Vintage Cookbook: Betty Crocker's Dinner in a Dish - Wait, people ate what?

I was attempting to hold off discussing this glorious gem of a cookbook until I actually had the opportunity to make one of the dishes, but now I'm toying with the idea of a retro potluck dinner party when the next season of Mad Men starts up instead...

Betty Crocker is more myth than actual happy lady in the kitchen.  Interestingly enough, her image has changed over the years.  Initially she had an older appearance, almost like a grandmother.  Since the 1960's she's taken on a more modern "Mom" like image.  (Google "Betty Crocker through the years" and you'll see what I mean)!  I was devastated to discover recently that my own Betty Crocker cookbook (well, actually my Mom's cookbook from the late 1970's that I grew up using and experimenting with in the kitchen) ended up in a pile of books sold at a yard sale.  I've been stalking online auction sites ever since, only to find that it is now considered vintage and quite pricey.  I could kick myself for not stealing it from my Mom sooner!  It's the 1978 3-clip ring edition if anyone has a copy they'd like to donate...  ;)

In the meantime, I managed to find this great edition at a local antique store.  I'm fascinated by how just a few decades can really modify the tastes and preferences of a generation.  For instance, you don't see too many jello salads or GASP!!!! aspics (savory gelatin dishes) at too many parties anymore.  A friend's Thanksgiving family tradition includes serving an aspic every year that only her father eats.  I've tried it and it didn't taste quite as horrible as you'd imagine.  Kind of like a coleslaw gelatin salad, perhaps?

An aspic from Betty Crocker

My husband is always shocked by a gelatin salad I grew up eating on many special occasions, a Cherry Coke jello salad, which includes bing cherries, pineapple, cherry jello, cream cheese, and chopped pecans.  Although, this may be due to the fact that my husband is a Yankee and may just not be used to cooking with Coca-Cola.  Though my generation didn't really enjoy the full array of aspics, sweet gelatin dishes were very common when I was growing up, and now it seems like those may be on their way out, too.

Flavor combinations seem to have slowly changed as well.  Dried beef appears in may cookbooks from the 1950's and 1960's, but now seems dated and not too healthy in the sodium department.  And take, for instance, this "Summer Salad Pie".

It looks so lovely, doesn't it?  Here's the jist of it: Cheddar cheese pie crust, tomato/celery/green olive aspic filling, and tuna salad topping.  WTF???!!!  No, thank you.

Also interesting, is how easy it is to forget how far we've come from the "Get back in the kitchen, woman!" days.  And while I happen to be a woman who loves the kitchen and cooking for my man, my only place in life is certainly not there.  Check out this excerpt from the cookbook:

Now, I don't know about you ladies out there, but speaking for myself and regardless of my current pescatarian diet, I can eat the shit out of some spareribs!  The sexism in old cookbooks just makes me laugh now.  I've got an even funnier cookbook from this aspect I'll save for another time.

Here's the one that confuses me the most:

Upon first glance, it appears to be a precious little tea cake you might serve at brunch.  Not so, my friends.  

Party sandwich loaf?  Shrimp salad filling, cheese pecan filling, AND chicken bacon filling?  Wait, and a cream cheese frosting?  My mind is racing from the overload of flavors.  Stop the madness!!!  All kidding aside, the wonderful thing about Betty Crocker cookbooks is how simple the recipes are to follow.  And there really are some amazing recipes that can be incorporated in today's changing meals.  One recipe I'm really excited to try is this one:

I'll let you know how it turns out!

I connected with my grandmothers especially when it came to the kitchen and I miss them all the time.  When I find cookbooks such as these, I become nostalgic about their cooking.  I like to imagine them cooking some of these very recipes in their own kitchens when this was a brand new cookbook.  Hopefully some of their skills will rub off on me when I attempt to make some of these dishes, too!  

P.S.  I'd love to know if any of you have odd vintage dishes you grew up eating!

Cocktails Anyone? Blood Orange Margaritas!

I apologize in advance as this blog is long overdue and now it may be too late to find blood oranges this season... But if you can't find blood oranges, grapefruits or your favorite oranges would be just as tasty!

Blood oranges are really delicious and sweeter than most oranges. The flesh is a dark red blood-like color hence, the name.  They can usually be found in the early part of Winter through early May.  We had a particularly harsh, cold Winter here in Georgia which meant a lot of curling-up-at-home-and-drinking nights for myself and the hubs.

We found an easy and delicious Food and Wine recipe (though, be warned, these are very strong and you may want to use a little less tequila and add more as needed).  I'm going to work on a strawberry version this summer and will post a recipe if it turns out as delicious as this one!

Blood Orange Margaritas

Fresh-squeezed juice of about 12 Blood Oranges (enough for 1 qt.)

Fresh-squeezed juice of about 12 limes (enough for 1 1/2 cups)

1 1/2 cups Cointreau or triple sec

3 1/2 cups Silver Tequila

Kosher salt

Mix juices with tequila and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.  Salt the rims of glasses and serve over ice.

(We cut the recipe in half since it was just the two of us and it was still delicious!)

Party Nerd Edition - Baby Shower with Indian Flair

One of my best friends, Diana, is having a baby in July and I recently threw her a baby shower.  I'm seriously beside myself with excitement and have already declared myself an honorary aunt.  I wanted to make sure her shower was extra special since she's such a sweet friend.  Her husband is from Turkey, so initially I thought it would be fun to include some Turkish traditions.  When I told her that one of the main baby shower traditions is to fashion a onesie out of the father's underwear, she wasn't really interested...  Diana loves Indian food, so I decided to go with an Indian color scheme and feature a couple of Indian dishes instead!

I found some lovely pink sari fabric and paired it with an orange paper tablecloth.

Party City carries these lovely tissue paper puffs that you put together yourself.  They come in many colors, so I think I'll be using them for many future parties!

I made veg. samosas and chiken tikka masala with biryani rice, along with more traditional shower fare.

I used Maya Kaimal's Tikka Masala sauce, which is delicious!  All of her stuff is wonderful and can be found in the deli section at Whole Foods.

My favorite find was this precious elephant teapot from Cost Plus World Market.  It was perfect, so I bought two and can't wait to use them for having tea!

To-fool me once...

Let's talk about tofu.

I gave up meat in January.  Not because I'm on a "Save all the animals" campaign, trying to get in touch with my inner-hippie, or even for religious reasons.  I was a Vegetarian in high school, and simply felt healthier.  Quite honestly, I was feeling really sluggish from a lot of the meat I was eating.  If all meat we consume on a regular basis came from a local butcher and wasn't pumped full of hormones, I don't think I would feel this way...  But seeing as how most awesome local butchers only sell meat by the whole animal, that's a pretty penny my husband and I can't really afford on a regular basis.  So, I decided to give Vegetarianism a shot again.  Officially, I guess you would call me a Pesca-ova-lacto-vegetarian (fish, dairy, and vegetables only diet).  I really do feel better and have even lost a little weight since making the change and only miss meat occasionally.  Well, more so now that we're getting into Summer: time of the delicious smoked meats...

Now, back to the tofu.  Did you know tofu means "bean curd" in Chinese?  It's made from the pressed curds of soy milk and then formed into a block-like shape (much in the way cheese is made from the pressing of curds from cow's milk).  When I was Vegetarian in high school, I used lots of tofu and soy crumbles as meat substitutes.  I suppose in my "everything tastes good to a teenager" palate days, tofu seemed harmless.  So, why now am I having such a hard time coming to terms with eating the stuff?  There are so many more meatless options nowadays and I actually prefer to get my protein from grains, beans, and protein-rich vegetables.  I find myself torn between wanting to use tofu more since it's such a wonderful protein source, and feeling as though it's my rubbery, bland enemy.

I recently had a terrible tofu experience at a local BBQ restaurant.  They have amazing sides!  So why couldn't I have just ordered the plate of sides?  I was feeling adventurous and they had me at "Smoked Tofu".  The texture was brie-like and the flavor, unforgivable.  No BBQ sauce in the world could mask its taste.  I won't be doing that again anytime soon.  Yet, the Chiang Mai curry dish at our favorite Thai place is so delicious, even my husband orders it with tofu!

This got me thinking...  While I'm trying to incorporate some soy products and tofu "meats" in my cooking, I think Asian dishes lift tofu to its greatest potential.  After all, tofu is of Chinese origin and even my first experiences with tofu go back to Asian dishes my Mom made for me or hot-n-sour soup from our local Chinese restaurant as a kid.

I think I'll keep working with the real stuff in some of my dishes and only use the tofu "meats" on occasion.  Below is one non-Asian dish I've made with Tofurky.  Wish me luck in my tofu adventures!

The Tofurky brand of "sausage" links isn't too bad, but I don't know that it's my favorite yet.  

 Obviously, the real links for my husband are the ones cooking to the right...

 

Et voila!  Bon appetit!

(Not too bad...  Crispy on the outside and the flavor is pretty good!)

Current Kitchen Favorites: Making things bright

I am crazy for bright colors among my kitchen utensils and other items I might use while cooking.  Our kitchen, though newly designed by Ikea for the previous homeowner, is white and gray and somewhat drab.  (On a side note... Is it gray or grey?  One seems more English than the other.)

I've added pops of color here and there to brighten things up and give it more of a retro feel.  Here are some of my current favorite kitchen items.

Quite possibly my favorite kitchen item of all time.  Ever.

My red KitchenAid stand mixer.  Amazing!

These cherry kitchen towels from Crate and Barrel look straight out of the 50's.

My KitchenAid mixing bowls.

Not only does KitchenAid make fantastic, sturdy products, but they also carry really great colors in almost everything they make so you can get their appliances and tools in your favorite color!

Cholula Hot Sauce!

If you're looking for a bit more flavor that still brings the heat, look for the bottle with the pretty lady.

I always love hearing about the great items other people are using in their kitchen, so please feel free to share some of your current kitchen favorites!

Party Nerd Edition - Mardi Gras Dinner

I love parties!  Both attending and throwing them.  I especially love an occasion that calls for a fun theme party and getting costumed.

Recently, we bought our first proper dining room table.  Finally feeling like grownups, we decided to have our first official dinner party and invited friends over for a Mardi Gras dinner.  I found a few really great recipes, got some ideas from Sandra Lee, and threw the rest together myself.  We had a great night with our friends and the dinner was a success!  I've included the menu and some photos, but will be happy to email any recipes if anyone is interested.

Mardi Gras Dinner Menu

Muffaletta and Veggaletta Bites

Hurricane Punch

Garlic Bread

Tri-colored Roasted Vegetables

Creole Shrimp and Grits

Mardi Gras Slaw

Cajun Chicken Wings and Dirty Rice

King Cake

Yours truly with my co-host and husband, Adam

The dinner table

Tri-colored Roasted Vegetables

Making the mirepoix for the shrimp (celery, onions, and carrots).  In Louisiana, the vegetable base is referred to as the "Holy Trinity" and substitutes the carrots for bell pepper.  I already had peppers throughout the meal, so I stuck to the original trio for the shrimp dish.

Dinner is served!

Cajun shrimp and grits

King cake for dessert

Our friends getting in on the mask fun!

Laissez les bontemps rouler!  

An Age Old Question: Hard or Soft???

As Lent is fast approaching, I find myself thinking about pretzels.  (I am also a religion and history nerd so please bear with me as I bore you with the religious history of this delectable snack...)  During Lent in the 600's, an Italian monk used leftover dough to make "pretiola" or "little rewards".  He shaped them to resemble children's arms while praying and gave them as a reward to those who remembered to do so.  We have this monk to thank for the wonder of soft, delicious pretzels the world has enjoyed ever since.

It wasn't until the late 1800's that hard pretzels emerged, which brings me to the question, "Do you prefer soft pretzels or hard pretzels?".  Pretzels are a really underrated snack.  I never really think about them, but the moment that smell comes wafting up from the pretzel shop in the mall and hits my nose, I'm in Heaven!  These are soft pretzels, leading me to believe I am a soft pretzel kind of gal.  Yet, is there anything more delicious than a white chocolate covered hard pretzel?  Therefore, hard pretzels, right?

Recently I found an amazing snack in the freezer section of the grocery store.  A company called Kim and Scott's Gourmet Pretzels has a line of STUFFED pretzels.  I bought the spinach and feta version and had one with a small salad for lunch.  Delicious!  They have a variety of other flavors, both savory and sweet, and I will definitely be trying more of their line very soon.  I visited their website to find out more about their company.  Not only do they use all natural ingredients, but they have gluten free versions and are involved in charities, such as raising money for schools.  Check out the website if you get a chance!

www.kimandscotts.com

I was back to daydreaming about soft pretzels again when I remembered a pretzel brand, Snyder's of Hanover.  Their flavored hard pretzels are (in my opinion) some of the best you can find.  I am partial to the honey mustard and onion flavored pretzels, but my husband recently bought the spicy buffalo version and that was delicious, too!  Their pretzel rods are also really great for dipping in chocolate and serving at parties.

Alas, can one love hard and soft pretzels equally?  I do believe so.