A New Year, A New Look, A New Post!

So many months have passed without Mom making an entry on her blog. Approaching 93 now, she is truly slowing down. Still she has so much wisdom to share, especially in these economically challenging times. With that said, I bring to you the return of Mom and her vintage wisdom.


The more things change, the more they remain the same. Trying to provide a nutritious, yet affordable meal, is quite a challenge these days. I asked Mom how they used to provide for 14 children (YES FOURTEEN), when she was growing up. This is what she had to say:

"So many families were on relief back in the thirties. Two of my brothers were at work camps. It is hard for people to imagine how rough things were back then, but I guess today people are starting to realize that you can make do with less."

"We had so many mouths to feed. We had to grow everything on our farm. When we were lucky enough to have meat to make it, stuffed cabbage was always one of our favorites. It used to take hours to cook for so many people, but at least we were lucky enough to have food on the table...........so many families didn't."

"My father grew the biggest cabbage you could ever see. I still think that the soil was special in Pottsville, Pa. He used to always add all of the table scraps, the coffee grinds, the eggshells...anything that we could to make the soil rich."

Browsing through a bunch of Mom's older cook books, I thought that I could find a recipe similar to what her mother used to make. Made me so hungry right now we may have to get her to make us some....not tonight though. Tonight we are making a ham casserole that is a little more up to date :o)


Campbell's® Pennsylvania Dutch Ham and Noodle Casserole

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cups cubed cooked ham
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (10.75 ounce) can Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular, 98% Fat Free or 25% Less Sodium)
2 cups shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
5 cups extra-wide egg noodles, cooked and drained

Directions
1.Heat the oil in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the ham and onion and cook until the onion is tender.
2.Stir the soup in the saucepan and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Add the cheese and cook and stir until the cheese is melted. Add the noodles and cook until the mixture is hot and bubbling.