This one actually sounds interesting.

Spiced Meat Balls

1 lb. beef round steak, ground
1/2 lb. pork, ground
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1/2 c. milk
1 egg
3/4 c. onion, chopped
1 t. salt
1/4 t. ginger
1/4 t. allspice
1 t. sugar
1/4 c. butter
1 T. flour
1 c. milk

Grind beef and pork together. Soak breadcrumbs in milk. Combine with
meat. Mix in egg, onion, salt, sugar and spices, blending thoroughly;
shape into small balls. Brown evenly in butter; remove to heated dish.
Brown flour in the skillet; stir in milk with enough water to make a
gravy. Season to taste. Return meat balls to gravy; simmer covered for
15 minutes.

Jill

On Mon, 18 Mar 2013 19:17:02 -0400, jmcquown >
wrote:

> This one actually sounds interesting.
>
> Spiced Meat Balls
>
> 1 lb. beef round steak, ground
> 1/2 lb. pork, ground
> 1/2 c. bread crumbs
> 1/2 c. milk
> 1 egg
> 3/4 c. onion, chopped
> 1 t. salt
> 1/4 t. ginger
> 1/4 t. allspice
> 1 t. sugar
> 1/4 c. butter
> 1 T. flour
> 1 c. milk
>
> Grind beef and pork together. Soak breadcrumbs in milk. Combine with
> meat. Mix in egg, onion, salt, sugar and spices, blending thoroughly;
> shape into small balls. Brown evenly in butter; remove to heated dish.
> Brown flour in the skillet; stir in milk with enough water to make a
> gravy. Season to taste. Return meat balls to gravy; simmer covered for
> 15 minutes.
>
It does... reminds me of what they'd use for Swedish meatballs, which
would have been popular around that time.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On Mar 18, 7:17*pm, jmcquown > wrote:
> This one actually sounds interesting. *
>
> Spiced Meat Balls
>
> 1 lb. beef round steak, ground
> 1/2 lb. pork, ground
> 1/2 c. bread crumbs
> 1/2 c. milk
> 1 egg
> 3/4 c. onion, chopped
> 1 t. salt
> 1/4 t. ginger
> 1/4 t. allspice
> 1 t. sugar
> 1/4 c. butter
> 1 T. flour
> 1 c. milk
>
> Grind beef and pork together. *Soak breadcrumbs in milk. *Combine with
> meat. *Mix in egg, onion, salt, sugar and spices, blending thoroughly;
> shape into small balls. *Brown evenly in butter; remove to heated dish.
> * Brown flour in the skillet; stir in milk with enough water to make a
> gravy. *Season to taste. *Return meat balls to gravy; simmer covered for
> 15 minutes.
>
> Jill

Very similar to a recipe a friend used to make - it had ground up
ginger snaps in the sauce. She dragged it to many a shower, party
etc. and it always 'went'. She called em Swedish meatballs.

I can't imagine how interesting they'd taste with that whopping 1/4
teaspoon of ginger and allspice in there!?
I'd certainly double it at least.

On 3/20/2013 12:43 AM, Goomba wrote:
>
>
> I can't imagine how interesting they'd taste with that whopping 1/4
> teaspoon of ginger and allspice in there!?
> I'd certainly double it at least.

That's one thing I've noticed in these old cookbooks. The people who
submitted them for publication appeared to be terrified of seasonings!

Jill

On 20/03/2013 8:43 AM, jmcquown wrote:
> On 3/20/2013 12:43 AM, Goomba wrote:
>>
>>
>> I can't imagine how interesting they'd taste with that whopping 1/4
>> teaspoon of ginger and allspice in there!?
>> I'd certainly double it at least.
>
> That's one thing I've noticed in these old cookbooks. The people who
> submitted them for publication appeared to be terrified of seasonings!
>
>

North American food was more bland back then. It was not until a couple
decades later that we started using spicier ingredients in foods.
Ginger seems to me to be one of those tastes that a lot of people do no
like. Ginger ale is a bit of an exception but it is not strongly ginger
flavoured. It sure doesn't have the bite that ginger beer does.

"Dave Smith" > wrote in message
...
> On 20/03/2013 8:43 AM, jmcquown wrote:
>> On 3/20/2013 12:43 AM, Goomba wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> I can't imagine how interesting they'd taste with that whopping 1/4
>>> teaspoon of ginger and allspice in there!?
>>> I'd certainly double it at least.
>>
>> That's one thing I've noticed in these old cookbooks. The people who
>> submitted them for publication appeared to be terrified of seasonings!
>>
>>
>
> North American food was more bland back then. It was not until a couple
> decades later that we started using spicier ingredients in foods. Ginger
> seems to me to be one of those tastes that a lot of people do no like.
> Ginger ale is a bit of an exception but it is not strongly ginger
> flavoured. It sure doesn't have the bite that ginger beer does.

My mother used and still uses few seasonings in her food.

On 3/20/2013 9:23 AM, Dave Smith wrote:
> On 20/03/2013 8:43 AM, jmcquown wrote:
>> On 3/20/2013 12:43 AM, Goomba wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> I can't imagine how interesting they'd taste with that whopping 1/4
>>> teaspoon of ginger and allspice in there!?
>>> I'd certainly double it at least.
>>
>> That's one thing I've noticed in these old cookbooks. The people who
>> submitted them for publication appeared to be terrified of seasonings!
>>
>>
>
> North American food was more bland back then. It was not until a couple
> decades later that we started using spicier ingredients in foods. Ginger
> seems to me to be one of those tastes that a lot of people do no like.
(snip)

They skimp even on the use of plain ol' black pepper in these old
recipes. They lean waaaay towards the side of ultra-conservative. 1/4
tsp. of pepper is hardly worth mentioning in most of the ones I've been
reading. Granted, I'm not a fan of highly spiced foods; it's too easy
to go overboard. But measurements like this are a tad goofy

Jill

On Wed, 20 Mar 2013 10:26:52 -0400, jmcquown >
wrote:

>On 3/20/2013 9:23 AM, Dave Smith wrote:
>> On 20/03/2013 8:43 AM, jmcquown wrote:
>>> On 3/20/2013 12:43 AM, Goomba wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> I can't imagine how interesting they'd taste with that whopping 1/4
>>>> teaspoon of ginger and allspice in there!?
>>>> I'd certainly double it at least.
>>>
>>> That's one thing I've noticed in these old cookbooks. The people who
>>> submitted them for publication appeared to be terrified of seasonings!
>>>
>>>
>>
>> North American food was more bland back then. It was not until a couple
>> decades later that we started using spicier ingredients in foods. Ginger
>> seems to me to be one of those tastes that a lot of people do no like.
>(snip)
>
>They skimp even on the use of plain ol' black pepper in these old
>recipes. They lean waaaay towards the side of ultra-conservative. 1/4
>tsp. of pepper is hardly worth mentioning in most of the ones I've been
>reading. Granted, I'm not a fan of highly spiced foods; it's too easy
>to go overboard. But measurements like this are a tad goofy
>
>Jill
Alton Brown devotes a whole show to the development of various spice
usage and trade routes and the impact of various social events.
Although most everyone had telephones by the 50's for communication,
you still have to think in terms of generations. Your mother might be
reluctant to try a new herb or spice because her mother never did. The
Watkins man was probably the best exposure most women in the middle US
had to seasonings. Communication was more limited than it is today.
Today if a chef in Hong Kong tries a new approach, it will likely be
on TV and the Internet by next month.
There were a couple of World Wars where every commodity was limited or
unavailable. Women had to go out to work while the men were at war.
Society was changing but the old ways didn't move along at the same
pace.
What I've written is pretty garbled, but just think in terms of
history instead of bad cooks.
Janet US

On Wed, 20 Mar 2013 08:49:56 -0600, Janet Bostwick
> wrote:

> Alton Brown devotes a whole show to the development of various spice
> usage and trade routes and the impact of various social events.
> Although most everyone had telephones by the 50's for communication,
> you still have to think in terms of generations. Your mother might be
> reluctant to try a new herb or spice because her mother never did.

My mother probably had more spices in her cabinet than I remember, but
besides salt & pepper, the only two I remember her using with any
regularity are powdered garlic (not garlic salt) and summer savory.
She had the winter holiday herbs and spices that only came out then...
like dried sage and all the pumpkin pie spices. Interestingly enough,
she used Worcestershire sauce in gravy.

I remember that her mother (grandma) was very proud of the garlic
patch that her mother (my great-grandmother) had planted. She had no
idea how to use fresh garlic, didn't even know that you harvested the
part that was underground; but she and grandpa kept that patch going
until they moved out here to California because they liked the pretty
flowers.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On 03/20/2013 07:26 AM, jmcquown wrote:
> On 3/20/2013 9:23 AM, Dave Smith wrote:
>> On 20/03/2013 8:43 AM, jmcquown wrote:
>>> On 3/20/2013 12:43 AM, Goomba wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> I can't imagine how interesting they'd taste with that whopping 1/4
>>>> teaspoon of ginger and allspice in there!?
>>>> I'd certainly double it at least.
>>>
>>> That's one thing I've noticed in these old cookbooks. The people who
>>> submitted them for publication appeared to be terrified of seasonings!
>>>
>>>
>>
>> North American food was more bland back then. It was not until a couple
>> decades later that we started using spicier ingredients in foods. Ginger
>> seems to me to be one of those tastes that a lot of people do no like.
> (snip)
>
> They skimp even on the use of plain ol' black pepper in these old
> recipes. They lean waaaay towards the side of ultra-conservative. 1/4
> tsp. of pepper is hardly worth mentioning in most of the ones I've been
> reading. Granted, I'm not a fan of highly spiced foods; it's too easy
> to go overboard. But measurements like this are a tad goofy
>
> Jill

I have a few of those old cookbooks handmade by the church ladies in my
home town. Printed sideways on legal-size fancy paper, hand-stitched
down the center and folded. Some recipes included an instruction to add
a "few grains" of black pepper. I never did figure out what that
actually meant.

Janet Bostwick wrote:

> >> North American food was more bland back then. It was not until a couple
> >> decades later that we started using spicier ingredients in foods.

> >They skimp even on the use of plain ol' black pepper in these old
> >recipes. They lean waaaay towards the side of ultra-conservative.

> Today if a chef in Hong Kong tries a new approach, it will likely be
> on TV and the Internet by next month.
> What I've written is pretty garbled

I've heard it said many times that American meats and vegetables have lost a
lot of flavor since, say, the '70s. Mass production and all that. Maybe in the
old days, relying more on the essential flavors of the main ingredients was
more rewarding.

On 20/03/2013 1:47 PM, George M. Middius wrote:
>
> I've heard it said many times that American meats and vegetables have lost a
> lot of flavor since, say, the '70s. Mass production and all that. Maybe in the
> old days, relying more on the essential flavors of the main ingredients was
> more rewarding.


Personally, I think that beef tastes better. That could be because when
I was a kid my mother always cooked the snot out of beef. I also
usually buy my beef from a butcher shop rather than at a grocery store.
I get most of my chicken from a small family run grocery that always
has good chicken and good prices. I had given up on pork for years. I
was reintroduced to it when I visited my niece in Estonia and their pork
product is really good there, as it is in most Baltic countries. I
started getting pork from the local Dutch butcher and we are eating it
regularly now. It is much better than supermarket pork.

On Mar 20, 8:43*am, jmcquown > wrote:
> On 3/20/2013 12:43 AM, Goomba wrote:
>
>
>
> > I can't imagine how interesting they'd taste with that whopping 1/4
> > teaspoon of ginger and allspice in there!?
> > I'd certainly double it at least.
>
> That's one thing I've noticed in these old cookbooks. *The people who
> submitted them for publication appeared to be terrified of seasonings!
>
> Jill

A little allspice goes a long way. Spices and herbs should enhance
the flavor of the food, not overpower it.

wrote:

> A little allspice goes a long way. Spices and herbs should enhance
> the flavor of the food, not overpower it.

Are you sure? You should write a book or something.

On Mar 20, 5:29*pm, George M. Middius > wrote:
> wrote:
> > A little allspice goes a long way. *Spices and herbs should enhance
> > the flavor of the food, not overpower it.
>
> Are you sure? You should write a book or something.

You're a bitter little person, aren't you?

With all the odd aromatic spices this has got to have originated in Portugal. They always put those critical spices in all the wrong locations and at inopportune times. Now temporarily laying that aside..that is a real solid recipe. Few minor tweaks it sounds sorta like my grand prize winning meatball recipe..which was gave to me by a nice Roman Catholic Eyetalian Lady from Noo Yawk City. Now that one will make a person chunk rocks at Portugese stuff. I give out that recipe free with only five bucks to cover the shipping and handling. Let me know. Thanks.

sf wrote:
> On Wed, 20 Mar 2013 08:49:56 -0600, Janet Bostwick
> > wrote:
>
>> Alton Brown devotes a whole show to the development of various spice
>> usage and trade routes and the impact of various social events.
>> Although most everyone had telephones by the 50's for communication,
>> you still have to think in terms of generations. Your mother might
>> be reluctant to try a new herb or spice because her mother never did.
>
> My mother probably had more spices in her cabinet than I remember, but
> besides salt & pepper, the only two I remember her using with any
> regularity are powdered garlic (not garlic salt) and summer savory.
> She had the winter holiday herbs and spices that only came out then...
> like dried sage and all the pumpkin pie spices. Interestingly enough,
> she used Worcestershire sauce in gravy.
>
> I remember that her mother (grandma) was very proud of the garlic
> patch that her mother (my great-grandmother) had planted. She had no
> idea how to use fresh garlic, didn't even know that you harvested the
> part that was underground; but she and grandpa kept that patch going
> until they moved out here to California because they liked the pretty
> flowers.

My mom had a spice rack. Probably a wedding gift. The bottles were all
dusty with that greasy dust that you can only get in a kitchen. Nothing was
touched. She did use cinnamon in some things. Dry mustard in some things.
Chili powder. I think she only ever used pepper on eggs. Salt, and
seasoning salt. I didn't realize when I first started cooking that spices
lose their potency. I had gotten used to using quite a bit because hers
were so weak and tasteless. I just about blew my tastebuds out when I got
my first apartment and used the ginger that I'd bought. I think the recipe
called for 1/4 of a teaspoon. But I'd been used to using 2 teaspoons!

When I began cooking for my MIL, I immediately replaced all of her spices.
She didn't have a lot but you could tell by looking at them how old they
were. She did use garlic and cinnamon but not much else.

George M. Middius wrote:
> Janet Bostwick wrote:
>
>>>> North American food was more bland back then. It was not until a
>>>> couple decades later that we started using spicier ingredients in
>>>> foods.
>
>>> They skimp even on the use of plain ol' black pepper in these old
>>> recipes. They lean waaaay towards the side of ultra-conservative.
>
>> Today if a chef in Hong Kong tries a new approach, it will likely be
>> on TV and the Internet by next month.
>> What I've written is pretty garbled
>
> I've heard it said many times that American meats and vegetables have
> lost a lot of flavor since, say, the '70s. Mass production and all
> that. Maybe in the old days, relying more on the essential flavors of
> the main ingredients was more rewarding.

That very well could be.

Although I never liked fruit very much, I do think that most of it had more
flavor back in the 1960's. Now it mostly tastes flavorless to me.

wrote:

> > > A little allspice goes a long way. *Spices and herbs should enhance
> > > the flavor of the food, not overpower it.
> >
> > Are you sure? You should write a book or something.
>
> You're a bitter little person, aren't you?

<snicker>

I'd rather be perceived as "bitter" than, uh, what you are.

On 3/20/13 5:46 PM, wrote:
> On Mar 20, 5:29 pm, George M. Middius > wrote:
>> wrote:
>>> A little allspice goes a long way. Spices and herbs should enhance
>>> the flavor of the food, not overpower it.
>>
>> Are you sure? You should write a book or something.
>
> You're a bitter little person, aren't you?
>
Your original comment was trite, y'know.

On Mar 22, 1:04*am, Goomba > wrote:
> On 3/20/13 5:46 PM, wrote:> On Mar 20, 5:29 pm, George M. Middius > wrote:
> >> wrote:
> >>> A little allspice goes a long way. *Spices and herbs should enhance
> >>> the flavor of the food, not overpower it.
>
> >> Are you sure? You should write a book or something.
>
> > You're a bitter little person, aren't you?
>
> Your original comment was trite, y'know.

F U

wrote:

> > >>> A little allspice goes a long way. *Spices and herbs should enhance
> > >>> the flavor of the food, not overpower it.
> >
> > >> Are you sure? You should write a book or something.
> >
> > > You're a bitter little person, aren't you?
> >
> > Your original comment was trite, y'know.
>
> F U

And this week's Bitter Poster of the Week Award goes to.... Wait, what's your
name, you bitter little pill?

jmcquown wrote:
> On 3/20/2013 12:43 AM, Goomba wrote:
>>
>>
>> I can't imagine how interesting they'd taste with that whopping 1/4
>> teaspoon of ginger and allspice in there!?
>> I'd certainly double it at least.
>
> That's one thing I've noticed in these old cookbooks. The people who
> submitted them for publication appeared to be terrified of seasonings!
>
> Jill

Usually, yes. Not always.

--
Jean B.