Mother's Day was yesterday, in case you forgot

In the world of Mother's Day advertising, including a date reminder seems crucial. Because, as this sweet example points out:

THERE'S NO HURT LIKE FORGETTING

Whitman's chocolates just weren't afraid to bring the guilt vibe.

The hubs and I have been chatting about whether norms have shifted, and if Young People are no longer slaves to the cultural expectations we grew up with about holidays like this one. Let's take a stroll through some ads which underscored our enculturation that celebratory action was required, and which included the date to help reinforce preparation timelines.

Colgate chose a kindler, gentler version of this message, if a bit braggadocios. 

Dairy products even got in on it, though this poor queen looks like she's warding off an attack.

Usually the ads focused on presents, which were frequently candy. But of course chocolates aren't the only gift option. Who wouldn't want a "rubber tyred shopping jeep"?

The gifts below might have come from the heart, but mom herself appears half-hearted.

Maybe she's just tired from dreaming up new casserole recipes to bake in those dishes.

Some gifts are both practical AND appreciated. I'd go bonkers for a mid-century Lane cedar chest if we didn't already have one.

Or maybe mom would just like some... meat. 

So she can cook it. 

For you.

But let's get back to Whitman's, whose marketing department eventually gave up on the guilt tripping, but still focused on the tangible, this time offering a how-to guide.

Last but not least, I'm still trying to figure out the message in the ad below, and the text is a bit too small for these tired motherly eyes to read:

If you have an idea about the scenario in play here, please post it in the comments. I'd love to read it.

Meanwhile, happy Mother's Day to all who should be celebrated!

Chilling moments in fridge history

After reading an old post on this blog, I popped down the vintage refrigerator ad rabbit hole and am going to pull you in too so I won't be alone. 

Here's where the goosebumps started:

The caption freaked me out a little. It reads like the title of a Twilight Zone episode, or a commentary of today's political climate. Either way, I'm scared. It makes me long for the days when we only had to worry about cameras in microwaves.

This ad is less menacing:

It still hints of some looming doom, but the trepidation is leavened by the idea that you can do something about it. You can defend your household. Or at least your leftover tuna casserole.

If the fridge in your house isn't up to the task of actual defense, it could always hide in plain sight, disguised as a bedspread.

Contact paper anyone? Decoupage? 

This ice box provides a different kind of camouflage, though there's no guarantee of safety for that tuna mac:

I've never seen anything like it, outside a hospital sandwich vending machine, or a diner pie-go-round.

My favorite part is the name, though. I'm adopting it as my new cussword stand in:

Rotafrig.

I'll proclaim it while evaluating just how much tuna I should stock up on, and where the heck I'll store it.

ROTAFRIG!

If you need a distraction from your own prepping, scroll through more fridging fun by clicking here. 

Enjoy! And prepare!

The year chocolate eggs are cheaper than chicken eggs

 

I stumbled across this image and couldn't help but marvel at its timeliness. Here we are in a state of national eggmergency, and somehow, the M&M/Mars company new, even back then, that we'd be here. 

But 'tis the season for purchasing basket candy, and the ad led me down confectionary lane, so I'm sharing some of what I found with you. First up, this guy. the chocolate bunny of my childhood. Hollow. Waxy. Delicious.

Next is a candy much loved by my hubs, though I'm not sure if it ever appeared in his basket.

This next ad reminded me of the Woolworth's in my home town, which featured a lunch counter and a checkout person who had a loooong curling hair jutting from their chin mole.

Perhaps that person looked like the one below, in younger days. Just as crazed, but less hairy.

This child looks spoiled. Despite appearances to the contrary, that's no Cindy Brady.

Perhaps that Cindy wannabe would have been happier if the bunnster delivered full-sized bars?

Or even a sacrificial PEZ dispenser. 

Abraham bunny might have some 'splainin to do once he let's the boy out of that box, but as for me, I prefer a softer, gentler, even slightly trippier candybration, like the one this friendly creature conveys.

 

Speaking of trippy, we return to the issue of eggs. 

Candy eggs of every variety. Let me know if you try them scrambled. It just might come to that.

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One more reason to make a muffin

A friend from my writing group brought homemade chocolate chip cookies to our meeting last night, saying they were a coping mechanism for managing the stress of egg prices, airplane crashes, and global unrest. In truth, we all looked a bit puffier than we did a few months ago. Food is so often a source of solace.

I'm not much of a baker, but there's something deeply satisfying about mixing up a dough or a batter, popping it in the oven, smelling the smells, and then biting into the warm rewards of those efforts. Our home is currently low-carb for health reasons, so defaulting to an afternoon of baking is more challenging now. 

As an alternative, I went on a hunt for vintage political cookbooks, but the results were disappointing. I did however stumble down a rabbit hole which I'll now invite you to enter: an explanation for why baking is such a comfort.

There are a ton of these little guys wafting around the internet. Most follow this model; a vintage kitchen with a female in period garb looking varyingly happy or deranged. Here are a few more examples.

But a few took a different spin, featuring gadgets, hedgehogs, sloths, and an unsurprising clutter of cats.

I didn't find the cookbooks I was looking for today, but I did discover these treasures, proving the paraphrased wisdom of the prophet McJagger:

One can't always get what one wants (like eating the rich), but one often finds that one does receive what one needs.

Ta-ta for now, I'm off to buy some flour.

Kitchen Snark Coloring Book

Do you love cookbooks? Need a distraction from the cares of the world? The Kitchen Snark Coloring Book is here to help! You'll find 50 pages filled with humor, wisdom, memories, and a touch of snark, all waiting for your creative flair. Color the stress away with this timeless book of vintage fun.

Details at KitchenSnarkFun

 

Love Day Goes Red

 Happy Valentine's from our corner of the world to your.

Cookbook of the Week: Mastering the Art of Outdoor Cooking on Your Gas Grill, circa 197?

 

The cookbook of the week is Mastering the Art of Outdoor Cooking on Your Gas Grill, just in time for a few more summer barbecues before the leaves start to change color.

While there's no copyright date in the book, we think it hales from sometime in the 1970s. Maxi skirts appeared in Paris in the 1960s, but didn't go mainstream until the next decade, and the cover model is sporting a particularly spectacular one:

Tune in to the Cookbook Love page on Facebook for pictures, commentary, and recipes from this book all week long!

Cookbook of the Week: Baker's Cut-Up Cake Party Book, circa 1973

The cookbook of the week is Baker's Cut-Up Cake Party Book, a little paperback cram-packed with ideas for celebrations and fancy, funny cakes around which to build parties.

Here's the front cover:

Tune in to the Cookbook Love page on Facebook for pictures, commentary, and recipes from this book all week long!

Cookbook of the Week: Magical Amazing JELL-O Desserts (1977)

The Cookbook of the Week is Magical Amazing JELLO-O Desserts, circa 1977!

Here's the title page:

Here's a video preview:

Want to see more? Check in with the Cookbook Love page on Facebook to see photos and recipes all week. Enjoy!

Cookbook of the week for April 2, 2021: Quick and Easy Meals for Two (1952)

The cookbook of the week for April 2, 2021 was this little cutie, Quick and Easy Meals for Two, published in 1952! Here's our kickoff video for it:

The title page offers a preview of the adorable illustrations. Animals are always happy to be consumed in old cookbooks.

Each section opens with an illustration like this one, in which the woman apparently has an actual menu board in her home and yet tries to convince us menu planning is easy.

The whole book is structured around the idea of menus, which is actually kind of handy. And several sections are organized by season, featuring what's fresh during that time of year. Here we are, thinking about summer, for example:

The idea of crunchy devilled eggs confused me slightly. Here's the recipe, which was significantly less bad than it could have been.

So, what are we having for dinner?

Let's start with salad. This one seems like a LOT of work.

Maybe just an easy tossed salad instead. With a special home-enhanced dressing.

Or if you prefer, we can go straight to dessert. For once you can eat with your fingers. Sort of.

I'm always leery of recipes including baby food, but what do I know?

This actually sounds straight-up delicious.

The book offers helpful tips for those who are just starting out in the kitchen.

Like this tip for feeding men wieners.

Can't speak for good old boys, but I'd eat this!

Is this one man-friendly? Cabbagey chili with plops of mashed potatoes?

There's a section for what I call "desperation dinners."

Luckily, I rarely get THIS desperate:

Happy hubby seems to like what he sees in this opener to the appetizer section:

Here's one reason why:

Wondering if these dishes end up being a mood killer though:

If all else fails, put on a pretty apron, and let your pressure cooker sing you a happy tune.

Quick and Easy Meals for Two is a lovely, fun little book, and a great addition to any cookbook collection.