Kraft Hostess Awards

In 1974, Kraft published a book featuring the winning parties from the annual Kraft Hostess Awards. The resulting book is as much party planning guide as it is cookbook, and no doubt it inspired great bashes in the mid-1970s.

1. What exactly were the Kraft Hostess Awards? Click on the picture above for the introduction from the book.


2. A picture of the Kraft National Hostess Award Winner of 1974. If you're looking to 'mix the hard work [of doing the layout and paste-up of your school newspaper] with fun and good food,' you might want to take a look at the menu of the winner's 'Paste-Up Party'!


3. A look at the 'Paste-Up Party' - Note the centerpiece made of newspaper flowers stuck in a typewriter.


4. 'Hang Ten'! This luau dinner party originated in Maryland, a state known for its great surfing. Nondescript squares of... cheese?


5. The 'Come To The Fair' party is a 'remedy for the middle-of-the-year-I'm-tired-of-school blahs,' as you would expect any party with Wiener-Go-Rounds would be. I really just like the plastic dinnerware, though. I especially love the salad server that is like a golden daisy. It's not only stylish, it's also utilitarian!


6. The craziest party of the 1970s was the 'Orchestration' party. Between the striped Harmony Salad and the Classical Casserole, this one had to be a Top Ten hit! More nice maize-colored dinnerware!


7. I didn't know that parties were held for threshing crews, but apparently in Minnesota there was once an 'Enough To Feed A Threshing Crew' party. It sounds pretty fancy with it's Twice-Baked Potatoes, Lawn Croquet, Fancy Lettuce Salad, and Handled Flatware.


8. And here we can confirm the formality of the 'Down On The Farm' soirée!


9. Eureeka, someone threw a 'Gold Rush of '73' party?! Well, how could you not strike it big with tin cups of Sluice Juice and a magestic Vein Of Gold (Baked Alaska)! This is, perhaps, the most creative, and the most unnecessary, party in the book!


10. The 'Annual Hobo Breakfast Gathering' - I think it's really nice that 'hungry-eyed' teenage hobos were thrown a party, but I think it's patronizing to mockingly dress up like the guests of honor in 'grubbies.' Moreover, why is almost half the menu Mexican? In retrospect, I think this is the most offensive party in the book!


11. Here's a photo of some of the hobo breakfast.


12. The 'Huck Finn Adventure Party' boasts the best looking food. The Congealed Salad is tops! This party is guaranteed to last until twilight!