Subliminal Bananas for a Better Finale

"Nothing is smarter, nothing more pleasing, than a fruit finale to a meal."

Clearly he agrees.

She, however, cannot bring herself to meet his gaze:

This disquiets me, and makes me wonder if an even more pleasing finale might be needed.

Might the downturned bananas be a subliminal message for hubby?

Viva le Hot Dog!

Cookbook Love loves hot dogs!

And so does Cutco. And so does their illustrator, Frank Marcello. Just look at this fine fellow fencing, confident in his meat selection:

Why he's parried and thrust her burger nearly down to the handle!

Consider his form. And his jaunty shirt. Wish I could find curtains in that fabric.

But on to the recipe:

Check out the loooong arm of this Pisan!

I like that Frank Marcello put the leaning tower in the picture, as a play on "pizza". But he must not have read the recipe because it includes no bun, and his illustration includes no bacon.

Which is a major violation: BACON MUST BE RESPECTED.

Or maybe he was on to something. After all, putting the canino in a bun after grilling would make it more pizza-like.

I guess Frank knows franks.

Pies of Intimidating Beauty

In the spring I wrote a HuffPost Food piece titled 8 Crusts to Cure Your Fear of Pie-ing because so many of us are intimidated by pie crust. My premise is that pretty doesn't really matter. But then I saw these.

Sigh. Now I'm intimidated again.

Toast! Photocopy style.

Check out this darling, yellow and yellowing paperback for kids, published by...

XEROX?

I love finding children's cookbooks because they take me back to my own childhood, and the books given to me as gifts. The ones I had contained recipes for things like handmade soft pretzels, ants on a log, and tuna boats.

This little guy came out a little later than the ones in my mom's kitchen. Look at the cuteness:

It is copyrighted 1972, and was given as a gift three years later.

Instead of handmade pretzels, ants on a log, and tuna boats, this book contains deviled eggs, pomanders, and Miracle Pie.

More importantly, it has multiple recipes for toast. Three to be exact, and none of them made in the toaster. Here are two, in case you are hungry. Something sweet, and something savory.

Now I'm off to Google why XEROX published a cookbook for kids.

Coffee 2 ways

Here are two recipes for coffee from Meals for Small Families. The second one is both fascinating and revolting.

Coffee

For 1 person:

2 tablespoonfuls ground coffee

1 cup cold water

Mix the coffee and water together, cover closely and let stand all night. In the morning bring this to a boil and serve. When poured carefully it will be as clear as amber.

For a small pot:

1 cup ground coffee

1 egg and shell

This amount will make 3 pots for 3 successive mornings, by using one third and keeping the remainder closely covered. Take one-third of the mixture (the egg and coffee mixed together) and add 1/3 cup of water, mixing well; pour into coffee pot and add 1 pint boiling water. Let the coffee boil 3 minutes. Remove from fire and keep hot on stove for 5 minutes (not boiling) and serve.

Where there's smoke, there might be cigarettes

This book was my cocktail hour reading a few weeks ago. I had to pick it up, because just look at the cover!

I love the way the graphic floats dreamily on the green background, pretending it's real grass. Peering into the scene, I can almost taste the creamy, cigarette-ash flavored cheese, and the sugary zing of the Riesling. Unfortunately the book's contents were very disappointing, so don't rush out to buy it. But it did get me thinking about the whole smoke while you eat thing. 

Or even, smoke while you cook. 

And so I went in search of books which seem to combine the two. I couldn't find many, but check this one out:

What I don't understand is if she's so busy, why is she simply standing still, holding a spoon and staring deep into the burning ember? You'd think she'd at least turn toward the stove and give a pot a stir. Makes me think there's more than just tobacco in that cigarette.

Contrast this woman:

I like her a great deal more. Unlike with the previous book, this lady doesn't bother pretending. She's going to sit down and enjoy herself, and she doesn't care who knows it. Bubbling pots be damned.

Given how common smoking was, I'm surprised I couldn't find more cookbooks with smoking women on the cover. I uncovered a handful with pipe-smoking men manning barbecue grills, but that's not what I was looking for. If you come across photos of lady smokers at the stove, please share them with us on the Cookbook Love Facebook page, and we'll be happy to feature them.

Random Acts of Cookery

It's rainy and blustery, gray and daunting outside.

I'm making guacamole, thawing a cheap steak, roasting a winter squash, and cooking down a ham bone for stock. None of these activities as yet has any connection to any of the others.

Random acts of cookery. That's what a gray day can do to a soul.

On your mark, pencils set, now WRITE!

We told you there was news afoot, and the day has come to announce it!

In honor of all of you who love to share your memories about kitchens and cooking past, we are putting together a book. Written by YOU!

100 entries will be included in the book. Winners will be based on how well you pull us into the scene as you describe it. So be as descriptive as you can, incorporate your emotions, involve the senses, and generally offer us some good writing.

Gorgeous, full color books will be available shortly after Thanksgiving. Write about a loved one and you just might be able to give them a copy of their story for Christmas!

The contest ends at 11:59pm September 30, 2015.

Now get writing, and GOOD LUCK!

Click here to submit your story.

Click here to get your basic questions answered.

Click here to read the legalese.

NOTE: A $20 submission fee helps us cover all the costs associated with producing the book. While fees like this are common in the writing contest world, we WISH we could offer it for free. Unfortunately our pockets are already inside out and threadbare, and so in order to get your memories in print we have no choice but to include the fee.

How do you want your book to look?

We are working on cover designs for the Cookbook Love Kitchen Memories book. Ideas so far have included:

• A collage of recipes, cookbook covers, and vintage appliance photos.
• Era-inspired drawings of people cooking in their vintage fripperies. 
• A simple, clean design with minimal images.

But this is really YOUR book, so we'd love to hear YOUR ideas. What do you think would make an eye catching and appropriate cover for a book of kitchen memory essays?

News for the Cookbook Love family!

Because you've all been such lovely boys and girls, Cookbook Love has come up with an extra special treat! Stay tuned for all the details which will be announced later this week.

(OK, just one hint. It involves a contest.)

Veggie Valentines and Sauteed Tomatoes

Valentine cards were made in all sorts of themes, including fruits and vegetables. Here are some samples for you, followed by a simple recipe appropriate for a St. Valentines Day themed meal.

Sauteed Cherry or Grape Tomatoes

1 pt grape or cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil or garlic herb basting oil
1 tsp. dried basil
Salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a skillet, and add rinsed tomatoes. Saute over medium heat, turning often. Tomatoes will split as they cook, some sides browning and caramelizing into sweet goodness.  Pierce with the tip of a knife any stubborn tomatoes that refuse to pop on their own. When tomatoes are uniformly softened and popped, add basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Saute for another few minutes to blend flavors. If using fresh basil, add just before serving.

Serve as a side dish for red meats or roast chicken. Crusty bread is wonderful for scooping up the warm, salty, sweet tomato flesh.

Valentine Countdown: for Adult Eyes Only

I found these Valentines and thought they should be passed along immediately.

But first, kick all the little ones out of the room. I mean it.

.

.

.

Are they gone?

If the coast is clear, just look at this:

What sort of insane person creates cards for kids to pass out, which show other kids inside of refrigerators???

Believe it or not, that card isn't the only one.

Not quite so scary, you might think. But wait.

Look what happens when you open the ice box door:

GET LITTLE JIMMY OUT OF THERE, PRONTO!!!

I want you to run out and find some children right now, and tell them to never, ever climb in a refrigerator. Not for love, nor money, nor even cake.

After I recovered from the initial outrage, I figured I should see how widespread a phenomenon fridge-related Valentines had become. Turns out it wasn't much of a movement. Thank goodness.

What I did find were some interesting refrigerator advertisements, many of which did involve children. Some are more innocent than others.

(For some reason this last one makes me want to cry a little bit.)

Not all ads were focused on the family however. Some companies decided to go glamorous. Check these beauties out.

And eventually, along came Space Glamor!

I blame Star Trek for this. Or thank them. Depending on my mood.

Regardless, I'm grateful to see that kids and refrigerators are no longer popular images for Valentines. Today's are so much saner; with little monsters, vampires, zombies, and undersea pineapple houses.

Ah, progress.

Valentines to Relish!

Four our second day of the valentine countdown, I figured we might as well not waste time, and jump right into the hot dog cards.

No commentary. Just lots of weiners, wurst, and relish.

Culture and the Kitchen: A Taste of Cooking Past

 

Sunday August 10 at 2:00pm - 4:00pm

Please join Suzanne DeWitt at the opening reception for her exhibit at the Buttonwoods Museum. As the museum's first guest curator, Suzanne has created a nostalgic collection inspired by gastronomic ephemera from the 1920s to the 1960.

Cookbooks are time capsules and anthropological windows into life and culture. The making of a Sunday dinner in 1895 was very different from it's making in 1954, and another thing entirely in 2014. The procurement process for a chicken alone is vastly different, as are the styles of meal taking, our calorie requirements, and many other things. Suzanne's personal collection of cookbooks inspired this exhibit, featuring things like the "new mechanical iceboxes", war-time meals which accommodate rationing, entertaining without servants, psychedelic Jell-O preparations, and how to achieve better living through the use of the best brand of shortening. Each book is a snapshot into an era and a way of life that we have left behind. Each one illustrates the concerns and limitations of the day, while focusing on the vast improvements in ease of preparation and quality which arrive with each new generation.

Suzanne's exhibit presents a pivotal shift for each decade from the 1920s through the 1960s to highlight how the culture impacted the American kitchen.

Materials presented include period recipe collections, cookware, product advertisements, aprons, and many other items.

Come prepared to reminisce and maybe even giggle a little.

Buttonwoods Museum / Haverhill Historical Society
240 Water St,
Haverhill, Massachusetts 01830

Betty Crocker's Ways with Hamburger

"Just imagine a whole collection of ground beef recipes in one little book!"

I love this book. It's small; a 5" hardcover square in the style of a children's book, which makes sense given that it was published by Golden Press in 1969.

I can't figure out to whom the book is targeted. From the style and illustrations (by Roland Rodegast) you'd think it was for Little Golden Book readers. Take this snowman for instance:

Some of the recipes are things I would expect an adult to use. Others are like this one:

 

After all, how many of you actually pull out a cookbook to make a simple burger? Sure Rachel Ray helped keep her book business alive by inventing burger variations of all flavors and protein types, but you and I generally know how to get a hamburger together. By memory.

So I can't quite figure it out, this little book.

Since the burger picture above isn't really a recipe, here's something that actually does qualify. Make it, and it won't be the milkshake that brings the boys to your yard.

Hungry Boy's Casserole

1 pound ground beef
1 cup sliced celery
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 can (1 pound) pork and beans
1 can (1 pound) lima beans
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste

In large skillet, cook and stir ground beef, celery, onion, green pepper, garlic and salt until meat is brown and onion is tender. drain off fat.

Stir in pork and beans, lima beans (with liquid) and tomato paste. Simmer uncovered 10 minutes. 4 to 6 servings.

That old lima bean juice is sure to keep them coming back for more!