Jell-O Love Wheel

Valentine's Day is the most romantic day of the year. All those cherubs and roses! Have you decided what delectable delights you will eat by candlelight tonight? As always, Curly Wurly has some entirely serviceable ideas that will undeniably set a distinctive mood. Heart-shaped boxes of chocolates and lobster tails have been done. Why not take a spin on these Jell-O brand menu wheels? Who knew that choosing which Jell-O salad goes with which meat is even more difficult than selecting the wine!

Feeling like Chicken tonight? This little coterie looks dazzling next to the Peaches a l'Orange! If you prefer your chicken fried, you might be interested in the Orange Glow Salad. That special crunch of pineapples and carrots is the perfect complement to the crispy coating!


Making Pork Chops tonight? Once again, if you're opting for fried, you want a crunchy salad accompaniment. Apple Crunch Salad is your best bet; it packs a triple crunch with its trio of apple, celery, and nuts! Apparently, breaded pork chops require something unusual and smooth. How about Saucy Yogurt Salad? I don't think I've ever seen an aspic salad quite like this one, though I have to say that there's nothing too objectionable in it.


There's no group of food that is more romantic than seafood; oysters, lobster, and shrimp have long been linked to love. I'm confident that fish slabs and this Pimiento Circle, that seems to shine as if lit from within, is the most romantic menu option for Valentine's Day. For something a little zestier, you can try the Pickle Salad (aka Cucumber Dill Slice).


It's never too early in the holiday season to make the ham. Give it a nice tropical glaze and pair it with the Pineapple Lime Temptation. Better yet, serve up the Banana Greens salad. It's so great that Jell-O insists it's 'great with any ham dish'!


Or, there is always the Carrot Cheese Ring, which is also great with any ham dish.


As many cookbooks have revealed, the best way to a man's heart is through his stomach. If that is so, hamburger is surely a one-way ticket. Leave off the buns, omit the fries, and feed him the Ranch Relish Salad or the Tangy Tomato Mold. Just wait until he tells the whole neighborhood what a great cook you are!


Another hamburger salad option is the Red Red Salad. Strawberry flavored gelatin, catsup, and green pepper! Best to serve with some Red Red Wine.


The Longhorn Salad is practically an extension of the steak dinner. Or, better yet, make him feel like a king with the Asparagus Castle! For future reference, food should probably not be named after an edifice that is meant to withstand attack from hostile invaders.


Bell Pepper Salad also goes well with steak dinners!


So does the French Bean Basket! Plus, 'basket' sounds less imposing than 'castle.'

For more Jell-O (and don't we all want more Jell-O?), wiggle on over to Months of Edible Celebrations to take a look at Louise's assortment of Jell-O booklets! Now, some of the desserts in her booklets might actually pass for romance!

Squiggles and Scribbles

Sparkleneely, author of one of my favorite blogs, 97 Things To Do Before You Turn 97, gave me an award for achievement in the field of Blog Scribbling! I am thrilled and honored to be recognized by one of my favorite bloggers! I'd like to thank my agent, my personal trainer, and you at home!

According to the rules of the award:

'Each Superior Scribbler must in turn pass the Award on to 5 most-deserving Blog Friends. You must link to the author and name of the blog from where he/she has received the award.

You must display the Award on your blog and link to THIS POST, which explains the Award. Each blogger who wins The Superior Scribbler Award must visit THIS POST and add your name to the Mr. Linky List. That way, they will be able to keep up-to-date on everyone who receives this prestigious honor. You must post these rules on your blog.'

According to the fine print, not doing all of the above is a serious offense punishable to the full extent of the law, much like removing the tag from a mattress, so I have no choice but to obey! Unfortunately, my first inclination would be to award this to one of my favorite blogs, 97 Things To Do Before I Turn 97, but I don't think that's possible since she already received it! It was a well-deserved win, and if you've been searching for one of the most engaging and endearing, and one of the funniest and most poignantly relatable, blogs on the internet, I'm excited to point you in her direction! Get caught up on Sparkleneely's list of accomplishments before she's checked everything off her list!

Now I'm faced with the most difficult part: I must name five worthy blogs. All of the blogs on my blogroll (and the ones that I follow and read daily) are worthy of receiving this, or any, award; however, I have been directed to name only five favorites. Here they are, in no particular order:

1) Food With Eyes - I don't know what it is, but I almost feel like I know Lushie Peach, author of Food With Eyes, in real life. Besides posting the best graphics on the internet hands-down, she seems to have an uncanny talent for finding images of foods with eyes wherever she goes!

2) Expo Lounge - Jason has an unbelievably fabulous collection of Expo 67 collectibles and other vintage ephemera. His blog has to be one of the must-see stops for anyone interested in reliving the Montreal World's Fair, and his collection is an inspiration!

3) Kitchen Retro - Kitchen Retro is one of my newer favorites. Lidian's blog is one of my daily doses of humor. Of course, once again, she has managed to find some of the most intriguing and inane vintage advertisements and images, and her commentary is beyond superb!

4) Months of Edible Celebrations - Louise's blog is better than Wikipedia! I am always awed at the depth and the deliciousness of her culinary explorations. It's amazingly topical and informative, and, once again, she finds some great pictures!

5) A Sampler of Things - Years ago, I got a fantastic book of vintage packaging called Krazy Kids' Food. It became an instant favorite. I was thrilled to discover its author, Dan Goodsell, shares even more packaging images on his blog and on Flickr. It's like a Krazy Kids' sequel every day!

Once again, thank you Karen for the award! Have fun exploring the blogs of all the new award winners!

Resolution #5: Have Fun With Alcohol And Astrology

Curly Wurly's final New Year's Resolution post promises not only to instruct you in the art of having fun but also how to learn more about yourself. So, if the Coke in the previous post hasn't helped to 'add life' as promised, it may be time to take a gander at Mixology featuring '44 famous mixed drinks' and, most importantly, a primer of Happy Hour astrology! This booklet was published in 1971 by the Southern Comfort Company who offer this disclaimer to all moon-children of legal drinking age: 'Intent of astrology data herein is simply to inform, not to advise. Therefore any personal application is the individual's responsibility.' I guess Southern Comfort can't be held directly responsible for the humiliation an Aquarius might experience when he or she discovers that electric blue, their birth color, is an unappealing shade for their attire. (Remember to click on the pictures for full-size pages with astrological and drink information)

Mixology is about more than having you drink bottles of Southern Comfort every week. It's also about having fun and finding yourself spiritually. While this booklet is mostly an advertisement for Southern Comfort and a guide to the many beverages you can make using Southern Comfort, it is, more importantly, an invaluable 1970s fashion spread. It's impossible to pull your eyes away from the clothing and hair styles and the mesmerizing artificial smiles. I don't think I've ever been so aware of how many teeth people have; you can practically count them here!


Southern Comfort will school you in making your Happy Hour party out of this world! What's Southern Comfort, you ask? Well, it's not like ordinary whiskey: 'It actually tastes good, right out of the bottle!' Basically, it's special, it's delicious, it's remarkable. And, if you want your party to be special and remarkable, it must be the only whiskey you buy. Once you're serving the whiskey that all the pros endorse, your party needs only a few astrological charts to make it truly out of this world!


No, it's not enough to know your sign! What's your ruling planet? What's your element? You can know everything about that person you have your eye on just by finding out their birthday!


Wide lapels? Janet and Chrissy? This must be a 70s cocktail party! Remember, this suave Tom Selleck-like dreamboat will only come to those parties that serve Southern Comfort. Don't expect his RSVP if you plan on serving one of those other brands!


Resolutions are all about improvement. Take, for instance, the drink recipes in Mixology. You could have ordinary cocktails or you could have improved cocktails. All it takes is some Southern Comfort in place of your regular, bad-tasting whiskey, and you're all set!


Today's your lucky day! This crowd posing with their Comfort Old-Fashioneds is smugly considering how all the ritzy celebrities and fashionistas in Beverly Hills and Paris are sipping on the very same drink.


Glen Campbell and Erik Estrada popped in to learn a bit about palmistry (and they heard you were serving a Whiskey Comfort Sour)!