Entertainment
ByJess Catcher
Tags:
- food,
- nostalgia
Growing up, I remember seeing a bright red book standing out among the other cookbooks my mom kept in a pantry. It was a Betty Crocker Cookbook — which my mom claims is the only reason she knows how to do anything in the kitchen — and I loved flipping through the vibrant photos and imagining how each dish might taste.
As an adult, when I started getting more interested in cooking my own meals rather than relying on takeout and microwavable options, I immediately thought back to that cookbook. I’m also someone who’s always been nostalgic for parts of the past I never lived in, like the 1950s and ‘60s. So rather than having my mom ship me her book, I nabbed my own copy of the original 1950 version, Betty Crocker’s Picture Cook Book ($20.86, Amazon).
Inspired a bit by the film Julie & Julia, I decided to embark on a cooking project where I remake these classic recipes. I even made a night of it by inviting some friends over to taste test the dishes and let me know how they thought they measured up after so many years.
Take a look to see how Betty Crocker’s original 1950 recipes look when whipped up today!
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It might sound corny, but my heart truly soared when I finally got my hands on this beautiful red cookbook. I know food from the 1950s can have a bad reputation — especially when it comes to the use of gelatin for savory "molded salads," also known as aspic — but I was so excited.And as tempted as I was to force my friends into trying veggies encased in jelly, I decided to go with some more palatable options for my first attempt.
How cute is this throwback array of appetizers? My friends definitely got a kick out of seeing the old school food photographs, but they were also understandably a bit scared while trying to guess what I might have chosen to feed them. There's a lot of heavy creams and curious canapés going on in this picture.
I went as simple as possible with my first appetizer choice: garlic olives. "Add a cut garlic clove to the brine of large black olives. Soak several hours."I also definitely giggled at the recipe for "wedgies" listed above it... right before cringing at "gooseliver bonbons" underneath.
As a fan of garlic, I decided to add two cloves to my jar of black olives. I also smashed them rather than cutting them to hopefully release more of their flavor into the brine.After marinating for a "several hours" as instructed, they did indeed have a mild garlicky flavor, though the ones at the top of the jar were more noticeable. This is something I would have never thought to do with store-bought olives before reading the book, but will totally try again.
Mmm, doesn't this collage of meats make your mouth water? No? As appetizing as these images may or may not be, I chose a more traditional recipe that I remember from my own youth: meatloaf!
Betty Crocker's "fluffy meat loaf," that is. This was my first time ever attempting to make the classic dinner table staple, but it seemed like one that would be hard to mess up.
The most surprising part about the mixing process for the meatloaf was how it actually absorbed two full cups of breadcrumbs. When I poured them on top of the mashed beef and sausage, I was sure I'd end up having to take some of it back out again to avoid a dusty result.Instead, it all smushed together perfectly and, true to the recipe's word, made it quite fluffy.
I didn't get a photo before putting it in the oven, but I absolutely topped this bad boy off with ketchup (or "catsup" as Betty calls it).Does anyone else remember the delicious smell of this condiment warming up in their kitchen before dinnertime growing up? It was probably my favorite part of any meatloaf night.
Since olives weren't a super substantial appetizer, I wanted to make an extra one for my friends. Broiled grapefruit sounded interesting and easy enough to accomplish.I sprinkled the fruit with some brown sugar per Betty's instructions, but completely ignored the part about broiling them for 15 to 20 minutes. I'm pretty sure that would have resulted in taking out some completely charred black fruit from my more modern oven.
After just about two or three minutes, the delightful grapefruit aroma filled my kitchen and living room (and some of them had already started to char) so I took 'em out.
I topped them with the maraschino cherry juice and added a couple cherries to the middles for good measure.They looked adorable, but you're probably wondering how they tasted. Let me tell you, I am now a hot grapefruit convert. I was afraid the brown sugar and cherries would take away from the natural tartness, but they just elevated the overall flavor without being overwhelming.My friends were a little confused this wasn't a dessert, but equally pleased by the warmed up citrus.
The cookbook has tons of guides and tips to guide the reader, including this long chart of veggies that extends to the next two pages, too.
I felt like I needed to add something green to this meal, so I followed Betty's instructions for preparing and serving asparagus: boiled for 15 to 20 minutes and buttered.
At this point, most of my friends had arrived and I was juggling hosting duties with the cooking.I'm not sure if these lasted in the pot for a full 15 or 20 minutes — I sort of just kept testing their texture with my slotted spoon and plucked them out of the water before they could get too limp.
I wish you could all smell how great this meatloaf turned out! Even my friends, whose palates usually prefer trendy brunch spots, were happy with the result. I also learned something new with this recipe: A little bit of sage can go a long way. The 1/8 teaspoon I mixed into this added the perfect amount of herby goodness.I was so relieved that all of the dishes turned out to be crowdpleasers, but I should have trusted Betty from the start.
To make sure I was really giving the authentic recipes a chance, I topped my asparagus off with some hard boiled eggs per the cookbook's suggestion. (I made this optional for my friends.) Happily enough, the two flavors did compliment each other nicely.I'll definitely be cracking this cookbook open again for another dinner party in the near future! Who knows, I might get adventurous with some gelatin-based dishes.
