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!

In Honor of National Plum Pudding Day: Jell-O Plum Pudding!

I picked up this little cookbook just in time for today! National Plum Pudding Day!

While it doesn't contain a publication date, I'm guessing it came out in the early 1970s. Maybe late 1960s.

As luck would have it, I came across a plum pudding recipe in it. Who woulda thunk it?

Not me. It would never occur to me to put plum pudding and Jell-O together. But turns out it's been a thing for a century.

First, here's the recipe in my booklet:

Jello-O Plum Pudding

A make-ahead holiday dessert that's simple to prepare.

1 package (3 oz.) Jell-O Lemon or Orange Gelatin
Dash of salt
1 cup boiling water
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1cup cold water
3/4 cup finely cut raisins
3/4 cup finely cut cooked prunes
1/4 cup finely cut citron
3/4 cup finely chopped nuts
3/4 cup Post Grape-Nuts Cereal

Dissolve Jell-O Gelatin and salt in boiling water. Add spices and cold water. Chill until very thick. Fold in fruits, nuts, and cereal. Spoon into a 1-quart mold. Chill until firm. Un-mold. Serve with a custard or hard sauce, if desired. Makes bout 4 cups, or 8 to 10 servings.

NOTE: If desired, 1/34 cups cooked dried figs may be substituted for the raisins, prunes, and citron, and 3/4 cup crushed vanilla wafers or graham crackers for the cereal.

I found an ad from the early 1900s which highlights Jell-O plum pudding, apparently for children's parties:

And here's one from the 1940s, starring Kate Smith:

Some people still make it. Here's a nice young lady from Missouri making the pudding.

Apparently it's her grandmother's recipe. Cool, no?

She uses raspberry Jell-O, which is something I saw in other recipes around the interweb. These versions claim that it makes the pudding a lovely shade of pinkish.

So there you have it. Jell-O Plum Pudding. I only wish I'd had one more day lead time so that you could have made it for today.

What better way to celebrate National Plum Pudding Day? There's always room for Jell-O. Especially when it contains prunes and Grape-Nuts.

Valentine Luncheon Menus: Veal Croquettes, Sunshine Sauce, and Gay Garnishes!

Planning lunch for your honey on Valentine's Day? Here are a few menus suggested in Meals Tested Tasted and Approved, published by the Good Housekeeping Institute in 1933.

..... 1 .....

Tomato Bouillon

Jellied Crab Meat Salad

Clover Biscuits

Steamed Chocolate Pudding

Sunshine Sauce (Recipe at the bottom of this post)

Coffee

 

..... 2 .....

Fruit Cocktail

Veal Croquettes with Tomato Sauce

Baking Powder Biscuits

Celery stuffed with Cheese

Strawberry Ice Cream in Heart Molds

Cake

..... 3 .....

Chicken Bouillon

Creamed Scallops and Mushrooms on Toast

Pimiento Sandwiches

Radish Roses

Celery Hearts

Tangerine Tapioca

Sponge Drops

Candy Hearts

Coffee

..... 4 .....

Cream of Celery Soup

Croutons cut in Heart Shapes

Chicken Mousse

Green Peas

Potato Chips

Raspberry Ice Cream

Cake

Coffee

Sunshine Sauce

2 egg yolks
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup heavy cream

Beat the egg yolks, add sugar and vanilla and beat together. Just before serving add the cream which has been whipped until stiff.

You Had Me at "Imitation Flavor"

I do believe I could devote an entire blog to Jell-o in all its vintage goodness.

Take this fine specimen:

As if mixed vegetable isn't enough, this is imitation flavor.

I don't understand. How on earth could it be easier to create a fake version of the flavor of mixed veggies than to cook or dehydrate them down and distill their essence?

Better eating through chemistry I suppose.

Here are some pictures of what used to be made from this stuff. Be inspired.

I like this last one best of all. Nothing says loving like eyeball, celery, and American cheese Jell-o.

Jell-o Cranberries -n- Cream?

I think I'm going to turn this into a holiday recipe by adding a can of cranberry sauce:

I might substitute raspberry Jell-o though. Or cranberry.

And I don't dig the shape, so I'd probably make them in foil mini cupcake papers instead of an ice cube tray.

Now what could I use as a garnish?

Angel Pie with a Bite

Cranberry that is!

I'm beginning to think the term "Angel Pie" is used for a wide variety of pie types.

This recipe has several of my favorite flavors; orange, cranberry, and walnuts.

Here's a blown up version of the recipe:

When I make this, I think I'll substitute orange juice for the boiling water and added some orange zest to boost the orangeyness. And I'm not sure I'd want to disrupt the filling with the texture of walnuts.

Soaking in Jell-o does weird things to nuts.

I think I'd just work the nuts into the crumb crust instead.

But that's the way I roll; if a recipe ain't broke, mess with it.

Calf's Foot Jelly Part 2

Silly me. My birthday post on Calf's Foot Jelly did not include the second page. Apologies for the time delay, but I think it is still worth posting.

Who would really question the belief that the beauty and flavor of jellies made with feet are superior to that made from horn shavings and hoofs?

Let's take a look on the inside to prove the point:

When working with the beloved whole, you get all that delicious subcutaneous connective tissue, navicular bursa, and fetlock joint juice.

How can the pre-packaged powdered stuff possibly compare?

Regardless of the truthfulness of this page, deaf ears seem to have prevailed. JELL-O is king.

READER BONUS: While Googling for calf's foot images, I made an interesting discovery. Turns out some people prefer to wear the feet rather than turning them into tasty gelatin desserts. If you fall into that camp, here's a pair you may enjoy:

Now THOSE are some party shoes! They give the term "jello shots" a whole new meaning.

There's Always Room for Tuna Jello

Caption: "A real treat for lunch. For guests--jellied tuna fish."

I suppose it's safer to feed it to guests than to the children of the house.

Mechanically Frozen Fruit Salad

The evolution of salads over the last century is interesting to study. Jellied salads were common, both sweet and savory, containing fruit, vegetables, and meats. Some of these concoctions sound delicious, others faintly (or even overtly) disgusting.

The New American Cook Book contains many of these recipes, such as the one below, titled Frozen Fruit Salad:

The caption for this photo reads "A loaf salad to feature your finest dinner."

Here's the recipe. I love that it refers to a "mechanical refrigerator." Similar recipes in the book refer to the "automatic refrigerator". Obviously refrigerators were still relatively newfangled even in the early 1940s.

Frozen Fruit Salad

6 ounces cream cheese

1/3 cup mayonnaise (recipe No. 701)

1/2 cup heavy cream

3 1/2 cups canned fruit cocktail

1/2 cup chopped nuts

Few grains salt

Mash cheese. Add mayonnaise. Whip cream. Fold into cheese mixture. Drain fruit cocktail. Fold fruit, nuts, and salt into first mixture. Pack into freezing tray of mechanical refrigerator. Freeze firm. Serve on lettuce. Serves 8.

Where have all the puddings gone? (Auntie's Date-Apple Pudding)

Something happened in the dessert world during the 1970s.

Something earth shattering. Pole shifting. Cataclysmic.

And yet something so subtle we didn't even notice it happening.

For some reason, we stopped making pudding. (If I was a betting woman, I'd wager that Bill Cosby had something to do with it.)

Pudding as an ubiquitous dessert option virtually ceased to exist in any form other than what comes from a box. Eventually you didn't even need a stove.

I've tried to fight the trend in small ways. I made tapioca pudding from scratch the other day, recognizing that it was a small splash of rebellion against a tidal wave of change. And I may grow even more daring, and try a recipe like the one below, despite having no knowledge whatsoever of who "Auntie" might be.

What's the worst that could happen? JELL-O brand takes a contract out on me?

Auntie's Date-Apple Pudding

A butterschotchy pudding rich in apples, dates, and nuts.

1 cup brown sugar (packed)

1/4 cup cornstarch

2 1/4 cups water

1 cup chopped dates

1 cup chopped apples

2 tbsp. butter

1/4 tsp. vanilla

1 cup broken walnuts

Mix brown sugar and cornstarch in 2-qt. saucepan. Gradually stir in water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils; boil 1 min. Add dates, apples, butter, and vanilla. Remove from heat. Cool to room temperature, add nuts, then chill. Serve in sherbet glasses. Top with whipped cream, if desired. 6 to 8 servings.

Fancy Schmancy Fish

Nuff said.


(Ok, if you really want to know, this picture is for a dish called Buffet Salmon en Gelée. I know you aren't going to make it and so am not including the recipe. If you want to find out where the Jello comes in, you'll have to Google it.)

There's always room for Prune Jello

Now I've got nothing against prunes. I even rather like them; fresh out of the package, in my friend Nancy's prune cake, or even stewed. This recipe from Meals for Small Families however, does not appeal. Wonder how it went over with the author's family?

Were prunes not the butt of jokes then as they are now?

And more importantly, did Jell-o brand ever offer prune flavored gelatin? If not, why not?

Prune Loaf

1/2 lb. prunes soaked in cider overnight

1 stick of cinnamon

1 tablespoonful sugar

Cook prunes in juice in which they were soaked. Remove pits. Save 1 cup of juice, heat and add the following:

3 tablespoonfuls gelatine

1/2 cup ice water

1 orange (juice)

1 cup chopped almonds

1 orange rind, grated

1 cup prune juice

Add the gelatine--soaked in ice water--to the hot prune juice. When dissolved add the fruit juice, orange rind, and chopped nut meat. Pour into wet mold and chill. When set, unmold and serve with whipped cream. This serves 6.

Not your Grandmother's Orange Jello

There are a few recipes in Meals for Small Families that I really have to try. Take this little gem for example.

Orange Jelly

1 Orange rind (grated)

2 cups sugar

4 oranges (juice) (sic)

6 tablespoons gelatine (sic)

2 cups ice water

2 cups boiling water

Soak the gelatine in the ice water for 5 minutes. Pour the boiling water over the grated orange rind and dissolve the gelatine in this. Add sugar and orange juice. Pour into wet mold and chill. Serve with whipped cream. This serves 8. The jelly will remain fresh 2 to 3 days if kept on ice.