I started doing this blog seriously in January of last year. I am still amazed that there are people willing to come and read my nerdy little posts about the history of popular recipe, my love of vintage food ads, my random posts about movies, celebrity recipes and my weird personal quest into the gelatin … Continue reading Aunt Sammy Revisited
Category: Food History
The History of Wacky Cake
This is another recipe that I did not grow up with. I think it was because by the time the eighties and nineties came around, box cake mixes were such a part of life and made baking a cake just as easy as this recipe. Unbeknownst to me, I had made this cake (but under … Continue reading The History of Wacky Cake
Betty Crocker’s Gold Medal Box
Today we are going to delve into the 1920s just one more time this week. I didn't realized that the Baby Ruth ad I posted on Monday was from the 1920s. I had done an exhaustive search way before Christmas looking for holiday centered ads and then scheduled them to post in advanced. It was … Continue reading Betty Crocker’s Gold Medal Box
The History of Clam Dip
Who and where was Clam Dip created? So it is going to be kind of wonky the way I answer this question. The way the dip as we know it got into the American food lexicon was when the dip was presented on the Kraft Music Hall television show in the 1950s. There were versions … Continue reading The History of Clam Dip
The History of the Chocolate Chip Cookie
If one cookie got baked during the Christmas season in my house while growing up, it was the chocolate chip cookie. Even if sometimes they were of the slice-and-bake variety. Everyone in the house loved them. They were the cookie that we left out for Santa long before we realized that Santa's favorite cookie was … Continue reading The History of the Chocolate Chip Cookie
The History of Waldorf Salad
This was the salad that accompanied the 1963 Thanksgiving menu that you can read about here, here, and here. I did not grow up eating this salad. This was another dish that in my young mind sound so fancy and complicated. Surely a salad linked to such a high-class hotel had to have such elevated ingredients. When I … Continue reading The History of Waldorf Salad
The History of Sloppy Joes
Unlike many of the other recipes that I have delved into the histories of, such as chicken Divan, chicken a la king, or mock apple pie, this is a meal that was very popular in my household growing up. I chose specifically to talk about it in October because it was often made by my mother before going … Continue reading The History of Sloppy Joes
History of Tuna Noodle Casserole
Oh tuna noodle casserole. I am sure I am not the only one who grew up eating this dish. Actually it was known in my house as "Tuna Nuna" as my father had to give everything ridiculous names. This dish was one that was in constant rotation. As my mother worked full time as store … Continue reading History of Tuna Noodle Casserole
California Boos Florida Oranges
Quick recap for those who find the print too small: This is a 1940's tongue in cheek article written by newspaper man and short story writer, Damon Runyon. It was a witty intervention over Californians supposedly booing Florida orange juice while watching a travel short of the sunshine state that was shown before a feature … Continue reading California Boos Florida Oranges
The “Cooky Lady”
Quick recap for those who do not want to read: This is a 1962 article written by food editor Mary Alice Powell about Mrs. Ahmet Esmailof of Toledo, Ohio who needed a hobby to distract from health issues. She decided to put her baking skills to good use and around every holiday she just bakes … Continue reading The “Cooky Lady”