Clara's Kitchen

wosnes · Post by **wosnes** » Wed Oct 28, 2009 1:24 am

Clara's Kitchen was released today. I pre-ordered a copy from Amazon and received it today. This is Clara from the Depression Era Recipes thread here. There are many more new recipes from Clara and much wisdom -- kitchen and otherwise.

I'm currently reading the chapter about bread. In it Clara says, "We didn't really eat breakfast back then. Not like people these days. We'd pretty much have coffee with evaporated milk and a slice of Ma's bread. But even today, that's what I like to have."

I know I've brought this up before, but I wonder where this "breakfast is the most important meal" comes from. Apparently it wasn't the norm years ago nor is it the norm in other parts of the world today. Clara's family raised chickens and she calls eggs one of the foods they got "for free." So, it wasn't as if there wasn't something available to make a more substantial breakfast. I just think it's interesting.

Grammy G · Post by **Grammy G** » Wed Oct 28, 2009 2:04 am

Just watched that sweetie, Clara! She is thin.. she is 93..she doesn't eat a big breakfast! Not only is she 93..she is a healthy, active,sharp witted lady!! I'm not saying no big breakfast is the cause of all of this ..but...WHAT would you eat if left to your own wants??? When would you eat??
I like to not eat anything for an hour or two.. just have a couple cups of coffee and read or make my plans for the day, then I'm happy with a half a banana and maybe a slice of toast (which I like cold and dry!). I think I am going to go with that this week and see how that goes. I'm not sure I need to "learn"to eat breakfast. (remember I an retired so I have the luxury of wandering around in a robe all morning. But, I have paid my dues!! I used to leave the house at 6:35 AM to get to my teaching job!!)

wosnes · Post by **wosnes** » Wed Oct 28, 2009 2:11 am

Grammy G wrote:Just watched that sweetie, Clara! She is thin.. she is 93..she doesn't eat a big breakfast! Not only is she 93..she is a healthy, active,sharp witted lady!! I'm not saying no big breakfast is the cause of all of this ..but...WHAT would you eat if left to your own wants??? When would you eat??
I like to not eat anything for an hour or two.. just have a couple cups of coffee and read or make my plans for the day, then I'm happy with a half a banana and maybe a slice of toast (which I like cold and dry!). I think I am going to go with that this week and see how that goes. I'm not sure I need to "learn"to eat breakfast. (remember I an retired so I have the luxury of wandering around in a robe all morning. But, I have paid my dues!! I used to leave the house at 6:35 AM to get to my teaching job!!)

I never eat anything first thing in the morning, just the coffee! Food isn't appealing until I've been up and about for a few hours. Many times I skip breakfast entirely, but if I do it, it's toast, fruit and coffee. Rarely do I eat more than that.

Grammy G · Post by **Grammy G** » Wed Oct 28, 2009 3:02 am

good to know! I have been talking myself into an egg or slice of cheese or peanut butter on toast with butter when I'd be much happier with ,basically, stale bread. But it must be "good' bread.
I donno about ol' Clara's peas and pasta! i was thinking fresh peas..maybe a wild mushroom or two..angel hair pasta ..and maybe a bit of that evaporated milk..a little cheese. mmm...bacon?? I don't remember eating canned peas since I was a kid. I think my mom made a depression meal (well..it was depressing when she made it) in the '40s consisting of canned peas, canned salted beef, and canned milk. I believe the Army has a version on toast "SOS". Be very glad food has moved on! Or maybe it was my mom's cooking....

wosnes · Post by **wosnes** » Wed Oct 28, 2009 3:42 am

Grammy G wrote:I believe the Army has a version on toast "SOS". Be very glad food has moved on! Or maybe it was my mom's cooking....

I've never tried the pasta with peas because I can't stand canned peas. But I think the liquid in the peas adds some flavor to the mix -- those who tried it with fresh or frozen peas didn't seem to like it as much as those who used canned peas.

As for SOS -- I love it. But just chipped beef in a seasoned white sauce. And, believe it or not, Stouffers has a frozen version that is quite good!

clarinetgal · Post by **clarinetgal** » Wed Oct 28, 2009 5:07 am

That's interesting about breakfast. I eat a fairly big breakfast during the week, because I exercise first thing in the morning, and I've read various things about how you should fuel your muscles 30 minutes after a work out. I'm not sure if it's true, but I don't think it's a bad idea, either. Anyway, on weekends, when I don't exercise, I usually wait until around 9 to eat breakfast.
I don't like canned peas by themselves, but I've tried them in casseroles, and they work pretty well. I haven't tried them with pasta.

NoelFigart · Post by **NoelFigart** » Wed Oct 28, 2009 11:02 am

clarinetgal wrote:I've read various things about how you should fuel your muscles 30 minutes after a work out.

IF you are doing resistence training with the specific purpose of putting on muscle mass, yes, you need a protein meal fairly soon after a workout.

I'll point out that advice is for bodybuilding competitors and strength athletes.

Starla · Post by **Starla** » Wed Oct 28, 2009 1:05 pm

On weekends I don't eat breakfast until 9:00 - 9:30 (and I'm always up by 7:00 or 7:30). I'm another one who isn't hungry first thing in the morning. But on weekdays I have to finish breakfast by 6:45, and if I don't eat a substantial breakfast I can't make it until lunch time. It's the one meal I eat on No S that I don't really enjoy.

Grammy G · Post by **Grammy G** » Wed Oct 28, 2009 2:12 pm

Interesting opinions on b'fast. Since I am not doing any weight training in the AM.. and since I no longer have to eat because of a work schedule.. I will enjoy my slice of stale bread and black coffee and let it go at that!
As for the SOS, I do think it was my mom's cooking! Should you rinse that jarred beef? A "nice white sauce" was not what we had. Maybe she mixed the pea juice and the canned milk..I have no idea because I sure didn't want this to be a "family" recipe that we passed down through generations! My memory is salty, mushy, white. I may try the Stouffer's version so I know what the taste should be. For the record, my mom made some really good stuff (usually German recipes that were passed down) but she also made some really bad stuff..I usually covered those dishes with a thick layer of ketchup!

wosnes · Post by **wosnes** » Wed Oct 28, 2009 2:52 pm

Grammy G wrote:Interesting opinions on b'fast. Since I am not doing any weight training in the AM.. and since I no longer have to eat because of a work schedule.. I will enjoy my slice of stale bread and black coffee and let it go at that!
As for the SOS, I do think it was my mom's cooking! Should you rinse that jarred beef? A "nice white sauce" was not what we had. Maybe she mixed the pea juice and the canned milk..I have no idea because I sure didn't want this to be a "family" recipe that we passed down through generations! My memory is salty, mushy, white. I may try the Stouffer's version so I know what the taste should be. For the record, my mom made some really good stuff (usually German recipes that were passed down) but she also made some really bad stuff..I usually covered those dishes with a thick layer of ketchup!

My mom, who was a few months older than Clara, was generally not a good cook. I'm not sure if she just wasn't a good cook, didn't have the time to spend cooking or just didn't care. But she did a few things extremely well and SOS was one of them. Potato soup was another.

When I was young I was really puzzled why I didn't like some things when my mom made them, but liked them at my friend's homes or out. Took me a while to figure out that it was mom's cooking!

Nichole · Post by **Nichole** » Wed Oct 28, 2009 6:06 pm

I personally love breakfast. I am hungry as soon as I wake up (around 6). I have something small before I leave the house, then oatmeal, and, on occasion, a bagel around 8:30.

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Wed Oct 28, 2009 8:05 pm

Nichole wrote:I have something small before I leave the house, then oatmeal, and, on occasion, a bagel around 8:30.

Virtual plating?

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Wed Oct 28, 2009 8:32 pm

I love breakfast. On a work day, I have two cups of coffee (really cafe au lait, about 1 cup milk between them) as I drive to work, starting about 6:15. Then I exercise, then I eat my oatmeal/nuts/fruit about 8:30.

On an at-home day, I have my coffee, then eat breakfast around 7:30. It's usually a bagel or an egg and toast (egg-in-a-hole is a big favorite).

For a big treat at-home day, I have coffee as usual, then have a big brunch with all the good stuff sometime mid-morning... counts for both breakfast and lunch.

Meal patterns in the past probably varied a lot, and probably depended a great deal on your status in life as well as the energy you expended daily.

For us now... the whole point of this is habit-building, and I think it's not unreasonable to "start where you are" in terms of breakfast. If it holds you until your next meal, it's good enough.

NoelFigart · Post by **NoelFigart** » Wed Oct 28, 2009 8:58 pm

KCCC wrote:Meal patterns in the past probably varied a lot, and probably depended a great deal on your status in life as well as the energy you expended daily.

For us now... the whole point of this is habit-building, and I think it's not unreasonable to "start where you are" in terms of breakfast. If it holds you until your next meal, it's good enough.

I wouldn't be surprised to learn that a great big breakfast was a farmer thing. Farmers got up to milk the cows around four in the morning, did a whole bunch of chores and probably didn't eat for another three or four hours. Anyone would want a big meal by then!

clarinetgal · Post by **clarinetgal** » Wed Oct 28, 2009 10:17 pm

Noel, I tend to do pilates, yoga, or lighter weight workouts, so maybe I don't need breakfast right away, then. I know today, I slept late, barely got in my workout before my son woke up, and I had to eat breakfast at around 7:30 -- about an hour later than normal. Even though I waited an hour, I still wasn't all that hungry.
I think you're right about the big breakfasts being a farmer thing. My father in law spent part of his childhood on a farm, and that's what he, his father, and his brothers did. They would eat a big breakfast, go out in the field and do a bunch of chores while his mom cleaned and cooked lunch, and then come back and eat a big lunch.

wosnes · Post by **wosnes** » Thu Oct 29, 2009 11:33 am

NoelFigart wrote:
KCCC wrote:Meal patterns in the past probably varied a lot, and probably depended a great deal on your status in life as well as the energy you expended daily.

For us now... the whole point of this is habit-building, and I think it's not unreasonable to "start where you are" in terms of breakfast. If it holds you until your next meal, it's good enough.
I wouldn't be surprised to learn that a great big breakfast was a farmer thing. Farmers got up to milk the cows around four in the morning, did a whole bunch of chores and probably didn't eat for another three or four hours. Anyone would want a big meal by then!

I was reading an article online called La Cucina Povera about the peasant cooking of Italy. It stated "Breakfast is considered a minor meal, often consisting of nothing more than a bread roll and milky coffee." It occurred to me that 1) this is common in most countries throughout the world, and 2) the big breakfast seems to be more common where there is affluence -- also problems with weight and health.

I admit to being smitten with the cuisines of the Mediterranean - nearly all of which are based on the cuisine of poverty. That's part of what's appealing about Clara's Kitchen -- it's the Italian-American version, during one of the worst economic periods of our history.

I found this at Italyville.com (written by a first generation Italian-American whose parents came to the US in 1970):

When my parents grew up in Calabria â€œla Cucina Poveraâ€ was in full affect. La Cucina Povera is simply making use of everything/not wasting anything but at the same time creating dishes that donâ€™t sacrifice in taste or goodness. La Cucina Povera emerged due to economic circumstances but continues today in many parts of Italy not only because of economic circumstances but also for the deliciousness of the cuisine and traditions that were created.

sheepish · Post by **sheepish** » Tue Nov 10, 2009 12:57 pm

This is totally anecdotal but, from my observation, people tend to divide into two categories -

Those who don't fancy food first thing in the morning and who are more than happy to go straight through to lunch without eating anything. If these people eat breakfast, they actually tend to be hungrier in the morning than if they don't.

Those who may or may not be hungry first thing but, unless they eat breakfast, end up being extremely hungry mid-morning and snacking.

I think the advice about eating breakfast is mostly aimed at the second group who may not be hungry but who do need to eat because otherwise they end up snacking which is often less healthy.

For me, it really depends on what time "first thing" is - I used to commute an hour and a half to work which meant having to leave the house by 7.30 and I just can't eat at that time, it makes me feel ill, so I used to go through to lunch quite happily, though I'd want it early-ish (12 or so). Now, I leave the house at 9.15 and I am happy to eat breakfast which means that I eat lunch and dinner correspondingly later. But I still don't eat very much for breakfast - it's a slice of toast or an apple or a yoghurt, usually under 150 calories total.

wosnes · Post by **wosnes** » Tue Nov 10, 2009 1:35 pm

sheepish wrote:This is totally anecdotal but, from my observation, people tend to divide into two categories -

Those who don't fancy food first thing in the morning and who are more than happy to go straight through to lunch without eating anything. If these people eat breakfast, they actually tend to be hungrier in the morning than if they don't.

Those who may or may not be hungry first thing but, unless they eat breakfast, end up being extremely hungry mid-morning and snacking.

I think the advice about eating breakfast is mostly aimed at the second group who may not be hungry but who do need to eat because otherwise they end up snacking which is often less healthy.

For me, it really depends on what time "first thing" is - I used to commute an hour and a half to work which meant having to leave the house by 7.30 and I just can't eat at that time, it makes me feel ill, so I used to go through to lunch quite happily, though I'd want it early-ish (12 or so). Now, I leave the house at 9.15 and I am happy to eat breakfast which means that I eat lunch and dinner correspondingly later. But I still don't eat very much for breakfast - it's a slice of toast or an apple or a yoghurt, usually under 150 calories total.

I fall into the group of not being hungry in the morning and if I do eat breakfast I tend to want to graze all day long -- and most often not on "good" food!

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