One of our favorite Oregon Archives Month events is “Taste of the ‘Chives.” This exploration of recipes past, is both tasty and not so tasty, but either way it is a great way to experience the past and learn about changes in the foods we eat on a daily basis.

Since we’ve gone virtual with all our events, this year we’re bringing you a recipe every Friday. One of our archivists will try it out and review it, complete with pictures!

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Quick Aprecan Loaf                                                    

3 cups flour                                        ½ cup chopped pecan meats
1/3 cup sugar                                     ½ cup dried apricots, cooked
4 teaspoons baking powder            1 egg                                                   
1 teaspoon salt                                  1 ½ cups milk  

Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Add the pecan meats and the dried apricots cooked and cut in pieces. Beat the egg slightly and to it add the milk. Stir the liquid lightly into the dry ingredients. Bake in a moderate oven 350 degrees F, about one hour. Remove the loaf from the pan and let cool on a wire rack.                       

(Source: 1945 “Cooking Club Tested Recipes” Wall Calendar)

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This loaf surprised me! I was hesitant to bake something without any fat (No butter? No oil? How is that possible?!?), but it turned out just perfect (even though they look quite anemic). It tastes like a pancake..slightly sweet and nice and fluffy! I would love to try this with other add-ins.