Stuff to eat
Microwave Cooking from Sears
Sears, Roebuck and Company
1971
Submitter: Come see the scary side of Sears… Not sure if that’s regular wear and tear on the cover, or food stains. Either Way – this one has now been liquidated from our collection.
Holly: I can tell you what I’m NOT having for dinner tonight: “Saucy Wieners.” Recipe is below if you’re into that sort of thing.
How to prepare Exciting Holiday Menus
Adams
1964
I am not sure “exciting” was the best word to describe the rather uninteresting recipes in this small cookbook. Roast turkey and traditional Thanksgiving sides are hardly breakthrough exciting dishes. My experience is that most people want the boring turkey for Thanksgiving. (Turkey bondage not withstanding.) In addition, the author gives the reader some narrative about her choices.
However my favorite recipe in this little book is the one for toast. You read that right. A recipe for toast. Okay, I guess the exciting part is that they aren’t using a toaster. (GASP!) They went wild and cut off the crusts and used the oven. Hell, they didn’t even use an interesting bread. They went right for the basic white.
I don’t know if I can hold back my excitement!
The Avocado Cookbook
Bauer and Logerman
1967
I can’t decide if the pictures in black and white are a good thing or a bad thing. Especially after seeing the color photos. I am a big fan of avocados! I like them cut up plain and will add them to sandwiches, salads, etc. Take a look at these recipes. The guacamole recipe given sounds awful. I guess they were looking for a no texture type of “dip”. The other stuff is okay, but the photos make it look worse than it probably is. Also, when was guacamole pronounced with silent g?
I am also going to have to give a thumbs down to the Dipsy Doodle Dip. Step away from the mayo and cream cheese people!
Joys of Jell-o Gelatin
General Foods Corporation
1981
We haven’t posted a Jell-o book in ages. As a Midwesterner, I can appreciate the sophistication of Jell-o cuisine. My mom would put marshmallows and fruit cocktail in ours. (Our family lived on the edge.) This book kicks Jell-o to the next level with the multi-colored layers on the front cover. Pretty darn sexy, right?
Betty Crocker’s Hostess Cookbook
General Mills
1973
I know that COVID-19 puts a damper on any kind of entertaining, but just in case you are preparing for that day when we are all healthy, Betty Crocker has you covered. This book truly has some retro recipes I am sure you can’t wait to get started. A couple of my favorites: Olive Surprise Roast, Jellied Watercress Soup, Tomato Aspic Mold, the list just goes on and on.
Bonus! Just in time for Valentine’s Day, you can feast on all things pink. Your loved one will surely appreciate the effort.
Cookie Craft
No-Bake Designs for Edible Party Decorations and Favors
Williams and Williams
1977
I am not a big fan of when food looks like something that isn’t food. I can appreciate some of the artistry, but no for a snack. This book is more about using common store bought cookies or crackers to be some of the foundations. Not a bad idea. In fact, I had a pastry chef do a cupcake decorating programs for some teens and the ideas were similar. The kids started with a plain cupcake and used candy, fruit roll-ups, and other products to make some really cute cupcakes. The teens loved the class.
This book probably does a pretty decent job for what was available in the 1970s. The black and white pictures and cookie/cracker choice don’t sound that appetizing. The chef I had do the class was miles ahead of this book, because the creations were actually delicious. Yes, the “art” is edible, but I don’t think that was the point. This was more about food as decoration rather than for eating.
The New Revised
General Electric
Microwave Guide & Cookbook
1977
My family jumped into the crazy cutting edge world of microwaves around the time this book was published. The pitch was always about how you could defrost or prepare food in just seconds, sometimes minutes. I personally remember microwaving hot dogs to watch them completely curl up.
Nothing my mother or myself were able to make anything that resembled the pictures in microwave cookbooks. I am convinced these were all faked. The meat in particular always had a lovely grey color. The texture was also just awful. It should have been nicknamed Soylent Green.
Mary
That Amazing Ingredient: Mayonnaise CPC International 1979 Who thought America needed an entire cookbook devoted to one the major food groups, I mean condiment, in Midwestern culture? It’s just so versatile! Think of the variety: macaroni salad, potato salad, tuna
