What’s Cooking? Old Recipe Pamphlets and Cookbooks [Part 2 Of 2]

/ Ally Bean

Today it’ll be Think & Do + Poll Question. Yesterday it was Show & Tell + Discussion. 

THERE IS A PLACE BETWEEN TRASH AND TREASURE WHEREIN ONE CAN FIND STUFF

STUFF being defined as interesting things, unique things, obscure things that are worthy of conversation but not much more.

In this case the STUFF is from a box I inherited that contains my grandmother’s handwritten cookbook, a couple of printed cookbooks, and other bits of information about food and drink.

Thus I give you Think & Do.

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THINK & DO

This recipe for Frankfurter Roast with Prune Stuffing suggests: “You’ll like this simple method of utilizing either prune or raisin stuffing with the plebeian but flavorful frankfurter.” 😳

~ • ~

This recipe for Cottage Cheese Salad Dressing combines sweetened condensed milk with sieved cottage cheese, vinegar, and a few spices. 😖

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This recipe for Chicken [or Ham or Salmon or Tuna] Mousse suggests that it is: “A hearty flavorful entree for hot summer or busy, meeting-filled days.” 🤨

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POLL QUESTION

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Sources:

Frankfurter Roast with Prune Stuffing is from 100 Selected DRIED FRUIT RECIPES chosen by 100,000 HOMEMAKERS at GOLDEN GATE INTERNATIONAL EXPOSITION, published by CALIFORNIA DRIED FRUIT RESEARCH INSTITUTE, 1939

Cottage Cheese Salad Dressing is from THIS IS MY BOOK OF MAGIC RECIPES by The Borden Company, 1942

Chicken [or Ham or Salmon or Tuna] Mousse is from Joys of Jell-O by GENERAL FOODS CORPORATION, 1963

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140 thoughts on “What’s Cooking? Old Recipe Pamphlets and Cookbooks [Part 2 Of 2]”

  1. Pingback: What’s Cooking? Old Recipe Pamphlets and Cookbooks [Part 1 Of 2] – THE SPECTACLED BEAN

  3. Oh my god! Who were they trying to kid? Franks and prunes? TOGETHER??

    Any recipe with the word “plebian” or any other exotic phrasing that requires a visit to Websters is suspect in my mind.

    [shudder]

    Liked by 1 person

    • Maggie, I know! I cannot imagine those flavors together, but then maybe I’m not hungry enough? Or this was something *yum* from another era? I dunno… just none for me, please.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Writer McWriterson, I’m wondering if anyone in our era would eat the Frankfurter Roast with Prune Stuffing? I could, if I had to, eat the Chicken Mousse because my mother used to make Chicken in Aspic and that mousse recipe is similar to what she made. But I’d prefer not to, please.

      Like

  9. I inherited my grandma’s and great-grandma’s handwritten cookbooks too. A lot of instructions in there like “butter the size of an egg” or “cook until done” that leave me scratching my head. Also some printed recipes like the ones in your post. I found it difficult to vote. They ALL sounded pretty disgusting to me! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Laurie, I have some of those old-style recipes, too. They make a lot of assumptions that the cook knows things, like how big is an egg or a walnut that you’re using as a measurement size. I understand how all three of these recipes might not be to your, or anyone’s, liking. That’s why I picked them for this post. 😉

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  10. Even though I voted, honestly? I wouldn’t eat any of these. Franks and PRUNES? Shudder! No thank you! I have a cookbook my Mom gave me 36 years ago and some of my Grandmother’s recipes as well, and believe me, none of these recipes are included, not that I know of. LOL

    Liked by 1 person

  11. There were a lot of “quick” recipes that revolved around condensed soup or condensed or evaporated milk back in the early 50s. Hot dogs were a meal stretcher to save money. I never developed a palate for any of those. My mother did have a wonderful paperback cook booklet with chiffon cakes and other things made from scratch that were wonderful. It may have been from a flour company. I have one from Philadelphia cream cheese. Eventually I went through my mom’s cookbooks, ripped out the good recipes and tossed the books. There were too many oddballs like the 3 you have here.

    Liked by 1 person

  12. I can’t stand hot dogs er um frankfurters so that was the clear winner for me, but chicken in lemon jello? YUCK! Actually I’ve never been able to eat my jello with anything other than banana slices. My mom’s fault. She made that horrible lime jello with cottage cheese stuff and I can’t, I just can’t!
    Nothing can touch my cottage cheese but salt and pepper. NOTHING. I prefer it on a separate plate truth be told.
    The sweetened condensed milk recipe I thought might make a good coleslaw sauce? That was my first thought anyway until it got to the cottage cheese and then I was out!

    These also have me wondering if some variation of these recipes are in my LaRousse Gastronomique cookbook? I’m going to have a wander through it and see.

    The Prune stuffing might be good with roasted chicken or turkey though.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Deborah, I can eat a hot dog on a bun at a ballgame, but to turn a bunch of them into a roast seems peculiar to me. I would like the stuffing, made with raisins or apples maybe, with roast chicken or turkey like you mention.

      I’d guess that the chicken in Jell-O was a way to quickly make old-fashioned aspic, but the idea of that much sweet with chicken… I dunno. And I’m with you about the cottage cheese. Just put it in a separate bowl, by itself, please. Don’t sieve it into salad dressing. 🤢

      Liked by 1 person

  14. Everyone defines ‘trash’ and ‘treasure’ differently therefore we’re all going to come up with different answers to the poll question with no consensus ever concluded.

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    • Jean, I’m sure you’re right. I imagine the answer to the poll question will come down to personal taste preferences. And there are no rights or wrongs when it comes to that.

      Like

  15. Those have survive for a reason….luckily forgotten.
    (How funny things look from a distance – wonder what of ours will get the giggles and snorts down the road)
    Bet you could frame those and sell them as vintage pieces….

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    • philmouse, yes these recipes are something that are easy to mock, but different times, different food realities. I, too, wonder what future historians will say about some of our current favorites. Avocado toast? None for me thanks.

      Liked by 1 person

    • susie, I don’t know what South of Broad is. I like reading old cookbooks and when found these pamphlets and cookbooks I got a charge out of them. Although all the recipes I’ve read do not include weird animals, presumably ones that were trapped? Ick.

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  19. These recipes are scary, but so typical of that era. Once processed and convenience foods became a Thing, the rush was on to incorporate them into recipes. Kraft foods really led the league in that arena. Remember their quick recipe commercials, often during the Thanksgiving Day Parade and other holiday specials? They did terrible things to food.

    Liked by 2 people

    • nance, I don’t remember those Kraft commercials and I feel like I missed something important. I do know that Kraft foods have always been in my life, but frankfurters not so much. Scary recipes, indeed.

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  20. Now that is a difficult question, Ms Bean. I can only say that the frankfurter recipe nearly made me gag when I first read it and the other two didn’t. But was that because I had become desensitized? Hard to say. Must wait for the replicated studies to come out.

    (You must be really bored!). Onward to cleaning out cupboard #2 today.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Janet, who you calling bored?! I mean if a blogger can’t share a few dubious recipes with her fellow bloggers, then what has the blogosphere come to? 😊

      Your reaction to these three recipes is pretty standard. I put them in order of decade not intending to influence the results of this valuable study, but because that made sense to me. And anything that makes sense to me right now is good.

      Liked by 1 person

  21. You ‘gagged me’ at Frankferter Roast…these were published recipes back in the day – did anyone ever try these out????? Did the food designer/’chef’ ever taste test these concoctions? So much effort – for what end?
    I could understand it if they were substitutions for ‘war time rationing’ but yikes!

    Liked by 1 person

  22. It’s possible I’ll have nightmares. They are all revolting. I can’t imagine using something as sweet as sweetened condensed milk to make a savory sauce. But then again, I can’t imagine the hot dog thing. Or the lemon jello with chicken. Are you sure these were from our Planet Earth?

    Liked by 1 person

    • Dorothy, I apologize if this post gives you nightmares. It was not my intention, but I can understand your reaction to these recipes. They are suggesting flavor profiles I cannot quite imagine. But if this is what you had to eat here on Planet Earth, then maybe I’d be less judgmental. I dunno.

      Liked by 1 person

  23. Those are some seriously awesome culinary horrors, but honestly the frankfurter roast has me clutching my sides laughing. If we weren’t on shelter-in-place order, I’d be extremely tempted to make it just to it to appall all my friends. Hmm, now that I’m thinking though, maybe I’ll whip it up for our annual block party later in the year. Think I’ll be awarded best neighbor prize?

    Liked by 1 person

    • Deborah, I think you’ll be asked to leave the neighborhood if you make this roast for the party. But that’s just cynical me saying that.

      You did note that when you serve the Frankfurter Roast with Prune Stuffing you are to carve crosswise? I hope you have a long sharp enough knife to do that if you insist on making this for your party.

      Liked by 1 person

  24. I’m sitting this vote out. Really? People really wanted to make and then eat these things? Oh my. I have baked with sweetened condensed milk but in mayo or with cottage cheese?! And hot dogs should be paired with relish, chili, or cheese – never prunes. But then for me, prunes – never!

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    • Carol, I cannot imagine how you could possibly have no opinion about these three unique recipes. It’s like you live in a different century, or something. Thanks for stopping by to comment on what might be the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever blogged about.

      Liked by 1 person

  25. The Eagle Brand condensed milk has been around a long time. I remember using it 40 years ago. I also remember the salmon mousse often shared at parties. Oh, great, now I will lose myself in my older recipes and likely gain 20 pounds. Thank you, Ally. Lol. Great memories and I voted.🙂

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    • Erica/Erika, I know I’ve made 7 Layer Cookies with condensed milk, but I’ve never made a salad dressing with it. I don’t think I’ve had salmon mousse anywhere at any time. If nothing else these recipes do get you thinking about what you like to eat now and how that differs from then. Thanks for voting.

      Liked by 1 person

  28. I knew right away how I would vote when I saw lemon jello and chicken broth combined into a gelatinous monstrosity. Gag! I like frankfurters and prunes, although I’ve never had them together. I love cottage cheese, but the addition of sweetened condensed milk is nasty. I am happy not to have to eat any of this!!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Margaret, you said it: I am happy not to have to eat any of this!! I could not agree with you more. The sweetened condensed milk, cottage cheese, and vinegar recipe is the one that did me in. I. just. can’t.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Donna, well, yes, your “None, thanks” response would be the best one. I’m trying to not be judge-y about these recipes, different eras and realities, but I dunno… how hungry would I have to be to try any of them? 🤔

      Like

  30. I’m glad you said “Liked the least” in your poll because if you had said “liked the most” I might have opted out from answering. I mean, some things just don’t belong together!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Marty, thank you. What’s a few peculiar recipes with photos if you don’t have a way of recording public opinion about those recipes?

      [Also, bored here. Making & monitoring a poll is something to do.]

      Liked by 1 person

  35. That was the most difficult poll you’ve posted! I guess I should consider myself pretty lucky that my mother wasn’t a very “inventive” cook. The Frankfurter Roast reminded me a little of the Vienna sausages my mother would serve now and then at dinner. I hated them so, when no one was looking, I hid them in my napkin. After dinner, I’d find some excuse to go outside so I could dump them in the bush by our back door. As far as I can remember, I was never found out.

    Liked by 1 person

  36. I think I would honestly, seriously, not-kidding-at-all, enjoy the frankfurter and prune sauce casserole. I like all those things, and I bet the sweetness of the sauce would be similar to a BBQ sauce. I’m kinda drooling thinking about this one…

    Liked by 1 person

  37. I went with cottage cheese, even though I can take it or leave it and I didn’t really like the idea of sweetened condensed milk mixing it up with vinegar. I wonder why the cookbook author felt it necessary to disparage a lowly wiener anyway (“the plebeian but flavorful frankfurter”) and the mousse, no – just no; a light and airy mousse is better sweet and tangy in the Summer months.

    Liked by 1 person

  38. Oh, my, I couldn’t either! I have my great-aunt’s recipes and I’ll have to get them out again and take a look. She was a gourmet cook, but you never know what I might find. My grandmother, her sister, lived on the farm and wasn’t a fancy cook but was a mighty good one. She made the best cinnamon rolls ever!

    janet

    Liked by 1 person

    • Janet, oh you’re just being cruel mentioning cinnamon rolls, considering I have zero chance of eating one today and they suddenly sound like the best thing on earth to eat. If you get the chance to look at your family’s old-timey tried and true recipes I bet you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

      Liked by 1 person

  39. I looked for a none of the above option. 😀 Not finding one, I went for the chicken. My mom loves Vienna sausages, so she’d probably go for the sausage and prunes option. Wondering how that works with the plumbing (to put it delicately). 😀

    Liked by 1 person

    • L. Marie, I didn’t include a none of the above option on the poll because I knew it’d get all the votes. You make a good point about the impact of the Frankfurter Roast with Prune Stuffing on a person’s digestive system. Let’s not find out, shall we?

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    • The Travel Architect, these recipes are so odd that I had to post them here. HAD TO, I tell ‘ya. I can only wonder if anyone ever made them, but they were in legitimate sources so… maybe. 🤢

      Liked by 1 person

  42. Oh good god. I picked the cottage cheese only because I cannot STAND the stuff, but I can’t imagine ANYONE – EVER – using those recipes. I love that you shared them.

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    • Katie, I hesitated about posting these recipes, but I decided they are an insight into different eras and as such were worthy of note. I picked the cottage cheese one, too.

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  44. Oh my goodness. Which appeals the least? That question cracked me up. I have to go with the frankfurter roast. Ha ha ha. Ewww. The chicken mousse was a close second. These remind me of my mom’s cooking back in the day when people ate the weirdest things. Thanks for the laugh,

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  45. I think that would be awfully sweet mayonnaise and I wonder what was being rationed that prevented the making of real mayo. The frankfurter roast was clearly ration cooking. Dried fruit can be quite good with meat tho I have trouble picturing it with frankfurters.Still, I see if as an attempt at making something special out of what you have available. But meat mousse?

    It’s kind of funny, I have picky cats and one who has to eat many times per day but doesn’t like repeat foods. There are some shredded chicken varieties that I think, in a pinch, could almost be used to make chicken salad. Almost. And it would be quite costly. There are also some pates that smell a lot like deviled ham. Oh my. I bought a can of deviled ham some years ago out of nostalgia. Oh dear, me, no. That is something that belongs in the past. I expect the meat mousses would be of similar texture and probably flavor. Give me hotdogs with prunes and really sweet mayo long before you give me meat mousse.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Zazzy, good thinking about the origins of the sweet mayo recipe. I cannot even begin to contemplate ever eating that, let alone why anyone would make it.

      I wonder if the flavors of the frankfurters with dried fruit in some way reminded people of some fancier meals? And this was a way to get the taste of them? Just a guess.

      As for deviled ham, I haven’t thought of that in decades. My dad liked that stuff, but I remember it as being intensely salty. Did. not. like. then. and am guessing would not like now. You’re a brave soul to try it as an adult.

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  46. As they used to say in the ’80s – “gag me with a spoon”. I have to be in the “perfect” mood just to even eat a hot dog. They used to laugh at me during large family get-togethers because the kids were relegated to hot dogs vs hamburgers due to cost. I would make it to the last bite and just couldn’t…that last bite of a hot dog is a bridge too far. And the only thing that should go into Jell-O is fruit. Period.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Amy, ha! That’s a perfect summation of these recipes. I’m the same way about eating a hot dog. I can, in certain situations, eat one if I get my mind in the right place about it. I agree that fruit in Jell-O is the only real way to make the stuff. All the other fancified recipes for it are wrong, wrong, wrong.

      Liked by 1 person

  47. My mother used to make homemade salad dressing back in the sixties, or maybe it was just thinned out mayonnaise on iceberg lettuce! The frankfurter roast was the worst – I can only eat a hot dog maybe once every 2 years if I’m at a fair and smell the onions cooking.

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  48. I love looking through old cookbooks and old magazines, because it is a peek into how people thought and lived then. I’ve found some old recipes look good…but those are almost always recipes for cookies or some other baked items. As for the entrees and side dishes, they usually aren’t in the least bit tempting. Although Sheryl blogs about 100 years ago, and she does post recipes and actually tries them. Some of them are good! But I have the feeling that she screens what she posts, since she cooks them.

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    • Ann, I’m the same way, I like looking through old cookbooks and magazines. I enjoy seeing what was of interest to people and how they lived because of it. I enjoy Sheryl’s blog, but I bet you’re right that she screens many of her recipes, saving us from the worst ones. I, of course, did not do that here. I offered the worst recipes to see which one *wins* the poll question.

      Liked by 1 person

  49. Not far from my own mayo recipe. I have had dressing of cottage cheese and while I’m not certain of the recipe and t’s not something I crave, I would eat it again. I eat whipped salmon fairly regularly. Hotdogs and prunes just no. I’m an adventurous eater, but no.

    Liked by 1 person

    • joey, I like cottage cheese, but on its own in its own little bowl adjacent to, but not touching, anything else I’m eating. To put it into a salad dressing would be a sacrilege to me. On the other hand I could maybe eat the frankfurters and prunes if I was hungry enough, but let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.

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  51. The Frankenfurter – oops freudian slip there Frankfurter roast looks really unappetising. I could say it resembles something but I don’t want to offend any canines. I wonder if it was a derivative of a German recipe or at least European. They are mad about sausages there. They did like setting things in aspic or gelatin back then, didn’t they?

    Liked by 1 person

  52. I see that the frankfurters and prune stuffing won or lost however you describe it. I might eat it, though. I almost never eat frankfurters, but I suppose if they’re a good quality of franks, a small serving might be good with the stuffing, which after all, also has bread crumbs, celery and onions. Some meat is nice with a little sweetness–think lamb with mint jelly.

    I’m definitely an experimental eater.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Nicole, I like your reasoning about the Frankfurter Roast with Prune Stuffing. I grew up with lamb served with mint jelly. I’d eat the prune stuffing with roast chicken. I’ll eat a hot dog once in a great while, so I might eat that dish. The one I couldn’t. couldn’t. couldn’t. is the Cottage Cheese Salad Dressing. No thank you.

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  53. I LOVE this. I have several cookbooks from the 1920-50’s and a binder with my grandmother’s recipes. I love reading them. One of my grandmother’s cookie recipes is a torn piece of paper on which she wrote a note to a neighbor asking for the recipe. The neighbor turned the note over and wrote the recipe, and they were delivered by kids going to school. Just makes me smile, and for that I say a sincere thank you. 🙂

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    • Judy, that’s fun to know how your grandmother got the cookie recipe. I like old cookbooks, too. My mother collected them and I kept a few of her collection because there are some good recipes in them.

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  55. These images reminded me of those in an old cookbook belonging to my Mum – it had a red & white gingham cover and was loose-leaf in format with the individual pages held in with a binder. Pages got lost and you’d sometimes start reading a recipe to find my mother had lost the next page … Luckily her Joy of Cooking was a firmly bound hardback!

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    • Deb, here’s a fun little detail from my life: shortly after college graduation I interviewed for a job at the Joy of Cooking. I didn’t get the job, but I did get a tour of the test kitchen and got to talk with Ethan Becker, grandson of the woman who originally wrote the book. He was pleasant as all get out as he told me my background was all wrong for the job! 🤷‍♀️

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      • That is a fantastic story! I absolutely love it – I shall tell my mother when I spent to her shortly. Hopefully it’ll tickle her, although these days … it’s hard to know.

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