Peanut-Butter 'N' Bacon Sandwiches (1974) from McCall's Family-Style Cook Book

Happy National Peanut Butter Day! You'd think a Peanut Butter and Bacon Sandwich would be pretty straightforward. But the folks at McCall's clearly take their sandwiches very seriously.

"The lunch you carry can, and should, be as appealing and satisfying as the lunch you eat at home. And if you pack a lunch for a school child, a calorie-conscious teenager, an office worker, or a husband with a man-size job and a man-size appetite, you'll find our menus and recipes not only nutritious, but highlighted with those little extras that children and grown-ups appreciate. So go ahead — prove that ... you CAN take it with you ..."

Here's a recipe and menu from 'McCall's Family-Style Cook Book' (1974). Click picture for full-size image. — Dan Taylor

Frankfurter-Cheese Sandwich Filling (1957)

It's Wiener Wednesday! Look at all those happy foodstuffs—including that poor limbless frankfurter—just waiting to be Sandwich Fillings. From that thrift store staple 'Metropolitan Cook Book' (1957 edition). Click picture for full size image.

Popcorn Lollipops (1974) from McCall's Book of Merry Eating

It's National Popcorn Day! Why not calm those pre-game jitters by making some Popcorn Lollipops, courtesy of 'McCall's Book of Merry Eating' (1974). 

Slopply Joe's (or Sloppy Joe's)

Today's Recipe: "Slopply Joe's". Pulled this one from an old tin recipe box we picked up at a sale or auction years back.

1/4 pound ground beef
1 medium onion
1/4 can tomato soup

Dice and brown onion in a skillet. Add ground beef, break up with fork and brown. Add soup, cook until thick.

With a mere 1/4 lb. of ground beef, I'm not exactly sure how many people this was supposed to feed. (Click picture for full size image) – Dan Taylor

Dan Taylor is the editor of The Hungover Gourmet. He grew up on Sloppy Joe's, but not like this or that other bullshit North Jersey kind.

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).

Roast Pork Shoulder from McCall's Book of Marvelous Meats (1974)

My Mom always made pork for New Year's Day. Sometimes we'd also go visit my aunt who lived in the Bridesburg section of Philly and she would ALSO have fresh ham (pork), kraut, and fresh kielbasa. As I remember it, her row home had a teeny tiny kitchen, and I always marveled at how she made such a feast in such a small space.

My Mom would never debone a pork shoulder like this recipe suggests, but I remember her prep was simple and the result was delicious. One time my brother-in-law walked in to find several of us hunched over the finished shoulder, breaking off pieces of the crisp skin with a glistening layer of fat underneath, and exclaimed "how are you all not 300 pounds?!"

Happy New Year! (Click image for full-size picture)

From "McCall's Book of Marvelous Meats" (1974).

Bananas in Salads from A Study of the Banana (1942)

I know it's getting late, but there's still time for me to wish you a Happy National Banana Lover's Day! For the first half of my life I was not what you would call a "banana lover". Oh sure, I loved the flavor of a banana bubble gum cigar but a REAL banana? No thanks. Maybe my mom tried to serve me Banana Cabbage Salad or Banana Peanut Fan Salad (from A Study of the Banana: Its Every-Day Use and Food Value [Student's Manual], 1942) and I blocked out the memory but internalized the horror. Either way, I finally grew to love the banana and its "bacteria-proof wrapper". I hope your holiday was merry. (Click image for full-size picture.) – Dan Taylor

Dan Taylor is the editor/publisher of The Hungover Gourmet. There's still time to submit your contribution for our next issue. See the THG website for more details.

#banana #bananasalad #vintagerecipes #vintagecookbooks #vintagecooking

WIENER WEDNESDAY: Microwave Hot Dogs (Date Unknown)

WIENER WEDNESDAY: Microwave Week rolls on into everybody’s favorite day, Wiener Wednesday. But I must admit. Microwave cookbooks lack imagination in two areas: titles and wiener recipes. The three books sitting on my desk are ‘Microwave Magic’, ‘More Microwave Magic’, and the source of today’s “recipe”, ‘Magic of Microwave Cookbook,’ which appears to have accompanied an MCD microwave (whatever that is). It’s literally not magic, people—the food is cooked by high frequency radio waves, like an AM/FM radio or CB. And when it comes to hot dogs, franks, and wieners, there’s a similar dearth of imagination. Oh sure, you can tell me how to whip up Turkey Italienne or $5,000 Fiesta Chicken Kiev, but the extent of their hot dog “magic” is pretty much summed up by today’s instructions: wrap your wiener in a paper towel and cook for 30 seconds. Click picture for full-size image.

#wienerwednesday #microwaveweek #vintagerecipes #microwaverecipes #vintagecookbooks #microwaves #kitsch

TACO TUESDAY: Nutty Taco Salad (Date Unknown)

TACO TUESDAY: Microwave Week Continues! Are you one of the “many people” who bought a microwave oven just to have an “expensive toy”? For shame! The microwave is an “asset” to your kitchen! In fact, the fine folks at the Oklahoma Peanut Commission thought so highly of the marvelous microwave that they produced ‘Microwave Magic’ (date unknown), a 32-page recipe booklet of nothing but microwave recipes featuring—you guessed it—peanuts. From Chicken Peanut Casserole and Peanut Tea Ring to Peanut Surprise and Aunt Jean’s Poppycock, if it has peanuts in it and you can microwave it, well, it’s probably in here. But since today is Taco Tuesday, I figured I’d share Nutty Taco Salad, which features microwaved ground beef and taco seasoning mixed with peanut butter and topped with lettuce, tomatoes and cheddar cheese. Click picture for full-size image.

#tacotuesday #microwaveweek #microwaverecipes #recipes #peanutrecipes #tacosalad #vintagecookbooks #vintagerecipes #peanuts #peanutbutter

MICROWAVE MONDAY: English Reubens (1990)

MICROWAVE MONDAY: As methods for warming up sandwiches go, the microwave is right up there with setting it on the hood of a warm car. This recipe from 'More Microwave Magic' (Modern Publishing, 1990, edited by Wendy Lazor) turns a plain old Reuben into a trip to the United Kingdom by swapping in (checks notes) English Muffins. Once can only imagine the soggy mess that results from nuking untoasted English Muffin halves, dressing and kraut. Click picture for full-size image.

#reubensandwich #reuben #microwavemonday #microwaveweek #sandwiches #sandwichrecipes #vintage #vintagerecipes #vintagecookbooks #kitsch

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

THIRSTY THURSDAY: Delicious Ways to Use Merito Rum (1944)

THIRSTY THURSDAY: It’s spring in Maryland and that can mean anything from temperatures in the 40s to temperatures in the 80s—sometimes in the same day! But with the trees and flowers blooming, lawns green and lush from the rain, and the smell of mulch wafting through the air, thoughts turn to drinks on the patio. And why not make your next Manhattan or Old Fashioned with rum, “the most versatile of liquors” according to our friends at Merito Rum in their delightful booklet, ’40 Delicious Ways to Use Merito Rum’ (1944). Popular during the period of the 1940s-1960s, Merito is no longer made but some suggest using 86 proof Ron Canita Alambique Rum as a substitute. Click picture ofr full-size image.

#thirstythursdays #rum #rumrecipes #rumcocktails #vintage #vintagecookbooks #vintagecocktails #kitsch

WIENER WEDNESDAY: Three Favorites from '80 Favorites' (1963)

WIENER WEDNESDAY – Listen, I know how you’re feeling. Sometimes the alarm goes off on Wiener Wednesday and you’re totally conflicted. You grew up thinking Wednesday was Prince Spaghetti Day, so you crave something that speaks to your inner Italian. But what if you missed Taco Tuesday and you really want to make up for it? Then again, you’re 100% red-blooded American, and you need to feed all that. Don’t fret. Our friends at Oscar Meyer have a trifecta of Italiano-Mexicali-‘Mercan wiener meals courtesy of ’80 Favorites’ (1963) to feed whatever cuisine wants to reign supreme. Choose from Pizza Wieners featuring something called “wiener wagon buns”, Mexicali Wiener Supper complete with the cornerstones of South of the Border cuisine like thyme and grated process American cheese, or a Chip ‘n Cheese Wieners recipe that has you stuffing slit wieners with a mixture of cheese, potato chips, catsup, minced onion and Worcestershire. Click picture for full-size image.

#wienerwednesday #hotdogs #hotdogrecipes #italianfood #mexicanfood #vintagecookbooks #oscarmayer #vintagerecipes #kitsch #vintage

TACO TUESDAY: Tacos from McCall's Family Style Cookbook (1965)

TACO TUESDAY — Remember that old kids game "Telephone" where you'd whisper a phrase down the line and then compare the original to what the last person heard? That's the vibe I get from this "Tacos" recipe out of 'McCall's Family Style Cook Book' (1965). It's as if the Estradas down the street went to Tijuana, and when they came back told the Smiths all about these great "tacos" they had with "tortillas, tomatoes, ground beef and shredded cheese." By the time the Hendersons got the idea to make them for Saturday night dinner they're throwing in sausage meat and grated Parm, rolling up canned tortillas (?!) and baking the whole thing like enchiladas. Click image for full-size picture.

#tacotuesday #tacorecipes #vintagerecipes #vintagecookbooks #retro #kitsch

Microwave Monday - Ham & Pineapple Kabobs (1987)

MICROWAVE MONDAY – My friends, the microwave is not limited to reheating last night’s leftovers! Just ask the people behind ‘The Fabulous Microwave Cookbook’ (1987, Greentree Marketing). This ambitious, 48-page dining dynamo is designed for you to “kick off your shoes and have some fun for a change!” Editor Kelly McCoy pulls together not one, not two, but eight (!) unique menus for everything from a romantic French date night (“ship the kids off to Grandma’s”) and a Maine Micro Fest (complete with microwaved Lobsta Tails) to a Chic Last-Minute Cocktail Party featuring (checks notes) Nachos and Pigs-in-a-Blanket. Tres chic, indeed! I’ve selected a couple dishes from the Microwave Luau so you can “transport family and friends to the South Seas for the evening.” So, break out those Don Ho records, put on your best moo-moo, and fire up that microwave! Click picture for full-size image.

#MicrowaveMonday #vintagerecipes #vintagecookbooks #hawaiianfood #hawaiiancuisine

Deviled Tuna Bake (1975)

FISH FRIDAY: Run under broiler? Looks more like something I ran over with my car. From McCall's 'Fish 'n' Fowl Cookbook' (1975). Click picture for full-size image,

#fishfriday #vintage #vintagerecipes #vintagecookbooks #tunarecipes

Strawberry-Wine Punch (1975)

THIRSTY THURSDAY: It's Masters Weekend, people! I've got my pimento cheese and chips for later and some Japanese egg salad lined up for Saturday. Though this Strawberry-Wine Punch may be more suited for Wimbledon viewing, it sounds pretty refreshing for a weekend of golf (watching). From McCall's Cocktail-Time Cookbook (1975). Click picture for full-size image.

#golf #mastersweek #Masters2024 #vintagerecipes #vintagecocktail #vintagecookbook

Leg of Lamb with Honey-Soy Sauce (1958)

Still looking for a recipe for tomorrow's Easter dinner? Check out Leg of Lamb with Honey-Soy Sauce from 1958's 'Who's Who Cooks: Favorite Recipes of Famous People' (Good Housekeeping/The Hearst Corporation). This recipe comes to us courtesy of Herbert Asbury, "distinguished author of nonfiction, whose published works include The Barbary Coast and The Great Illusion, writes at home and does the marketing and cooking to enable his wife Edith to have a career of her own. He prides himself on 'balanced' meals." Click picture for full-size image.

#herbertasbury #lambrecipes #vintagerecipes #vintagecookbooks

Irish Cocktail from Just Cocktails (1939) by WC Whitfield

Happy St. Patrick's Day! There’s plenty of Irish-themed drink recipes out there. But I did a little digging through the collection and found my copy of ‘Just Cocktails’ (Published by The Three Mountaineers, Inc., 1939, Compiled and Edited by W.C. Whitfield, Decorations by Tad Shell), a wood-bound, hand-stitched collection of drinks published in Asheville, NC. The “Irish” comes from the “Cocktails of the ‘Gay Nineties’” section, which the author proposes “will be of particular interest to the younger set, who are eternally being reminded of the ‘good old days’ before Prohibition.” Now that’s an old recipe book. But “remember, these cocktails were the vogue long before Prohibition, so when a recipe calls for a jigger it means two full ounces.” Enjoy the obligatory cliche Irish illustration of a guy in a bowler smoking a cigar while he impatiently taps his feet. Probably late for a brawl. Click picture for full size image.

#cocktails #cocktailrecipes #whiskey #whiskeyrecipes

Wiener Wednesday: Frankfurters from Betty Crocker's New Outdoor Cookbook (1967)

Wiener Wednesday: With the weather warming up (at least for a few days), I couldn’t help but let my thoughts turn to all manner of outdoor cooking—which means a trip through ‘Betty Crocker’s New Outdoor Cookbook’ (Golden Press, 1967, from the collection of The Hungover Gourmet). As Betty herself says in the introduction, “Nothing is more appetizing than the sight and aroma of food grilling over glowing coals. And no meal is more fun to prepare.” Well put, Betty, well put. And I have to tell you, this cookbook is one of the most well-styled and designed cookbooks of its era. First off, it’s spiral bound, which makes it easy to lay flat and reference. Second, the color photography jumps off the page and makes every dish look more mouth-watering than the last. And third, Frank Lacano’s simple yet evocative illustrations make you wish you were fly fishing, camping out, or barbecueing some Fruited Salami Kabobs. But, as we all know, it’s Wiener Wednesday, and Frankfurters must take center stage! So, grab some cantaloupe (?!), make some Meloned Franks, and read on. Click picture for full size image.

#wienerwednesday #frankfurters #hotdogs #hotdogrecipes #vintagerecipes