey, syrup, jam or jelly.  The egg yolk is to be left a little runny, and the bread "frame" is used to sop up the egg. 

The graduation book is just wonderful.  No wonder you couldn't resist it!  There is so much of interest in it, and you can imagine the love and care she put into it.  I hate that someone got rid of it, but at the same time, if they hadn't discarded it, you and Charles wouldn't have it!

I have an old scrapbook belonging to my other grandmother (b. 1894, d. 1937) that she filled with greeting and post cards.  She died well before I was born, but this scrapbook makes me feel like I know a little bit about her as a person, so I treasure it.

I like the recipe postings.  I vote you continue.

For Mother’s Day, my youngest son requested raspberry pie. Because there were 10 adults I decided to make 2. I bought all the ingredients at the store at once (except for the sugar). I was very surprised to see it cost me almost $35 to make both pies or $17.50 a piece. Oh my. It was delicious though. I decided back in 2020 that I was going to learn how to make pies- it’s now my favorite holiday dessert to make. Lemon is one pie I haven’t tried so I need to try this recipe as soon as possible

I have 2 cookbooks that belonged to my grandmother. They are very fragile, I have used a few recipes from them in the past. The green book was printed in 1931, the red checked book in 1928. I found it interesting to see they both have directions for cooking in a pressure cooker. Made me feel better about using my InstantPot, although being widowed I rarely use it now. I do use my little 2 quart crockpot almost every day. The books talk about an “electric fireless cooker” which sounds much like a crockpot.

I enjoy reading your posts! Happy Belated Mother's Day. You can look on Ancestry for any of this woman's relatives since you have her name, if you're looking for relatives. I think it's a nifty looking scrapbook. I've often started several but have given them up.

I’m so glad to see this lemon pie recipe, without cornstarch!  And with just 1 tablespoon of butter I may be able to make it dairy free.  I love lemon meringue pie!  It has been ages since I baked pies regularly but it is one of my goals of 2025 to bake pies more regularly.  I want to replace the ultra processed non-dairy ice creams my son eats for dessert sometimes, as well as to have lower sugar options than cake or cookies.  A home baked fruit pie can round out supper nicely and even be eaten at breakfast the next morning along with an egg.

In the spirit of living in 1932 I am using my microwave because I already have it and because it is energy efficient.  Yesterday I bought a ceramic egg cooker (for the microwave) for $2.50 at the thrift store.  This morning I used it to poach one egg for myself (45 seconds and then a minute without cooking for the residual heat to finish it.  For an early lunch I used it to make scrambled eggs for my son before he went to work.  The scrambled eggs took about 2 1/2 minutes total cooking time in the microwave, much less electricity than using the induction range would have, and he was able to eat the eggs directly from the ceramic cooker.  Overall the eggs needed less oil than cooking in a pan, less time and less electricity, and less water for washing up.

Oh, and I found a thread stand at the thrift store too!  It was bundled with a high end acrylic sewing machine extension table for $10, and had never been used.  Here I had just realized I need a thread stand to use cross-wound thread with my vintage sewing machines, and the next thrift trip provided what I needed (different store).

I love the scrap book, reminds so much of my grandmother. She was born 1909 and graduated at 16.

I love pie! but I do not like meringue I usually just save the egg whites and make angel food cake. 

I think I am doing pretty good with the 1930's study in living.  I have been trying to get my days lined up to do as back then. I feel like I have less anxiety about the things going on around me.  Have simplified my cooking a bit, it is hard to cook for just one person. I love veggies so have been eating a lot of them and salads.

Family get together for Mothers day and 10 year old grand requested my mac and cheese which just cracks me up because she usually gets the "from a box" kind. I make mine with white sauce/cheese and there is definitely a difference.

I don't like chips and snacks like that, I do love popcorn!  But I am one of the weird ones, no salt and barely any butter. 

JC

I'll have to try that recipe.  My husband loves anything lemony and so I always make him a lemon meringue pie for his birthday.  The recipe that I use only has 2 eggs and uses cornstarch rather than flour.  So a different recipe will be interesting to try.

I know how Joan S feels about such sentimental and personal things just being discarded by later generations.  It makes me sad to see those old pictures of babies and little kids and family gatherings just tossed out.  Of course a person can't keep everything so some winnowing has to happen.  A couple of years ago I did find a music box at an antique store.  It obviously was hand made------very well made.  It has an inlaid star shaped pattern made with different kinds of wood inlaid on the front and initials on the top, a little mirror set in the inside of the lid.  Just beautiful and obviously took a lot of work.  Well, Just couldn't leave it there with strangers picking over it (although that was exactly what I was doing).  So now when I dust the dresser and music box I always think that I am  just enjoying it for CES whoever she might have been.

I am so happy that the 1931 pie won the contest. They both look delicious. 

 Mother's Day made me do some hard thinking, and I researched the origins of it in the US. The woman who got it started got very mad about how the holiday became commercialized. She wanted it to be a simple day of appreciation and the giving of carnations, her mother's favorite flower. No cards or dinners out or gifts. I wanted something that simple too. I found some heirloom fragrant perennial carnation seeds to plant. That way next year I can be given fresh-picked carnations from our own yard, and that's all. I like the simplicity of it and returning the meaning to true sentiment and not a  forced sentiment. I decided to look up Father's Day, too, and see what vintage traditions we could we do. Mother's Day became a national holiday in 1914, but Father's Day didn't until 1972! I told my husband that he was out of luck because Father's Day isn't a vintage celebration. :) 

I got over my fear of canning and my canning pantry is getting some things in it. It is a huge relief that I don't have to worry about losing the food in my fridge if the power went out, and that I'm not dependent on a utility company for if my food will be available or not. I was surprised at how good it made me feel.

I'm beginning to get cash in my budget envelopes. It looks like the China tariffs are greatly reduced, and that is good news for my husband's industry. We might be okay after all. I've learned my lesson, though, and we're putting less money in investment and more in bank savings. I hope after this year we can go back to paying off the mortgage. I hate seeing all the interest we pay each month. It feels like we are throwing money into the gutter each month. I think I can now understand how people felt in the 1930s not knowing what was going to happen to the economy from one day to the next. 

Happy Mother's Day, gDonna!  The Graduation book made me cry.  When I go to antique stores and see old pictures of people for sale I always tear up.  Why are these pictures at an antique store and not with the family.  One time I saw a very large, old marriage certificate.  But that is probably what will happen to all of my pictures and sentimental things I have saved over the years because my husband and I don't have any children.  Whenever we go to Cracker Barrel to eat and I see all of those old pictures of people hanging on the walls I tell my husband "This is where all of our pictures are going to end up.  We are going to be watching people eat their Old Timer's breakfast platter".  It just makes me sad how people don't seem to be sentimental about anything anymore.  I don't much care for the time that we live in.  God Bless you and Charles!  

Bobbi from Virginia

Grandma Donna wrote. Hi everyone, I am in here reading along your wonderful posts.  A few of you have mentioned cornstarch in lemon pie, just to let you know, the recipe from 1950 had cornstarch and flour, the 1931 just the flour.  Nobody knew the ingredients except for me so after we did the tasting and the 1931 recipe won, I told them the ingredients and we all wondered if it was because it did not have the cornstarch.  I wish I could comment on everyone's post but know that I am enjoying reading what you have written, great information and sharing your thoughts and experiences. 

Our pies would not cost as much if we had chickens in our yard, a milk cow and many fruit trees as many did in 1931. Many of us do not, so now we need to figure out how to make a thrifty pie in this modern world and what is the pie that costs the least to make. Thank you Melissa M for putting that thought out there from your comment. Hugs

I am also glad you purchased the scrapbook! It reminds me of my aunt and also my grandmother. I didn't have a close, loving relationship with my aunt (she was a challenging person and also lived out of town so I saw her rarely growing up), but helped my parents clean out her home after her death. I was able to look through her 4 high school yearbooks and really saw a different side of her. These yearbooks would have been from the late 50s but people were still calling each other such silly nicknames in quotes. She also wrote on so many of the photos giving all her own captions. 

Another time, quite a few years ago, I was able to visit a large history research center in my city. I discovered a copy of the yearbook from one of my grandma's high school years. Now, only 1 of my grandparents even finished high school to completion (and this is her). I was able to see her high school yearbook photo - I think she was a junior or senior in it - and see the clubs in which she participated. She was born in 1909 so this would have been 1926 or 27. She was in her 80s when she died but I was only around 9, so this helped me imagine a younger version of her.

Lemon pie is one of my favorites. I will have to try this one.  I like meringue and I'm always disappointed when the lemon pie doesn't have it. 

About 15 years ago I had a chance to buy a lovely old scrapbook from the 30s & 40s filled with postcards and travel memorabilia.  It was only $20. I wanted it but decided to be "practical" and I didn't get it. I hope who ever bought it kept it intact! I regret that decision! 

Love the pie contest! I do have a couple of old cookbooks. I recently (ish) found free a woman’s scrapbook of recipes so to speak.  There is a recipe for homemade cake doughnuts.  And from looking at the recipe, it appears that it might be one for how I remember them when I was little (using mace).  I’ve not tried it yet because I’m afraid I might like them too much!

What a wonderful treasure you two found.  It was obviously meant to be and appears to be chocked full.  What a great resource and piece of history :-