Victory Kitchen

Victory Kitchen

By Sarah Creviston LeeHistory
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Victory Kitchen episodes

  • Episode 44 - The Butter Battle

    Spanning the 19th and 20th centuries, butter and margarine were locked in a legal battle that spanned over 80 years, fighting over margarine's right to exist. In this episode, Sarah explores the history of these two industries' bad feelings, how it was affected by wartime, and the importance of butter and margarine in the American diet. She tries a recipe for Peach Roly-Poly featuring margarine and we hear from two Americans on their feelings about "the butter imposter."

    To see images, recipes and research conducted for this episode go to victorykitchenpodcast.substack.com. To learn more about Sarah and this podcast go to thevictorykitchenpodcast.com.

    1 hr 18 min
  • Episode 43 - A Home Front Reader

    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 remembers his teenaged years on the home front during WWII.

    To see images, recipes and research conducted for this episode go to victorykitchenpodcast.substack.com. To learn more about Sarah and this podcast go to thevictorykitchenpodcast.com.

    1 hr 25 min
  • Episode 42 - Home of the Brave

    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 brave wartime WAFS pilot, Cornelia Fort.  

    To see images, recipes and research conducted for this episode go to victorykitchenpodcast.substack.com. To learn more about Sarah and this podcast go to thevictorykitchenpodcast.com.

    1 hr 6 min
  • Episode 41 - S.P.A.M.

    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 victorykitchenpodcast.substack.com. To learn more about Sarah and this podcast go to thevictorykitchenpodcast.com.

    56 min
  • Episode 40 - 80th Anniversary of V-E Day

    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 of radio clips from V-E Day.

    Follow this podcast and more at victorykitchenpodcast.substack.com

    To see images, recipes and research conducted for this episode go to victorykitchenpodcast.substack.com. To learn more about Sarah and this podcast go to thevictorykitchenpodcast.com.

    35 min
  • Episode 39 - Feeding Fido on the Homefront

    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, recipes and research conducted for this episode go to victorykitchenpodcast.substack.com. To learn more about Sarah and this podcast go to thevictorykitchenpodcast.com.

    1 hr 35 min
  • Episode 38 - Halloween Hijinks

    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.

    victorykitchenpodcast.substack.com

    thevictorykitchenpodcast.com

    Music used in episode via Uppbeat: "Friendly Ghost" by Danijel Zambo and "Creepy Crypt" by Albert Behar.

    To see images, recipes and research conducted for this episode go to victorykitchenpodcast.substack.com. To learn more about Sarah and this podcast go to thevictorykitchenpodcast.com.

    59 min
  • Episode 37 - The Spirits of War

    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 Paul Revere."

    To see images, recipes and research conducted for this episode go to victorykitchenpodcast.substack.com. To learn more about Sarah and this podcast go to thevictorykitchenpodcast.com.

    1 hr 8 min
  • Episode 36 - Food Rationing 101

    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 answers follower's wartime food questions. Finally, she tries an interesting molasses frozen treat and we hear the story of fashion designer and war plant worker Elizabeth Hawes.


    Subscribe to the Victory Kitchen Podcast Substack for all the researching goodness for each episode, plus upgrade to a paid subscription to access the archives and all the extra posts!

    Check out Sarah's new podcast website HERE!


    To see images, recipes and research conducted for this episode go to victorykitchenpodcast.substack.com. To learn more about Sarah and this podcast go to thevictorykitchenpodcast.com.

    1 hr 2 min
  • Episode 35 - Wartime Homemaking Q&A

    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 episode and support the podcast at victorykitchenpodcast.substack.com! Subscribers have access to extra wartime recipes, posts, and content like peeks into Sarah's collections via her Archives Showcases!

    To see images, recipes and research conducted for this episode go to victorykitchenpodcast.substack.com. To learn more about Sarah and this podcast go to thevictorykitchenpodcast.com.

    1 hr 27 min

About Victory Kitchen

From the publisher's feed

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…