Antique Greetings

Nothing gives me more pleasure and pride than the greeting cards that once belonged to my grandmother. I love them. I love the texture of the paper, the details on each card, the inked handwriting from the sender inside. The cards are precious to me and I love looking through them, something I do at least once a year.

Valentine's Day is long past, but look at these wonderful cards! Just look at the ribbon and lace on this one. Isn't it grand? Who wouldnt' have loved to get this special card from a special friend?












































This one is made of crisp vellum, one of my favorite papers. It is embossed with various inks and metallic paints. It's a masterpiece.





















Mother's Day is coming up. How about this lovely card for mom?






















And how about a nice masculine one for Dad in June?



















And in only two months or so we'll be sending congratulations cards to all the graduates.

Scalloped Rose Bowl

This scalloped-edge bowl belonged to my grandmother. My mom kept it after grandma died and I just recently inherited it last fall.

It doesn't have any distinguishing marks that I can find. The fact that it's very shallow keeps it from getting much use. It's not deep enough to really hold much on the dinner table. However, it is very good for holding eggs that I plan to boil the next day. I always leave them out on the counter over night before boiling them.

I think these eggs look so pretty sitting in this bowl. The colors and shapes go together so nicely.

My rose colored glass bowl is my contribution to Coloradolady's "Vintage Thingies Thursday".

Antique Angel Food

While perusing my collection of vintage cake recipes, I found this one which had been printed on the circular insert found inside an angel food cake pan. It was just the excuse I needed to finally try out my vintage angel food cake pan! I also needed a really good way to use up a lot of eggs in one shot. The recipe used 1 1/2 cups of eggs whites. I saved the yolks and used them to make some chocolate ice cream in my new ice cream maker. Nothing went to waste.

I wasn't sure what to expect since this was my first attempt at angel food cake, and it was the first time I've used this particular cake pan.

The cake turned out better than I had hoped and was delicious. My guys' eyes lit up when they saw the cake. What is it about cake that males find so irresistible?

I have to add that the plate is also a vintage find from Lene's Web. It's larger and flatter than a dinner plate which make it very nice for a cake platter.

And I finally got a chance to use my angel food cake cutter with the Bakelite handle. It looks like a very large comb. It works its way through delicate cake really well. The large perforations can then be torn by hand and you're left with a wedge of picture-perfect cake! I suppose it would also be very handy for grooming sheep, if you were so inclined.

Buttermilk Benefits

How do you use Buttermilk? I have to admit, up until recently I never used it. But I didn't really flex my baking muscles until recently either. If you're a baker, you use buttermilk regularly. I wouldn't make biscuits without it. It's not just the flavor that's important, it's the thickness and the acidity. Just yesterday I used buttermilk to make a wonderful batch of cinnamon rolls.

I found Saco Buttermilk Replacerbut the only thing it doesn't duplicate is the thickness of real buttermilk. This is important when making biscuits; not so important when baking bread or making pancakes.

If you're making a recipe that calls for buttermilk but don't have any, it's easy to substitue a cup of whole milk that has a tablespoon of lemon juice added to it. Let it sit on the counter for about 5 minutes before using it. This allows the lemon juice time to thicken the milk proteins and gives it a consistency much like that of real buttermilk. The lemon juice also gives it the proper acidity and you won't be able to taste a difference.

How do you use buttermilk? Please share your favorite recipe using buttermilk in the comments. The lady in this Starlac flyer is drinking it--gag! I've heard it makes fried chicken and onion rings even better. I often find quarts of buttermilk on sale at the grocery store. People must not use it much anymore--a testament to our instant-gratification society that no longer cooks from scratch. What a shame.

Exciting Development!

I have some exciting news about my little English china dish! I submitted a photo of the mark to Figurines-Sculpture.com and asked if they could identify the maker. I received this very exciting reply today:

"Hi Amy,

"Thanks for your interesting question about the mystery pottery mark shown in the above photo. A clear photo like that always makes identification easier.

"The mark is one I am pleased to be able to identify as that of Samuel Radford Ltd, a Staffordshire maker of good quality producing fine china between 1879 and 1957. They were originally a Longton maker, then in 1885, moved to Fenton.

"You are right in saying your mark was an early mark dating from c1880 to c1913, so you have a very accurate date for your wares. After about 1913, the firm developed a new pottery mark called "Radfordian", and developed at least 10 or so different pottery marks, some using the S.R. initials in various fonts, and some using the Radfordian back mark.

"If you go to my China Replacement page and follow the tips on how to search efficiently online, you will find some wares from the same maker. Be aware of sellers who are not properly flagging up the quality and rarity of Samuel Radford Ltd wares. Having gone out of business in 1957 makes Radford China relatively rare. Be careful not to mistake Samuel Radford with other makers with a similar name. They are:-

"RADFORD (signature on printed ware)- Relates to engraver Thomas Radford.
E. RADFORD - Relates to H.J. Wood Ltd
G. RADFORD - Relates to Radford Handcraft Pottery

"I am not a china expert by any means, just an artisan within the industry, however, I always pass on any information I have for free and publish it for all to benefit from. You can use my in-house search engine located on the home page (and on many other main pages) to check for answers to any other queries you may have.My own knowledge more centered on famous English china makers, but all queries are welcome.I give general tips on pottery marks here (my own page)."

Now I have to research this dish some more and find out its value! What if I'm holding onto a china dish that worth $1,000? Then what?

I think that little dish was a gift to my grandma. It stands out like a sore thumb amongst her things. I seriously doubt she would have chosen it herself. But it's certainly becoming a very interesting piece! Stay tuned...

Heirlooms

This little cabinet sits in the corner of the dining room. It was used to store sewing supplies when it was in my grandma's house. She kept bobbins, needles and spools of thread in it. The ends have secret compartments in them and if you lift the ends on either side up you can find lots of extra storage there. I keep hot pads and candle supplies in it now. It's convenient to have the hot pads for the table right there when I need them.

A closer look at the items on top shows some family heirlooms. The oil lamp and the china dish were grandma's. The wood bowls were made on my grandpa's wood lathe from wood taken from a log cabin owned by the Miller family in our township. The brown glass bottles were found in the nearby Toussaint River. I found the white glass hen dish at Lene's Web two years ago. It doesn't have a knick on it.

I found the old school books at Lene's Web too and I put them under the oil lamp as a tribute to my grandma who was a school teacher.

This is the maker's mark on the back of the china dish. I've never researched it but I'm sure it's a common pattern. Grandma never bought anything really expensive. She was a very thrifty person.

It's the only piece I have from this pattern. I always thought the colors were nice even though the oriental pattern is not my taste. I like the orange and brown together and it looks right at home on top of the sewing cabinet.

Rooster Bowl

This is a fun bowl. I try to use it as much as possible. Right now it's holding apples. I can't find a maker's mark on it anywhere so I don't know how old it is but its colors and style make me think 1950s. It's about 10" in diameter and not very deep so it's not good at holding a lot of stuff. But I knew I had to have it when I saw it last November at Lene's Web. If you have one like it or can tell me anything about it I'd like to hear about it.

Time Marches On

I picked up a few more vintage items at Lene's Web today. This Westclox "Dialite" makes me think of the spare bedroom at my grandma's I used to sleep in. There was a clock similar to this one near the bed. The face glowed orange at night just bright enough to see what time it was. This one glows too and it takes me back! It's pale blue and was sitting next to a white one. When I set the time I tested the buzzing alarm and the sound of it really took me back.


These gratin dishes really caught my eye, especially the deep orange pair. The 50's color and shape is fantastic--right up my alley! I can't find a maker's mark on the orange ones.

The Hall gratin dish is less stylish but I took it anyway because it's a Hall and it's one I don't have. It's upside down to show the maker's mark. Now I just have to find uses for these new dishes. I thought they'd be handy to put chopped toppings in for tacos. It would have been nice if I could have found a matched set of 4 so that I could actually use them to serve individual gratins but Marlene said she only had these. Their colors would be appropriate around Halloween and Thanksgiving. They could serve as candy dishes then.

Snuggle Up!

It was 60 degrees out just two days ago. Now it's 34 and I've got a quilt draped over my lap that my mom made for me. Mom and grandma were both quilters. I didn't inherit the sewing gene; I'm the cook. I think it's safe to say that just about everyone has a quilt or two that are family heirlooms.

I have quiltsall over the house that were made by either my mom or my grandma. It's wonderful to have them. They are nice to look at and useful too. Sometimes I'd rather wrap up in a quilt than put my fleece bathrobe on.

Keeping Up To Date

In this 1957 edition of "Home Journal", modern household items are featured (click to biggify). The "free wheeling" tea cart was featured in the 1957 Furniture Show in Chicago. It is priced at a very affordable $70.

Next is the "Smoke-N-Odor Stop" by Philco which removes smoke and odors when placed over a range burner. Basically it was a catalytic converter for the stove. I wonder if it worked? It cost $30.

The Nutone Food Center is featured in the last photo. The base sat in the electric motor which was located beneath the counter top. I think this might have been the predecessor to the KitchenAid mixer with all its attachments. The meat grinder attachment is in use in the photo. You could also get the mixer, blender and juicer as separate attachments. The base unit was $79.50, the juicer was $3.95 and the grinder was $19.95.

If you had any of these items in your home I'd be interested in hearing about them.

Quick Breads

This is the oldest cook book I have. It's a bulletin of the Agricultural College Extension Office, The Ohio State University reprinted in June, 1940. The faded stamp on the cover is Elizabeth Wallrabenstein's signature. She was the Home Demonstration Agent for Oak Harbor, Ohio.



On page 5 there is this interesting illustration of balls of flour. The caption reads, "Fig. 1--Gluten balls from equal weights of flour: (a) bread flour; (b) family flour; (c) pastry flour; (d) cake flour.













Turn to page 8 and you'll see this picture of various types of egg beaters: (a) rotary type; (b) whisk type; (c) turbine type. I've yet to find the turbine type.















Here's how to form biscuits. Notice how perfect everything looks--there's no messy flour on the board, the dough circle is perfectly round and the biscuits are all consistent! I think the most important thing I've learned over the years is that my results are never, ever going to look like the one in the picture. If you can get over that fact you're well on your way to becoming a really good cook!


Biscuits: (a) Biscuit from lightly kneaded dough. Note symmetrical shape, smooth crust and large volume. (b) Biscuit from dough which has not been kneaded. Note small volume and coarser appearance. (c) Drop biscuit. Note irregular shape which is characteristic of this type of biscuit.

Great Bargains

It has come to my attention that there was a typo in yesterday's blog. Here's the correction. All kidding aside, can you imagine the stampede that would result from this price in today's economy?

Here's an interesting ad promoting home pasteurizers. I don't know how much it cost since most of the ad is missing. We don't think about pasteurization when we buy milk today. The milk we bring home in neat little plastic jugs has already been pasteurized. In light of the fact that China is trying to poison our food it might be a good idea to start thinking with a 1950s mindset. It's easy to take food safety for granted when you look at it from our perspective today, but people in the 50s had to do it themselves. That's why you'll see vintage recipes call for "scalded milk". To be safe, cooks would scald milk before cooking with it.

Now on to less serious topics. How about a wedgie? You have a choice of 7 colors and they're only $3.35! If you click on the ad and read the fine print you'll see that these particular wedgies are made from elk hide. No C.O.D.'s please.

I wonder if they'll accept a personal check? I don't know the year this check was printed but it came from my hometown bank which is still in existence today, although it's now the National Bank of Oak Harbor. The bank is celebrating its 75th year of service.

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?

Instant Lounge Lizard

Isn't this a tempting offer? With 850,000 students how can they be wrong? I'd have been sold instantly if they were advertising drums. I've always envisioned myself pounding away on a drum set with skill. Admittedly, I have no musical talent. Alas, one can dream.

So THAT'S What's Wrong!

Coffee nerves! Who knew?

When I look at ads like these it makes me think about the women of the 50's and how much the home depended on her. The housewife was the backbone of the American home during that post-war era. And you know the saying: if mama's not happy, nobody's happy!

Personally, I don't get the jitters when I drink coffee. I can even go back to sleep after having it. This poor lady here better give up coffee altogether!

Plastic and Iron

Raise your hand if you've got some Lustro-Ware in your kitchen. Uh, huh. And how about a cast iron skillet? Uh, huh, uh, huh. Very good.

I have a red Lustro-Ware recipe box that belonged to Mrs. Gulau which contains retro recipes along with some modern ones.

I confess that I do not own a cast iron skillet...yet. I'm waiting for the right one to come along. I'm hoping for an exceptional skillet that used to belong to someone's great-granny. One that has a patina like that of shiny coal. One that is perfectly seasoned and more nonstick than Teflon. It's out there. I can feel it.

You don't hear much about Lustro-Ware these days. It seems Bakelite gets more attention. I'm not sure why that's so, but it's interesting. I'm glad to have Mrs. Gulau's recipe box. It's a real treasure to me. And I know that, some day, my skillet will come.

Ad was published in February, 1952.

57 Year Old Bread

Funny, it doesn't taste that old! I found this recipe for "Oatmeal Molasses Bread" in Mrs. Gulau's stack of recipes that I "inherited" from Lene's Web. This one was published in the February, 1952 edition of "Household" magazine. It was folded and kept in a red Lustro-Ware recipe box along with many, many other bread recipes, most of which I didn't keep.

I replaced the 1/4 cup of molasses with honey and the shortening with butter. I added 1/8 cup of water to the recipe too, since it's very dry this time of year. The bread came out delicious! We enjoyed some warm slices with honey drizzled on them. Tasty!

I didn't follow the pictorial series of shenanigans used to form the loaves (below). My approach to loaf-forming is very straightforward. I let the bread maker mix and knead the dough. When the dough is finished proofing, I roll it out into a rectangle close to the recommended size, roll it up gently (not too tight) with my hands, tuck in the ends and place it in the loaf pans for the second rise. Easy!

And now that I've indulged in two slices of this wonderful, honeyed bread I'm afraid I'm going to have to order some clothes from Roaman's catalog for "stout women". Is that a nice way of saying "plump"? Roaman's is still in business today and caters to "plump" women. What I really want to know is why does Roaman's send me catalogs? (If you click the photo and enlarge it, you'll notice that the clothing sizes range from 38-52.)

Here are the loaf-forming shenanigans I referred to earlier, in case you wanted to know. Click to biggify.

Mystery Utensil

Sunny sent me these photos of a mystery utensil in her kitchen. She asked me if I could help her identify it so that she can sleep tonight. She suggested that it might be used in the cheese making process when the curd is cut. Here's what she had to say about it:

"The main boby of this utensil is 9" long and 5 1/4 " wide. The interesting thing is that the wires going across are flat on one side and wedge shaped on the other, so as to make one think it is used for some kind of cutting."

I have never seen anything like this before and I don't know the first thing about cheesemaking. Can you help Sunny?

Well-Hung Furniture

Got your attention, didn't I?

Check out the furniture in this article. Those skinny-legged, low-backed chairs are so retro! The concept of hanging furniture on the wall so that it can be moved up out of the way is a bit strange, but practical. I have to admit, I've never seen it done. The only drawback I can see is the inability to rearrange the furniture once it's installed.

The retro colors in the drawings are nice and make me think of the colors my grandma used in her house. Remember avocado green? Mustard yellow? Aqua blue? Yeah, I knew you would.

Cleanliness Is Next To Godliness

I'm a big fan of a super-clean kitchen. I even clean my kitchen sink after each use. So this ad for Clorox bleach is right up my alley (click to bigify). Note that it's:

1. Gentler
2. Greater

I don't know about that clown looking bottle guy though. He's kinda scary.

While looking at this page of ads from the February, 1950 edition of Farm Journal, I couldn't ignore the image of the coughing man in the Foley's ad. Now, it might be just me, but wouldn't you look that bad if you took a honey and tar cough compound? I'll have a cough drop, thank you.

It's interesting to note how our cleaners and medicines have changed since 1950. I'm so grateful for the improvements! We certainly know a lot more about what makes us sick and ways to prevent food-borne illnesses.

I'll also take one of those cut-to-fit homes for $1885! What a bargain!