Thursday 7 March 2024

In the Kitchen ~ Peanut Butter Apple Crumble

Im still working my way through hundreds of recipes from the 1940s. Hubby and I are really enjoying them... and they seem to be packed with flavour... even the more weird ones.
This Apple Crumble recipe from Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, September 1948 is a twist on the original and has peanut butter in the topping...only a 1/4 of a cup but it made a difference to the flavour. 
Also, the recipe calls for 2 1/2 cups of sugar in the topping, Even the thought made my sweet tooth go Eeeek!! So I dropped it to a good cup of brown sugar and it worked well for hubby and me
Absolutely delicious.. especially served with some of creamy custard (any excuse)

Peanut Butter Apple Crumble

5 apples, pared and sliced (about 3 cups)
cup water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons en- riched flour
3/4 cup quick- cooking oats
2½ cup brown sugar
½ cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons butter or fortified margarine
Original Magazine Illustration
  • Arrange sliced apples in baking dish.
  • Sprinkle with water, lemon juice, and cinnamon.
  • Combine remaining ingredients; mix well.
  • Spread on apples.
  • Bake in slow oven (300°) about 50 minutes.
  • Serves 6.
Better Homes and Gardens Magazine
September 1948

Tuesday 5 March 2024

Early Easter Decor..

I know Easter isnt until the end of the month...
and it will come and go in the blink of an eye.
I do love displaying my little treasures around the house in plenty of time
so I can enjoy them.
They give me so much pleasure.
Do you decorate your home for Easter

Love and Hugs
Phoebe x

Monday 4 March 2024

Whats For Dinner ~ Meal Plan Monday

We have a very nice start of the week in store... we have neighbours coming for dinner. At church last night they told us that their oven was on the blink so we invited them to come to us for a meal tonight. The weather is quite pleasant so we will take a couple of steaks out of the freezer and throw them on the barbeque. It will make a nice change... and thats southern California for you...snow one minute... blazing sunshine the next.

And talking of neighbours...ours have their Easter decorations up already. I dont know if its too early but Im thinking of putting a few bunnies around the house this week. Easter will be here and gone before we know it... so I might as well get some enjoyment from them while I can.

There's nothing much else going on this week... except for Saturday...when a friend and I are going to a free cheese making demonstration. That should be interesting... and we may even stop at an Estate Sale on the way home

Have a good week.. and when do you decorate for Easter.

Weekly Plan - 4th March 2024

Monday              Steak and Onions, Baby Potatoes. Asparagus

Tuesday              Pepperoncini Chicken and Rice, salad

Wednesday        Spanish Pork Chops

Thursday            Spaghetti and Meatballs (homemade meatballs from freezer)

Friday                  Pizza 

Saturday             Chili Dogs ( leftover Chili from freezer)

Sunday                Roast Pork and Potatoes, Carrots, Broccoli, Gravy

Sunday 3 March 2024

Sunday Thought ~ Romans 5:8


Love and Hugs
Phoebe x

Change of Plan...

What a grey, miserable and very rainy day its been. We did plan to start work on the vegetable garden this morning but we were rained off. We want to raise the beds higher.. in an attempt to deter Prince from using them as a comfy mattress. 
Still... there's always next week...and Mr D has started updating all those pesky unearthed sockets until the storm passes

In the meantime... the potatoes are chitting nicely...
life is returning to the garden...
including the return of birds...
and there is sign of some growth in the beds...
even if its mushrooms that I dont know the name of...

Any ideas?

Love and Hugs
Phoebe x

Thursday 29 February 2024

In the Kitchen ~ Welsh Cakes

Dydd Gwyl Dewi Hapus…. Happy Saint Davids Day... well..it is in Wales and will be here in a few hours
Daffodils...the Welsh National Flower in the garden 
of my old home in Wales

To celebrate I made a batch of  Wartime Welsh Cakes. They are a cross between a scone and a pancake and also known as a Welsh teacake, and are a perfect sweet, afternoon tea treat. 

Quick and easy to make, these little cakes are a wartime classic that provided soldiers and coal mine workers during the World War with a sense of happiness. to me they are a taste of home

You can take this girl out of Wales.. but you can’t take Wales out of this girl.

Wartime Welsh Cakes


6 oz plain flour with 3 teaspoons baking powder added (or use self raising flour)
2 oz margarine, butter or dripping
2 oz sultanas (or mixed dried fruit)
1 small carrot grated
2 oz sugar
1 fresh egg or 1 dried reconstituted egg
1 tablespoon milk
1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg

  • Rub fat into the flour and baking powder mix until resembles bread crumbs
  • Stir in nutmeg, sugar and dried fruit
  • Mix the egg and milk together and add to dry mix to form a stiff dough (add more liquid or more flour as needed)
  • Treat mixture as pastry and roll out on floured surface to 1/4 inch thick
  • Use 3 inch rounds to cut out
  • Pre-heat griddle or heavy frying pan
  • Grease
  • Put in Welsh Cakes and cook until golden brown on both sides over a moderate heat (about 4 minutes)
  • Set aside a cool
  • Sprinkle with a little sugar
  • Serve with butter/jam and a nice cuppa strong tea!

Saturday 24 February 2024

Stitching...

Sometimes the smallest outing... brings me a the most pleasure.
A quick trip to Hobby Lobby always brightens my day and gets my fingers itching for stitching
This week... I began my yearly apron collection. I like to make new ones to keep them fresh looking.
So... a bit of sunshine through an open window
a bit of sewing...
and a lot of ric rac
makes a pleasant afternoon...
and a pretty apron

Love and Hugs
Phoebe x

Friday 23 February 2024

Can of Worms...

Sometimes... in an old house.. even the littlest job can open up a whole can of worms...The light bulb went out in our bedroom ceiling. MrD went to change it,,, and there was no way to do it without taking out the whole light fitting. Which he did.. with some difficulty and a cracking of the light cover. 

But.. worse than that.. the wiring behind it was a disaster.. and had to be redone. Lots of crawling around in fibre glass insulation in the attic was required... so a very trendy paper coverall was required...
which Prince didnt like at all.!

But worse was to come when he discovered that many of the sockets in the house wern't earthed... something that wasnt required when the house was built. So thats going to be an on going job.. starting next week
Still... I got a lovely new light and fan.. which is going to be wonderful when the triple digit temperatures hit this summer..

Love and Hugs
Phoebe x


Thursday 22 February 2024

In the Kitchen ~ 1940s Hamburger Pie

A very Happy 91st Birthday to this lovely lady... my dear Mother in Law. Although she decided not to come live with us and stayed up in Washington.. we talk often.  
Shes more tired than she used to be... but shes still as smart as a tack. 
Someone sent us an up to date photo of her taken this morning but she dosnt like it because
"it makes her look old!!"
So these from a couple of years ago will have to do
And Im so very grateful to her for giving me my amazing hubby.
Hopefully we will get to see her again this summer.

Im also grateful that she has gifted me her recipe box. Its full  of recipe clippings stretching back  to the 1930s..A lovely addition to my 1940s collection which includes this one

Hamburger Pie

A very simple dish from Better Homes and Gardens, August 1946. It makes and tastes amost like a Cottage Pie.. but Im not sure why we leave the middle of the mashed potato topping open!

The only changes I made to the original recipe..was to add some chopped carrots that were leftover from another meal... and a few splashes of Worcestshire sauce. 

Not too bad at all!


4 potatoes
1 pound lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup
1 (15 ounce) can green beans, drained
Salt and pepper to taste

  •  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. 
  • Peel and quarter potatoes, and introduce into boiling water; 
  • Cook until tender, about 15 minutes. 
  • Drain and mash. Set aside.
  • Meanwhile, In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground beef and onion until beef is brown. Drain. 
  • Stir in tomato soup and green beans. 
  • Pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish. 
  • Top with well seasoned mashed potatoes in a ring around the meat mixture (do not cover meat).
  • Bake in preheated oven 30 minutes, until potatoes are golden
Better Homes and Gardens Magazine
August 1946

Love and Hugs
Phoebe x

Tuesday 20 February 2024

Job Well Done MrD...


Well... he fiddled...
and he faddled...
he frowned...
and he smiled...
he measured...
and stretched...
and he crouched.
And finally the new water tank was in place..
And its so much better than the old one

Only problem is..
the utility toom now needs a nice coat of paint...

Love and Hugs
Phoebe x