One thing I really love is Vintage Cookbooks. I have a great love for these old recipes which formed the backbone of what we consider to be modern cookery today. Because of this I have collected a few vintage cookbooks, and I like to cook recipes from out of them occasionally.
Today's recipe comes from the Good Housekeeping Cookbook which was published in 1963. I purchased my copy from Thrift Books. It was in excellent condition.
Book is full of recipes and knowledge for beginning cooks or to enlighten a seasoned chef. There are 805 pages, 40 sections, and 3500 recipes. All tested by the Good Housekeeping institute. If you are also a person who enjoys vintage recipes, then you might also enjoy this book!
- 12 thin lemon slices
- 1 7-oz (198.5g) tuna, drained and flaked
- 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs (1 slice of bread)
- 2 TBS grated onion
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 (10.5 oz/297g) tin of condensed mushroom soup, undiluted
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 package corn bread or corn muffin mix (see notes below)
- parsley to garnish
Notes
To make your own corn muffin mix to use in this recipe you will need:
2/3 cup plain all-purpose flour (83g)
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal (polenta) (85g)
1/3 cup granulated sugar (63g)
1 TBS baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 TBS vegetable oil or melted butter
Combine all of the ingredients together in a bowl until evenly mixed together. Proceed as per the above recipe, using this as the cornbread mix, adding 1/3 cup (80ml) milk and 1 egg.

Tuna Cornbread Pie
This vintage recipe makes a delicious bake that is topped with a lemon glazed tuna souffle on a cornbread base. I think a butter lemon sauce would be nice spooned over top. I served with some peas on the side.
Ingredients
- 12 thin lemon slices
- 1 7-oz (198.5g) tuna, drained and flaked
- 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs (1 slice of bread)
- 2 TBS grated onion
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 (10.5 oz/297g) tin of condensed mushroom soup, undiluted
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 package corn bread or corn muffin mix (see notes below)
- parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Butter a 10-inch pie plate really well. Arrange the lemon slices in the pan.
- Whisk the flaked tuna, bread, soup, eggs, grated onion and seasoning together until well combined. Spoon this mixture carefully over top of the lemon slices, smoothing it out.
- Prepare the cornbread according to the package directions. Spoon this mixture into the pie dish on top of the tuna mixture, again spreading it out. This should be done carefully so as not to overly disturb the tuna mixture.
- Bake in the preheated oven for35 to 40 minutes, until everything is completely set. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean. If it is browning too quickly, loosely cover with a piece of foil.
- Leave to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
- Run a knife around the edge of the pie if necessary. Place a large plate over the pie plate and carefully invert the pie onto the plate, tuna side up
- Sprinkle with parsley and cut into wedges to serve.
Notes
To make your own corn muffin mix to use in this recipe you will need:
2/3 cup plain all-purpose flour (83g)
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal (polenta) (85g)
1/3 cup granulated sugar (63g)
1 TBS baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 TBS vegetable oil or melted butter
Combine all of the ingredients together in a bowl until evenly mixed together. Proceed as per the above recipe, using this as the cornbread mix, adding 1/3 cup (80ml) milk and 1 egg.
Did you make this recipe?
I usually go to my sister's home every Sunday for a dinner with the family. There is usually my sister, my brother-in-law, my father and myself in attendance and we get to enjoy a really delicious meal together. No surprise, my sister is a very good cook.
Usually, it will be a roast dinner of some sort, and sometimes my sister will make a delicious pizza. I always look forward to either one. My sister's pizzas are unrivaled and better than any you could get at a Pizzaria. In fact, her homemade pizzas have ruined going to a Pizzaria for me!! They pale in comparison to Cindy's.
This week she made a delicious Lentil & Bacon Potage for our dinner which we enjoyed with some buttered rustic sour dough bread. I am not lying when I tell you that this is the most delicious lentil soup I have ever eaten!
- 5 rashers (200g) smoked bacon
- 1 medium cooking onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 stalk celery
- 1 large potato
- 2 medium parsnips
- 2 medium carrots
- 1/4 cup (50g) green lentils
- 1 bay leaf, broken in two
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 cups (500ml) water or vegetable stock (or as much as is needed to cover everything)

Lentil & Bacon Potage
I had this tasty soup at my sister's for dinner the other night and it was so delicious I had to beg her for the recipe and here I am just a few days later making it at home. This is hearty, filling and insanely delicious! It's also very simple to make. It can easily be doubled or tripled to make more.
Ingredients
- 5 rashers (200g) smoked bacon
- 1 medium cooking onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 stalk celery
- 1 large potato
- 2 medium parsnips
- 2 medium carrots
- 1/4 cup (50g) green lentils
- 1 bay leaf, broken in two
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 cups (500ml) water or vegetable stock (or as much as is needed to cover everything)
Instructions
- Dice your bacon and place it into a medium-large saucepan over medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes in order to allow the fat to render. It doesn't need to be crisp.
- While the bacon is cooking prepare your vegetables. Peel the carrot, parsnip, potato, garlic, and onion.
- Mince the garlic and finely dice the onion. Cut the carrots into rounds and cut the parsnips into half moons. Cut the potato into 1-inch chunks. Slice the celery into 1/3-inch slices.
- Add the onion, celery and garlic to the bacon. Cook and sweat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the carrots, potatoes and parsnips. Cook, stirring occasionally for a further 2 minutes.
- Add the stock and the lentils. (It should be enough stock just to cover everything.) Add the bay leaf, parsley and thyme. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for an hour, or until everything is meltingly tender, and the lentils are cooked through. Taste and adjust seasoning as required.
- Ladle into heated bowls and enjoy with crackers or crusty bread.
Did you make this recipe?
Happy Pancake Day. This was always one of my favorite days of the year when I was a child. It was actually the only day that we would get pancakes. Our mother never cooked them for us at any other time. They were a once a year treat and we could have as many of them as we could eat!
I'm afraid that we kept her at the stove for ages flipping and cooking them. We were making up for the dearth of pancakes from the rest of the year! She never complained! Neither did we!
They were always just plain pancakes. Nothing fancy. No frills or gimmicks. Just plain old pancakes, but they were heaven to us!
- Plain all-Purpose Flour: The foundation for these soft pancakes is a good flour and simple flour. It gives them the perfect texture which is light and airy.
- Baking Powder: This is the secret to that fluffy rise. It gives the pancakes the lift they need to stay soft and tender. Don't be put off by the amount. I promise you; you will not taste it.
- Sugar: Just a touch to add sweetness to the batter. You can adjust this to your taste or leave it out altogether. It's your choice.
- Salt: Enhances the flavor and balances out the sweetness.
- Eggs: They help bind everything together and add richness to the pancakes.
- Milk: The liquid that makes the batter pourable. Whole milk is what I used to give me a rich, creamy texture, but you can also use any milk alternative.
- Butter: Melted butter adds flavor and moisture to the pancakes. It also helps give them a slight crispness on the outside when cooked, which we love, love, LOVE!

Fluffy Old Fashioned Pancakes
Fluffy, golden brown and delicious. No bells. No whistles. Just plain good eating and sized perfectly for the family. Enjoy with butter and syrup and perhaps some sausage and bacon on the side!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (94g) plain all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 TBS sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup (180ml) whole milk
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 TBS (22g) butter, melted
- butter or oil for frying
- butter, syrup, etc. for serving
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar together in a bowl.
- Whisk the milk, egg and melted butter together in a beaker until smooth and well combined.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet. Whisk together just until evenly combined. A few lumps are okay.
- Heat a medium skillet over moderate heat. Brush with butter or oil.
- Drop 2 heaped TBS (1/4 cup) of batter into the hot pan. Cook until golden brown on the underside and bubbles appear and burst over the surface. Two to three minutes.
- Flip over and cook until golden brown on the other side. One to two minutes Remove and keep warm in a low oven.
- Repeat with the remaining batter until all of your pancakes are done.
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