Besides collecting old cookbooks, I also LOVE vintage metal recipe boxes. I now have fifteen in my collection. The best part is that I have been lucky to find all but one full of handwritten recipes or clipped snippets from magazines, newspapers and the back of boxes. My favorite thing to do is to flip … Continue reading Recipe Box: Ham and Broccoli Casserole
Chicken a la King was extremely popular in the 50s and 60s. So popular that you would think it was created during that time period but it was actually created in the late 19th century. It was such a prevalent dish during the mid-century that writer Calvin Trillin was wondering where its whereabouts were … Continue reading The History of Chicken A La King
The next installment in my gelatin journey was out of a 1950s Joys of Jello. This time I filled a jar with a whole bunch of different gelatin recipes to be chosen at random. I won't lie my heart was pounding a bit wondering if this will be the time I choose a chicken mousse … Continue reading The Gelatin Diaries: Ring Around The Fruit
I was trying to figure out a recipe to make from the Mystery Chef but none was really standing out more than any other. Dione Lucas was easy as almost every source mentioned that omelets was her specialty. Aunt Sammy I just flipped the book open and saw I had everything to make the raisin … Continue reading The Mystery Chef’s Eggless Orange Cake
In a blog post I posted when I first start Quaint Cooking, I wrote about how Jell-O and other gelatin based products didn't really play a huge part of my youth. I originally set a challenge to work my way through the 1970s The New Joys of Jell-O to see how I felt about Jell-O … Continue reading The Gelatin Diaries: Crested Jell-O Whips
The Mystery Chef had a radio show during the 1930s and 1940s that introduced gourmet recipes that were affordable but little is really known about him. I will admit getting to the bottom of who was the man behind The Mystery Chef was a little bit difficult. I read quite a bit of news paper … Continue reading The Mystery Behind The Mystery Chef
Dione Lucas, who I wrote about here, had strong opinions on a lot of things. Her opinion on the ever comedic and lighthearted Galloping Gourmet was that "there is no need to introduce buffoonery into cooking". She once called commercial mayonnaise a "hi-jinx on the American public". Also, she stated that it is "better to … Continue reading Dione Lucas’ Omelets
When thinking of French cooking in mid-century America, most of our thoughts go straight to Julie Child and her iconic tome dedicated to French cuisine Mastering the Art of French Cooking. There are some that also probably think that Child’s cooking show “The French Chef” was the first of its kind but a few came first, one … Continue reading Dione Lucas: The Mother of French Cooking in America
To know the history of the Grasshopper Pie, we first need to discuss the drink that inspired the dessert because, unlike the chicken and the egg, we do know which came first. For those who are not familiar with this alcohol concoction, the Grasshopper is made by shaking some cream, crème de menthe and crème … Continue reading Grasshopper Pie
When thinking of the 1920s, a certain image pops in to most of our heads. It usually involves cool girl flappers with their bobbed hair dancing the night away while drinking gin. Thoughts go to frivolity and decadence not of practicality and sensibility. Least of all does the mind go to the name Aunt Sammy … Continue reading History of Aunt Sammy and Her Recipes
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