Sunday, February 8, 2009

1956 Bisquick Cook Book

I adore vintage cookbooks, especially the little paper back booklets that women sent away for using proofs of purchase from their favorite brands. This 1956 Bisquick cookbook is one of my favorites. There are 28 pages of recipes, color photos and monochromatic illustrations to browse through.

I also love to see how Betty Crocker morphed throughout the years. Her neat and tidy 50's coif is very prim and proper. Doesn't she look smart in that tab collared smock?



Here's an example of some of the illustrations. I love the use of monocolor illustrations. The pink color is especially pleasing to me. Other colors used in this booklet were teal blue, mint green, goldenrod and rose.

The recipes are still useful today and I wouldn't hesitate to make a batch of biscuits or "tuna broccoli casserole"!

There are also some helpful cooking tips or menu suggestions at the bottom of each page, framed within a block of 50's-style color. The tip on this page reads, "Griddle is right temperature for baking when a few drops of water sprinkled on it jump around."



Just look at all the tasty things you can make with Bisquick! What's your favorite Bisquick recipe?

4 comments:

  1. I had no idea about all the possibilities for Bisquick. I like cream-filled things.

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  2. I've been thinking about making the tried and true Bisquick recipe for Impossible Pie. I used to make it a lot when the kids were little. And the Mexican Pizza was great! I still have those in my hand-written recipe book.

    I noticed on Betty's picture the more recent ones don't have any gray streaks in her hair.

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  3. I use bisquick for a fast and tasty pizza crust - of course it tastes like biscuit - but who doesn't love biscuit? I recently bought a Bisquick cookbook -(from the 60s) at a thrift store, for our oldest daughter - it will be in a post on my blog in a day or so.

    Betty Crocker pictures are interesting - they used a conglomerate of ladies who work for the company and changed her picture over the years. Strange thing though - she usually looked like my mother in most versions.

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  4. Joanna, cream filled anything is good!

    Susan, do you know that I've never made an impossible pie? It must be impossible! Isn't it a sign of the times that Betty no longer has gray streaks? My, how vain we've become! This year, I swore off coloring my hair anymore. I like it natural and am tired of dealing with the chemicals, the roots and the cost. I've had gray hairs popping up since I was in my early 20s.

    Peaceful Afternoon, thanks for the interesting tidbit about Betty. I think I'd heard about her being a conglomerate of ladies some time ago. She seems to be a reflection of what our society sees as the typical homemaker. Betty certainly is an American icon!

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