Category Archives: Cookbooks
Library Book Sales for Cookbooks!
When Friends of the Albany Library holds used book sales, I’m there with my bags, egg sandwich and coffee in the parking lot in my car at the Albany Community Center (1249 Marin Avenue) 30 minutes before the doors open on the first … Continue reading
SPAM is not mystery meat!
SPAM may be an acronym for shoulder pork and ham, or spiced ham, depending upon which resource you consult. Hormel indicates that Spam Classic (I love that) is made from “pork with ham, salt [I'll say!], water, potato starch, sugar, and sodium … Continue reading
Elsie the Cow’s cookbook
I remember Elsie the Cow from my childhood in the 1960′s, when she showed up in all kinds of advertising pamphlets – made to look like “real” children’s books – we were given in school to extol the many health properties … Continue reading
Gay cook book
Here’s an interesting cookbook loaned to me by my friend, Paul. This is a crazy book, combining the kitsch of 60′s cooking in all its urbanity and every gay stereotype known to humankind. I haven’t been able to find much … Continue reading
Ebony cookbook
This is one of my favorite retro cookbooks. The 1973 version is not easy to find, and I was lucky to have paid only 5 bucks for it at Half-Price Books in Berkeley, one of my favorite places to buy old cookbooks … Continue reading
On collecting cookbooks
Over the years I’ve collected a number of interesting old cookbooks, many from the 1940′s through the 1970′s, a time when convenience foods, casseroles and cocktail party appetizers were all the rage. Recipes in these retro cookbooks are often scary. … Continue reading
Remembering date nut bread
A retro dinner the other night (my Mother made Swiss steak, remember that?) made me want to have something I have not had in a good 20 years: date nut bread. I have no idea if this was popular all … Continue reading
Thanksgiving 2008!
Thanksgiving Day! Prepared the usual suspects and had one of Matt’s friends, Chris, over, which made it a nice time. Matt has a great group of friends – all bright, creative and inquisitive individuals. We have fun spending time with … Continue reading
NY style crumb cake, where art thou?
New York City has the best crumb cake, often sold in individual squares like brownies, with about two inches of crumb topping. I used to buy hunks every now and again at Mama Joy’s when I was at Columbia. I … Continue reading
Polenta ala Ina Garten
I made a great polenta dish today from Barefoot Contessa Family Style by Ina Garten. I love all of Ina Garten’s cookbooks because the recipes really work. This is an older book – from 2002 – but I go back … Continue reading
