Welcome to Our City Homestead where we share our love of good old fashioned cooking, meals made from scratch, gardening and crafting fun!
Bread Omelet from the 1940s
In the 1940s nothing went to waste. To use up stale bread, the bread was mixed with reconstituted dried egg to create this bread omelet. Just a couple ingredients makes a filling meal. Add some bacon ration to it for a little added flavor. Let’s get started! Mix dried egg with water. I add a…
Cabbage and Mince Scramble
This recipe comes from a wartime leaflet that was to help home cooks better cook with their rations. This meal is a very familiar meal and one my family felt like we’ve enjoyed before — it’s a simple, hearty meal that’s easy to prepare and absolutely delicious! Since we are making this during 1940s Days,…
Mock Apple Pie
Mock Apple Pie dates back to the 1800s and was made with stale bread or soda crackers when apples were unavailable through the winter. This recipe made a comeback in the 1930s when apples were far too expensive so butter crackers were used instead. The recipe became so popular that Ritz crackers shared the recipe…
Week Three of our 1940s Days
Week Two of 1940s Days went quite well. We had a lot of rations left since we used them much more sparingly than the previous week. Being as we have extras left, it’ll be easier to make a wider range of recipes requiring such items as lard, cheese, sugar or butter. I can understand why…
Welsh Rarebit
Welsh rarebit is toast with a cheese sauce poured over top. It dates back to the late 1700s and is thought to have possibly been a peasant dish as meat was expensive and cheese was readily available and a common protein food source in those days. It is also a great way to use stale…
Spam Fritters
Spam Fritters is a piece of Spam, battered and fried. It is a simple, humble meal. It was popular during World War 2 because of its convenience and affordability and was often served in school lunches. During World War II, Spam was a common canned meat in rations and became a staple food for both…
1940s Bran Muffins
These bran muffins from the 1940s are surprisingly light and fluffy with a moist and tender crumb and a lightly crisp top. To be completely honest, I did not expect that! When I touched the muffin to see if it’d spring back, it felt hard and dried out. So I was delighted to see the…
Bread Pancakes from the 1940s
Nothing went to waste during rationing of the Second World War and resourceful cooks found ways to use scraps, especially bread, and repurpose it into new meals. There’s a plethora of recipes using stale bread but I was especially excited to see bread pancakes! I had never heard of bread pancakes until we started 1940s…
