The sauce is the thing

 
Barbecue grills and smokers have become a hot commodity over the last decade, which means it's gotten harder and more expensive to keep up with the Smoky Joneses. But how much difference does the device make? Isn't it really all about the sauce?

The groovesome dude above sure thinks so. And apparently so does Andy:

He's not the only celeb from yesteryear doling out saucy advice. Here's Dick:

Apparently no one told him it's not about the thickness, it's about the magic in the bottle. This company did get the memo:

He's got the mumbo, ma'am. Now make like a light switch.

Did you know that magic isn't just for meat? 

Mmm mmm, each bite a curly mouthful of sweet and salty smoke sauce! 

Be a careful consumer whether you're pouring it in a noodle kugel or on a brat, because "Original" flavor is habit forming:

Kraft is crafty. They don't want you to crave just barbecue sauce, so they created a culturally inappropriate spokescharacter to get you hooked on another great product: 

The Whiz of Cheezez.

Whether you're meat grilling, beer swilling, cheese whizzing, magic wielding, or thickness bragging this Labor Day, be sure to sauce your barbecue up!

Newburyport Art Association's Artists Directory & Cookbook

Time for a new cookbook! Yippee!

The recipes featured in coming days will be from the Newburyport Art Association's Artists Directory & Cookbook from 1971.

I love community cookbooks of all kinds, and this one has a special twist. Each artist's page contains a photo or picture of the artist, a sample of their work, and a recipe. It's fascinating to connect the photo with it's choice of hairstyles and clothing, the artwork which often reflects the highly stylized era, and the recipe. Each one is evocative of its day.

While technically a 1970's book, most of the recipes have an older feel, as you will see if you follow along in upcoming posts.

Some the ads in the back of the book are a trip. Take the groovy example below:

Or the fantastic hairstyles in this one:

Imagine the cans of hairspray sacrificed in the making of those dos!

This ad is a favorite because it's for my bank, which still looks exactly like the illustration, right down to the curtains.

It's good to know that some things don't change, especially good things like this gorgeous old building.

Upcoming posts will highlight recipes that have changed, recipes that have remained the same, and recipes that have gone away entirely (perhaps for the better.) You be the judge of which is which.