Let's have a visit with our friends at the Quaker Oats Company and their booklet My 40 Favorite Recipes. We have previously spotlighted some recipes from this volume, but let's let Mary Alden have a word about how Quaker Oats can open up some possibilities for your home cooking:
Let's take the chance to enjoy one if their featured recipes for Chicken Timbales:
Bon Appetit!
We're going to go to school this week for Happy Hour. Oh, and we're going to have some cocktails, too. But, what is a cocktail? The handsome illustration above, from Oscar Haimo's Cocktail and Wine Digest, circa 1945, has a trio of libations being served in stemmed glasses that are synonymous with cocktails (albeit that the bowls are more "U" shaped than "V" shaped, as we have come to expect in contemporary times). Oscar Haimo further explains more of his cocktail philosophy in the following page in his book:
Well, you don't have to remark on what a convivial party this scene depicts (complete with accordion player!) to convey what a buoyant atmosphere any cocktail hour gives. But, he notes that his cocktail recipes are each 3 ounces, and then curiously states that "for all other drinks . . ." What does he mean by "all other drinks"? Nowadays, "cocktails" means any kind of mixed drink; or, even, any alcoholic drink at all. Time was, however, when "cocktails" were a very specific kind of drink. Take, for example, this index from our Repeal-era Mohawk Liquor recipe booklet:
The first -- and biggest -- category is the cocktails. But, they have drinks like "collins" and "coolers" and "fizzes" and "flips" and "frappes" and "juleps" and ... well, you get the idea. It was customary to think of drinks as one of several kinds, and by ordering a cocktail, you were ordering a specific kind of drink, with a pretty regular combination of ingredients. Originally, a "cocktail" was a drink involving a spirit and bitters -- and perhaps some sugar and/or a liqueur. A cocktail glass (or what we sometimes call a Martini glass) was the customary glass used for a cocktail (although they could be served on the rocks in a "rocks" or "old fashioned" glass). In other weeks, we're going to cover some of these other drinks they refer to. While we're talking about all these other old-style drinks, consider this index from another of our Repeal-era recipe booklets:
This one has similar, and even additional, categories of drinks. Here's how the Drink Master describes a cocktail:
In reviewing the "cocktails" in the indexes we showed you, many of these drinks stray from the narrow concept of spirits and bitters; in fact, several of them do not include bitters as an ingredient. So, what's different about these "cocktails" and all of the other categories of drinks? They don't have any carbonation (no seltzer or soda water); their garnishments are pretty much limited to twists, olives, and cherries (no sprigs of mint or anything elaborate); and virtually all of them can be served in a cocktail glass. Common examples of "cocktails" that have stood the test of time include the Manhattan, the Martini, and the Old Fashioned, as well as some of our Rogers Park Retro favorites such as the Bronx, the Jack Rose, the Pink Lady, and the Orange Blossom. Please consider yourselves invited to order any of these classic drinks in honor of the vintage drink known as the "cocktail" at Happy Hour this weekend. We'll circle back to the cocktail in the future -- after we've discussed some of these other vintage drink categories -- and compare notes on what we've learned.
Sometimes a little bit of homespun goodness is exactly what we need. Our folks at Bisquick suggest something we can't resist: dumplings. What's more, we can dress it up 9 ways! Here's the basic recipe:
And here are four savory dishes you can make with the dumplings:
And here are 5 more ways to dress up the dumplings:
You can eat for more than a week on this! Bon Appetit!
This is another special from Grandma's liquor cabinet -- and brought to you especially in celebration of St. Patrick's Day (well, St. Patrick's Day weekend). Here's a recipe on how to make it:
Honestly, it's kind of like the best Shamrock Shake you've ever tasted. Green beer is great for St. Patrick's Day, but this is an even better alternative. And, for those of you of mixed ethnic origins, we suggest the Mexican Grasshopper:
That sounds great! Cheers!
Here's a tasty dessert option for St. Patrick's Day this year, brought from our friends at Bordo and their recipe booklet A Modern Almanac of Date Recipes: the Frosty Green Sour Cream Mold. Go old school this year! Here's the recipe:
Bon Appetit! And Happy St. Patrick's Day!
The five o'clock whistle just blew -- now let's wet our whistle! Our dear friends from Southern Comfort bring us this week's Friday Happy Hour, via their 1968 recipe booklet on themed happy hours. This week, we feature the "traditional after five happy hour" and -- as you've seen -- we're hoisting our Happy Hour flag!
Happy Hour is a place to met friends and relax after a hard week! With Southern Comfort, you can even try some interesting variations on your favorite drinks! Here are some other "best sellers":
They have all of our favorites! See you at Happy Hour! Cheers!
Today, being Ash Wednesday, we offer a Lenten option from the good folks at the Campbell Soup Company. As you can plainly see, all you have to do is ring the dinner bell and everyone will come running for your delicious salmon loaf! Here's the easy-to-do recipe:
And, here's how to do the sauce:
Bon Appetit!
The Sazarac, hailing from New Orleans, is said to be the original cocktail. In honor of Mardi Gras, we're pleased to suggest this venerable drink to you! Its components are whiskey (bourbon or rye), sugar, bitters (Peychaud), absinthe (now that it's legal, at last!), and twists of orange and lemon. Beyond the mere ingredients, a big part of this drink's mystique is the method in which it's made. In the recipe above, they call for just 1 cube of ice. In the recipe below, they offer a slightly different, albeit quite precise, technique:
In classic New Orleans fashion, it's all about the style with which you do it. Here's another charming recipe from our Repeal-era Mohawk recipe booklet that we wanted to share with you:
Generally the same ingredients and procedure. We love the irregular spelling and vintage feel. Happy Mardi Gras -- and cheers!
Mardi Gras is less than a week away! In the spirit of old New Orleans, let's turn to some creole cooking, courtesy of the good people at Contadina and their 1964 recipe booklet, How To Be Worldly (without leaving your kitchen). We have a lot of fantastic dishes to explore (without leaving our kitchen!), and the first up is a good bowl of jambalaya:
Pull up a seat and enjoy! Here's the recipe:
And, let's explore some appetizing main dishes:
Enjoy -- and happy Fat Tuesday!
The 24th District Police Station at 6464 North Clark opens on March 1, 1979.
