The Economy Cookbook

I was reading through a blog this morning, and found a link to this absolutely darling cookbook. It's called The Economy Cookbook, and it was published in 1910. "This is a digital copy of a book that was preserved for generations on library shelves before it was carefully scanned by Google as part of a project to make the world's books discoverable online. It has survived long enough for the copyright to expire and the book to enter the public domain."

I just perused through over 100 pages of quaint, charming recipes for soups, puddings (baked and steamed), cakes, salads, sandwiches, etc. that were compiled nearly one hundred years ago by skilled early 20th-century housewives. These recipes are economical and simple, and I'm so in love! Here is a darling little example:

Woodford Pudding

Take 3 beaten eggs, 1 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon butter, 1 teaspoon soda dissolved in 2 teaspoons sour milk, 1 cup blackberry jam, cinnamon and nutmeg to taste, 3/4 cup flour. Bake 1/2 hour.
Sauce.--1 cup brown sugar, 1 large tablespoon butter, 1 dessertspoon cornstarch. Water to make proper consistency; flavor.

Simple ingredients, charming instructions, and it really sounds so delicious! This will be one of the first that I try. Go check out this little treasure trove of century-old recipes!

Merry Christmas!