Sunday, August 30, 1936

Cloudy & cool-
I roasted beef and made Banana cream pie and steamed acorn squash & swiss chard for dinner
Harry came this forenoon-
brought us a half bushel of peas-
He and I went for a ride over to see Iliff & Mildred-
Had a wonderfull time
Mother terribly upset this afternoon-
but better by bedtime-

Friday, August 28, 1936

plesant cool but rain all evening-
I made a lemon pie and canned 4 pints of Damson plum* preserves
Leroy Hall worked all day cutting wood and relaying the walk and cleaning out rubbish in the garage-
I made muffins for supper-
Mother has been very keyed up all day-
Mary Brong Miles and daughter & Mrs. Youngs called-

Damson plums are the small, dark purple ones^

^Image attribution: By Alois Lunzer (Brown Brothers Continental Nurseries Catalog 1909) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons


*Damson plums are a small European plum. The recipe below is from Ten Thousand Places blog...

Damson Plum Jam

1 quart damson plums, stemmed and washing, but still whole

2 cups sugar

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup water

Bring all ingredients to a boil, mashing the plums with a potato masher (my favorite jamming tool!).  

The  pits will mostly float to the top, but they are tiny and I found it difficult to scoop out while the jam is cooking, so: once the jam is mashed and cooking (it will seem very very juicy), pour it through a fine mesh sieve or, if you have it, a food mill, into a heat proof bowl.  With the sieve, you will have to use a spatula to press the pulp through the sieve, so some of the skins get into the jam too (they will continue to flavor the jam with their tartness).  Thrown out the remaining pulp/pit mixture, and return the jam to the pot.  If you want to be really really diligent, you can scoop out the individual pits and put the entire pulp back into the pot, but I got lazy after about ten minutes.  So long as you are using a nice flexible spatula with the sieve, you'll be able to press almost everything good out of the skins through the sieve.  A food-mill would just make it that much easier.

Boil till jelly state, continuing to stir and scrape the bottom of the pan.  You can tell this by several tests, but I usually eyeball it.  When you lift you spoon, if they jam comes off it in sheets, rather than individual drops or streams, then it is ready.  I tried to take a picture of this, but, failed.  The picture to your left is of  not-yet-jelly stage, badly out of focus.

Pour into hot sterilized jars, sealing them or covering with paraffin according to your preference.  This recipe makes about five 4oz. jars.  I successfully doubled the recipe to make to 11 4 oz jars.

Wednesday, August 5, 1936

plesant all day
Washed windows out side and carried baskets and boxes over to little house in orchard for Aunty, for storage-
Have not felt very well all day-
Aunty made green applesauce and I stewed prunes-
We had our first ripe tomatoes from the garden for supper

Tomato from my fridge

Tuesday, April 21, 1936

Rainy and cold all day
clear sky and stars shining this eve-
Done all the chores and made corn strach custards and stewed the last phenix apples*
Rec'd letter and $15.00ncheck from Clara pays from March 24 to April 13-
Mother has been quiet all day-

Cortland apple created in NY

*I cannot find a listing for a phenix/phoenix apple. One site says that there are over 735 variety of apples, of which only about 50 are grown in any number. That's 6.8% of the apple varieties being grown now than in 1892! My dad, who worked in a apple orchard for a number of years, has never heard of this apple. It's possible it was a local name, or that it is no longer cultivated. 

http://www.orangepippin.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_apple_cultivars

Sunday, April 12, 1936

Easter Sunday
Rainy this afternoon
Baked a pie shell and filled it with strawberries sweetened and covered with whipped cream
Had short steak and asparagas*
Clara took Aunty over to see Dr. Stuard this morning-
Clara left us at 1 o'clock-
and Harry left us at 3 o'clock P.M.
Mother has been good today-
Iliff came this eve
Crocuses are in bloom

Easter Eggs by Jan Kameníček 2006

*Asparagus is a spring vegetable. My father hates it because his mother always boiled it & the smell made him ill. Mom & I love it & make it frequently on the grill drizzled with balsamic vinegar. The other day Dad told me he would try it the next time I make it. Victory!

Tuesday, April 7, 1936

Calm and plesant this forenoon changing to north wind and snow this afternoon-
Iliff came and worked 6 hrs. burning bush and part of orchard grass-
I made apple pudding and macaroni & cheese* and roast beef for dinner with asparagas
Mother was fairly good today

Baked macaroni and cheese*

*While doing a bit of internet research for this post, I found a recipe I liked, but the information on the blog was erroneous. Seriously people, just take a few seconds & look things up if you don't know. I found this article by the Smithsonian which came out 1 1/2 years before the blog post I referenced. Anyway, who knew Thomas Jefferson served mac & cheese when he was president in 1802? I think that is cool. Irene wouldn't have been serving Kraft Macaroni & Cheese on this day because it didn't come out until the following year.I opted for this recipe seen below, because it calls for making a cheese sauce & includes mustard like my mom's. (Image from Moms Who Think website.)

Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:

4 cups whole milk
5 Tablespoons butter
4 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 cups grated mild cheddar cheese
3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 pound elbow macaroni

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat the milk (do not boil).
3. Add the butter. When butter is melted into the milk, add the flour while whisking. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture is smooth.
4. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, dry mustard, black pepper, 2 1/2 cups of the mild cheddar cheese and 2 1/2 cups of the sharp cheddar cheese. Set cheese sauce aside.
5. Bring 2 quarts water to a boil. Add the macaroni, cook for the time specified on the package, making sure not to overcook it. Drain immediately and rinse under cold running water. Drain well.
6. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.
7. Pour the mixture into a 3 quart casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup mild cheddar and 1/2 cup sharp cheddar on top.
8. Bake until browned on top, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Tuesday, March 3, 1936

Soft snow this morning
Cloudy and dull all day-
Swept the walks and done all the chores-
Made tapioca custard this morning-
Iliff came and we went to Ithaca-
Sent Emily her pillowslips*-
Mother has been fine today.

Twin kittens pillowcase from 123stitch*

*Pillowslips are simply pillowcases. I'm an embroiderer so I thought I would share a  place where you can get some traditional pillowcase kits to stitch.

Thursday, February 27, 1936

Thawed and plesant getting colder this eve-
Snowed a little this afternoon and again this eve*-
Done all the chores
Stewed prunes and made apple pudding^-
Cleaned out under the oven this A.M.
Took Mother over to Anna Bowers and Iliff and I went to Ithaca-
Aunty has been fine today-
Rec'd letter from Mildred Searles.

Baked Butterscotch Apple Pudding

*Same here. I guess the weather is one thing Irene would not find too different in 2014.


^You'll never guess what I found. No, unfortunately not Irene's recipe for apple pudding, but the great world of Google spit out a recipe Irene would have been happy to try- Butterscotch Apple Pudding! 

Baked Butterscotch Apple Pudding

Ingredients:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup water
• 1 1/3 cup sifted all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 1/2 cups sliced apples mixed with 1/3 cup brown sugar

Preparation:

In a saucepan, combine 1 cup brown sugar, and cornstarch, 1/4 cup butter. Stir in 1 cup water; cook over low heat until thickened. Pour mixture into a lightly buttered 10x6-inch baking dish. In a bowl, combine sifted flour, baking powder, salt, and 2/3 cup brown sugar. Blend in 1/4 cup butter and the 1/2 cup milk, stirring just until dampened. Stir in the sliced apples with 1/3 cup brown sugar. Pour apple batter over syrup in baking dish. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. 

Tuesday, February 25, 1936

South wind and thaws today-
Cloudy and dull but snow has melted a lot-
Harry Baker came this P.M.
I made tapioca custard* and stewed apples^-
1 1/2 tons of coal delivered today
Rec'd a letter and check from Clara- paid to March 2-
Mother has been fine today-
Wrote to Clara this eve-

Baked Tapioca Custard*

*I'm not sure if Irene would have made a baked tapioca custard but these two recipes looked rather promising. (Above image from the Cookmap.com recipe below.)

Baked Tapioca Pudding on Cookmap.com

Tapioca Custard Pudding on Lovetoknow.com

^For stewed apples see the February 6, 1936 post.

Sunday, February 23, 1936

Cold and plesant
24 [degrees] above zero at noon
Had a quiet Sunday all day- nothing eventful happened-
Done all the chores and got the meals*
Iliff called this eve-
Mother has been good all day but turned difficult after supper-
went up stairs to bed 11-30 o'clock

Meatloaf, roasted broccoli & potatoes with Ranch dressing

*Embracing my inner Irene, I made dinner (above), dessert, did 3 loads of laundry, swept the kitchen floor, & did the dishes. In my own diary I don't usually write these things down. I do mention what I did over the course of the day. I nearly always mention Fiona. Many times I mention my parents, family, & friends, but I don't usually tick off my to-do list. Here is my meatloaf recipe (based on my mom's whatever-is-in-the-cupboard meatloaf).

Tisha's Meatloaf

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 T garlic powder
• 1 T onion powder
• 1 t black pepper
• 1/4 t Kosher salt
• 1 c stuffing mix (like Stove Top or Bell's)
• 1 egg
• 3/4 c canned diced tomatoes

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk egg. Put diced tomatoes in food processor or blender for a few seconds to puree. Mix all ingredients well in a large bowl. Pack meatloaf mixture into a loaf pan (I prefer glass) & bake until internal temperature is 160-170 degrees F (about 35 minutes).


02/23/2015 UPDATE: I neglected to mention that the dinner plate in the above image is from my grandmother Mildred's set. We still have a couple of dinner plates, & a couple of salad plates. My mother tells a story about going to visit Iliff & Mildred at the farm in the Town of Ira where my dad grew up. At dinner, Mom was trying to get the mashed potatoes off the serving spoon onto my sister or brother's plate & she accidentally banged the spoon on the plate. Mildred complained that Mom didn't know how to treat the dishes. To this day, if someone clangs silverware against a dish we jokingly say they "don't know how to treat the dishes!"

Monday, February 17, 1936

Icy & cloudy with snow this P.M.
Made crabapple pie* and stewed prunes and washed Mothers sweater-
Done all the chores and got two bushels of corn from corn house-
Mother has been quiet and good but kept in Aunty's kitchen most of the day-

Preparing a crab apple pie from Three Clever Sisters blog*

*I have to say, I had the same view of crabapples as Sara of Three Clever Sisters blog, where I got the recipe below. "I’ve long thought that crabapples weren’t good for much of anything, figuring they were one of those ornamental fruits that tastes horrible–or worse." Apparently, we were wrong. Irene mentions using crabapples often. So give it a try when you are next faced with a batch of crab apples.

Crabapple Pie (from Three Clever Sisters blog)

 

Print

Ingredients

• 6 cups of unpeeled cored and quartered tart crabapples. (A generous 2½ pounds)
• 1c sugar
• 1T all-purpose flour
• ¼t salt
• 1½T lemon juice
• 1t vanilla extract
• ¼c water
• 1T milk or cream
• One prepared recipe of double-batch pie crust, divided into two discs.

Instructions

1. Have your pie crust prepared and chilling in the fridge.
2. Preheat the oven to 450F. Roll out half of your pie dough and place it in your pie pan. Return to the fridge or freezer to chill while you prepare the filling.
3. Toss crabapples with sugar, flour, salt, and lemon juice.  Pour this filling into your pie pan. Stir the vanilla extract and water together, and then sprinkle over the filling.
4. Spread filling in crust, sprinkle with vanilla lemon juice water  Roll out the second piece of dough and cover the filling.
5. Pinch or crimp the two crusts together, paint with the milk or cream, and then make several slits in the top layer of dough.
6. Bake for 15 minutes at 450F, then lower the heat to 375F and bake an additional 40-45 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbling.
7. Cool 1-2 hours before serving.

Sunday, February 16, 1936

Icy but plesant
30 [degrees] above zero at noon-
Thawed some in the sun-
Had company dinner and not any one came*- Roast pork^- mashed potatoes, brown gravy, spinach, sweet potatoes, pickle pears, bread and butter, and pumpkin pie-
Iliff called this eve-
Washed Mothers neck and combed her hair- She has been good all day

Pork loin from The Comfort of Cooking^

*This is so sad. Irene spent 2-3 days preparing this amazing meal & no one came, probably due to the ice. Poor Great-grandma.

^Roast Pork Loin recipe here.

Saturday, February 15, 1936

Icy and colder
20 [degrees] above zero at noon-
Made pumpkin pie and a cake and roasted a porkloin roast and mopped kitchen
usual Saturday work-
Mother has been restless and quarrelsome* with Aunty today and kept away from me also-



*Readers have been wondering what affliction Mother was suffering from. We are unsure. The family doesn't have any medical information regarding Mother. Plus, all the family members that would remember her, like my grandfather (Iliff Dolton, Sr.) & his cousins (notably Hazel & Vera Dolton) are all dead. My parents & I speculate that Mother may have been suffering from Alzheimer's Disease or Dementia. I have to say that I am pleased that readers of this blog seem truly interested in the well being of these women. Thank you for reading & caring about my family.

Friday, February 14, 1936

Warmer 30 [degrees] above zero
Icy all over the snow-
Had to shovell out the paths
They were drifted full-
Cooked pumpkin for pies also prunes-
Mother has been very quiet and good all day-
She rec'd valentine* from Clara-

1936 valentine like Mother could have received from Clara*

*Vintage valentine courtesy of the Vintage Valentine Museum.

Wednesday, February 12, 1936

Lincoln's birthday*
Cold but moderating a little
14 [degrees] above zero at noon
Made chocolate pudding and cup custard and oat flake cookies today-
Done all the chores and swept and dusted-
Mother has been fine today
Rec'd a letter from Clara to Aunty-

Abraham Lincoln in 1863 daguerreotype*

*Irene made a point of saying it was Lincoln's birthday even though her diary has some pre-printed historical facts for each date. This leads me to believe that his birthday was important to her as a remembrance. I have a friend who's mother used to make a special cake for Lincoln's birthday. I can't remember if it was a log cabin, or just a log. (Image comes from Wikimedia Commons & is in the public domain.)

Thursday, February 6, 1936

Aunt Emmeline's* birthday-
Plesant but cold- 4 [degrees] below zero tonight-
Made oat flake cookies^ and stewed apples** today-
Done all the chores but Aunty went to barn this P.M. and brought in the sick white rooster.
Rec'd letter from Clara today-
Iliff called this eve-




*Aunt Emmaline refers to the wife of Eli Dolton. Eli & Willet Dolton were brothers. Willet was Willard's father. Willard was Irene's husband & Iliff's (Sr.) father.

^The oat flake cookies have made another appearance. I warned, you she makes them a lot!

**Stewed apples & prunes were popular with Irene too. I found a simple stewed apples recipe on Penny's Recipes by Penny Ritson.

Stewed Apples
1-2 apples per person, peeled and chopped
Splash of apple juice (or water)
1 teaspoon of sugar per apple

• Place the apples, juice/water and sugar in a heavy bottomed saucepan
• Heat up on a medium heat until bubbling
• Stir, cover with a lid and turn down heat a little
• Cook for 20-30 minutes until soft (depends on type of apple)
• Adjust liquid as necessary

Friday, January 31, 1936

Cold 4 [degrees] below zero at 8 oclock A.M.
Mother has been pouty and restless all day-
Cooked pumpkin for pies-
Done all the chores-
Wrote letter to Florence Griffin

Tuesday, January 28, 1936

Cold and windy
6 [degrees] below zero this A.M. and 8 [degrees] above this eve-
Done the chores and got meals today-
Have a stiff neck to day-
Mother has been good today
Aunty made a custard* for us-

Iliff Dolton, Jr with the home pasteurizer in 1948^

*Many custard recipes say to scald the milk, & that is no doubt what Aunty did when she made it 77 years ago. This very simple, modern custard recipe I found does not call for scalding the milk. We now have pasteurized milk, & that process kills any harmful bacteria, so scalding is unnecessary. The occasional bread recipe will still require scalding, or bringing the milk to a boil first.


^Taken in 1948 & photographed by H.V. Rickner, 51 Chelsea Rd. Rochester 5, NY, Iliff Willard Dolton, Jr. (my father) & his parent's pasteurizer in their home in Cato, NY. The photograph appeared in a popular agriculture magazine.

Saturday, January 25, 1936

Cold but plesant
Zero this A.M. rising to 10 [degrees] above just after noon-
Done all the chores and shovelled path to corn house for corn-
Made a layer cake with crabapple jelly filling. Made apple sauce*-
Charles came for list of groceries to get for us in town
Rec'd letter from Christine-
Mother difficult this AM-



*I wondered whether Irene was cooking apple sauce on Jan 16 when she stated she "cooked sweet apples." Since she used the term apple sauce on this date, I can only assume that 9 days prior, she was cooking something else.

Thursday, January 16, 1936

Quiet and plesant but cold all day-
Mother good today
I made tapioca pudding and cooked sweet apples* and done all the chores-
Iliff came & we went to Ithaca and bought birthday cards and Iliff got license plates^ for the car.
I wrote to Clara-



*Does this mean the apples were sweet before Irene cooked them? Or did she make applesauce? I am confused.

^Since Ithaca is the county seat for Tompkins County, it only makes sense that my grandfather would get his license plates there.