3 -2 -1 -CONTACT!

I did a short piece about redecorating your kitchen at my other blog called Cooking Outside at any Age. So many people offer helpful domestic tips on their blogs. Anyone who reads the goings on here knows I have only mentioned tablescaping once, provided only one dubious recipe, and just generally leave others to do what they do best and I don't. But today, well, I'm going to outdo all of them. I have the ultimate decorating tip. And everything, I mean EVERYTHING will be easily wiped down with a sponge when you're done. I know, I know...it sounds too good to be true. Wellllllllllllll...sort of.

I give you the room of tomorrow or ummmmm yesterday courtesy of Woman's Day September 1970. The modern rumpus room, suitable for wild parties and children.

Click on image to see it larger.

And just think  how nice that bowl of cream corn with bologna and olives will look here. You can basically spray the whole room down with a hose after the party's over. Okay, okay, getting cream corn out of this rug will be a challenge, but now I'm going to offer my own useful hint. LEAVE IT! Tell people it's a shag rug and some of the shag is just more tightly wound. Hey I'd buy it.

Forget the recipe? No problem. Here's a link. Bon appetite and don't worry about spilling any. I've got the garden hose right here.

And you probably thought I was just going to do sweet Christmas posts this month. Ha!

Send them home with SOMETHING IN THEIR STOMACHS

Looking for just the right dish to serve to guests this 4th of July? Something festive? Something colorful? Something that looks like you just threw it together the last minute? Look no further. Del Monte, Ladies Home Journal 1964, has supplied a simple recipe that would have a home economics teacher sighing. You'll send your guests home with something in their stomachs. I'm not sure how long they'll keep it down or if they'll even stay...but...perhaps if you have relatives coming that you wish would leave early....

Now, I know a lot of blogs offer recipes. Obviously this isn't the forte of my blog, but I didn't want to be left out completely. In my search through ephemera I'm often amazed, no make that stunned, by some of the recipes I find in magazines from the 50s through 70s. Earlier magazines still ran recipes where you were expected to cook, not just pour contents of cans into something. This recipe is the can pouring type. And whatever you do, don't take any shortcuts. Remember to use the garnish. The garnish is really what holds it all together. Presentation is everything. 

Click on image to see it larger...if you simply must.

My favorite book about these sort of recipes, shown in magazines and old cookbooks, is The Gallery of Regrettable Food by James Lileks. The book is hysterical. There is a link in the left column which will give you more information and reviews at Amazon.