Junket - Debunked

Lidian - you threw me into a fit of gaffaws with your definition! No surprise there. Yay for jell-o and all things suspended and molded within it!

I'm guessing everyone else was defining it in their head. No need to hold back next time! Let it out. There is an anonymous button on the blog - don't be afraid to use it!

Alrighty. I'm poised to share Betty, defined. Junket is described in the New Picture Cook Book, and I quote, as -

"A milk dessert coagulated by rennet; sweetened and flavored."

Take into consideration rennet is essentially a cluster of au natural enzymes from the stomach of a mammal. It makes cheese, people. But it doesn't make cheese sound good. Not on a cracker. Not anywhere.

Such is the high-def of junket. Chosen purely by me for it's fab descriptors: coagulated and rennet. Mmm. You might want to skip the dairy course of your Sunday dinner.

Kitschen Feast Balderdash

Quick! Let's play a game. Our favorite fam game of questionable definitions is Balderdash. Familiar? Define [in your own wild, witty words] the following retro cooking vocab word:

JUNKET

I'll give up the real definition tonight. One hint: Ewww.

An Ode to Meal Planning & Table Service

Something soft and something crisp,
Should always go together,
And something hot with something cold,
No matter what the weather;
Serve bland foods with tangy sauce,
And garnish them with green,
If you will use these simple rules,
You'll be your family's queen!

-Betty Crocker's NEW PICTURE Cook Book (c)1961

My Friend Meghan...

...has a baby in her belly. A boy baby. And it's been said that his meet and greet is scheduled for 9/21. As a sweet treat to Meghan I offered up a baker's dozen cookies of her choice from the 1953 Pillsbury 4th Grand National Prize-Winning Recipe Cook Book. Gee, that bake-off is swell. I can imagine those women in pearls, heels and aprons tripping over each other to transfer their original recipe to the dandy new oven ranges. Here were her choices:

Peanut Butter Apple Cookies
Apricot Thins
Almond Coconut Twinkles
Chocolate Pixies

Being a fan of the Renaissance Festival, [and a bit of a Renaissance woman herself] Meghan opted for Chocolate Pixies. Yay for pixies. Yay for me! I get to lick the bowl.

So we're on for the great race: Due Date v. Delivery Date

Damn. My follow-through is not so good. But like the boy baby in her belly, this delivery is a promise I must keep.

Will I deliver the Chocolate Pixies circa '53 to Meghan's doorstep BEFORE baby is due? The race for this win-win-win [win 1: cookies guilt-free pre-baby; win 2: cookies to celebrate post-baby; win 3: did I mention I get to gorge myself on Chocolate Pixie batter?] is ON!

Kitschen Know-How

Behold the busy gal's all-around kitschy kitchen know-how. And how.

Neighbor Brad brought his mom's beaut of a Betty Crocker cookbook - Betty Crocker's NEW PICTURE Cook Book circa '61 to be exact - by tonight for me to borrow and it's begging me to share its secrets. It's best that we revel in this retro bible in bites.

Tonight? Take note, happy homemakers, as I spin for you VERBATIM my favorite tips of Betty's tabbed...

KITCHEN KNOW-HOW: HINTS FOR THE HOMEMAKER
PLAN AHEAD

• If you have a freezer, make several cakes, pies, cookies, main dishes or sandwiches at a time and freeze some for future use.

COMBINE JOBS

• Plan and organize daily work while working with hands [peeling potatoes, sweeping floor, etc.]

REFRESH YOUR SPIRITS

• Every morning before breakfast comb hair, apply makeup and a dash of cologne. Does wonders for your morale and your family's too!
• Think pleasant thoughts while working and a chore will become a "labor of love."
• Have a hobby. Garden, paint pictures, look through magazines for home planting ideas, read a good book or attend club meetings. Be interested - and you'll always be interesting!
• If you have a spare moment, sit down, close your eyes and just relax.

ORGANIZE WORK

• Alternate sitting-down tasks and standing-up tasks. Don't be on your feet too long.

BE COMFORTABLE

• Wear comfortable shoes and easy-fitting clothes while working.
• Stand erect. Good posture prevents fatigue.
• Have sink, work table, counter tops at a height that is comfortable to eliminate strain. If dishpan is too low, set it on a box.
• Use a dust mop and long-handled dust pan. Use self-wringing mop to prevent stooping.*

*Repeat after me: I will not stoop. I will prevent fatigue. I will perform housework like a pearl and polyester-wearing robot.

This is just the tip of the tabbed advice from Betty. JUST THE TIP!

And by the way ladies, Brad's a single gent who could culinary convert you - or so he claims. Your call.

Frankly, I'm stuffed.

Sick of the wiener jokes? Oh well.


We did it. Friday we filled franks with three fixings you voted for. And they weren't too funky.

I split the dogs down the middle and unmercifully stuffed them with:

• applesauce & grated cheese
• pineapple [bah! my pimento was MIA]
• mac 'n cheese [Kraft - lucky for us the blue box was on special at the market!]

The kids couldn't wait to get a forkful of ALL 3 flavors. Like Peter Brady, fan of porkchops & applesauce, Ben & Marge finished their pineapple-stuffed dogs. And went back for the mac 'n cheese and applesauce variations. Kids might turn their noses up at filet, but they go hog wild [groan] for mystery pig parts!

In hindsight of these hind end meats, I would have anted up for a bigger wiener [who wouldn't?]. A Ballpark frank, or even one from the butcher's counter [Fritz's comes to mind - mmmm!] to ensure more stuffing per serving.

I must admit, I did get a little satisfaction slitting them down the middle. So if you have some angst waiting in the wings, take it out on an 8pack of franks, not the loved ones under your roof.

The cookbook had some funkier options, and I'd be apt to adopt them next time, so should you:

• ripe-olive spread
• bananas & paprika
• chopped prunes
• sour cream & chives
• spanish rice
• cranberry sauce
• sauerkraut & barbecue sauce
• chunky-style peanut butter

Come on! What's the wurst that could happen?

Vote for Frank!

Okay. I've got Stuffed Franks on the menu for Friday night. But, being fickle - and frank, I am looking to you & yours to vote for a filling. Cast one [or more] from this list of ILLogical possibilities from Good Housekeeping's hamburger & hotdog book:

• chive, pimento & pineapple
• prepared mincemeat
• applesauce w/grated cheese
• bananas & paprika
• chopped prunes
• potato salad
• chunky-style peanut butter
• baked beans
• macaroni & cheese
• orange marmalade
• chopped canned mushrooms, sherry, bacon bits & parsley

Remember. I will [unfortunately?] be serving this to my children.

Okay. Cast a gut-busting vote for change, already.