Happy Birthday to Catharine Beecher, Author of The First American Cookbook

Happy birthday to author and educator Catharine Beecher, born on September 6, 1800. 

In 1841, she would publish 'Miss Beecher's Domestic Receipt Book,' regarded as the first cookbook written by and for an American audience. And, yes, she's the sister of author Harriet Beecher Stowe.

Sour Cream Pancakes from McCall's Home-Baked Breads (1974)

When Ryan was little, we always made pancakes on snow days. With Winter Storm Blair headed our way, I thought it would be a good time to pull out a pancake recipe in case school is closed tomorrow. Bonus points for the use of sour cream!

From 'McCall's Home-Baked Breads' (1974).

FISH FRIDAY: Molded Tuna Salad (1940)

FISH FRIDAY: "Conjure this molded tuna salad out of your refrigerator when guests are hungry," suggests Frances Troy Northcross in '250 Fish And Sea Food Recipes' (Culinary Arts Institute, 1940). Click picture for full-size image. 

#tuna #tunarecipes #molded #vintage #vintagerecipes #vintagecookbooks #kitsch #culinaryarts

Taco Tuesday: Meat-Filled Tacos (1984)

Did you know that "America's love affair with Mexican food got its start in restaurants and fast food chains"? "Now many people across the country are discovering the fun of cooking Mexican at home." From the 'Mazola Corn Oil Mexican Cookbook' (1984, Best Foods). Click picture for full size image.

#tacotuesday #raisins #vintagerecipes #mexicancuisine #mexicanfood #mexicanfoodie #mexicanfoodlover

Meat Loaf from Fun to Cook Book (1967)

Today’s vintage recipe comes to us from nepotism baby Margie Blake. You’re probably familiar with the work of her mother, Mary Blake, cookbook pamphlet face of Carnation Evaporated Milk and author of such classics as ‘Teen-Time Cooking’ and ‘Right Eating Keeps You Swingin’’. Well, little Margie told her mom that some cookbooks had “too many words” while others were “too babyish” and were filled with “play recipes”. So poor Mary—already worn down from trying to come up with a Carnation Evaporated Milk-based cream sauce for Sardine and Liver Sausage Aspic Surprise—had to ignore poor Mr. Blake (first name unknown) and write ‘Fun to Cook Book’ (1967) so little Margie could pass it off as her own. Here's Margie’s recipe (wink, wink) for Meat Loaf. Thought I’m not sure why the illustrator decided to make it look like Margie had dropped it on the floor where it got covered in hair. Click image for full size picture. (‘Fun to Cook Book’, Carnation Company, 1967) – Dan Taylor

#meatloafmonday #meatloaf #vintagerecipes #vintagecookbooks

Happy Veterans Day! Fried Liver Fingers (1966)

My uncles—Mike, Charlie, and Dan—are veterans of WWII and all made it home to live long lives. To them, and all who served, I say, “thank you for your service” and wish a Happy Veterans Day. (Insert awkward transition) That said, here’s some treats from ‘Dare to Excel in Cooking: Award Winning Group Recipes of USS Semmes (DDG-18)’. The Semmes, a Charles F. Adams-class destroyer which entered service in 1962, was the winner of the 1966 Ney Award for the “outstanding small mess afloat”. I’m not sure if the Fried Liver Fingers or Oysters Jambalaya helped secure the award, but here they are for the next time you have 20+ of your closest friends headed over. Oh, and the wonderful illustrations around the edges are courtesy of the Navy-Marine Corps Recipe Service and can be found throughout ‘Dare to Excel in Cooking’ (by Darrell Miles [LT, (SC), USN] and William Bigley [CS1, USN], 1966). Finally, a few words about the recipes contained in the cookbook from David F. Emerson, Commanding Officer of the USS SEMMES (whom I picture looks like Tom Atkins in LETHAL WEAPON): “Please note that the recipes are for food for strong young Americans who work in the open air; there are no dainty items here to divert a Continental palate”. (Click image for full size picture)— Dan Taylor

#vintage #recipes #cookbooks #neyaward #usssemmes #vintagerecipes #armedforces #vintagecookbooks

Spicy Wieners 'n Rice (1963)

Oscar Mayer might be “Specialists in sausage and smoked meats since 1883” but they’re also one of the titans of the recipe pamphlet. Our collection seemingly includes as many varieties of cookbooks and pamphlets from the “wurstmachers” at Oscar Mayer (now owned by Kraft Heinz) as the offerings from these sausage wizards. And this 1963 booklet celebrating their 80th anniversary is a fine example. Touting “80 recipes and suggestions, developed in the Oscar Meyer test kitchens”, this 48-pager features full-color photos and stylish illustrations highlighting everything from Wiener Spinach Casserole and Liver Sausage Peanut Buns to Liver Sausage Pickle Dip and Pumpkin-Hollow Dip (shhhh, the secret ingredient is liver sausage). Admittedly, it was hard to choose something to highlight but I know how you folks like to add a little spice to your life, so here’s something called Spicy Wieners ‘n Rice with a bonus recipe for Wiener Mashed Potato Pie. Click image for full size picture. (’80 Favorites’, Oscar Mayer, 1963) — Dan Taylor

#vintagerecipes #vintagecookbooks #oscarmayer #hotdogrecipes #retrorecipes

Pickled Fresh Tongue (1973)

Laissez les bon temps rouler! I know that when I think "New Orleans cookery" the first thing that comes to mind is Pickled Fresh Tongue and/or whatever the hell that is on the cover. From 'The New Orleans Cookbook' published by the Culinary Arts Institute, 1973. Click picture for full size image. – Dan Taylor

#cookbook #vintage #vintagerecipes #neworleans #vintagecookbook #recipes #retro

Pungent Liver and Frosted Braunschweiger Roll (1958)

Apparently 10 p.m. was the time for snacks in 1958. I couldn't decide between Frosted Braunschweiger Roll and Pungent Liver, so why not share 'em both along with a few more from 'Ten P.M. Cook Book' (Good Housekeeping, 1958). Click picture for full size image. – Dan Taylor

#retro #vintage #recipes #cookbook #vintagerecipes #retroappetizers

Last Minute Supper from Cooking with Soup (1972)

I get it. The holidays are over. The kids are back in school and activities have started to ramp back up. What's a harried homemaker to do? Well, if you have a can of condensed soup "you have much of the work already done for you", according to 'Cooking with Soup' (Campbell Soup Company, from my birthplace of Camden, NJ!, 1972). I'm thinking that like my father's attempt at making roast beef sandwiches one night when my mom was sick in bed, Last Minute Supper will send the kids scurrying to the internet for recipes and cooking lessons faster than you can say "until flavors are blended". FYI, get used to seeing this cookbook in your feed. A casual perusal yielded tons of material. Click picture for full size image. – Dan Taylor

#vintage #vintagerecipes #soup #condensedsoup #lunchmeat #campbellssoup #recipeoftheday

Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream from Creative Desserts from Betty Crocker (1983)

Happy National Strawberry Ice Cream Day! I prefer strawberry ice cream over most of the other flavors, so today is totally a win for me. Except that we don't have any strawberry ice cream. Today's recipe is brought to you from 'Creative Desserts from Betty Crocker' (General Mills, 1983), which features a clean, easily-readable layout and simple, attractive photos without any fussy art direction. In other words, it's no fun at all. Click picture for full size image. – Dan Taylor

#vintage #vintagerecipes #strawberry #strawberryrecipes #strawberryicecream #icecream #icecreamrecipes

Florida Celery Fingers from The Magic of Florida Celery (date unknown)

As I've mentioned, I have a collection of thousands of advertising recipe pamphlets dating back to the early 1900s (and even a handful of older ones). For some of the folks tasked with putting these together–I'm looking at you Pillsbury and Betty Crocker–it had to have been like shooting fish in a barrel. But pity the poor folks who had to create 'The Magic of Florida Celery' (Florida Celery Industry, Orlando, Florida, date unknown). It's a lovely 20-page piece with full-color photos and fun facts/tips about nature's toothbrush ("Use a celery stalk for scraping the sides of your blender."), but no amount of Oriental lanterns, chopsticks, decorative tea sets and horseshoes can disguise the fact that the main ingredient of all these dishes is, well, celery. But enough of my yapping, you're going to need to rush to the store if you're going to whip up some Florida Celery Fingers and Florida Celery Pinwheels for tonight's National Championship Game. Click picture for full size image. – Dan Taylor

#celery #celeryrecipes #vintage #vintagerecipes #cookbooks #vintagecookbooks #recipeoftheday

Smart Snacks and Relishes from Mushrooms in Your Menu (1956)

Congratulations to the Eagles for barely beating the Giants pre-season squad and locking up the #1 seed in the NFC. Whew. Seriously, though, if you had told me they were going to be 14-3 I would have said you were crazy. Go Birds! I know it's late but let's celebrate with some Smart Snacks and Relishes from 'Mushrooms in Your Menu' (Grocery Store Products Co., 1956) Click picture for full size image. – Dan Taylor

#mushrooms #mushroomrecipes #vintage #vintagerecipes #cookbooks #vintagecookbooks #advertising #recipeoftheday

Roast and Fried Chicken from Betty Crocker's Good and Easy Cook Book (1954)

My best friend Lou would have turned 57 today. Despite growing up a few streets from one another, we didn't meet until our freshman year of college when a mutual friend got us together over Thanksgiving break. We became fast friends and spent countless hours hanging out, watching movies, talking about movies, seeing bands, cracking each other up, doing radio shows, cutting classes, and generally getting up to no good. My Mom loved Lou (despite initially thinking he was a 40-something guy hanging out with college kids), and he was a frequent guest for a pre-shenanigans Sunday night dinner. And, if you were at the Taylor household for Sunday dinner, roast chicken was probably on the menu. As far as I know, 'Betty Crocker's Good and Easy Cook Book' (General Mills, 1954) was the only cookbook my Mom owned. She owned it but never referenced it, preferring to cook by sight and taste, measuring things by hand and "eye-balling it". If she employed a chicken "recipe" it probably started from here and evolved over time. The funny thing is that after about a half-dozen dinners of either fried or roast chicken, Lou said to me: "Dante, can you do me a favor? Your mom is the best, and I really appreciate the dinner invites. But can you tell her I don't like chicken?" They were both the best and I miss 'em dearly. Click picture for full size image. – Dan Taylor

#chicken #chickenrecipes #frenchtoast #frenchtoastrecipes #vintage #vintagerecipes #cookbooks #vintagecookbooks #bettycrocker #recipeoftheday

Chocolate Whipped Cream Cake from Betty Crocker Holidays on Parade (1965)

It's National Whipped Cream Day! I couldn't find any recipes that involved just sticking the can in your mouth so here's judgey 1965 Betty Crocker with her recipe for a Chocolate Whipped Cream Cake plus a Christmas Tree Cake (a couple weeks too late) you can make based on that initial recipe. "Bake for the holidays–but remember, too, that many of these delicious bakings will be welcome any day of the year." From 'Betty Crocker Holidays on Parade' (General Mills, 1965) Click picture for full size image. – Dan Taylor

#vintage #recipes #vintagerecipes #cookbooks #vintagecookbooks #recipeoftheday #cakes #vintagecakes #cakerecipes #bettycrocker #bettycrockerrecipes

Chicken Spaghetti from 25 Years of Favorite Recipes (1984)

"Everything you see I owe to pasta." – Sophia Loren 

Happy National Spaghetti Day! Who among us hasn't fallen back on a reliable box of dried spaghetti and a jar of past sauce for dinner? I still recall (sorta) college pasta parties featuring mounds of the stuff chased down with ice cold bottles of Thunderbird, our bum wine of choice. But what about those bold gourmands not content with dumping some Ragu on a steaming bed of Prince spaghetti, whether it's a Wednesday or not? Check out this sampling of inventive spaghetti-centric recipes from '25 Years of Favorite Recipes, Compiled by St. Paul's United Methodist Women' (Ponca City, Oklahoma, 1984). Believe me, it was hard to pick just one Chicken Spaghetti technique, but I think you'll agree that Sue De Haven's contribution is worthy of the occasion. Click picture for full size image. – Dan Taylor

#nationalspaghettiday #vintagerecipes #vintagecookbooks #retrorecipes #retrocookbooks #recipeoftheday #chickenrecipes

Pecan Cheese Mold from Cooking with Pecans (date unknown)

One of my favorite things about the holidays is that my wife makes several cheese balls from her family recipe and gives them to friends and family for entertaining. Luckily, there's usually at least one for us. The Pecan Cheese Mold might have a poor title (and a recipe that includes the phrase "allow Pecans to permeate cheese") and she would never include olives but you get the drift. From 'Cooking with Pecans' (Georgia Pecan Growers Association, date unknown). Click picture for full size image. – Dan Taylor

#pecans #cheeseballs #pecanrecipes #cookingwithpecans #vintage #recipes #vintagerecipes #cookbooks #vintagecookbooks #recipeoftheday

Eat Kraut for Good Luck!

Well, we made it past New Year's Eve and 2023 is upon us. Growing up I remember talk of pork and sauerkraut being a good luck dish for the new year. I wasn't sure if this was just stuff my family made up to mess with me like "crunchy bits in fig bars are ant heads" but according to historian William Woys Weaver, the Pennsylvania Dutch ate pork and sauerkraut on New Years Day because "pigs root forward" and are not backwards scratching animals like turkeys and chicken. Good luck or not I LOVE sauerkraut so I'm happy to work it into any meal. Neither the Fresh Ham with Kraut and Apple Stuffing nor the Pork and Kraut Casserole with Applesauce Gravy would have been out of place on my Mom or her sister Josie's holiday table. "May you live as long as you want and never want as long as you live." (From 'Cooking with Kraut', prepared by National Kraut Packers Association, Oak Park, IL, date unknown) Click picture for full size image. – Dan Taylor

#sauerkraut #sauerkrautlover #suaerkrautrecipes #kraut #krautrecipes #vintage #vintagerecipes #vintagecookbooks #cookbooks #recipeoftheday

Happy National Bacon Day from Betty Crocker (1956)

It's National Bacon Day and the one and only Betty Crocker (Postwar Version) is here with not 150, but 157 (!) Recipes and Ideas in the 'Bisquick Cook Book' (From Betty Crocker of General Mills, 1956). Today's featured recipe is Bacon Waffles, which basically involves cooking bacon on your waffle iron then spooning batter over the bacon. Voila, Bacon Waffles! As Betty says, "you do so many nice special things for the family more often, because you start so far ahead with Bisquick!" Now, start sorting those piles of dirty clothes. That laundry's not going to wash itself! Click picture for full size image. – Dan Taylor

#bacon #baconrecipes #nationalbaconday #vintage #recipes #vintagerecipes #recipeoftheday #cookbook #vintagecookbooks

Happy National Pepper Pot Day from 250 Delicious Soups (1940)

It was known as "the soup that won the war" after Christopher Ludwick, a baker general in the Continental Army, threw together whatever ingredients he had could find to make a hearty meal for General Washington and his troops in the winter of 1777. Today we celebrate National Pepper Pot Day with this recipe from the always reliable Culinary Arts Institute and their 1940 publication '250 Delicious Soups'. Click picture for full size image. – Dan Taylor 

#pepperpot #nationalpepperpotday #thesoupthatwonthewar #recipes #soups #souprecipes #vintage #cookbooks #vintagerecipes #recipeoftheday