I love autumn. I love the colors. The falling leaves. Pumpkins. Hay rides. Halloween. Football. Chilly evenings. Hot cider. With all this in mind, I picked up a half gallon of apple cider. And today it ended up being 80 degrees and sunny. I have the A/C blasting. No hot cider for me. Instead, aContinue reading Smirnoff Adam’s Apple, 1972
Welcome to Wiener Wednesday! DiS1972 reader Dana is a good friend of the blog and submitted this recipe (with a boatload of other hot dog gems) for my consideration. I picked this recipe because of the adorable illustrations and the whimsical name, Snow Caps (although it was tough to pass on something called 20th CenturyContinue reading WIENER WEDNESDAY! Cutco Cookbook: Snow Caps (1956)
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)
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)
This is the dinner that you, my friends, chose as my Spring Dinner from Great Dinners from Life by Eleanor Graves***. (1969). The globe artichoke is surely the engineering marvel of the vegetable world. It is so formidably constructed that one wonders what inquisitive Italian first though that the bud of the thistle plant wouldContinue reading Great Dinners from Life: Shrimp-Stuffed Artichoke (1969)
Yes, I am well aware that I just posted the Easter Brunch. This, however, is a different kind of brunch. A brunch for two. A private brunch. A bedroom brunch. I was inspired to bust out this brunch because of the inclusion of the Bloody Bullshot–a variation of the questionable beef-based libation called the Bullshot,Continue reading The Smirnoff Bedroom Brunch (1971)
My sole new year resolution this year was to post once a week–but I’ve failed. I missed a week in February and this is the first post of April. I am so disappointed in me. But, oh well. I’m gonna try to get back on the wagon. FUN FACT! According to the Smirnoff advertising folk,Continue reading Smirnoff Year of the Brunch: Easter Brunch (1969)
Happy First Day of Spring! To celebrate the season, I’m opening Great Dinners from Life (1969) and turning to the chapter on Spring. In my copy of Great Dinners, there are six menus that the previous owner bookmarked and definitely prepared–the pages are dirty! Artichokes Stuffed with Shrimp Chicken in a Pot with Vegetables CoqContinue reading HAPPY SPRING!
HOW EASY WAS IT? I will get to that eventually, but do you want to know what is NOT easy? Sleep. Ah, elusive sleep. Every night is a grab bag of GERD, insomnia, sleep sweats, racing thoughts, and existential dread. There is a meme that says something akin to “if you need three or moreContinue reading 120. Easy Baked Stew
I marinated the steak over night, but when it was time to cook dinner, I failed to read the entire recipe card (which is apparently a problem of mine as of late. Much like Alexia on the Real Housewives of Miami when she kept insisting that Adriana’s boyfriend is married because she didn’t scroll downContinue reading 131. Zippy Sirloin Strips
Happy Super Bowl weekend! Let’s kick it off with some Smirnoff! It’s a sure bet you and your friends will be watching the game this weekend. Why don’t you all get together for a spirited Smirnoff warm-up before the game? Team up delicious food, good friends, and great Smirnoff drinks with the best seats inContinue reading The Smirnoff Football Brunch & Bloody Mary (1970)
I do not like rum, so I wasn’t dying to celebrate National Hot Buttered Rum Day, but I knew that I had a couple of recipes for this cocktail and the weather was just cool enough for a hot drink to be appropriate. So I picked up some little bottles and I made two versions.Continue reading National Hot Buttered Rum Day
Earlier this month I hosted my annual Christmas party, The Holly Ball (a.k.a the Ball Party). At the Holly Ball, all the food is ball-shaped. This was the 4th Holly Ball*** (5th if you count the inaugural party, A Very Manny Christmas–a celebration for my friend Manny’s 50th birthday). Speaking of Manny, I am usingContinue reading Holly Ball 2022
To close out National Cookbook Month, I present to you Robert Carrier’s Menu Planner. I know very little about Robert Carrier. Although he is American born and raised he found fame in Europe. I had never heard of him growing up. This cookbook is rather fun. It’s huge. (it weighs nearly 5 pounds) contains 300Continue reading Robert Carrier’s Menu Planner: Iced Tomato Vodka, Steak au Poivre & Blueberry and Caramel Cream (1984)
Hello and welcome to Blends Bash 2022, hosted by the lovely folks at The Book Club Cook Book. Every year they send out some of their delicious spice blends to bloggers like myself who experiment and then share the results with you! This year I was assigned 3 different spice blends to play with. ThisContinue reading BLENDS BASH 2022: Shrimp with Red New Orleans Sauce (1960)
Let’s crack open one of my favorite cookbooks from my collection, Benson & Hedges 100’s Presents Drink Recipes from 100 of the Greatest Bars (1979). Don’t you love the cover? My little eye spies a Martini, a Daquiri, and a Long Island Iced Tea. Since I decided to feature this book on Facebook and InstagramContinue reading Benson & Hedges 100’s Presents Drink Recipes from 100 of the Greatest Bars: Traffic Light (1979)
Last month I found myself with a ton of apples and a value pack of pork chops. And the official first day of autumn had come and gone, so I decided to make a fall-like, pork-apple dinner. I consulted my copy of The Best of Bon Appetit. Which–I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before–IContinue reading The Best of Bon Appetit: Pork Chops & Sauteed Apples (1979)
