Victory Kitchen is an exploration of food rationing in wartime America. Join author, historian, and vintage foodie Sarah Creviston Lee as she delves into World War II cookbooks, recipes and menu plans to discover how our grandmas got their food to fight for victory.
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When it comes to learning about World War II, there are enough books to keep reading for an entire lifetime! Sometimes, it's hard to know where to start. In this episode, Sarah showcases some of the books she's read as a master's degree student and talks about their important contributions to this field of history. She tries out a delicious summer-time salad and reads the account of one man who…
Each 4th of July, the United States marks its birthday with parades, festivities, food, and fireworks. But how do you mark such a joyful occasion in the midst of war? In honor of America's 250th birthday, Sarah explores how Americans celebrated during WWII despite the grim circumstances their sons and daughters faced on the battlefronts. She shares a poignant speech by FDR and we learn about the…
Luncheon meat was all the rage during WWII. Convenient and economical, this tinned protein was both beloved on the home front and the loathed enemy of U.S. soldiers everywhere. In this episode, Sarah examines Spam and its counterparts to see what all the fuss was about and shares a unique Hawaiian cookbook from her collection. To see images, recipes and research conducted for this episode go to…
To commemorate the 80th anniversary of V-E day, we turn to the American home front to see how they celebrated while keeping in mind the war wasn't quite finished yet. Sarah shares a special cake to honor Mother's Day and we hear words of wisdom from 1945 Nebraska school children about what V-E day means to them. A special thank you to contributors on Internet Archive for making available a variety…
Wartime meat rationing didn't just affect humans, it directly impacted their dogs and cats too. In this episode, Sarah explores how pets were fed pre-war and how pet owners got creative when the meat they relied on became scarce. Guest Kelsey Lonie, military historian, chats about the Dogs for Defense program, and two pets (Caspian & Rocky) try their own wartime ration recipes To see images,…
In early 20th century America, Halloween was a time for unruly tricks, delicious treats and all sorts of "hijinks" in between. In this spooky episode, Sarah dives into how folks celebrated this anticipated (and dreaded!) holiday in a unique wartime setting. Festive, cursed recipes are brewed up with mixed results and we hear a haunting recitation of some chilling Halloween poems from 1942.…
In 1942, the luxury of alcohol became a casualty of war to make way for industrial alcohol for war purposes. This left American drinkers high and (sometimes) dry. In this episode, Sarah examines the tangled web of alcohol rationing and how states balanced the shortages and demands. Wartime pizza (with anchovies) hits the oven and we hear the story of alcohol crusader Ernest Albright - "the second…
Misconceptions surrounding American WWII food rationing are swirling around on the internet. Were eggs rationed? What about wheatless days? Milk was rationed too, right? In this episode, Sarah sits down for an experimental ChatGBT sesh to see what it has teach her about rationing (it's not great). She breaks down the rationing basics, goes over what foods were rationed and which weren't and…
Homemaking during wartime presented its own special challenges. Join Sarah as she interviews Corina of The Hopewell Homestead , vintage homemaking extraordinaire, to answer questions about how women during WWII managed to do so much and run a household at the same time. A delicious meat pie recipe is on the menu and we get a look at breakfast time in a busy wartime household. Learn more about this…
Two of the busiest workers on the homefront were honeybees and beekeepers! In this episode, Sarah talks about the insect/human dynamic duo and their important contribution to the war effort along with challenges they faced and solutions for those problems. Sarah tackles a couple honey recipes and a boy in 4-H discovers the joys of beekeeping. To see images, recipes and research conducted for this…