Vintage Thingies Thursday - Cookbooks

It's been a while since I've participated in VTT, but I just have to show you a couple of my favorite cookbooks.



While I was helping my parents move, my mom and I came across 3 boxes full of cookbooks, which proved to my husband that I do come by my cookbook collection naturally through my mother's side of the family (mom, grandma, and great-grandma)! I helped mom pair down those three boxes to just one. Along the way, we found 2 cookbooks that we both remember fondly from our childhoods. My grandmother originally bought them then passed them on to my mom when she had kids.



Let's start with this one...



Betty Crocker's Outdoor Cook Book was published in 1961, and is more than just an outdoor cookbook. It tells you what kind of equipment you need and tells you how to start the fire and control the heat and dripping. It's full of tips for outdoor cooking, as well as several menus for various outings. These menus include Backyard or Terrace Barbecues, "Down-East" Clambake, Seaside in the Backyard, Cooking Afloat, Picnics, and more.

These are Betty's recommendations for a Brown Paper Bag Picnic, Hamper Picnic, Picnic by a Stream, and Submarines As You Like Them.



And Betty's Tailgate Buffet which includes Meat Balls with Puff Biscuits, Carrot & Celery Sticks, Cherry Tomatoes, Radish Roses, Stuffed Green Olives, and Camp Oven Gingerbread. And, would you believe that my grandmother had those same plates that are in this picture?! Either my mom or I have them around here somewhere.




The second book, Betty Crocker's Cook Book for Boys and Girls, is my favorite. Published in 1957, it has been "well loved" by three owners now.



My book has a few pages that have come loose, as you can see in this picture below. I think there's a ketchup bottle hiding in that straw pig!



I don't remember anybody ever making this Drum Cake, but isn't it adorable? Looks easy enough to make, too. I just might have to try that out!



Jeremy thinks I'm a bit odd when it comes to this book. He'll come home from work sometimes to find me at the kitchen table just flipping through it. Ah, the memories! The pictures and artwork are all so wonderful, but this one is one of my favorites.



Have any of you ever painted cookies? My mom, like me, has never been fond of making frosting, so she would often let us paint our own cookies! Here's the recipe:

Egg Yolk Paint
Blend well 1 egg yolk and 1/4 teaspoon water. Divide mixture among several small custard cups. Add a different food coloring to each cup to make bright colors. Paint designs on cookies with small paintbrushes. If egg yolk pain thickens on standing, add a few drops of water.

This works well with any Sugar Cookie recipe, just be sure to paint the cookies BEFORE baking them!

I would love to let you all look through all the pages of my cookbooks, but I honestly don't have the time right now to photograph and upload every page! However, you can go here for more pictures from the Cook Book for Boys and Girls, or here for more pictures from the Outdoor Cook Book.

Also, don't forget to stop here for more Vintage Thingies Thursday!