Joys of Jell-O

Joys of Jell-O. This is the cream of the crop of Jell-O publications. Not just because it has the best title. Maybe it's just because I can't get enough of pictures of vegetables suspended in gelatin. Apparently, the publication of this booklet was at the peak of the Jell-O salad craze (circa 1962). Since this is my favorite of the Jell-O books, I may have gone a bit overboard with the amount of pictures. Although, I don't think that's possible.

1. Front cover


2. Rainbow cake and other colorful desserts


3. Basic Bavarian


4. The versatile Crown Jewel dessert


5. Birthday Surprise - the 'surprise' is it's ice cream and Jell-O


6. Upside-Down Cake - reminiscent of the translucent acrylic furniture of the 70s


7. A family of Supreme Desserts


8. A slew of pies - one sounds like a disco group; another looks like a medical model in a doctor's office (or a Halloween horror)!


9. Cherry Waldorf Salad - one of those 'two-way recipes'


10. Frosty Melon - unfortunately, not in color


11. Some gelatin injustices


12. Sea Dream - pretty surreal


13. Summer and Vegetable Salads - I bet you didn't know cauliflower could do that!


14. Ring-Around-The-Tuna - the name says it all


15. Multi-Stripe Delight - the leaning tower


16. Advertisement for existing Jell-O flavors, and introducing new salad flavors


17. Back cover


Chef Andy's Jell-O site is devoted entirely to this cookbook. While it doesn't include all the pictures in the book, it does feature some that I didn't scan. And, if you'd actually like to eat these creations, you're in luck: the site has many of the recipes in the book!

Jell-O Kids' Stuff booklet

Here for your reading/Jell-O ogling pleasure is all eight pages of the 1976 General Foods booklet, Jell-O Desserts: Kids' Stuff Recipes. (15 nifty kids' desserts plus two mail-in offers). Click for full pictures (including delightful names and recipes!).

Here is the greatest Jell-O creation of all time: The glorious Banana Wobble!


Whatever happened to Weird Harold?

Peach Jell-O Recipe Cards

In 1897, Jell-O came into existence with four flavors: strawberry, raspberry, orange, and lemon. This was followed a few years later by cherry and chocolate, and, in 1907, peach became the seventh Jell-O flavor. Somewhere along the way, peach fell out of favor, but it was reintroduced in 1975. In celebration of this heralded event, General Foods printed up this sheet of recipe cards that feature particularly ghastly colors and particularly translucent foods.

Interesting, huh? Learn more about the fascinating history of Jell-O! And, in case you can't get enough gelatin pictures, I've officially scanned in all my Jell-O cookbooks, so more will be posted this week!

Trick Or Treat Bag Week

If you're a fan of the kitschier elements of Halloween, you might want to visit the blog Tikiranch, which has been showcasing some nice examples of the art of vintage trick or treat baggery for the past week. Here's the first post and the last post (and there are three in between), plus there will be more Halloween related posts coming up. See also: Trick or Treat Bag gallery at Spook Shows.

Cooking ... With A Velvet Touch

Here we have the alluringly-titled Cooking ... With A Velvet Touch, sponsored by Carnation Evaporated Milk. I can't ascertain the exact year of publication, but it very well might be from the 1950s. (See 'edit' at the bottom)

1. Front cover - All were cooked With A Velvet Touch.


2. EASY! - To cook, though maybe not to eat! The taunting
letters don't make it seem any easier, either.


3. STURDY SAUCES - I think 'sturdy' is a nice way
of saying indigestible.


4. Rainbow Bright! Calorie Light! Just Not Right! - Berry Banana Whip


5. Great For (Discouraging) Guests (From Ever Visiting
Your House Again)!


6. Hostess Hints - Experiments of the hard boiled egg
and cranberry volcano variety


7. Back cover - More enlightening views of the
cranberry volcano; She is grand!


I have a whole slew of Jell-O books coming up. So, if you like your food kinda see-through, check back soon!

EDIT: After all these months, I can confirm that this book is not from the 1950s but from 1964!