I had two gals ask about a vintage cookbook collection - Debbie and Janet. I am a decent cook, but I don't look to vintage cookbooks for recipes and inspiration. The charm of the old cookbooks for me is sentimental or the adorable graphics.
1958 Carnation Cookbook. Complete with Mom cooking and Dad peering in the door smoking his pipe to see what she is whipping up.
This is a cookbook with sentimental value. It was given to me by my mother in law a few years into my hubby and my marriage.
I don't think she used it much, but the inscription dated 1959 makes me think it was a shower gift as she was married in 1959.
Many of my cookbooks have company tie-ins. They were giveaways or featured products by that company.
Modern Modes in Meat Cookery was probably a giveaway from Dan's Better Meats in 1934. It was published by the National Live Stock and Meat Board.
The Romance of Tuna was put out by White Star Brand Tuna.
Evidently it was the tuna that most Americans preferred.
The book has an insert with 19 proven recipes with tuna such as tuna loaf and tuna croquettes. (I prefer my tuna in a sandwich).
Royal Gelatins and Puddings put out this absolutely adorable Recipe Parade cookbook.
The illustrations for this cookbook are amazing. I love the sprinkling of characters on each page.
I have show Tummy Tingles before in a post. This was put out in 1937 by the Wheat Flour Institute. It has charming illustrations, poems and a few recipes.
Fairy Gingerbread with winged fairies illustrating the recipe.
This recipe book I found about ten years ago locally. It is for the Gamma Phi Beta sorority. It is my college sorority and I was thrilled to find a sorority related cookbook.
The inscription inside indicates that it was a produced as a fundraiser to add to the building fund for the Nu Chapter of Gamma Phi Beta.
My husband would not be very thrilled if he came home from work and found that I had prepared oysters and sweetbreads in a noodle ring.
Ads must have been sold to help with fund-raising as the last few pages feature advertising for local businesses. A fun slice of history.
This post has not inspired me to head to the kitchen. Just a fun and silly little collection. If you have an idea for a future collection challenge, leave me a comment and finish the sentence "Show me your collection of _____". I will see what I can whip up.
What a great challenge to look at this morning with my coffee :-)
Love the Royal Recipe Parade book...the illustrations do look amazing and cute!
Might have to give the "Royal Creamed Loaf" a try. Sounds like something my kids would love.
Thanks for sharing :-)
Posted by: Doreen | November 15, 2011 at 08:24 AM
I've always thought tuna was romantic! (?!)
These are so fun to look at but yikes! Can you imagine being served some of those meals? Ack!
Posted by: Into Vintage | November 15, 2011 at 11:16 AM
Oysters and sweetbreads in a noodle ring. They should call that book how to end your marriage in 5 meals or less!!!
Posted by: Kathy | November 15, 2011 at 12:07 PM
I received a version of that Dinner For Two Cookbook when we got married in 1968. I really used it a lot in the early years and it was falling apart. I spotted one at either an estate sale or antique mall (can't remember which) and replaced it a couple of years ago. Sadly, the one I bought wasn't used much at all...it was like brand new. I was just happy to have one in good shape. Over the years I've collected the Military Officers Wives Cookbooks. There's a series of them and I first started buying them when my husband was in the Navy.
Posted by: Betty | November 15, 2011 at 03:05 PM
Ha! My mom has a nickname...Betty. For obvious reasons she has a knack for telling me what I am doing wrong in my cooking. She has an avocado Betty Crocker book from the 60's that I love..but your wonderful gelatin book steals the show. They look just like your spun heads! Thank you for all the smiles...Renee
Posted by: Renee | November 15, 2011 at 05:14 PM
Wow Awesome cook books! I am so upset that I missed the opening of your etsy shop of holiday goodies last night! My internet was out for the most of the evening and night!! Of all times for it to go on the fritz!! Someone near to us were taking our signal from our cable for their internet and it messed up our signal and all of that. They had to come out and redo some of the line and make sure that the signal was stronger. After replacing the line it still wasn't has high as it should have been so they put some kind of security thingie on our computer and sent some program to the box and modem for the cable and our signal strength went up. It is working now! Uugg why would you still internet???
Hugs,
Lynn
Posted by: Lynn Spencer | November 15, 2011 at 07:43 PM
MAGPIE! Stop by and see my newest vintage finds....I gave you a shout-out!
Jill
Posted by: Jill | November 16, 2011 at 09:29 AM
Love the vintage cookbooks!!
Posted by: Elma | November 17, 2011 at 03:46 PM
I love those cookbooks! I collect vintage jell-o cookbooks. I love the graphics in vintage cookbooks.I love your Tummy Tingles book... so cute!
Hugs,
Jill
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Posted by: Anglelababy | November 24, 2011 at 12:20 AM
I love vintage cookbooks, but it is surprising to me that you would post the Royal Recipe Parade illustration for Fruit Cups without any comment - it is extremely racist. Obviously, it is a product of its time and it is good for us to remember how common place illustrations such as this were not that long ago. But it was still shocking for me to see that image with "I love the sprinkling of characters on each page" as the only comment!
Posted by: SloeGinLizz | December 16, 2011 at 11:29 AM