Tipsy Tuesday: When Amelia Bellied up to the Bar...

...she likely ordered one of these from the barkeep.Aviator

2 ounces gin
3/4 ounce fresh-squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons maraschino liqueur

Shake. Strain. Sip. & Fly high this happy hour!

Guacamole Green

Avocado.

It's not just a fabulous fruit [or veggie? nah, fruit].
It's the coolest color to ever hit the kitchen. Ever.Maybe it's because we ate some on our chicken tortilla soup tonight. Maybe it's because I bought a new shower curtain on clearance today at Target cleverly color-called-out "guacamole stripe." Maybe it's because my mom's first Kitchen Aid is guac green, too. But I can't get the Haas outta my head.

Do you [heart] it, too?

Don't Tell William About the Coffeecake!

Good morning! This godforsaken snowy midwestern morn is screaming for something warm I could really sink my new oven mitts into [see photo for a perky potholder peek]. So I took careful aim at my Better Homes & Gardens Lunches and Brunches (c)'63 cook book and speared a retro coffeecake recipe.William Tell Coffeecake
1/4 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
&
1 cup finely chopped pared tart apple
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Stir butter to soften; add sugar and cream till fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Sift together dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating smooth after each addition. Pour into greased 9x9x2-inch pan.

Combine remaining ingredients, sprinkle over batter. Bake in moderate oven (375 degrees) 25 to 30 minutes or until done. Cool 15 minutes; cut in squares and serve warm.

Don't make fun of it's albino-esque complexion before you taste it. It's sweet and tart [my daily personality aspirations, too] and considering it's riddled with white flour and sugar, pretty light, too. Margie amped up the apple-y flavor by adding a few shakes of her new apple pie spice [she got a bevy of baking supplies from her aunt & uncle for the holidays] and I would do it all over again. So if you aim for a quickie cake, as always, William Tell hits the mark!

10 Things I'll Keep Outta the Kitschen in 2010

Noshing on these dishes would definitely nauseate a girl like me [indeed they do exist, as found in The American Woman's Cook Book (c)'60]:

[10] Larded Grouse
[9] Chicken Forcemeat
[8] Grilled Tongue and Egg Sandwiches
[7] Sweet-Sour Hearts
[6] Sweetbread and Oyster Pie
[5] Lima Bean Loaf
[4] Marrow and Liver Balls
[3] Jellied Soup
[2] Mock Sausage
[1] Roast Squirrel
Count that one down, Dick Clark.

Happy New Year! May all your plates be heaped with palatable helpings!

Midnight Ahoy!

The assemblage of the pickle boat fleet is coming along swimmingly for tonight!

[see this morning's post for the retro recipe]

New Years Feast for the Eyes!

Welcome to the final countdown. Of calories. All bets are off until midnight. Eat what you want, in whatever quantity you desire. I'm desiring the appetizers from my Good Housekeeping Appetizer Book (c)'58 - it's chock full of irresistible canapes, hors d'oeuvres and nibblers [love that term!] and I've got my eye on a few to take to our party tonight.Bologna Lillies
Cut thin bologna slices into 2" circles. Fold each bologna circle, then insert a think strip of pickle to represent the stamen of a lily [talk about Freudian finger foods]. Fasten at the base with a pick. Refrigerate until needed.

Pennywise Frankfurters
On each pick, put a thin slice of frankfurter, a thin slice of pickle, another slice of frankfurter. Top with a long piece of pickle [I assure you, I did not choose these apps with Freud in mind, no matter how it looks]. Refrigerate until serving time.

Pickle Boats
From top of each small sweet gherkin, cut off thin lengthwise slice. Then scoop out center of each gherkin and fill with softened cream cheese. Refrigerate until serving time.
To serve: Into cream cheese in each gherkin, insert triangle of thinly sliced salami or cervelat as "sail."

And when the gents are throwing back a few Old Styles to wash down the finger foods, gussy up one [or more] of these dainty drinks for yourself [from way before midnight until well into the new year]:

Champagne Cocktail
1 Lump of sugar
2 Dashes bitters
Chilled champagne
Lemon wedge
Toss lump of sugar into champagne glass, add dashes of bitters, chilled champagne and twist of lemon.

May your New Year's kiss be deep and your heart be light tonight!

Technicolor Cook Book Dreams

Look at this dandy my swell friend Jackie so gracefully handed me this afternoon from its kitchen perch in her diggy loft downtown! The American Woman's Cook Book (c)'60 is a technicolor foodie's dream come true. Here, let me show you -The editors of this sea foam green bible were so proud of the illustrious illustrations that the first entry in the book gives props to the pictures:

"The full-color illustrations in The American Woman's Cook Book reproduce with striking fidelity the tempting texture of nicely browned chicken, the appetizing hue of roast beef done to a turn, and the verdant [this word is new to copywriters & crossword gurus, I'm sure] crispness of leafy salads. They show precisely how attractive a properly prepared dish should appear when served."

Yes, yes they do.

Expect exploration of this book [856 pages!], chapter by chapter, in 2010!