Ration Bread Pudding

Delicious Bread Pudding

I recently had to postpone a 1960's Mad Men party, due to very bad winter weather. Luckily, most of the food I was going to serve would keep until needed, but not the large loaf of bread I had purchased for my retro Fondue. I had already cut it into cubes and was just about to make the Fondue when the cancellations started coming in. I set the bread aside until I could find a recipe, so that I wouldn't have to throw out the stale bread. I looked through my vintage cookbooks and other vintage sites for recipes that were authentic and simple. I finally found a recipe on one of my favorite blogs...'The 1940's Experiment'. I had to change it a little, when I realized I didn't have the exact ingredient portions, but the recipe is so delicious that it didn't make a difference.

       Ration Bread Pudding

• 10 ounces of stale bread. Cut into medium sized cubes
• 2 ounces of melted margarine or butter
• 1 ounce of Sugar
• 2 ounces of Raisins
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons of Cinnamon
• Milk about 1 ounce. Enough to moisten bread.
• extra sugar for a lite sprinkle topping

Place bread in bowl and add about 2 tablespoons of water. Just enough to fluff the bread, but not soak it. Set aside. In another bowl beat egg lightly with fork, till well blended. Add butter, sugar, raisins and cinnamon. Mix well with fork.

Squeeze out any extra water from bread, if any. Add milk. Fluff bread, then add rest of the ingredients together and mix.

Pour into greased pan 9 inch square pan. Half way through baking, Sprinkle a little sugar on top.

Bake at 320 till lightly browned around edges.

*If bread is too wet, cut back milk or too dry add a little more.

*You can use any stale bread. Just make sure to remove any toppings that would ruin the sweetness of the raisins and cinnamon.

*Remember that this is a rationed ingredient bread. If you would like, you could add more cinnamon, raisins or sugar to taste.

Titanic steerage supper

RMS Titanic

The Titanic was a British passenger liner that sank after colliding with an iceberg on April 15,1912 at 2:20 am on her way from Southampton, UK to New York, US. There were 2,224 passengers and crew aboard the ship, more than 1,500 died. There were not enough lifeboats to hold their total of passengers and the lifeboats that were available on the ship were not filled to maximum capacity. The Titanic sent out distress signals, the Californian saw the flares, but failed to assist and any other ship at sea were too far to reach her in time. The Carpathia, however did respond to the Titanic distress calls, but did not reach the Titanic until 4am, by then only 710 passengers were rescued from their lifeboats. The survivors were then taken to New York. It would be weeks before family members were given full information on their loved ones whereabouts.

I knew about the Titanic, read a couple of books and had seen the many movies made about it, so when I read about the Titanic Steerage supper at the Midway Village Museum I thought it would another unique way to learn about it.

Front entrance display

On March 19, 2011 my husband and I attended the Midway Village Museum 'Titanic Steerage Supper'. This was the first big event we had ever attended at the museum. We were a little nervous, we didn't know anyone there, but we were excited to meet new people and learn more about the Titanic.

The museum did a fine job in making it an interesting & fun learning experience. As you entered the building they would check you in by stamping your tickets and then asked some questions that would've been asked at the time. "Do you have lice"? I was taken aback, I didn't expect him to ask that. I hesitated for awhile and then wondered if he would let me in for taking my time answering him. He laughed that he had caught me off guard and then went on to explain what other things that would have been asked or done at the time before boarding. Thank goodness, I didn't scratch my head! Doesn't everyone itch at the mere mention of the word? The power of suggestion.

Inside the dinning room there so many beautifully dressed people. Some outfits were grand and others were simple, but they were all wonderful to look at and they really set the scene for the rest of the night. There were several tables with a variety of flags to represent the passengers heritage, a menu, a mini quiz, a listing with the passsengers names and background. They served dinner, had historic presentations and then ended the evening with dancing to Celtic music.

I didn't find out about the dinner till 1 week before, so I didn't have time to sew anything. I went to the thrift shop and bought my skirt, blouse and my husbands vest. I already had the flat cap, shawl, boots and vintage cameo.

Titanic boarding tickets

Dinner menu

My husband in our kitchen.

My husbands "Ugh, she's going to make me dance" face.

Last minute outfits

Made friends with sweet and very knowledgable ladies.

Water Street Bridge Band

Beautifully dressed couple

Dancing

Loved their outfits

My Photos

I enjoy taking photos of anything that catches my eye. I take them everywhere I go, when my husband is driving, walking the dog, picnics with the kids, antiquing, etc.. I try to notice every detail in everything I come across no matter what it is. My father would always tell me "Look at something, take it apart in your mind, then go back and look at it again as a whole. Your going to realize how much you missed". 

Chicago building

Honeycomb house

Spider Art

Gorgeous green

Downtown bridge

Chicago rooftop

Vintage memories

Unicorn in the sky

Squirrel!

Spinning Christmas lights

 

First year review

Well, it's been a year since I began writing my blog and even though I knew it wasn't going to be easy and it wasn't, I still went ahead with it. My family and friends pushed me to start blogging and even though I had no computer skills at all, I was curious to see if I could do it. Then I read about Pinterest, Instagram, Gmails and everything else that went along with blogging and I worried some more. Was it a bad idea? Maybe, but I wanted to learn something new and maybe this older Hispanic vintage gal could bring a little something to the blogger world., and so began every vintage gals chant "Yes, we can"...um, maybe.

The "Maybe this was a bad idea" moments.

• The first time I opened Blogger, I realized how little I knew about computers & what I little I knew was not going to be enough. It truly wasn't as easy as changing my music on my old MP3, so said the little voice in my head(I have an iPhone now. Wow, those skinny little things hold a ton of music). I had stayed away from many modern items and the computer was one of them, but I never thought that I would try to enter the blogging world. It took months before I could download my pictures or even post something without my yelling for my husband or daughter for help. I was afraid of hitting the wrong button and destroying some important file.
• I learned that my thoughts didn't easily translate to what I wrote. My finger was constantly hitting delete, write, delete and write again....Delete! I spent so much time trying to get the perfect blog post, that I ended up with no posts. I'm surprised I posted anything at all. A whole year, less than forty posts and the reason some of those made it..I ended with stitches after hurting my finger when moving firewood I had just chopped. No delete button!
• It felt like a bad idea when half the year had gone by and I had not added any blogging buttons, no daily posts, or tutorials. I froze, chills every time I sat before my computer. I even drank a glass of Champagne to loosen up, another glass, then for some reason the bottle was empty. Tiny bottles.

The "I can do it"  moments.

• I needed a photographer & it ended being my 11 year old daughter. We not only found out that she liked taking photos, but she was great and calmed my nerves about how I looked in the photos. We've had some funny moments..my almost falling over a log as I backed up or she almost ending in the pond looking for the right angle. I don't fear the camera anymore just falling.
• I learned that I have a great support system. My family & friends listened when I need to vent about computers. The owners of the shops I frequent, were always read to help out with anything I needed and offered any advice on any topic they could.
• I learned that I can do it when one night I stayed up late to write a post and the tried to link it. No one was up at 3am, so I went for it and...I threw my arms up in the air. Yay! I had done it all on my own, not once or twice, but five times. 
• I can do it! When my link helped my Facebook page go up to 20 likes, strangely enough my blog stayed at 5. Add them together and that's pretty cool.

Well, there you have it, my own review on the first year of my blog. I know it needs work and having less than 40 posts in a whole year is not much, but it's more than I thought I would have. This blog may not have the best this or that, it's not perfect and neither am I. As someone that takes things out of the trash and sees some beauty in it to repurpose, it's because I look beyond it and see it's imperfections, the crooked lines or the odd way it feels, but it's an original. There is probably not another one like it and how cool is that. This something that I have to learn to apply to my blogging.
My blog is odd, quirky, strange, missing cute little buttons and pretty little background, but I will get there. Can I do it? Yes, she can!

Shop Small

Support small shops!

Small Business Saturday is November 30th. This is the day when we can show our support for our community by shopping at local small businesses. I thought I would make a small list of my favorite places to shop.   

TresYours Vintage

Vintage Wear

TresYours Vintage Corner - If you have read my blog or viewed my Facebook page, you know that I can't stop talking about TresYours. It may look small tucked in the back corner of the Rockton Antique Mall, but I have easily spent more than three hours in there. You can go in and  put together an entire outfit for any occasion you may have - dresses, handbags, jewelry, hats, shoes, even stockings. The clothes are clean, they are from all eras and are well priced. You can even shop from the ceiling if you look up and notice all the beautiful vintage umbrellas hanging upside down.

Rockton Antique Mall

Antiques

Rockton Antique Mall - The first thing you will notice is the long inviting front porch. Once inside you'll realize why it's called a mall, it's huge! When I first went to the mall, I would walk past everything and not stop to look at anything, my focus was on the clothes and nothing else. I finally slowed down to look at the rest of the vendors and I have found some interesting items for my home and as gifts. It will take you most of the day to really get a good look at everything in the mall, but it will be well worth it. 

Angela's Attic

Angela's Attic - Angela's happens to be directly across from the Rockton Antique Mall and is just as big. The old factory is split into two sides with the main desk in the center and then split into separate spaces for different vendors. They even have a backyard that is opened in the summer with many cool weathered items that are placed on every surface available, so it makes for a fun hunt. Some areas have items hanging from the ceiling, so don't forget to look up or you may miss some awesome finds.

Bargain Barn - (Not pictured) This large building has antiques, records, coin area & even homemade crafts. There is also a second floor with a variety of items hanging on the stair wall as you go up.

A Lovely Reprieve

Jewelry

A Lovely Reprieve - If you don't buy vintage jewelry for fear it may fall apart due to age, or it's simply too expensive, but you still need something to complete your vintage look, I suggest A lovely Reprieve. Their jewelry is handmade, beautifully crafted and have a vintage look. If vintage isn't the look your after, the same piece adapts well to a modern outfit. It saves you money to be able to buy one piece that goes well with any look you want to wear.

Culture Shock

Records

Culture Shock - Once you notice the pickle shaped wine stopper, record shaped coasters, cool t-shirts, cute dresses & hear the cool music in the background, you just can't help being in a good mood. They carry vintage records from different eras as well as the current modern bands. They just recently moved to a larger building directly across from the old building and now have even more space than before to fill with happy.

Other suggestions-

Tillymint's Antiques

The Antique shops of Rockton

 

What I love about shopping small - 

You will find, fun, interesting, collectibles, homemade, one-of-a-kind items that will make for a more interesting find. Plus, who doesn't love saying their item is an original and know that it didn't come from a table that had a hundred more of the same thing.

You get to know everyone and it makes for a nice enjoyable shopping experience. In one certain shop, I can't start my shopping if I don't get my hug and a little chat. 

You know where your way around. I'm not saying things don't change, but there certain areas that must stay and that helps. I have more than once, had to run inside to grab something for a party, gift or even for myself when I regret not buying something at the time, so it helps to know where to find it.

There are more reasons as to why I enjoy shopping small, but I hope that maybe you will come up with your own reasons on November 30th.

Scarecrow Festival

Sitting with Smokey Joe Scarecrow

Early in October my kids and I attended the Scarecrow Harvest festival held at The Midway village Museum for the first time.They day was filled with many activities for a harvest festival. We enjoyed dancing in the barn, making yarn dolls, walking on stilts, wagon ride and of course making our very own scarecrow. The kids had fun drawing a face on the bag, stuffing the clothes and finally putting him together. My son named him Smokey Joe after one of his favorite songs from the 1950's, Smokey Joe's Cafe by The Robins. It was a fun filled day and I know we will definitely continue to go this event every year.

My daughter & I loved the chalkboards

Laundry day

Learning to square dance

Artist at work

Halloween memories

Mrs.Lovett is tired of making pies

I LOVE HALLOWEEN!!!! No I'm not in it for the candy, well, ok maybe Recess Pieces, Pop rocks and maybe throw in a couple of Sweet Tarts for good measure. Halloween brings back so many cool memories...Making Jack-o-lanterns with my parents, watching the candles flicker in the pumpkins as we walked from house to house as my friends & I yelled "Trick o' treat, smell my feet give me something good to eat. If you don't, I don't care cause you're wearing smelly underwear"!...Thinking about it now, I probably wouldn't give myself any candy that's kind of rude.

Halloween is special to me, it brings back memories of my father allowing me to stay up late with him and watch the Saturday night horror shows. The movies were mostly cheesy 1950's flicks with menacing spiders, killer ants or giant crabs attacking large cities. They were fun to watch & my father would  add a funny joke or ad-lib a line to make it fun for me. Sometimes the movies were the really awesome classics with the greats: Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Boris Karloff and Lon Chaney jr..and I had such a crush on Vincent Price. Classic or cheesy films didn't matter, I loved them all, because it really meant I would be spending time with my dad talking about anything I wanted while we snacked on cool treats my mom would make us and watching movies until the wee hours. I carry on this tradition of staying up late watching cheesy/classic flicks with my kids, blankets on the floor, snacks and talking about anything they want. Sometimes we put in a really cheesy movie and turn the volume down low and have our version of Mystery Science Theater 3000. 

Halloween has become a time to frighten people with some really scary movies, costumes & haunted houses, and I do enjoy that as well. I do like some of the newer creepy films, but the old classics are still my favorites. Halloween is fun and the memories I'm making with my kids while watching these films are something I will never forget and I have Mr.Price, Mr. Karloff and especially my father to Thank for that.

Here is a small list of movies I remember watching and suggestions for snacks to enjoy into the wee hours watching frightening flicks....

Good-                                                                                     
(1933) The Invisible man
(1935) The Bride of Frankenstein
(1940) Dr.Cyclops
(1948) The Fly
(1956) Invasion of the body snatchers
(1963) The Raven
(1971) The Abominable Dr.Phibes


Not so good, but fun-
(1953) Robot monster
(1956) The Crawling eye
(1957) Attack of the crab monsters
(1958) Attack of the 50ft. woman
(1959) Plan nine from outer space



 Scary drinks and snacks


Bloody Punch with floating hand

First mix some water with green food coloring, till it looks like a zombie hand. Then fill a plastic glove(make sure it doesn't have any powder) with the water and tie it. Freeze overnight.

Mix the following in punch bowl-

• 3 cups cranberry juice
• 1-1/2 cups apple juice
• 1-1/2 cups grape juice
• 2 cups caffeine-free cola
• 1 cup frozen strawberries

Add floating hand that has been cut out of glove and make sure there is no plastic on it. Place in Bloody punch bowl. Enjoy.



Eyeball Eggs

Hard boil a dozen eggs, crack, peel, cut in half length wise, remove yolk and put into a bowl. In another bowl mix 3 cups of water with 4 drops of blue or any other food coloring you would like. Then carefully place egg white into the bowl making sure eggs are completely submerged. This will give your eggs a creepy eye color. Place in fridge till filling is made.

Filling-

• 2 tablespoons Mayo
• 1 tablespoon mustard
• 2 chopped baby dills
• Egg yolks 
• Pimentos

Mix all the ingredients until they are all well blended and creamy.
Drain egg whites, remove, gently pat dry. Using a cake piping bag, fill the egg whites with yolks and place on platter as you fill them. Add pimentos to make corneas.

Happy Halloween!!

Vincent Price