Sometimes a vacation inspires my cooking. In 2005, my husband John and I flew to Alaska for vacation. In Anchorage we rented a car and drove through the gorgeous interior, viewing majestic mountains, tall pine trees, elk, moose, and a fantastically beautiful purple plant called fireweed. Along the way, we stopped at a village called... Continue Reading →
Vintage Eats Recipe: 1992 Angel Pudding
When our family moved recently to another home in my hometown, a former neighbor blessed us with a dessert as a moving-in gift. She knew how stressed we were with the move and the gift of ready-made food was just the right thing. My kids and my husband and I grew to love Jan (shown... Continue Reading →
Vintage Eats Recipe: Fruit ‘n Cream Salad
With summer here in full force I’m gung-ho for trying new vintage salad recipes. What I’ve learned after scanning dozens (hundreds?) of 40+ years old cookbooks is that a ‘salad’ differed greatly back then to what it is known for today. Cookbooks written prior to the 1980s often used colored gelatin, otherwise known as ‘Jello’... Continue Reading →
Vintage Eats Recipe: 1982 Chocolate Chip Cake
Today is National Chocolate Chip Day! I can't think of a better culinary item to celebrate. Chocolate chips have been a mainstay in my home all of my life – during childhood, when my children were young and through to today. I always have semi-sweet chocolate chips in their regular size. Sometimes I purchase the... Continue Reading →
Vintage Eats Recipe: 1977 Impossible French Apple Pie
Happy National Apple Pie Day! I don't make a lot of pies because it seems like a lot of work for only 8 servings. But I decided to give this recipe a go, especially since it had a special title. The word ‘impossible’ caught my attention. Presumably, it’s called impossible because the pie makes its... Continue Reading →
Vintage Eats Recipe: Applesauce Brownies
Thanks to all of you who have reached out in response to earlier posts in which I shared thoughts about my grief journey after losing my husband last year. It was a risky step putting such personal stuff out there. I don't feel I have any advice to share so if you’ve not read any... Continue Reading →
Vintage Eats Recipe: Mom’s 1980 Red Waldorf Astoria Cake
I made this recipe in memory of Mom who would have celebrated her 96th birthday recently. As you can see from this photo, she looked good in the color. I thought creating one of her recipes which she handwrote for my sisters and me (she had beautiful handwriting) in red would be appropriate. I remember... Continue Reading →
Vintage Eats Recipe: 1986 French Madeleines
If you’re still looking for a sweet dessert to make for your Sweetie on Valentine’s Day, I recommend this recipe for French Madeleines. Don't let the title throw you. Madeleines sound fancy and are traditionally made in special pans with a fanlike appearance so they look elegant. But you don't need special pans to turn... Continue Reading →
Vintage Eats Recipe: 1980 Chocolate Checkerboard Cake
Happy Birthday to me! This week I celebrated my birthday with family and friends. It was a great day but the first one without my husband. If you follow this blog, you’ll know that I have talked about life following my husband’s death last year. It has been tough. Actually, as I’m sure most widows... Continue Reading →
Vintage Eats Recipe: 1984 Coffee Tortoni in Chocolate Cups
Today is National Dark Chocolate Day. Having survived one of the worst Januarys, due to weather, I decided to celebrate February and this fairly unknown foodie holiday with a vintage recipe of 40 years ago. Full disclosure: I’m not a fan of dark chocolate. The reason is due to an unfortunate experience I had in... Continue Reading →