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From: DepressionCooking
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  • Almost anything in moderation is good... p.s. great video--I have a grandmother that is 96 years old, and she tells me that she satisfies her appetite with a piece of potato or yuca with code fish and salad every other day. That is to say, that, the issue to health problems lies in over eating of anything.

  • I love when she laughs!

  • When i think of my evil grandma, i feel so sorry not to have one like clara

  • okay lets go.....

  • Does Miss Clara happen to have a mail order cooking business? You can't put a price on a homecooked meal but goodness knows I would pay whatever she chose to charge! Forget Emeril Lagasse. I want some of Clara's eggplant parmesan!

  • she need ta fix me a big' ol plate a fried chikkin n waffles n collerd greens

  • fuck that she aint a Swed and my grandma "/

  • hey my name is clara! i'm 17. (lol just throwing it out there)

    Anyway, Old people are almost like Books. There's so many old people like libraries of books we cannot finish reading. Each of them holding a story. Clara, you warmed my heart, I hope you read your comments! Thank you for teaching all of us, putting yourself on the internet, I can't express my gratitude !!!! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts :)

  • I wonder wat pinched her I hope it didn't harm her

  • he insulted me first xD epic

  • redface :O your mean jk :D

  • You are the coolest lady ever.

  • I love these easy recipes thank you.

    

  • God bless you.

  • No wonder she is 94...danelions are excellent for you...great antioxidants...along with the fact they had their own veggie garden. Tomatoes and Eggplants are some of the best food out there...especially if you are on a diet...I personally would not use Wesson as an oil...I would use Olive Oil...but they more than likely used a lot of Lard back then and then reused it time and again. Either way, it hasn't killed her or my grandmother so who knows...

  • omg she is sooo adorable

  • I love this little lady! I want to give her a big hug!

  • @rowan5090 Me too. She is like everyone's grandma! If I ever met her, I would giver her such a huuuuuge hug!

  • @ubuntungbelele ubunto lives in a dung hut and eats bugs but has internet,

  • someone help her cut that egpplant..whats wrong with u ppl

  • I guess in those days of the Great Depression, vegtables were cheap, unlike today. We're in a depression today, but the cheap food of today is processed, which is unhealthy. Whole foods like they ate in those days, to save money, today is too expensive!

  • @fiore56aol vegetables can be cheap, but it depends on which vegetables. If you purchase all fresh fruit and vegetables that are seasonal and local, it will be much cheaper. Also, she states in the video that her family had a garden and grew most of their food, and that those without gardens had to buy food, which was expensive.

  • eggplant is fantastic ...

  • Clara is so sweet! <3

  • awwee, my favorite. god bless

  • cool ass woman...much love from canada

    they serve this in detox bcz it's cheap as well! mmm

  • This is such a great show! It has taught me how to make dishes I cook regularly, while giving insight into what life was like in those times.

  • oil evaporates really? lol i thought it all soaked into the eggplant...

  • @mgblue aww yea don't think oil really evaporates...it does evaporate but extremely slowly and only at extremely high temperatures bless her heart tho =) i'd still eat her oily egg plants...seems like it hasn't affected her lifespan so why not live a little ^^

  • @watercreator lol yeah i guess :)

  • I'm going to get some greens from the yard, can't wait to try it.

  • God Bless You dear, you remind me of my precious nonna

  • My grandma used to chase me out of the kitchen. Too much tinkering, one said. Not a place for men, the other said...... sigh.

  • I have a small garden. No eggplant though. Maybe next year. I am going to start cooking smarter, and healthier. Clara is a wonderfull example on simplicity, and tasty food. Thank You!

  • I had never had eggplant that wasn't breaded before. Now, this is my favorite way to make it. The only difference is I use olive oil and less of it. I put the slice in the pan getting oil on one side and then immediately flip it, so, both sides get coated. Thanks, Clare, for this VERY yummy and healthy method of cooking eggplant.

  • I love your videos, Clara! God bless you!

  • Tried this, delicious, used grated strong cheddar cheese. We call eggplant "aubergines" in England, think that is because of the colour. drain them well on kitchen paper and serve with jersey royal potatos and a salad.

  • God bless! You are beautiful

  • man her grand kids are blessed to have a grandma like her they get to eat her food and listen to her storys No fare! I want a grandma like her

  • i love clara

  • I always assumed lard would have been used for frying during the Great Depression since it was cheap.

  • I'd rather watch Clara than Jamie Oliver or Nigella Lawson, seriously. No more "I'm so cool" attitude, only a charming older lady making some fantastic meals :D

  • The music at the end is annoying as fuck.

  • We need more Clara's in the world. Congratulations to the clever, thoughtful person who decided to make these videos happen. My parents are in the same age group as Clara and I have heard some similiar stories but she has "all her marbles" and a lovely sense of humour. Thank you - I watched until the end with a big smile on my face.

  • I made this almost exactly to the recipe (I used olive oil instead of Wesson oil). The remaining oil went toward the fried mushrooms recipe from you. It makes for a large and filling dinner this way and it's vegetarian (vegan if you use soy cheese). Many thanks for this wonderful recipe!

  • You can eat dandilion greens, but before the weed has flowered.

  • These vids really move me. I think I will use them in my classes for kids to watch, a good way to practise their English, learn about food and American history, all at the same time.

  • What courage and grace you must have, to have lived through so much and still be loving the delights that our world has to offer - Im sure this is just 'normal' for you, but for my generation it is exceptional! Brava Clara!

  • my eyes are so full of tears, to the youth out here, you should really take heed to this because here is what you call ''a real woman'' god bless her heart. she can cook, clean, healthy, sweet, busy, she gets things done. at 94 she is still at it., a true definition of a woman, she is cherished and probably don't know it, she probably don't care either. woman like this don't need to fit in or pretend, they are home-makers with purpose and wisdom, this woman and my grandma are geniuses.

  • why am i still watching this again?

  • I love my Grandmother and I love the way you talk. Best of both worlds!

  • i love her <3

  • Ok this was too simple...Every vid or recipe I read on eggplant parmasean they take forever to make, and you have to have a pot for this and a pot for that...This way you can do this with minimal energy and yet everything is easy to make...Thank you for posting these on youtube and sharing your stories...These just remind us that we can do much with very little and still live a full life..

  • SPAGHETTI TOWN~!!!

  • CLARA!!! SURELY YOU DIDN'T YELL "REDFACE"!!! WHAT A CONFESSION!...OH! MY

    lol I ONLY PRAY THAT IF I GET TO MAKE 94..I WOULD BE ABLE TO COOK, REMEMBER STORIES AND STILL LAUGH AT SILLY THINGS.. YOU ARE AN INSPIRATION TO MANY OF US"YOUNGUNS" @ 68!

  • They did not have wesson oil in the 30s. Can I use lard? Is lard the real way they fried back then?

  • @shadowperez

    OLIVE OIL

  • @shadowperez Yes, lard, olive oil (limited availability), butter, bacon grease (saved in a jar/can) and Crisco

    (introduced 1912) were all used during the depression years.

  • @gmaureen very interestin remember all those people used lard and bacon grease. Then people introduced margarine and vegetable oils and heart attacks sky rocketed. The body has an ability to process natural fat. The new types of oils are what cause 70 of plaque in arteries. How come a a tub of margarine is still solid in 90 degrees on the counter? Thats what it does to body temperature in the arteries, it stays hard. Thanks for the cooking tips we need em!

  • it just warms my heart to see this. i want to live a month like in the times of the depression.

    Walk to school

    Eat from her recipes

    no computer or anything but a radio and telephone

    Ah soon

  • I want Clara to be my grandma <3

  • @TheOnlyAustinCusker me too!! I love her!! <3

  • i'm no cook but i understand everything that she does, It really comes down to common sense too because the human body requires nutrition, you can survive on the most basic things such as lettuce and water lol.

    I really like these videos.

  • Can anyone explain to me what the depresion time was ??.

  • @x0Yellowismellow0x the years are in the intro

  • @x0Yellowismellow0x You are experiencing it now.

  • I love eggplant but not that kind, rosa bianca (sicilian eggplant), and you should dip it in egg and seasoned breadcrumbs, mixed with parmagian cheese first and you should have 1/2 oil and 1/2 margarine for flavor.............just sayin'

  • @winitred000 Should have? Well sure, but this is Depression Era cooking. People were dirt poor and didn't have access to fancy ingredients. If they didn't eat what they grew, they would have starved.

  • @RBNightlinger I know, I know..............I'm just rzzing you

  • @winitred000 thats how you may cook it today but depression era cooking was very different. They were totally poor and had to make due with what they had. they didnt have the luxury that you are talking and yes seasoned croutons were a luxury.

  • oh man, this lady needs her own tv show. i love her!

  • I know what i want for my brithday! If i get her cookbook i will be a happy 21 yr old!

  • I was wondering what to do with the Eggplants in my refrigerator.

    Thanks! Now I know how to cook them.

    Awesome!

  • I WANT MOMS SAUCE RECIPIE

  • @TRISHSTONIONIS Hopefully this will help you :)

    First make a deep cross on the bottom of ur tomtoe, then boil it, cut it in pieces and peel off the skin, then frie it. It will be tomatopuree. If you want to you can add olive oil, garic-chaps, onion-chap,water or chicken stock,sweet basil,oregano ground ,pepper ,salt. For the extra flavours. Hope this helps. I'm quite curious what her mother made herself :)

  • Every time I watch one of your videos I get hungry. Thanks again for sharing both the cooking and your memories with us . Look forward to many more.

  • Thank God for Clara. With out people passing down knowledge like this, it just dies. We need to all keep in mind that our Grandkids could profit from our experience too. But only if we take the time to share

  • Did you realize? It's all vegetarian food!

  • @Perscriptions It's because meat was expensive. Most people couldn't afford to eat meat with every meal.  They'd make up for it with other proteins and have very small portions of meat when they actually could get some.

  • i miss my nana so much

  • I love watching these videos - The food is fantastic but I enjoy listening to Clara even more :-) 4 people are morons

  • I love watching these videos - The food is fantastic but I enjoy listening to Clara even more :-)

  • 4 people are jelly they cant cook as good as clara XD

  • this woman never ages lol

  • dose she know she grabbed a bread knife

  • Please take Clara's knives to be sharpened or do it yourself. A dull knife is much more dangerous than a sharp one. Love your recipes and stories Clara!

  • Spaghetti town!!! LOL  I too am a native Chicagoan! Love you so much Clara! xo

  • you are so cute Clara!!! 

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  • I love all the thrifty recipes, I made the eggplant but cut the oil a little bit so easy and good and I make it also in the oven too some times roasting the eggplant DELISH !

    Your family is very blessed to have such a wonderful lady!

  • Wonderful video! Thank you so much for sharing your recipes and life experiences =]

  • Fattening, but delicious...

  • Love you Ms Clara! My parents and grandparents are gone but watching you brings back the feeling of being with family again.

  • omg I want to cry. I love this video

  • Dear Clara,

    Thank you very much for this recipe. It was so easy and tasted so good.

    You are a treasure.

    spacebroom

  • I love romano way more too

  • I love eggplant parm. but hate the peel on the eggplant. When you cook it, it turns rubbery. So I peel my eggplant before I cook them, either breading and frying or roasting in the oven. Both ways it's super tasty and gets rid of the rubbery peels.

  • I tried your recipe tonight and I loved it! The only thing I changed was that I breaded the eggplant before frying it. Thanks so much for your videos!

  • Awesome i'm coming over for dinner!

  • You are a doll! So sweet to share your experiences and good recipes with everyone. Peace.

  • Clara, you are great!

  • I love your depression cooking and I love you Clara and I love your stories. My dad's mother cooked for all her family straight from Italy and passed it on to my mom . You cook like my mom with slight variation's My grandfather and dad like a piece of meat in just vinegar I thought this was something special my mom said no they just liked it that way like dessert strange but true ...... God Bless

  • This looks delicious! Thank you for this recipe :)

  • You are absolutely amazing!!!Thank you so much!

  • clara, you are too cute!!

  • omg she's so adorable and lively!

  • Ms. Clara, thank you for sharing your cooking and indeed your history with us. This sort of thing means a lot to me as a history student. Again thank you!

    Christian P.

  • So wonderful! Thanks Clara!

  • egg plant is wonderful

  • Clara you are a wonderful woman and that eggplant makes my mouth water, I enjoy hearing about the great depression.

  • Best videos on YouTube! 

  • Hi Ms. Clara...........Thank you for the cooking "lessons". All looks good. I'm cooking the eggplant today.

  • Love you, love you, love you!

    : )

  • Thanks for the recipes Clara. I made the poor mans meal for supper tonight, and my teenage daughter loved it! (me too)

  • Get the famous recipes from all your favorite restaurants and cook them right from home! - youtube.com/watch?v=6ktnVmKZXO­o

  • Bless your pea~cookin' little heart Clara. You make it all look so easy and delicious! Love your stories and your videos! In this economy, your recipes and tips couldn't be more timely.

  • Can your GG adopt me?? I'm half Italian, It would totally work. xo

  • History is lost on the new generations.

    They appreciate nothing and sold our country to CHINA.

    The depression is here and getting worse day by day.

    It will be a "silent" depression. America thrives on overspending.

    If people get worried and start saving and stop using credit cards the machine will shut down.

    It's sad, but I think we need a depression to kick us in the ass and teach us a lesson.

    Until then keep buying your $200 jeans and $600 ipones from CHINA!

    You'll starve in style...

  • Excellent ! Will try it this way. Here eggplant (called "berenjena" in Spanish) is very common and now it's the cheap season to buy it, at less than 1 dollar per kilogram. Usually it is fried covered in egg.

  • Simple nutricious meals that are easy to prepare from fresh ingredients. I wish more people would cook like grandma Clara than that awful Sandra Lee woman who encourages people not to cook and to feed their families prepared crap.

  • I like this one because its vegetarian too!

  • Wonderful. My mother is 10 years younger than you and takes her cooking seriously. She makes regular visits to the Farmers Market to buy fresh, natural ingredients. In the 1930's American families ate their meals together and ate generally healthier and more natural food. We need to return to both a more wholesome and unified family life and to wholesome food. Everyone who has a house with a yard should be cultivating a garden.

  • @TORRONTES2 Thats alot more work than you think, especially now when mothers and fathers both work and dont have alot of time to garden and do that stuff, plus we dont have to do it. Alot of people do have gardens though, its sometimes fun.

  • @TORRONTES2 thats why we live in america were free if we dont want to do that... we dont

  • @Habbo4good How about you come back when you don't play Habbo Hotel anymore? Then we can talk about life. If you play Habbo Hotel, your biggest concern is getting Habbo Coins.

  • @Duspende LOL bra old acc, cant be asked to make a new one and resub, supprised you know about it though mr life.

  • @Habbo4good I used to play it myself broski. But then I grew up.

  • @Duspende same here.

  • @TORRONTES2 I would. LOL. But there is a HUGE sandstone under my property, and it's filled with horrible soil. :(

  • @TORRONTES2 I agree. I love making my own tomatosauce. The problem is... With todays life being what it is, nobody really have the time or energy to do this anymore. My mom told me that when she grows old, she's gonna be cooking using only fresh and organic products. And I will do that too when I get time. I do it already. Using non-sprayed tomatoes and organic onions for my tomatosoup. It's expensive, but the taste sure is worth it.

  • Clara is so cute! and is it me or is she more upbeat this season? she is amazing! thank you for sharing your experiences and wisdom! God Bless!

  • The best cooking vids on YouTube! I wish we could have a cup of tea together and then get to cooking!

  • a common problem in elderly households is dull knives... nobody ever gives them new ones and the neighborhood sharpener threw in th towel long ago.... sad. look at the struggle to cut that eggplant with a dull one..knife.

  • You are such an inspiration, I really love all your recipes and can't help myself from watching all your episodes, but pleeease don't hurt yourself!

  • clara, you're adorable. this looks absolutely tasty...can't wait to give it a try!!

  • Ahh she is so adorable!

    She is an inspiration to me, and hopefully alot of people as well. Continue the good work!

    :]

    -subscribes-

  • my father is 92 and i am a male 55 i love your videos and i treasure anytime i can talk with people from that era yalls makedoitness amazes me and i am sure families were much closer then i am envious of that part of it anyway even from the very small southern town i grew up in i remember neighbors sitting on the front porches talking to each other none of us then had air conditioningand man it got hot here in fla in the summer so thank you

  • I adore Clara's vids. I do think it's cute how she said what seems to be a lot of oil "evaporates." I LOVE eggplant, but it's like a sponge and that's where all that oil is going...straight into those beautiful purple slabs! (I use a flavorful olive oil mixed in w/the veggie oil because I like the flavor it imparts.)

    I've always wanted to try dandelion greens, but was never brave enough. Somehow I'm always afraid they're not REALLY edible.

    Wow, her newer vids have outtakes! Cool!

  • Wow! You ate very healthy during the depression. Simple meals are always wonderful and easy. I'll share these videos with my little sisters when they want to start cooking. Thank you for sharing this recipe with us, Clara!

  • Eggplants love oil:)Thank you Clara for recipe.This is my favorite veggie.I like them cold too .

  • Bless you. You remind me of my Granny- I used to love spending time helping her cook and listening to her stories of growing up. I feel sorry for the kids nowadays that don't get to experience a real family life. Ah, well....what can you do?

  • i have a 94 year old grandmaw and i love her dearly your very sweet like my grandmother your grandkids are so lucky for having such good hearted one of the sweetest lady's out there.keep up the good work.your friend lisa.

  • btw, a veg peeler can be used to core apples.

  • you do not look your age at all clara! i love your shows!

  • I love to watch these so much! Please keep making the videos

  • I love eggplants

  • I love eggplant cooked like this. YUM... thank you so much for making these videos.  :)

  • When will we get to see how you make your tomoato sauce? Or do you call it Pasta Gravy>

  • Clara, I love you! Keep up the great cooking! I think you are the grandma I never had.

  • I love your cooking video Clara! And I love this recipe, it is one of my favorites!

  • Ah eggplant, yum! Thank you Clara : )

  • For goodness sake, sharpen your great grandmothers knifes for her.

  • @siszam

    now, thats funny!!  lol

  • Video was bad to upload, but i love her videos, i wanna buy the book

  • Oh I'd love to have that tomato sauce recipe! I bet it's fabulous.

  • I tried this receipe last night for dinner. Fantastic.  The kids liked it too which is impressive. My 3 year old is a picky eater. thanks Clara!

  • Clara you are amazing!!! I will definitely try this recipe I am vegetarian so I know I will love this....

  • I like seeing your pic. of the past. Your meals seem so good & easy to make.

  • Spaghetti town... Red face! LOL that was great had me giggling. <3 2 Clara

  • aww you are such a darling Clara :)

  • I have made eggplant lasagna. Instead of noodles you use eggplant. This looks good and easy to make. Thanks Clara.

  • i love nonna clara:):):)

  • I made this tonight, it was fast, easy, delicious, nice and sweet and tender. I've never made it this way before, always did the egg/breadcrumb route and I'm too tired after work for that so I haven't had it in years. I was going to do a video response picture of it, but then I ate it instead :)

  • I love your video's Clara and Chris. Our family recipe for Eggplant Parmesan calls for slightly thinner slices then we would salt & press them a while to get some moisture out, then coat them in flour, egg wash & bread crumbs with the cheese mixed in & then fried. Sometime we would add the sauce, cover with more cheese & bake them in a casserole. Or serve them on the plate & add your own sauce. My Grampa, Uncles & My Dad all had gardens at home when I was a kid. Great memories. Thanks.

  • I discovered a frozen, heat and serve eggplant thing at Trader Joe's, which I really like served "Clara style."

  • I had a bad experience with Trader Joe's last year. The freezers had defrosted to 52 degrees and the manager decided to just pump up the freezer's. Not realising that defrosted foods like fish could harm anyone who ate it. He didn't seem to care. Needed the profits I am sure. So I stood there for one hour until he pulled the stock so people would not buy it and take a chance on food poisoning. Sorry but I never shop at Trader Joe's anymore.

  • @9aspengold5 gj that guy sould been canned, eanyone working in thos places sould have and practice basic food safe.

    oh and gj clara I injoy the vids.

  • @josh604gt I agree with you. Those managers would not want their families or

    friends put in danger by lazy habits. I also love Clara's video's.

  • Clara you are a treasure and I like the little funny comments as you cook- God bless you.

  • Clara, you are such a Sweetie! I just love watching you in all your videos. You remind me so much of my dear grandmother, who I lost so many years ago. God bless you!

  • Clara, you're a delight! Watching your videos is like going home!