Depression cooking with Clara

There's a lot of whispering of the D-word lately. The stock markets are in free-fall. The banks keep asking for more money. Everybody being laid off. Americans are hunkering down and wondering how bad it can get. Old folks, meanwhile, know all too well how bad it can get, but nobody's asking them.

We relative whippersnappers are starting to wise up. If we're destined to stand in breadlines for a few years, why not ask the experts for advice on how to get through it?

Enter Clara Cannucciari, a 93-year-old grandmother from Upstate New York. She's the unlikely star of a new series of cooking videos on YouTube. Her speciality? Everyday home cooking from the Great Depression.

No Food Network glitz here. No flashing smiles and fancy kitchens or expensive ingredients. Clara cooks up her simple fair on a standard white 70's-era stove, while reminiscing for the viewer what it was like for her and her family back in the early '30s. It's so sincere, so like sitting there cooking with your own grandma, that I've been riveted to the entire series.

Here's a favorite: Rice, lentils, and steaks. Lovingly prepared in the no-nonsense manner by Clara. Watch and learn!