Out of Helen's Kitchen - 1946

Details

Published on Saturday, July 29, 2017

Helen Drysdale

Neepawa Banner

This year Canada is celebrating 150 years since confederation (The Sesquicentennial). I thought I would spend the next several months showcasing some historic recipes in Canada’s honour. 

The government predicted large-scale unemployment at the war’s end — as happened following the First World War. Political and economic factors prompted Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King to have the Family Allowance Law passed in 1944, possibly as a vote-getting ploy in the next election as the Conservatives were making gains. The family allowance paid $5 per month for children under age five; $6 per month for six-to-nine-year-olds; $7 a month for 10-12 years; and $8 for 13-15. Family allowances were seen as a means of maintaining purchasing power.

After the war ended, the women who had helped out during the war were encouraged to return to their roles as housewife’s and mothers and many went willingly. Some women thought that family assistance was partly a plan to take thousands of Canada’s women, who had been employed in the war effort and hurry them back to the kitchen before they got too empowered. Many did stay on to work in the growing service industry, however. The war years had changed the face of Canada’s workplaces forever.

Learning from the first war the government offered returning veterans disability pensions, job training and loans were provided for houses, farms and new businesses. It was not all that easy for many. For women giving up authority over to returning husbands and for the men who had seen the horrific sights of war returning to civilian life could be difficult. The government encouraged people to come to Canada and many did come from war torn Europe as well as thousands of war brides. For 15 years after the war, Canada had more children per family than any other industrialized nation. Welcome the baby boomers.
Today’s salad recipes come from a 1948 Family Circle magazine.

Curried chicken and avocado salad

In a medium size bowl toss together:

4 cups diced cooked chicken
2 cups finely diced celery
2 Tbsp. grated onion
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. curry powder or more if desired
1/8 tsp. pepper

Moisten with:

1/2 to 3/4 cup mayonnaise

Halve and remove seeds from:
6 avocados

Pile salad in avocado halves, using about 1/2 cup salad in each.
Garnish with sliced pimiento. Serves twelve.

Peach salad with almond-cheese dressing

In a medium bowl beat until creamy with rotary beater:

1 cup cottage cheese

Stir in:
1/2 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds

Peel, halve and pit:

6 ripe peaches

Arrange two peach halves on bed of greens on six individual salad plates. Spoon almond-cheese dressing over peaches. Garnish with toasted almonds. Serves six.