Write Right~1927 Sunday Dinner Menu

I recently acquired a nice little book called, The Fifty Two Sunday Dinners (Being a selection of tested and balanced menus, easily and economically prepared for every Sunday in the year.) Originated and published by Woman’s World Magazine Co., Inc. Chicago, U.S.A. 1927.

Like the title says, the book contains 52 menus of Sunday dinners (one for each Sunday of the year). I picked this one because the spinach mold and mustard onions intrigued me.

Fortieth Sunday Dinner Menu:

Navy bean soup with croutons

Sweet cucumber pickles

Stuffed sliced ham

Sweet potato croquettes

Spinach mold

Whole wheat biscuits

Mustard onions

Candle salad

Salted crackers

Gingerbread and whipped cream

Sweet Cider

Spinach Mold

 

Wash 2 quarts spinach to serve 6 or 7 people. Wash through several mains, then cook for 20 minutes in slightly salted water. Turn into colander and press out as much water as possible. Chop fine, drain again, put in double boiler with 2 tablespoons butter, salt, and pepper to taste and a tablespoon lemon juice. Heat hot, then press into an earthenware mold, and set away until wanted, overnight will do it no harm. Half an hour before serving set mold in pan of hot water, and heat in oven until spinach is hot all through Turn out on heated platter and garnish with sliced hard boiled egg.

Mustard Onions

Cook together 1 quart vinegar, 1quart water, 1 pound brown sugar. If vinegar is mild, the water may be omitted, and another quart vinegar used. Mix 1 cup flour, 3 tablespoons dry mustard, 1 tablespoon turmeric and wet to a paste with a little of the vinegar. Stir into the liquid and cook until the sauce begins to thicken, then add 3 quarts of small onions, which have been skinned, measure after skinning, and cook for 10 minutes longer. Bottle while hot and be sure to fill full of the sauce after packing in the onions. Run a table knife inside each jar, down by the side, to let any air bubbles rise, and put in more sauce if necessary.

Stuffed Sliced Ham

 Have 2 slices of ham cut, each about 1 1/2 inches thick. If very salty soak for an hour. Make a bread crumb stuffing, rather dry, do not use any liquid. Season with a little summer savory if liked, or a very little minced onion. Put a thick layer of this on one slice of ham, and put the other slice on top, holding the two together with wooden skewers or toothpicks. Put in baking dish, turn in sweet milk to cover bottom of dish, and bake for 2 hours, gently turning ham at the end of an hour, and adding more hot milk as the first cooks away. When ham is nicely browned and cooked all through lift out with 2 cake turners to a hot platter. Thicken gravy with flour, season and turn over the ham. 

 

Candle Salad

On each salad plate place some shredded lettuce. On this put a slice of canned pineapple. In the hole in the center of the pineapple slice insert the pointed end of half a banana. Put a spoonful thick mayonnaise on the top of the banana, letting it run down one side to represent melted candle wax. The candle flame is half of a maraschino cherry, and a handle may be made for the candlestick of a strip of celery softened until pliable in hot water.