The new cook book's here! The new cook book's here!

We celebrated T's b-day last night [did we ever!] & lucky me, I scored a gifty, too. My friend & vintage cook book comrade Mandy presented me with this dandy:

The Good Housekeeping Book Of Salads

to heighten appetites and brighten meals

And there's a magnif molded salad section - I can't wait to get one from this book on the books! These starters might not all be leafy - but I'll bet they have the propensity to turn you green.

home sweet bungalow

I'm missing our 'old house' today - and every day - a 1920s bungalow on the Missouri side of the state line. But luckily, I can manhandle some of my favorite elements from my real retro kitchen in my persnickety 1990s one.coffee + tea + sugar + flour canisters =
4 makeshift mirrors for Margie to check her makeup in

our who-left-the-fingerprints-on-the-cookie-jar cookie jar

my beloved. cat-dog-owl planter/scrubber holder.

And we'll be whoop-de-dooing it up right on Tom's bday this weekend in the very neighborhood that nestles our [I just can't give it up] bungalow and scores more in a timeless fashion: with good cocktails and great friends - can't wait to celebrate [and get an eyefull of the house. geez. will I shut up about the house already? no.]

Rain, rain - you can stay!

It's a fabby day to bake to-day!

So Marge & I whipped up a 'Reliable Recipe' from the 29th Edition of the Calumet Baking Powder Company's cook book. American Coffee Cake. I'm sure it's just what hits the spot for Ted Nugent after a long day of deer hunting and rifle cleaning. And cans of Coors.

I can't find a publisher's date on the book, but rest assured that 'EVERY INGREDIENT USED [is] OFFICIALLY APPROVED BY U.S. FOOD AUTHORITIES.' Great.

Who in the hell are these authorities? The mad men that want to sneak Calumet Baking Powder into every thing you bake. I can see Don Draper's storyboard illustrating the 'Level. Rounding. & Heaping teaspoons to bake by. And I'm cool with that.

American Coffee Cake
2 1/4 c flour
2 level [double check the dandy illustration for levity] teaspoons Calumet Baking Powder
1/2 level teaspoon [you're on your own] salt
3 tablespoons butter
1 egg
1 scant cup milk [aka just shy of a cup]
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon mace [I subbed cinnamon]

Sift flour, measure and sift three times with baking powder, salt, spice and sugar. Work in butter with tips of fingers or a knife. Beat egg, combine with milk and add to dry ingredients. Beat until thoroughly mixed. Turn into a square [I walked on the wild side with my rectangle] cake pan and spread with the following mixture:

1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs [I, mom of 2, had none. So I subbed old-fashioned oats. Would Calumet approve? Bah.]
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon mace [again, I feel safe in my neighborhood, so I subbed cinnamon]
3 tablespoons butter [level? heaping? you be the judge. I did melt it, though.]

Mix all together; spread on cake [we opted for messy crumbling so we could lick our fingers] and bake in a moderate oven thirty to thirty-five minutes @ 325-250 degrees.

Hmmm....
A tinsy bit bland. But isn't that the joy of retro baking? Moist - definitely at its peak when served warm - and the sugary-sweet crust that forms is a keeper. Chase it with a cup of joe, it's a coffee cake for heaven's sake! It's a rainy-day or coffee klatsch go-to that you can definitely amp up on your own with brown sugar, vanilla, oats [I am left wondering about the graham crackers, so I'll try my hand at this again once I cross the crackers off my shopping list], apples, or dried fruit. Definitely be deviant with this recipe!

[p.s. I didn't use Calumet Baking Powder. I'm going to hell.]

Dig up a treasure!

What retro recipe do you treasure? Let me in on it!

Bend My Ear!

Fab news: I enabled kitschenfeast to allow comments from all ladies & gents of leisure! You now do NOT need a pesky account to throw your 2cents my way. So get your gums flappin' & thanks for keeping an eye on me.

Enough with the euphamisms. Or not.

Thanks for humoring my low-ball humor in the preceeding posts. I'm sure you think I'm nuts by now.

These tasty balls from the Culinary Arts Institute of Chicago's Ground Meat Cookbook [circa '54, '55, '65 & '70] are a handful. And a bit tart, sweetheart. They're strong enough for a man, when made by a woman [the secret's out].

Lemon Meat Balls
2oz cheddar cheese [about 1/2 c, grated]
Combine with cheese, and mix lightly [take off your rings, unless you have a flesh fettish and want to be picking raw meat out of your anniversary band 'til your next anniversary]:
1 lb ground beef1/2 lb ground pork
1/2 c [about 1 slice] fine, dry bread crumbs
1 T chopped parsley
1 T grated lemon peel [go ahead & zest this time, my lazy ass did]
1 T lemon juice
1 egg, beaten
Add a mixture of:
1 t salt
1/2 t monosodium glutamate [me no likey msg]
1/4 t pepper
Shape into balls about 2" in diameter [bigger is better - a mantra to follow, for sure]. Coat by rolling meat balls in:3 T flour
Heat in skillet
3 T fat
Add meat balls to skillet and brown over medium heat, turning occasionally to brown on all sides. Remove from heat and add slowly, blending well:
1 1/2 c [12 oz can] tomato juice
1 1/4 c hot water
Return to heat, cover and simmer about 40 in. Turn meat balls occasionally.

Hmmm...
First - skip the msg. There's a reason it's not even good enough for the dingy Chinese take-out dive on the corner. And amp up the lemon flavor. Double, even triple the zest and juice. Pour it on 'til you pucker. I also opted out of simmering the balls [go ahead, you don't have to stifle that giggle] in plain Jane tomato juice. The shame and guilt of essentially frying the meat mix in fat [I used veg shortening, how vegan of me] had me opt for low sodium V8. I'm sure the fatty to healthy ratio was still 3:1. But I noshed on 3 of them [with Nebraska sweetcorn and fresh farmer's market potatoes on the side] regardless of ratios. Screw the math, it was better than good. So much.

Sometimes You've Gotta Grab Dinner by the BALLS!

I can't wait to get my hands on some of these balls.
Stay tuned - soon we'll grab dinner by 'em.

In the meantime, get outside. Toss some balls around.
Have a ball this weekend!