Homesewn 1920s Gift Ideas

The Winter 1927 issue of McCall's Quarterly suggests sewing these beautiful underthings for your holiday gift giving. There are a variety of items to choose from, including pajamas, chemises, slips, and kimonos. I am a novice seamstress at best, but I can see that several of these would be simple to sew. The most time consuming part would be the intricate embroidery detail that most of them have. So pretty! Can you imagine receiving that peacock kimono for Christmas?

Source: McCall Quarterly, Winter 1927/1928

Peach Puffs - 1926

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 can sliced peaches

Drain syrup from peaches and reserve. Place a layer of peaches in the bottom of well buttered individual baking dishes or muffin tins. Mix remaining ingredients to make a batter. Cover peaches with batter and bake in a moderate (350) oven for about 25 minutes. Turn out the puddings so that the peaches are on top. Serve with Hot Peach Sauce and hard sauce.

Peach Sauce
1/4 cup sugar
few grains of salt
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1/3 cup water
syrup from drained peaches
2 teaspoons butter
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
few grains of nutmeg

Mix sugar, salt, cornstarch, water and peach juice in a saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, until thick and clear. Remove from fire and add 2 teaspoons butter, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, and a few grains of nutmeg.

Source: The Del Monte Fruit Book, copyright 1926, California Packing Corporation

Fruit Tea Punch - 1926

Drain 2 cups Del Monte Fruits for Salad (fruit cocktail) and cut fruit in small pieces. Pour 1 quart boiling water over 3 tablespoons Ceylon tea and steep 5 minutes. Strain and cool, adding 3 tablespoons sugar, 3 slices lemon, 6 cloves and syrup drained from fruit. When thoroughly chilled pour over fruit in glasses and garnish with a sprig of mint. This amount serves about 15 persons.

Source: The Del Monte Fruit Book, copyright 1926, California Packing Corporation, San Francisco, CA

Orange Cup Salad - 1925

1 grapefruit
3 oranges
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup pineapple, cut in small pieces
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Peel grapefruit. Remove pulp separately from each section, discarding all the membrane. Cut in pieces. Cut oranges in halves and remove pulp, being careful to keep in as large pieces as possible. Save the skins for salad cups. Mix the fruit, add sugar and lemon juice. Chill. Serve in the orange skins with Fruit Salad Dressing and garnish with Maraschino cherries.

Fruit Salad Dressing:

1/2 teaspoon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1 egg yolk
2 Tablespoons vinegar
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup whipped cream

Mix the mustard, salt, pepper and paprika. Add egg yolk and mix well. Add one tablespoon vinegar. Add the oil gradually, beating constantly with an egg beater or silver fork. As mixture thickens, add remainder of vinegar. Fold whipped cream in lightly.

Source: Heinz Book of Salads, copyright 1925, H.J. Heinz Co.

Soda for Cleaning - 1920s

Taken from: Sweets, Lydia E. Pinkham Medicine Co., 1920s booklet

Honey Drops - 1920s

2 cups white sugar, 1/2 cup boiling water, 1 large spoonful strained honey, butter size of an egg. Boil until it threads, take from fire and add 1/2 cup chopped nuts, 1/2 teaspoon almond flavoring, then pour gradually, beating at the same time, over the beaten white of a fresh egg; beat until firm enough to drop on oiled paper without running.

Taken from: Sweets, Lydia E. Pinkham Medicine Co.

Dandelion Salad - 1925

Select the young tender leaves of dandelion, wash carefully, drain and put in the ice box in a cheese-cloth bag to become crisp. Pile lightly on salad plates and serve with Tarragon Dressing. Dandelion may also be used as the foundation for other vegetable salads.

Tarragon Dressing:

1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon paprika
3 Tablespoons Heinz Tarragon Vinegar
3/4 cup Heinz pure olive oil
1 hard cooked egg, chopped very fine

Mix the salt, sugar, and paprika together. Add vinegar and oil and beat thoroughly, or put all the ingredients into a glass jar, screw top on tightly and shake thoroughly.

Recipe taken from: Heinz Book of Salads, copyright 1925 by H.J. Heinz Co.

Macaroni Milanaise - 1920s

1/2 package macaroni
1 can tomatoes (or fresh ones in proportion)
1 bay leaf
1 blade mace
1/2 cup grated cheese
1 slice onion
1 stalk celery
3 cloves
Pinch of soda
2 level Tablespoons butter
2 level Tablespoons Kingsford's Cornstarch
1 cup bread crumbs mixed with
1 rounding Tablespoon butter, melted

Break macaroni into inch lengths and drop in salted boiling water. Cook till tender, and drain. Season tomatoes with bay leaf, mace, onion, celery, cloves, and soda, and cook twenty minutes. Melt butter and stir into the cornstarch, season with salt and paprika, and gradually add tomato pulp. Cook till thickened. When cool, add cheese. Lay the macaroni and the sauce layer for layer in buttered baking pan. Put crumbs over them, and bake in moderate oven till crumbs are browned. Serve hot.

Recipe taken from: Corn Products Cook Book by Emma Churchman Hewitt, 1920s