I love vintage cookbooks, but my favorite genre may be “Recipes from Restaurants That Aren’t There Anymore.” So I immediately bought a copy of Favorite Restaurant Recipes: 500 Unforgettable Dishes from the R.S.V.P. Column of Bon Appetit (1982) when it first popped on my radar. For the R.S.V.P. Column, readers would request recipes from theirContinue reading The Coach House Black Bean Soup & Corn Sticks (1982)
Last month I decided to revisit that odd 1981 calendar with the missing cover. I have it on my fridge so every once in a while I’m inspired to give one (or two) of the drinks a spin. Those all seem to be pretty standard. Although the Harvey Wallbanger has fallen out of favor. DoContinue reading May 1981 Pink Lady & Mint Julep
Earlier this week my office hosted a Bon Voyage party for one of my coworkers who is moving on to bigger and better things. The party was nautical-themed with little sail boats everywhere. I felt compelled to bust out my Jell-O molds, so I decided, in keeping with the theme, to make a fish-shaped gelatin.Continue reading Jell-O Pudding Idea Book: Pastel Pudding Dessert (1968)
Earlier this month I received an invitation for a dinner party hosted by my friends Tom and Kathleen. When I asked what to bring, they said dessert. Since they were participants in my Easter Brunch featuring Smirnoff Jell-O Eggs, I decided to carry on the Jell-O theme and bake a Orange Coconut Cake from TheContinue reading The Joys of Jell-O Gelatin: Orange Coconut Cake (1981)
My love of the Bisquick Impossible Pie has been documented on this here blog. And the BLT is in my top 5 sandwiches, so I was thrilled to come across this ad: What a genius idea to combine the two! Damn thing got rather browned since I used a toaster oven (I refuse toContinue reading Bacon Lettuce & Tomato Impossible Pie (1984)
Elvis died 45 years ago today at age 42. FORTY-TWO. Wrap your head around that. It’s wild to think that if he didn’t pass back in 1977, today he’d be 87. He could conceivably still be recording and performing*** Look at Tony Bennett, he was duetting with Lady Gaga up until 95! Randomly placing thisContinue reading The Presley Family Cookbook: Elvis’ Green Eagle Dish with Eggs (1989)
I was always curious to try a Bloody Caesar, but I don’t believe I’ve ever seen it available in a restaurant. Plus, I have found (in my very scientific research–which includes me talking to about 8 folks) that Clamato, the key ingredient to a Bloody Caesar, scares people. I mean, the idea of clam juiceContinue reading The Best Bloody Caesar
Hello there! After so many weeks of weenies, it’s a surprise that I had not yet featured a dish from this cookbook, the 1983 reissue of Mettja C. Roate’s New Hot Dog Cookbook. I’m in. I want new and exciting ways to make hot dogs! The cover art is a bit of a let downContinue reading Wiener Wednesday: Hot Dog Round-Up Sandwiches (1983)
I put this advertisement up on the DiS1972 Facebook page and folks lost their collective minds. OK, maybe they didn’t lose their minds–but they let it be known that they really liked it. I don’t know why Kraft would discontinue the Bacon & Tomato dressing if people liked it so much. In 2018 an unopenedContinue reading Kraft Bacon & Tomato Dressing (1984)
Why am I calling this The April 1981 Bloody Mary? Because it came from this calendar, which I got in a grab bag of cookbooks and pamphlets. I know nothing about it–I can’t find any sort of publishing mark on it and it’s missing its cover. Initially I thought it was a promotion for aContinue reading The April 1981 Bloody Mary
Happy Lunar New Year! It’s the Year of the Ox! I wasn’t planning on having some Asian cuisine on the blog for the holiday, but I had this dinner in the queue, so here we are. These recipes are from The Joy of Chinese Cooking by Lo Mei Hing, Giulia Marzotto Caotorta and Sun TziContinue reading The Joys of Chinese Cooking: Sweet & Sour Pork and Bamboo Shoots with Spinach and Mushrooms (1982)
We made it to New Year’s Eve! Although the manner in which you ring in 2021 may be different than in years past, that doesn’t mean you can’t drink like you’re out at a party! And if you drink like you’re out at a party, you might need a little something to nurse your hangoverContinue reading Benson & Hedges Entertaining With Style: Eggs Blackstone (1980)
Holly Ball 2019 rolls on! This recipe is a selection from Executive Women…New Orleans Style. I picked it up at a super-fabulous culinary bookshop called Kitchen Witch, which, sadly, closed not long after my visit. I don’t know anything in particular about this book except that New Orleans has an Executive Women International chapter.Continue reading Holly Ball 2019: New Orleans Style Artichoke Balls
Another Holly Ball bite! Today’s ball recipe is ultra-fitting since a prime-time reboot of the ABC daytime soap All My Children was just announced. As someone who used to watch AMC, consider my interest piqued. But let’s face it, the show will be incomplete if Susan Lucci (a.k.a. Erica Kane) doesn’t show. Speaking of EricaContinue reading Holly Ball 2019: Erica Kane’s Cheese Teasers (1983)
December 8 is National Brownie Day! For the occasion, we’re gonna revisit a brownie post from 2014. This recipe sounds pretty damn simple. And based on my success with all of the other Impossible Pies, I assumed this, too, would be a winner. So I made this for a dessert party that we had inContinue reading An Impossible Pie for National Brownie Day
Did you have a nice Thanksgiving–whatever version of Thanksgiving you had last week? Mine was very nice. Due to the global nightmare otherwise known as The COVID, Mr. Sauce, Esq. and I opted to stay home and not travel to see our families. So it was an undoubtedly a smaller affair, yet, I still entertainedContinue reading Impossible Pumpkin Pie (1981)
This is a continuation of my last post, in which I featured Crab Imperial from Maryland Seafood Contemporary Cuisine (1982) . Here’s an alternate recipe from Benson & Hedges Presents Entertaining With Style: Recipes from Great American Restaurants. I chose this recipe because it is from the famous Cheseapeake Restaurant in Baltimore. HISTORY LESSON! TheContinue reading Benson & Hedges Entertaining With Style: Crab Imperial Chesapeake (1980)
October is National Seafood Month. But in Maryland every month is Seafood Month. So when I ended up with some big cans of crab, I knew exactly where to go to find a recipe: This volume, by the Office of Seafood Marketing, features “Contemporary” recipes. Perusing the book it seems that the 1982 definition ofContinue reading Maryland Seafood Contemporary Cuisine: Crab Imperial (1982)
