Date Layer Bars vintage style

Hey there Peeps!





I'm back with a surprisingly yummy recipe and a new fascination of mine!










Here's a little hint......

Yep, my new fascination is this old cookbook that was my mothers.

You can see by the handwriting that my mom received this cookbook in 1964 from my Aunt Clara.  (Just in case you wondered, no, I wasn't born yet) The copy write says revised 1962.   I'm completely fascinated by this cookbook because it is like a history book.  There's no fancy gourmet recipes in this book, just everyday meals that every day common folks had 365 days a year.   There is a section on nutrition and budgeting and time savers.  The funny thing is that it seems we are slowly working our way back to eating the same way they did in 1962.   Anywho, you can bet you'll be seeing lots more "old school" recipes as I've informed Hubster that I'm going to start cooking our meals from this...aside from the weird gelatin salads because I love you guys but I just cannot possibly eat congealed food!!!!  

Ok  let's get started here because first thing you have to do is make the Date Filling.  

You are going to need:

2 cups pitted dates, chopped

½ cup raisins

1 ½ cups water

Put these in a saucepan and cover.  Cook and stir often, until it reaches the consistency of jam. That is about 8-10 minutes.

Now while that is cooking down you can get out the rest of your ingredients:

½ cup shortening

1 cup brown sugar

1 ½ cups All Purpose Flour  ( I used Gluten Free)

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups quick cooking oatmeal

1 Tablespoon water

Cream your crisco and brown sugar together in a mixing bowl.

While the mixture is taking care of itself in the mixer you need to sift the flour, soda and salt together in a large bowl.    Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and turn the mixture down to stir and add the oats and water.  Mix until crumbly.

Grab yourself a 9x13 pan and grease it up. 

Now take half of that crumbly mixture and firmly press it into the bottom of the 9x13 pan.

Take that date mixture and spread it carefully over the top of the crumb mixture.

Now press the other half of the crumb mixture on top of the date mixture.

Be careful that date mixture is hot and sticky.

Now pop that in a 350 degree oven and bake for 35 minutes.

Take that out of the oven and let it cool before you cut into bars.

I dusted mine with a little powdered sugar for a pretty effect and I was pleasantly surprised.  I mean I really do love dates but these were really good. Not too sweet and just sweet enough.  AND did you notice there is no butter, no eggs, no oil?  Well yeah there is some crisco but come on you got to use something! haha   Other than substituting in GF flour I am going to try very hard to follow the recipes exactly as they were written in 1962 BHG new cookbook.  I think we're going to find some yummy meals that you totally forgot about that your grandma or your mom made for you and if you've never had anything like them then hopefully you'll find something old is new again in a fun vintage way.   

And in case you think I was kidding about being completely fascinated with this cookbook check out my lunch today.  Straight out of the lunch meal plan. Yes, I said the LUNCH meal plans.  So apparently lunch was a big deal but I suppose that's only if you weren't in school. 

I had 1 cup of tomato soup (although in 1962 I'm sure it was Campbell's but in 2015's jacked up food world I had to have Amy's organic because it is GF), a Grilled cheese sandwich (sadly on GF bread), it mentioned I should have a calico salad but I couldn't find what that was so I just had an iceberg lettuce salad with chopped carrots and some french dressing (that was as 1962 as I could think) then I had a Date Layer Bar for dessert.    Seriously I think this was more food than I normally eat all day long when I'm home alone  and I was STUFFED but I got busy and got some chores done and by 6pm I was wondering where Better Crocker was with my dinner!  haha    I had grandiose plans of making myself a 1962 dinner but I had some organic canned chili albeit I ate organic GF chili over the top of fritos topped with cheese but whatever...don't judge me.     Lunch was definitely the better meal today.   I'm trying to figure out what kind of "vintage" meal I'm making Hubster on Sunday for his birthday.  I'm thinking maybe an old fashioned pot roast in the oven and not the crock pot.  If I wanted to go real old school I'd do it in the pressure cooker but the chances of me using one of those are the same as me eating a congealed salad.  

I'm off to bed now because I've had a rough time adjusting to the time change this week and for once I'd like to be asleep before 2 am. and I have to be up and coherent before 9 in the morning so I can try to get Wrestlemania tickets for my nephew.  It's coming to Dallas in April and I'm hoping to surprise him with a really awesome birthday/Christmas present.   I'm working on my cool Aunt points plus by taking him I'll get to see the Rock, it's a win-win for everyone!!!

What do you think?  Do you think you are going to like this old school cooking?

Anything you hope I find in my mom's well worn cookbook?

Peace, Love, & 1962