January 24, 2012

My Aunt's Cook Book

This is a photo of my Aunt Violet holding me with her nasty Boston Terrier, Dutchie, and an unknown dog. I shutter when I see a photo of Dutchie or even hear her name. Where are my parents? They should be protecting me from Dutchie! 


Aunt Vi and Uncle Stanley did not have any children, they just had Dutchie, after her death I became the recipient of her cook book.

A 1950, First Edition, Sixth Printing, 
Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book.

I was looking for something in the basement and came across the cookbook, so I sat down and had a look. I found several handwritten recipes, and newspaper recipes, placed inside the pages of the cook book. I found a common thread with all of the recipes. 

This just sounds horrible to me. 

Why would a reader request the recipe for Tuna Lasagne?
I never heard of Tuna Lasagne, have you?

Two pounds of beef for $3.63, those were the days!
Did she get a deal at the A & P where my 
cousin George was the butcher?

I'm of Polish decent, and can't figure out if I would like this or not.
I like the notation, "you can add salt pork on meat days."
Our whole family is Catholic so no meat on Friday's back then.

 The notation on this one has me perplexed.
Why would she care if the recipe was handwritten by my
Aunt Vic? Perhaps if, the recipe produced a terrible tasting
cake she could blame my cousin Martha and my Aunt Vic.

Have you figured out the common thread? On every recipe, that Aunt Vi placed in the cook book she wrote a date. I find this unusual, my mother didn't write dates on hers. I wonder why she wrote dates on them. Recipes don't have expiration dates, do they? 



7 comments:

  1. Some of the recipes are a bit strange, but when I look at the ones I've collected over the years, I sometimes wonder why I kept them! Not sure why she would add the date though.
    Liz @ Shortbread & Ginger

    ReplyDelete
  2. That is very interesting!!!! I love old mysteries like that-especially family ones? Why didn't you like the dog?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Maybe they requested tuna lasagna for that meatless Friday? or maybe tuna was cheaper than beef and chicken? (Although I remember when chicken was really cheap!)
    How fun to have that wonderful cookbook!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great post. Little snippets for my book. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I was given the family recipe box recently. I don't remember my mother being a devoted cook, but she slipped a few of her in there as well! I still need to make the time to go through the recipes. Thanks for following my blog-I just became a follower of yours as well.

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a lovely thing to have.I have a folder with all my regular recipes in but I keep thinking I ought to write them in some kind of journal or something.Its wonderful to look back through something like this.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I have a few versions of BC cookbooks but not this one. Very neat.

    ReplyDelete