Jack Frost Frozen Squeeze Cheese

I found a recipe called Frozen Nippy Cheese on another blog. It was just a typed recipe, and so I hunted down something similar in this 1929 cookbooklet:

Check out the introduction:

I'm puzzled about why these recipes were developed for apartment dwellers. There must have been a socioeconomic trend to justify creating something this targeted, but I'm not sure what it was. I'd love to research it, but I've already jumped down too many Kraft cheese rabbit holes because of this recipe, and it's time to call it quits for the day.

Here's the recipe. 

The original version I found was called "Frozen Nippy Cheese" which is what drew my attention. The idea of freezing cheese spread seemed odd, but apparently the idea stuck around for a while. Here's a version which appeared in the June 28, 1940 issue of the Toledo Blade:

(In case you are wondering, bar le duc jelly turns out to be a highfalutin currant jelly named for a town in France. It is a luxury item served with things like foie gras, or in this case, adulterated processed cheese spread. )

My first question was "What is nippy cheese, and where do I get some?"

One web forum discussion said that nippy cheese was a Kraft product that came in a tube, and perhaps later in a jar. And so off I went on a quest to find an image to share.

All I came up with was this one:

It's not from Kraft. But I like it. The dog and the fox and the hunter, all hanging out together around a box of good old Nippy Cheese, forks held high.

What I did find were some amazing old Kraft cheese food ads. Take a look.

First off, cheese in a can (but not the spray kind). 

Finally a more sanitary cheese! (To serve hard, chill before opening.)

Then we have this little gem, from 1932.

During this hectic season, who doesn't need a few quick cheese tricks up their sleeve?

Here are two color ads from the 1930s:

Let's all cheer along with them! I'm joining in for the neat transparent wrapper!

The Saturday Evening Post proclaims that it's more than delicious. And who can disagree when tempted by green olive topped macaroni and cheese timbales?:

While we are talking about cheesy mounds of goodness, here's an example from the 1940s:

Velveeta is born! Viva la Velveeta!

Sometime soon Kraft branched out into all sorts of varieties:

(Sadly, I still don't see "Nippy" in the lineup. But Smo-kay is okay.)

Next come Swankyswigs!

Ladies choice includes Limburger, and my personal favorite, TEEZ.

Of course Kraft also cranked out other products:

Why oh why can we no longer find dehydrated American cheese on our grocer's shelves? No Nippy, no powdered American...

Unless of course you open a box of Kraft Dinner:

Apparently people just snapped jars off the shelves and ignored the cheese-muffled sound of shattering glass:

This guy probably also brought lots of sliced cheese for Dagwoodesque sandwiches like this one:

You can buy cheaper slices. But none that go better with hard boiled eggs and raw green peppers.

Kids love it too:

Especially when paired with olive-pimento loaf. My kids just couldn't get enough of that stuff. Make your favorite child a spicy cheese sammy with red onion. The kids in the cafetorium will line up to trade their Ho Hos for one of those babies.

Any way you slice it, Kraft does cheese, and they do it right.

But I can't find Nippy anywhere.

Sigh...

Luckily for you, they do still make cheese in jars. If you want to try Frozen Nippy Cheese, just grab one of those and let me know how it turns out.

While You are Waiting: Whiz Burgers!

I'm working on a fantabulous holiday appetizer post for you, and in the process, came across the following that I just had to get out pronto:

I'll be back with more Kraft fun shortly!

Rich Guy Plum Pudding

Look, it's a one pudding open sleigh!

This morning's offering comes from Favorite Old Recipes. The book was produced by speculator rich boy Joseph Leiter, and subtitled "Being a Comprehensive and Diverse Collection of Favorite Recipes Diligently Gathered from Many Sources".

Publication of the title was such big news that the Milwaukee sentinel from April 15, 1928 offered an article on the subject:

The article states:

"Time and expense do not enter into the mind when giving directions for the proper way of preparing a dish. Ingredients are marshaled from every country and every season, and liberal use is made of wines and brandies. But the wealthy author, who maintains a famous wine cellar, explains that in place of the rare vintages called for in the recipes, the non-alcoholic wines and cordials sold at the grocery stores may be sued with satisfactory results.

Mr. Leiter is the son of the late Levi Z. Leiter, early partner of Marshall Field, the Chicago merchant prince, who left an estate of $30,000,000, of which Joseph is trustee. One of his sisters married Marquis Curzon, formerly Viceroy of India, and another is the Countess of Suffolk."

Here's a better picture of old Joe:

Only 1,000 copies of the book were printed, and I'm a lucky girl to get one!

You'll be seeing more of this title in days to come. Today you get a look at the second of two plum pudding recipes Mr. Leiter cooked on his yacht or one of several homes around the country. You can tell it is an oldie by the way the ingredients are handled: small glasses of this, "some milk", etc.

Now run off to the store to get some beef marrow, and cook like a tycoon!

Plum Pudding--No. 2

Have two pounds of beef marrow or suet, chop it well and put it into a large pot; seed a pound and a half of package raisins, wash and clean half a pound of Corinthian raisins, and mix these raisins with the suet; add to this three pounds of bread crumbs, a good glass of Malaga wine, two small glasses of Cognac brandy, the rind of half a lemon, chopped fine, a handful of preserved lemon cut in pieces, a good handful of flour, some salt and eight whole eggs; moisten the lot with some milk; mix it with the hands, so that it will be thoroughly mixed; form a liquid paste. Tie this mixture in a sack and put this sack into a pot of previously boiling water. Let it cook six or seven hours, making sure that the sack is always covered with water and that the water is boiling. While it is cooking, make the following sauce:

Put a quarter of a pound of butter into a casserole, a pinch of flour, a pinch of lemon rind, and candied lemon chopped fine, a pinch of salt and a spoonful of sugar; moisten the lot with some Malaga wine, let cook as you would any ordinary sauce. At time of serving strain your plum pudding for a few minutes, take it from the sack, set on a plate and glaze it with this sauce. Serve.

Sugar Plums Oh Sugar Plums, What Pray Tell Art Thou?

The first recipe in this month's holiday extravaganza led me on a quest.

Not being much of a candy maker (I'm afraid of boiling sugar), I can't quite tell what the texture of the candies is like, but their snowy whiteness makes a great backdrop for the neon-colored candied fruit of the era.

We always had little plastic tubs of the stuff in my childhood kitchen. I never liked it, but it was a holiday staple, as you will see from recipes to come throughout the month.

I imagine this candy to be very sweet, slightly chewy, and studded with the weirdly textured candied fruit flavors of the past. But they aren't what I ever imagined sugar plums to be.

And so I set out to find out what a sugar plum is. Turns out this is not a straight forward question.

Here are a few examples of the most common version found on the interwebs today:

Sugar Plums avec Saveur

Sugar Plums from Nourished Kitchen

Sugar Plums from Alton Brown

In contrast, Epicurious says that they are candied or dried fruits surrounded by fondant.

Other sources say they are a comfit; a confectionary item usually small in size which is arduously coated in multiple layers of sugar:

The Christmas Food Timeline

A Boke of Gode Cookery

So I'm still confused.

Perhaps I should ask the Patron Fairy for answers:

Look! She's wearing candied cherries! Surely she will know.

I'm off to Google her contact info...

Happy December!

Christmas makes you feel emotional

it may bring parties or thoughts devotional

whatever happens or what may be

here is what Christmas time means to me...

(Or rather, to Cookbook Love)

That's right! The month of December will be devoted to Christmas recipes. I'll be on the hunt for vintage Hanukkah recipes as well, and will post interesting examples of anything I find after the 20th.

(I wonder if Spry ever had Aunt Jenny make latkes?)

Only one way to find out! Stick around for ideas about how to jingle bell rock your holiday kitchen, old school style.

The Devil Made Them Heat It

Taste of Home magazine's email newsletter today listed a recipe that I thought sounded a little disgusting: Mulled Dr. Pepper.

I'm not sure I understand the recipe (particularly adding more sugar, and heating for 2 hours in a slow cooker), but that's not the point.

The point is to wonder why someone would want hot soda? The bubbles would surely be killed in the making, and you would be left with nothing to cut the syrupy sweetness. All the carbonated joy would be removed.

Upon Googling I discovered that Dr. Pepper is really the only soda that people seem to want to heat. The other big names in soft drinks leave well enough alone. (Mostly.)

But not Dr. Pepper.

Some might think it could be a plot of...

But clearly the company itself started the craze....

and continued it throughout the years.

Ok we get it. It's devilishly different. But I'm not convinced it's hot in a good way.

Let me know if you've tried it and think otherwise.

Night Night Little Piggies

I started a new job this week, and I'm tired tired tired.

So before this little piggy trots off to bed, here are a few creepy vintage pork images found around the interwebs for your twisted viewing pleasure:

FRANKARONI LOAF!

For those of us who can never get enough hot dog recipes, here's an entry to keep in mind for next year's Thanksgiving table:

That's right, it's Frankaroni Loaf!

(Shakespeare just may have been wrong about the whole name thing...)

You probably noticed that this is a recipe card. It's part of a fantastic set that I'll be unveiling in detail in December.

In the meantime, happy hot-dog-olive-macaroni-pickle-cheese-tomato-sauce loaf!

Impossibly Easy Update

I just had a piece of the Impossibly Easy Pumpkin Pie mentioned yesterday.

Here's what I think.

It was easy. And it is very much like the traditional stuff but firmer and less custardy.

Unfortunately I don't think I can evaluate the recipe objectively; the canned pumpkin I used was quite grainy. The grit interrupted the velvety smoothness you expect from pumpkin pie.

I'll be honest; the three of us who tasted it missed the crust. But I think we would have missed it less if the creaminess had been there.

I'm guessing most people would choose traditional pie in a taste test. But the Easy version is handy if you:

a) Don't have time to make crust.

b) Forgot to buy refrigerated crust (like me).

c) Want to cut back on the fat level.

One big advantage is that you can make it on the spur of the moment if you just keep pumpkin and Bisquick in the pantry.

Thanks Bisquick. This year, you saved Turkey Day.

Happy Impossibly Easy Thanksgiving!

For the sake of nostalgia I'm making Impossibly Easy Pumpkin Pie for tomorrow's feast. I've always wanted to try it, and since I forgot to pick up some refrigerator pie crust, I figured there's no time like the present!

And what does one need for Impossibly Easy Pie? Bisquick!

Luckily there are gigantic boxes all ready to help.

Here are some vintage Bisquick boxes, ads, etc.




These are fun, though I have to admit that the item below confuses me.

Apparently it is from the 1930s, and is a collection of recipes from stars as told to Betty herself.

But the name? That I don't get. "Turn a trick" I understand, but I don't think it fits in this case. And if it does? For biscuits, you should pay extra.

While trying to find out when Betty Crocker began marketing through their "Impossibly Easy" pie concept, I came across this page:

http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodpies.html#impossible

The site is a gem! Take a look at this timeline when you have a minute:

http://www.foodtimeline.org/

I haven't researched who writes the site or how accurate it is, but my first reaction is COOL!

Back to the pie. It is out of the oven and looks pretty.

(Ok, so this shot comes from the Betty Crocker website, but why make you look at my shoddy photography when you can see the work of pros instead?)

I'll let you know how it tastes tomorrow. Unless I'm too drunk on tryptophan to log on blogger once the feasting is done.

In the meantime, I hope that your holiday be filled with thanks, that your family be on good behavior, and that all your cooking be done with love.

All Things Chicken

I don't think Frank Marcello likes chickens.

Either that, or he loves them but applies the writing axiom that you have to let bad things happen to your favorite characters.

Just look at this series, apparently featuring Hanna Bell Lecter:

She chased him down, held him up like a victory bouquet, and then proceeded to get him drunk, meanwhile planning a coq au vin with some nice fava beans on the side.

And here he is at the last, bald scalp now covered by a hat, comb set aside for a garnish.

Bubbling away as if all is well, when clearly, that inner tube is not going to save him.

Poor chicken.

I wonder if Frank was a vegetarian, trying to make a point?

New Feature: Polls!

Cookbook Love has added a new feature for my enjoyment and edification, and hopefully yours.

Polls!

The first poll is about turkey. To brine or not to brine, THAT is the question.

What do you do?

Check it out, over there on the right. (Your right. My left.)

Let's talk turkey!