Posts in Category: Cookbooks
Vintage Tablescapes
I enjoy researching and writing about old recipes, but I also love collecting and selling vintage housewares. Â One of my biggest design inspirations is the ‘Danish modern’ style–so here are some of my favorite examples from my collection of vintage cookbooks!
First up is an image from Betty Crocker’s Guide to Easy Entertaining from 1959. Â It’s a lovely Hollywood-Regency inspired tea cart with some bright aqua cookware by Dansk. Â This line of enamelware, called Kobenstyle, is some of the most recognizable cookware from the 1950s and 1960s. Â It came in many colors, but I think the cheery aqua is my favorite. Â (I’ll actually be listing some of this cookware in my Etsy shop later this week, so stay tuned!)
Next are a series of photographs from the Sunset Dinner Party Cookbook, published in 1962. Â This is a great cookbook for design-lovers as well as cooks as the illustrations and photographs are beautiful. Â Unlike many cookbooks of the era, this one features people in most of the photographs, which I love. Â I imagine that this photo was taken on a sunny Southern California day in an Eichler-inspired house (look at those exposed beams!).
The next photo shows a tablescape from the same cookbook. Â A lot of vintage food photography seems cluttered, but the images from the Dinner Party Cookbook use simple table decorations that are timeless instead of being silly and dated. Â The candelabra reminds me of a Laur Jensen design.
Finally, the last photo of the bunch features a wonderful kidney-shaped tray and some rockin’ candle-sticks.
My Afternoon Tea
When I worked in London, there was nothing I loved more than afternoon tea.  At 4pm, my colleagues’ eyes would light up and everyone would head over to the canteen for a cup of tea and a biscuit.  Tea always came at a perfect time of day for me, when my eyes were fogging up from too much squinting and my brain was slowing down.  Now that I’m back in Seattle, I miss my afternoon cuppa, so when I paged through one of my vintage Betty Crocker cookbooks and found a recipe for Russian Tea Cakes, I just knew I had to make them!
This recipe comes from the Betty Crocker Hostess Cookbook that I posted about earlier in the week. Â The recipe was easy to follow, although I had to add a few tablespoons of milk so that I could shape the dough into balls. Â That said, the tea cakes turned out perfectly: not too sweet, nutty, and very tasty with a cup of tea!
In Your Easter Bonnet
Some of my favorite cookbooks are the Betty Crocker cookbooks from the 1950s and 1960s. Â They’re full of wonderful illustrations, wacky recipes, and vintage tablescapes. Â In honor of today’s beautiful weather and an Easter spent with lovely friends, I’m posting two recipes for everyone’s favorite vintage appetizer, the deviled egg, from my favorite Betty Crocker cookbooks.
The first book, Dinner for Two, was published in 1958. Â The first edition of this cookbook has amazing illustrations by none other than Charley Harper, known for his modernist prints of wildlife. Â Needless to say, the cookbook is an amazing repository of Harper’s illustrations! Â (Be warned, fellow collectors, the subsequent editions of this cookbook do not have Harper’s illustrations, only the first!) Â Here is one of my favorite images from Dinner for Two!
The Story of Our House
A few of you commented on the ramekins I used in our last post. Â Where did they come from, you ask? Â They actually came from our house. Â Kevin and I moved to Seattle from Southern California almost two years ago. Â In the autumn of 2008, we started looking for a house, but–being the picky people we are–we couldn’t find one that was perfect. Â During this time, we drove past an estate sale and wandered in. Â The house was a wreck: it hadn’t been updated in 30 years, everything was threadbare and dirty, and I remember saying to Kevin “well, at least we’re not looking at this house. Â (Famous last words, trust me.) Â I found a box of Anchor Hocking casserole dishes and ramekins at this estate sale in the Meadow Green pattern, which was produced between 1967-1977.
To make a long story short, we bought the house a few months later and it became our threadbare and dirty house! Â Originally, Kevin and I were searching for a ‘time capsule’ house that had vintage style and didn’t need much work. Â Sadly, they were out of our price-range, so we had to make some major renovations to the house in order to turn it into a place we’d be proud to call home. Â But that’s the subject of another post–back to the ramekins!
The Much-Maligned Sprout
I sing to thee of a humble sprout, made delectable with darkened butter, tart lemon, and toasted almonds!
Most everyone has bitten into an over-cooked Brussels sprout, ripe with glucosinolate sinigrin, which–according to Wikipedia–gives off a sulfurous odor and is probably the reason behind the widespread dislike of the poor little cabbage.  But cooked correctly, the Brussels sprout is a vegetable of an epic nature (hence my earlier invocation).  Indeed, Fanny Merritt Farmer includes Brussels Sprouts with Curry in her cookbook, Food and Cookery for the Sick and Convalescent, as an aid for diabetes.  Judging by the numerous recipes for Brussels sprouts available from the early twentieth century in Google books, they were quite popular.  In most of my mid-century cookbooks, nary a Brussels sprout is to be found, which makes me wonder if many 1950s cooks avoided them because of bad childhood experiences!
Then, as I mentioned earlier this week, I found my New York Times Cookbook. Â Claiborne has two recipes for Brussels Sprouts: one with caraway seeds and another with browned butter. Â He suggests that Brussels sprouts should be cooked whole, with a gash in the stem. Â I prefer slicing the sprouts ever-so-finely instead, so my take on his recipe reflects that. And apologies for the horrible photo — the whole bunch was a little off-color, even with correction.
Brussels Sprouts with Browned Butter and Toasted Almonds
(adapted from the 1961 New York Times Cookbook)
1 pound Brussels sprouts, finely sliced
2 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 c. sliced almonds, toasted
salt and pepper to taste
1. Â Preheat oven to 350. Â Place almonds on a baking sheet and toast for 10 min.
2. Â Slowly melt 2 tbsp. of butter in frying pan and cook until just starting to brown.
2. Add olive oil and Brussels sprouts and sauté for 3-4 minutes.
3. Remove Brussels sprouts from heat and add lemon juice, almonds, salt and pepper.
Et voilà ! We had ours with some halibut poached in white wine and lemon juice.  It was a wonderful dinner!
Go visit Foodie Friday for more yummy recipes!
Cookbook Spotlight
Unlike most of the cookbooks I’ve featured here, this week’s cookbook is easily accessible at your local bookstore or library.  It’s the original New York Times Cookbook, by Craig Claiborne!  I found a first edition (1961) at a local thrift-store a while back and I have to say that I’ve been incredibly impressed by the breadth and quality of its recipes.  This cookbook also does vintage cookbooks everywhere a public service: it’s not filled to the brim with recipes for Jello salad and other stereotypical retro recipes.  Instead, the New York Times Cookbook has a wide-variety of international recipes as well as more standard fare.  In short, it’s a must-have for your cookbook shelf!
One note about this cookbook: it was revised in 1990 and 40% of the original recipes were changed, so I’m not sure if the recipe I’m making this week is in the updated edition or not.
Beware of the Green Beer!
I hope that everyone has a fun (and safe) Saint Patrick’s Day! Â I was going to try and find a recipe that involved green jello and pistachios, but I don’t want you to lose your lunch entirely. Â So in lieu of a jello mold, I give you a hangover cure, straight from my 1958 cocktail guide! Â Enjoy! Â (And let me know if drinking olive oil before you drink helps to avoid a hangover.) Â Apparently CNN and I are thinking alike today, as they also have an article on hangover remedies.
Cookbook Spotlight
And now for something completely different! Â Well, somewhat different. Â Last week, while scanning the shelves at a local thrift store, a small, orange book caught my eye. Â So our next recipe will be served with a twist!
It was too cute not to pick up! Â Illustrated by Ruth McCrea and published in 1957, Aquavit to Zombie: Basic and Exotic Drinks is an A-to-Z guide to cocktails and alcohol. Â The illustrations in the books are simply amazing. Â Here’s a video that features more of McCrea’s illustrations!
An Apple A Day
It took us a long time to choose a recipe from the Cathedral of Holy Trinity’s Cookbook, which is featured in our previous post. Â Since we made a casserole last week, we decided on another mid-western staple: the bar cookie. Â Kevin has been super-busy at work lately and I know the other engineers could use some treats to help them get through their long days, so cookie-bars seemed like a perfect choice. Â Moreover, we had some apples that needed a new lease on life, so we decided on Apple Bars! Â I was a little skeptical about the ingredient list (mainly the Corn Flakes), but they turned out perfectly!
Cookbook Spotlight
I love my collection of vintage cookbooks. Â I especially enjoy paging through the spiral-bound cookbooks that are printed by community and church groups. Â I find most of these at thrift stores for just a few dollars and they always have great local dishes. Â The cookbook I’m featuring in today’s post is produced by the Parish Council of Catholic Women of the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New Ulm, Minnesota. Â This cookbook has many recipes that reflect New Ulm’s rich German heritage, including one for Essigkraut that I can’t wait to try. Â There’s also many recipes dedicated to Minnesota’s famous casseroles or hot-dishes!
Later this week, I’ll be posting a recipe from the cookbook, so check back!
