Unearthing and re-creating the "company food" of yesteryear! I'll cook it, my husband will eat it, and you'll rest easy in the knowledge that your next backyard party or church potluck will be a success!
Faithful follower and old pal Bryce has sent me a priceless treasure - two binders of meticulously cut out recipes from newspapers and magazines, found in his grandmother-in-law's attic. Just the sort of thing I can put to good use, in case you yourself happen to come across something of it's like. In the meantime, you can show your appreciation to Bryce by picking up his CD, or stocking up on some or all of his children's books for the holidays!
So, on to "Crusty SPAM Bake". Dr. Husband is a well-known hater of SPAM, so I chose an evening when he was away at work to try it out. I'm not so averse - there's really nothing like a slab of potted meat with Miracle Whip in between a couple of slices of white bread, after all - and not that it was entirely a hard sell, but to be perfectly frank it was the first recipe my eyes landed on when I opened the first binder.
The recipe:
1/2 c. cornflake crumbs (I used Panko instead) 2 tbsp. brown sugar 1/8 tsp. ground cloves 1 12 oz. can spam 2 tbsp. prepared mustard pineapple slices
Combine
cornflakes crumbs, brown sugar and cloves. Slice spam into 8 slices.
Spread each side with mustard, then coat generously with crumb mixture.
Top with pineapple slices and place in shallow baking pan.Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes. Serves 4 with 2 slices each.
Easy assembly, easy cleanup, and not entirely disgusting. In fact, like most mid-century budget cooking, it kind of tastes like nothing:
Our Rating:Three Screaming Husbands! (all
dishes are rated from one to five Screaming Husbands. One Screaming
Husband equals a happy home where all problems are solved during
cocktail hour. Five Screaming Husbands signals the beginning of divorce
proceedings.)
Poularde Pavillon (Chicken in Champagne Sauce) Pineapple Nut Loaf contributed by Vincent Price
Our friends over at Silver Screen Suppers are hosting a Vincent Price Treasury Cookalong, to celebrate the 50th Anniversary release of Vincent and Mary Price's A Treasury of Great Recipes. There's even time for you to participate yourself if you want, so follow the links below for everything you could possibly need to know!
I'll have to admit that for most of my childhood, I had no idea that Vincent Price was supposed to be scary, I just thought he was a kindly old man who came on Merv Griffin and shared recipes.
Here we have two gems right from the cookbook, and they're both keepers. Chicken in Champagne Sauce was adapted by the Prices from New York's Le Pavillon. It looks complicated on paper, but goes together pretty quickly. If you're serving for company, you'll have to coordinate your timing carefully since you have to wait til the end to do the sauce:
Preheat oven to 350
Season a 3 lb chicken with 1 teaspoon salt. Truss it and place in a small casserole with 2 tablespoons butter and 2 cups dry French champagne.
(I used thigh cutlets in lieu of a whole chicken)
Cook about 45 minutes. Baste every 8 minutes and turn until the chicken is an even golden brown on all sides.
Remove chicken, cut off string, and keep chicken warm on hot platter.
SAUCE
Add to juices in the casserole: 4 cups cream, 3 shallots, chopped fine, 4 mushrooms crushed by rolling with rolling pin, 1 sprig parsley, chopped, 2 bay leaves, and a pinch of thyme.
Simmer on top of stove until sauce has reduced to two-thirds of the original amount. Strain through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan.
Place over a medium heat and swirl in 2 tablespoons butter. Add 6 ounces (a glass) dry champagne.
PRESENTATION
Spoon some of the sauce over the chicken, serve the rest separately.
Now, then, for dessert. Pineapple Nut Loaf. I don't bake much, as you might remember, because I hate measuring and usually the kitchen ends up looking something like this:
But I rallied, and here's the recipe if you find yourself interested:
1 ¾ cups sifted flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons soft butter
¾ cups light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup crushed pineapple, including juice
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350
Butter a one-pound loaf pan
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in the nuts.
In mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar then beat in egg and continue to beat until mixture is smooth.
Stir in half the flour-nut mixture.
Stir in pineapple, including juice.
Stir in the remaining flour-nut mixture and stir into well blended. Drop into the prepared pan.
Combine the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over batter. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until bread tests done. Let cool for 5 minutes, then turn out on the cake rack to cool.
Easy squeezy, and delicious (though not very pineapple-y). But what did Dr. Husband think?
I really can't write anything that would do this justice. It's slaw, made of cheese. Just watch. Be sure and stay tuned for a musical selection at the end.
PS - don't eat it like it's the last food you'll ever eat, or you be sorry the next day.
Our Rating:ZERO Screaming Husbands! (all
dishes are rated from one to five Screaming Husbands. One Screaming
Husband equals a happy home where all problems are solved during
cocktail hour. Five Screaming Husbands signals the beginning of divorce
proceedings.)
Party Perfect, 1960 contributed by Amy from Iowa City
New fan Amy from Iowa City writes:
Hi Dr. Bobb,
I found your blog a few weeks ago and I love it!
I have a recipe request for you. This is a recipe for "Peanut Butter Dipsies" from the 1960 edition of Party Perfect (images attached). Could you please make it and try it out on Dr. Husband? I need to know if I should make this for my next Saturday night get-together. My husband refuses to try it :(
Thank you so much for all that you do - your blog is AWESOME!
Amy from Iowa City has done everything right - a recipe, pictures, and PLENTY of complimentary salutations. If you'd like to be at the top of my list like Amy from Iowa City, just drop me a line here! (or on Facebook. Or Twitter. Or Tumblr. Or Instagram.)
Now, then, let's see about these Peanut Butter Dipsies. Nothing fancy, but plenty that sounds horrific:
Peanut Butter Dipsies
1 cup peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
1/4 cup pickle relish, drained
1/2 tsp salt
3 slices crisp bacon, crumbled
30 small round-shaped pieces of bread
Combine peanut butter, mayonnaise, eggs, pickle relish, and salt. Mix
until blended. Spread on bread rounds and top with small pieces of
crisp bacon. Makes 30 small
sandwiches
Is your mouth watering yet? Well, let's see how it goes!
Our Rating:Three and a half Screaming Husbands! (all
dishes are rated from one to five Screaming Husbands. One Screaming
Husband equals a happy home where all problems are solved during
cocktail hour. Five Screaming Husbands signals the beginning of divorce
proceedings.)
I won't
bore you with a lot of folderol (you can watch the video for that) but
suffice to say that Dr. Husband provided me with exactly what I wanted
for my birthday, and entire day devoted to Joan Crawford.
After
movie time came dinner, the centerpiece of which was meatloaf made from
Miss Crawford's own recipe. Accompanied by Limestone salad, and for
dessert, an effervescent mid-century-inspired orange creamsicle poke
cake. Recipes below, then stay tuned for Dr. Husband cooking!
KENTUCKY LIMESTONE SALAD
1 pound bib lettuce, washed & gently torn into pieces
1 recipe Kentucky Limestone Salad Dressing - below
Put lettuce in salad bowl and chill thoroughly. Pour dressing over lettuce and gently toss and blend well. Serves 4.
Dressing:
1 clove garlic, put through press or minced
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
About 1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon salad mustard
1/4 cup pear vinegar (other vinegar's may be used - we used tarragon)
1/2 cup salad oil
Combine all ingredients and shake well in jar. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. Shake again just before pouring over lettuce.
ORANGE CREAMSICLE CAKE
1
box white cake mix
3 eggs
1
can orange soda
1/4
c oil
1
3 oz. pkg orange-flavored gelatin
3/4
c boiling water
1 c cold water
1
jar vanilla frosting
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prep a 9x13-inch pan with non-stick spray.
Prepare the cake mix in a large mixing bowl, using eggs, orange soda and oil.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until cake springs back
when lightly touched and starts to pull away from the sides of the pan.
Remove from the oven to a wire rack to cool
completely. Using a wooden chopstick, poke small holes through to the
bottom of the pan, all over the cake.
In a small bowl, dissolve a box of orange gelatin with boiling water, mix well. Add cold water and mix well.
Slowly pour the orange gelatin mixture over the cake, making sure that the mixture gets into all the holes.
Our Rating:Four Screaming Husbands! (all
dishes are rated from one to five Screaming Husbands. One Screaming
Husband equals a happy home where all problems are solved during
cocktail hour. Five Screaming Husbands signals the beginning of divorce
proceedings.)
There won't be any rating this time, as I know Dr. Husband will eat this dip, and continue eating it until all of it is gone. I can't believe I haven't already told the world about this. It's my go-to bringalaong for pot lucks and parties, is easily adaptable for vegetarians, and is universally beloved by all. First introduced to us by our former colleague Nina Gonzales, I've made a few tweaks of my own. And so here it is!
2 cans pigeon peas (Green Gandules - Mexican aisle at the grocery) 1/4 cup sweet relish 3/4 cup olive oil 1/2 cup vinegar 2 tblsp. brown sugar 2 envelopes culantro y anchote (Mexican aisle again) 1/2 bunch chopped cilantro 1/2 red or green pepper chopped 1 medium onion chopped 2 cloves minced garlic
Drain and rinse the pigeon peas. Boil for one minute in one cup chicken or vegetable broth or bouillon.
Drain but don't rinse. Add remaining ingredients and chill. Serve as dip with tortilla chips or as a side relish.
