Comments on: Thanksgiving with Vintage & Community Cookbooks

By: PaMdora

PaMdora — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 10:57:44 +0000

wow, that’s amazing that some of those places are still in business. I think I’ve seen one of those Ford Motor cookbooks. I love looking at the illustrations too.

By: Elaine West

Elaine West — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 08:06:34 +0000

In a small town second hand store, I found a couple of the wonderful little Ford Motor Company cookbooks with the recipes gathered from the famous restaurants and inns. I think my cookbooks were from the late 50’s, and Ford was not only promoting their product, the the idea of cross-country car vacations. While I’ve never cooked from any of the recipes, I still LOVE to pour over the pages, often reading every word and closely examining every illustration. The volumes were regional, and the illustrations accompanying each recipe showed some view – maybe a seasonal exterior of the establishment – often with a Ford or two somehow included in the scene! As a cook and fan of cookbooks, a professional artist and publication designer, I’ve found myself enchanted and feeling very nostalgic whenever I spend time with one of these little gems. Many of the recipes are a hoot, calling for canned sauces or vegetables – impossible to imagine today in the kitchen of top restaurants. A last point – about 20 percent of the featured “eating places” are still in business today – presumably cooking with more fresh ingredients!

By: PaMdora

PaMdora — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:53:42 +0000

Thanks for the great cookbook stories everyone! Now get cooking..haha, just kidding.

By: Anne Brown

Anne Brown — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 21:55:02 +0000

Great post, Pam. I recently went through my mother’s old recipe box and had great fun reading recipes she received from her friends. Some of them were handwritten and I passed them along to the daughters of those who had written them. They were thrilled to have a “piece of history” in their moms’ handwriting plus the vintage recipe. I think most of them were from the 60’s and 70’s but hard to tell as most weren’t dated. I treasure the recipes that my mother and sister handwrote – every time I make one of them I feel like they are right there with me.

By: Mary Ann

Mary Ann — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 02:59:56 +0000

I have the late 1940s/early 50s version of Betty Crocker, great recipes if you want truly homemade food, and a Watkins cookbook for canning. But the real treasure is a 50s Chun King recipe book. I always wondered why my mother made chop suey with a hard boiled egg sliced on top, and now I know. Strange but surprisingly good.
Love the orange illustration with the woman’s head cut off.

By: Judy Rush

Judy Rush — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:12:44 +0000

Funny you should bring up cookbooks. Your illustrations use the technique that I so admire in the older books. Seems quite right that you would collect them. I have a 1950’s copy of the Betty Crocker cookbook that I think Andy Worhol illustrated. I have no real good info on what the period of time was where was illustrating them, but the illustrations look like the ones he worked on. I will post a scan f one of the images when I get the time….

By: PaMdora

PaMdora — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 02:29:08 +0000

Thanks Beth, I’m so glad you got what I was trying to say. I was trying to say what a connection I had to real people through their favorite recipes, but was feeling a little rusty in my writing and blogging. I think you may have said it much better than me. Glad you liked the post and keep cooking!

By: Beth Shay

Beth Shay — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 23:58:22 +0000

I loved this post! The church/various group cookbooks are my favorites. They are someones ‘tried and true’ recipes. My favorite by far, tho , has to be the cookbook my grandmother was given as a bride. She inscribed her name and the year of her marriage. Then she gave it to my mom when my parents got married…and it was given to ME when I got married. The cookbook is really a story of a bride and in every chapter, she cooks something…and you get the recipe! Some of the ingredients I have never even HEARD of! Her name is Bettina…that is what my grandmother called me as a little girl. I love visiting your blog!

By: PaMdora

PaMdora — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 18:29:33 +0000

Thanks for the comment Margaret. I was glad I followed the link to your blog — I hadn’t been there in a while and enjoyed reading about your sculpture classes and seeing all the photos.

By: margaret

margaret — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:20:28 +0000

Wonderful, the “hawaiian” cover! I had a cookbook clearout a few years back, but kept the vintage ones with graphics of any sort. Some things you just can’t get rid of easily.