Friday, July 06, 2007

More 'Surprising Differences'

Welcome back for Part 2 of this very special, very surprising collection of Carnation evaporated milk recipes.


For the wise mortgage-minder, nothing stretches your dollar like the 'saucy goodness' of Carnation evaporated milk! Green Beans and Mushrooms (pictured) and Vegetables Green & Gold keep the family nourished and the budget on target!


According to the book, you should celebrate the five year anniversary of your mortgage with a sizzling skillet Swiss Steak!


To escape some of the mortgage stress, the 'Managing Mother' likes to get away for a family picnic once in a while. Only then can she let the three tykes loose and have her husband whip up his scrumptious Picnic Frank and Bean Broil! The 'Managing Mother' lives for days like these.


'What's A Rainy Day For?,' asks this section. For the hand model featured in this picture, the ideal rainy day is spent gazing out at the rain-soaked garden and maybe grabbing a few No-Bake Maple Cones and some Spiced Coffee.


A romantic dinner for two just isn't right unless your dress matches the candles! (He notices!) And with Cold Cucumber-Celery Soup on the menu, you can ensure you'll match the first course, too.


The obligatory gelatin masterpiece of the book. Inexplicably, the writers don't divulge the exact details of what is suspended in the crown of the salad. Suffice it to say, you can put any fruits, vegetables, and 'et cetera' in one of these things!


This hip party scene is so jam-packed, I don't know where to start! The loner scarfing down hotdogs and the girl enchanted by his antisocial tendencies, the manic dancing (I think that's what's going on) in the center, and, on the other side of the room, the troubling instance of peer pressure interrupting the musical entertainment are a few of the brilliant elements that I could point out! I think this picture speaks for itself, though.


This time, the page's heading is really all you need to know: 'A lesson in In-law engineering,' or What to serve when you hate your In-laws. At least the chafing dish is festive!

5 comments:

Jason Stockl said...

The woman in the green dress is to die for!

I've noticed that vintage cookbooks were often minded to those on tight budgets, touting that their recipes would save them money.

Cookbooks nowadays seem to be the exact opposite. Ever try following some Martha Stewart recipes? Yikes!

Jason Stockl said...

The magenta Jell-O mould and pink chafing dish would've been perfect for my party!

Maria said...

Well, she is well-coordinated!

That's a great point, and it's spot on! I've noticed that, even as late as 70s cookbooks, thrift is a major virtue. Now, it almost seems taboo. Maybe modern cookbook writers figure that anyone concerned about money would buy convenience or fast foods rather than use a cookbook. I've looked at Martha Stewart recipes, and they're definitely not for people lacking time or money (or skill)! I could be wrong, but it looks like some of her ingredients wouldn't be found at most regular supermarkets!

I thought the same thing! Especially about the Jell-O!

Anonymous said...

I rather hope that it is my failure of interpretation here - but does that chafing dish really hold some goo-benighted mixture that contains mushroom, olives and tinned mandarin oranges?

In the UK, many cookery books were about thrift. But, we used to read american recipes with awe because they mentioned fantasy-land amounts of beef or chicken for a casserole etc.

My mother collected the british Family Circle and they had down to earth recipes (with still too many ingredients that we couldn't buy, such as allspice or mace, or fresh ginger) but also an exciting International Section that had a recipe for something like Black Forest Gateau, Nasi Goreng or Moussaka (with the helpful hint that we might use potato if we really couldn't obtain aubergine).

This was at a time when if you wanted olive oil, you had to buy it from the chemist in tiny bottles (intended for softening earwax rather than cooking) and my mother had to special order garlic from the greengrocer.

This blog, your comments and the photographs are so droll and entertaining.

Maria said...

Well, I was going to say, 'Oh, no.. that's mushrooms, grapes, and mandarin oranges!' (as if that made it all better), but.. upon further consideration, I regret to say that your interpretation is correct. If only the oranges weren't in there!

Thank you - that was very interesting to read an English perspective on the societal aspects of food and cook books, time and country-wise. It's interesting to think about the boom of convenience foods of the 1950s and 60s (was there a similar boom in UK at the time?) following the rationing of World War II. The strange thing is, there are aspects of my old (predominantly American cook books) that seem downright fancy in comparison to what is available in the market today, but I know that what was available then is nothing compared to the present day. I'm not an expert in these things, so I'm kind of foolishly pondering..

Thank you! I'm so happy that you've enjoyed it! The pictures are just too good not to share!