Recipes from the Vault – Leftovers
Recipes from the Vault
Every so often, the museum receives a donation that includes a cookbook or recipe card. Sometimes the recipes are familiar comfort foods still served on many Thomas County tables. Others… well, let’s just say some recipes are best left in the past. This series highlights some of those recipes: from the classics to the experimental. If you try any of these recipes, successfully or not, let us know what you think in the comments!
Wise Women Camouflage Left-Overs, Serve ‘Em
This timely article comes from the Thomasville Times-Enterprise, printed on May 19, 1951, and includes some sage wisdom from several Thomasville cooks of yore. Contributors to this article include Lucile Nannette “Nan” Pait Flowers (1927-1993), society editor for the newspaper; Emily Remington Jerger (1921-1995), another newspaper editor and daughter of the owner and elementary school namesake, Ed Jerger; Mrs. John W. Mobley [Margaret Cobbs Nixon] (1902-1975), homemaker and wife of Dr. John William Mobley Jr.; and Mrs. F. C. Marxsen [Alma Curran] (1891-1970), homemaker and wife of Ferdinand C. Marxsen, a concessions manager at a local theater.
As we enter the season of large family meals and leftovers, consider some of these ideas when you’re faced with the prospect of eating yet another round of Thanksgiving food. And remember, as Emily Jerger suggested, you can always give it to the dog!
Meatloaf to Spaghetti Sauce
Leftover Meatloaf
Tomato paste or sauce
Sauces to taste
“Mrs. John W. Mobley, S. Broad St., suggests that you take the remains of a meat-loaf, break it up into smaller pieces, mix with tomato paste or sauce, pep up with sauces, and there’s a delicious sauce for spaghetti.”
- Margaret Cobbs Nixon Mobley
Potato Patties*
Leftover mashed potatoes
Egg
Salt and pepper to taste
Onion (green preferably)
Bacon drippings
“The old joke – “cold as yesterday’s potatoes” will tickle the family’s funny bone as well as appetite if the cold spuds (mashed) are beaten with egg, salt and pepper, onion (green preferably), molded into patties and fried in bacon drippings.”
*Amelia suggests adding shredded cheese and coating the patties in bread crumbs before frying or pan-searing.
- Margaret Cobbs Nixon Mobley
Deviled Eggs
Leftover bacon, sausage, or ham
Deviled eggs
“What to do with left-over breakfast bacon, sausage, or ham. Simple – chop and mix with stuffing for deviled eggs. The bits of meat are a tasty touch to the popular stuffed eggs, which incidentally, make a grand filler for meatless meals.”
- Margaret Cobbs Nixon Mobley
Grits Pudding
Leftover grits or hominy
Eggs
Salt and pepper
Sweet milk (whole milk)
Butter
“Hominy, or grits, you-all, need not be resigned to the icebox or garbageman after the first serving. Mrs. F. C. Marxsen, Glenwood Drive, has a recipe for grits pudding, which she says, makes a nice dish for breakfast or a light supper.
Mash the left-over grits and beat in one egg per cup grits. Salt and pepper to taste (remembering the grits are already salted). Add sweet milk mixing until thin, resembling a custard mixture. Pour one inch or more deep in baking dish, sprinkle top with butter, and bake slowly in oven until slightly brown.”
- Alma Curran Marxsen
Leftover Meats
“Left-over pork or beef roast (a rarity indeed) makes delicious hash, creamed toast, or stuffed in green peppers and baked.”
- Alma Curran Marxsen
Baked Bean Salad
Leftover baked beans
“Miss Emily Jerger, of the Times-Enterprise staff, likes to take left-over baked beans and make a salad, which is almost a meal in itself. She washes the beans then mixes thoroughly with mayonnaise, lemon juice, and some vinegar. She adds chopped onion, pepper, and sweet pickle, and serves on lettuce.
If the salad is left-over, give it to the dog, advises Miss Jerger, whose cocker spaniel goes for the dish!”
- Emily Remington Jerger
