Learning to save money from the past :)

I think we are all trying our best to be as frugal as we can these days. In my own search for ways I can make our food budget go further, I began looking in the past for possible ways that others have done to stretch a dollar. The first thing I did was search our local library for old recipe books published during the late 30's - mid 50's. I didn't have very good results, so I then went to Ebay. Below you will see 3 of 4 books that I bought. I thought maybe I'd share a few things from them. I've seen all of these cookbooks quite often on ebay, so they are still out there for purchase.

One of Rick's favorite foods is a quick sandwich. Since we live so close to his work place, he comes home every day for lunch. I might try one of these ideas that have come right out of the Victory Cookbook:
Misc. Sandwiches & Sandwich Fillings:
-Raisins mixed into cream cheese
-Chopped raisins, figs, dates, or prunes, mixed with chopped nut-meats and moistened with mayo
-Peanut butter mixed with mayo and mixed with raisins, dates, figs, or bananas (this is one of Rick's favorites)
-Equal parts of olives, peanut butter, celery mixed with a little salad dressing
-Cream cheese mixed with chopped stuffed olives
-Chopped stuffed olives and nuts mixed with a little salad dressing
-Cream cheese mixed with crushed pineapple between very thin bread slices
-Currant jam with pounded walnut meats and creamed butter
-Pimentos, cucumbersm and onion or chives minced, and mixed with mayo and spread on wheat bread
As you can see during the war years peanut butter and cream cheese seemed to be staples. And while I'm sharing ideas for sandwiches, I thought I'd share 2 other recipes that I make quite often. These were very common in my home when I was growing up in the 60's and 70's:

Sandwich Spread
3 lbs Bologna or Cooked Ham (I like to buy it in a chunk, but bologna is hard to find now a days in our area) you will need to grind this. I have an electric food grinder that I use, but I have used a food processor.
4 hard boiled eggs that I also put through the grinder
1 small jar of relish (I use sweet relish... I don't like quite that much, but Rick does)
Enough mayo to make the spread moist. Rick likes a lot of mayo, so I would say I put in at least a cup or more.

After putting the Bologna or ham through the grinder along with the eggs, I then mix that up and add in the relish, the last thing I do is add the mayo. You might have to adjust the recipe according to your or your family's own likes. This goes a long way and we like it on crackers, bread, even on toast.


My Favorite Pimento Cheese Spread!!!
I LOVE this and Rick has requests every week for sandwiches made from this by his co-workers. I think we give away more than we eat :)LOL
I use what I think is a 3lb chunk of Medium Cheddar Kroger Brand Cheese (this is always on sale and is about $5.00)
2 large jars of chopped pimentos
a good amount of mayo (the same as above) depending on personal taste

Using the food grinder, I put both the cheese and the pimentos through the grinder alternating the two making sure that cheese goes through last. I then mix that up and again, add a good amount of mayo. This is sooo good on bread or crackers. And is best at room temperature so it is easier to spread.

I store both in air tight containers. I'm not sure how long these spreads stay fresh in the fridge, our's don't last more than a week :)LOL