Who would eat this? Mid-century awful cookbook food
13.06.11
I’m one of those people who likes to collect stuff – vinyl records, dishes, childhood toys, vintage clothing, etc. But one of my favorite things to pick up are old cookbooks. I really love those old plastic spiral bound cookbooks that were put out in droves by church guilds and ladies auxiliaries during the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s (my mother and grandmother were voracious collectors of them) and those smaller pamphlet-style booklets close by near the supermarket check-out that have a focus like “Crock Pot Cookery!” or “A Month of Simple Chicken Dinners!” These were usually culled from already published recipes in popular magazines of the day or sponsored by some food council that wanted to promote more of their product in new and interesting ways.
My gravitation to these cookbooks is sometimes for inspiration, but mainly for the amusement/horror factor of reading them and thinking “Who would eat this?” The capacity to open cans and boxes of prepared foods to combine into some new delicious culinary concoction was still a novel and exciting idea back then because women no longer needed to cook everything from scratch. This meant more free time to pursue leisure activities, and who doesn’t like that? There was also the sense that a world of new and exotic foods was being opened up to the casual homemaker who previously had no access to regional or international ingredients. The power of canned goods changed that. Suddenly Peas Parisienne, Turkey-Olive Curry or Rice Lyonnaise weren’t something served only in the finest of restaurants, but could be served in one’s own home for a fraction of the cost. Imagine that!
Source: Seattle Post Intelligencer (blog)
For Father's Day gift-giving, take a cue from Mom
14.06.11
When it comes to Mother’s Day, you don’t usually have to think too hard: flowers, maybe, or lotion or earrings or a day of loveliness. Maybe take her out to brunch, too.</p><p> Dad, on the other hand: What are you going to do about Dad for Father’s Day this Sunday? A tie? Done that. Barbecue apron, bottle of Old Spice, golf balls … check, check, check. Bor-ing!</p><p> As it turns out, though, dear old Dad doesn’t have to be so tough to buy for. All you have to do is get him something similar to what you got your mom — just tweak it a bit. Here’s what we mean: </p><p><strong><span class="subhead">Flowers</span></strong></p><p>Is there such a thing as a masculine flower settlement? Absolutely, says Dee Ann Doxsee at the Fiddly Fig in Brookside ( <a href="http://www.fiddlyfig.com">www.fiddlyfig.com</a>). It’s usually done with exotic flowers such as bird of paradise, proteas and bromeliads. To up the manly quotient, the florist can stick a golf ball or something else Dad likes in the display. Garden baskets with blooming plants are other good choices for men.</p><p>Other possibilities: an indoor palm or ornamental hot pepper plant, recommends Jessica Bonnot at Family Tree Nursery in Liberty ( <a href="http://www.familytreenursery.com">www.familytreenursery.com</a>; two other locations). Or how about a tree? Bonnot suggests “unique trees that need special care, so they can toddler them like they baby their cars.” In that category: Japanese maples and tri-colored beech trees. </p><p>But do you plant it for your father or let him plant it? “I say plant it with Dad,” Bonnot says.</p><p><strong><span class="subhead">Candles</span></strong></p><p> It’s not necessarily that guys don’t like candles; they just don’t like candles with frilly monikers or scents.</p><p>Local candlemaker 5B & Co. (stores in Brookside and Weston; <a href="http://www.5bandco.com">www.5bandco.com</a>) has solved that problem with man candles such as Handyman (scent-wise, kind of Calvin Klein-ish), Rawhide (like new-car leather), Manly Man (Old Spice with a kick), Tighty Whiteys (fabric softener-like) and Kansas City BBQ (hickory wood). Votives are $2.75 each; pillar candles, $18.50-$28. Scents close by as car fresheners, too. </p><p><strong><span class="subhead">Brunch or breakfast in bed</span></strong></p><p>We concede that “brunch” doesn’t sound too he-mannish, but who says you can’t call it “late breakfast” or “early lunch”? Anyway, we have noticed that most dads like to eat. Get the particulars on 20 delicious and decadent brunch spots around town at <strong>KansasCity.com/fyi</strong>.</p><p> Or how about breakfast in bed for your No. 1 dad? Beth Barden, owner of the Succotash “bruncheonette” on Hospital Hill ( <a href="http://www.succotashkc.com">www.succotashkc.com</a>), suggests a breakfast casserole you can gather the day before, then pop in the oven Father’s Day morning. Hers includes sausage, onions, peppers, cheese, hash browns and eggs. Oh, and some canned biscuits on top. “It’s as easy as it gets, and it’s delicious,” Barden says. </p><p>Joe Noblitt, executive chef at M&S Grill on the Plaza ( <a href="http://www.mccormickandschmicks.com">www.mccormickandschmicks.com</a>), says if his family were to serve him breakfast in bed (hint, hint) he’d definitely want biscuits and gravy. And bacon. “You just can’t go wrong with pork,” he says.</p><p>And Noblitt may be a chef, but he, too, is fine with biscuits out of a can. “Who wants to roll out dough? That’s just too much work at home,” he says.</p><p>But back to brunch: M&S serves up a brunch buffet on Sundays with such guy faves as bacon, sausage, biscuits and gravy (of course), homemade pot roast, Southern-style green beans and, for dessert, St. Louis-style chocolate gooey butter cake. Also ready: Boston cream puffs, which sound delicious, although not too macho. The buffet costs $18.95 per of age (older than 13).</p><p>And Succotash is planning a “super man brunch” with “everything you can’t eat any other day of the year because of your cholesterol,” Barden says. It is, obviously, heavy on pork. </p><p>The good news: “Father’s Day is not about looking sexy,” Barden proclaims. “It’s about relaxing and taking it all in — looking at your brood, sitting something on your belly and having someone else mow the lawn.”</p><p><strong><span class="subhead">Body care</span></strong></p><p>While it is suggested every so often that men stink, they don’t have to.</p><p>Local company Indigo Wild (3125 Wyandotte St., <a href="http://www.indigowild.com">www.indigowild.com</a>; products on tap at other retailers as well), maker of Zum Bar goat’s milk soaps and lots of other good-smelling products, has a line just for guys. It even has a chest-thumping name: Zar. There’s aftershave, cologne, lotion and … soap. “Women may not use it!” jokes “Zumbassador” Krispy Griffin (who of course has a story about where the nickname came from). </p><p> Although it’s not in the Zar line, Griffin thinks a dandy gift for Dad would be a three-pack of Zum soaps — cedar; frankincense and myrhh (the top seller); and sandalwood-citrus ($16.50). Or how about a couple of sachets full of leftover dribs and drabs of perfumed soaps? Just don’t call ’em sachets. Griffin’s fifth-grade son, who kept one in his desk at school, called it a “bag-o-smells.” They’re $3.75 each. </p><p><strong><span class="subhead">Kitchen stuff</span></strong></p><p>If your pops likes to cook, the gift possibilities are endless. But even if his cooking is restricted to the barbecue grill, you have plenty of options. Ben Estep, manager of Sur la Table (say it “soor la tob”; <a href="http://www.surlatable.com">www.surlatable.com</a>) on the Country Club Plaza, suggests:</p><p>•Himalayan pink salt block. The food absorbs some of the salt as you grill, plus you can use the translucent pink block to serve on, too. ($29.95)</p><p>•Plank saver. Wood planks are hot in the grilling world. A plank saver is a piece of stainless steel with handles that goes underneath the plank as you cook. It protects a grill plank from flames and distributes heat more evenly — and extends the life of the plank. ($9.95)</p><p>•Barbecue grilling grid. It’s a slotted stainless steel pan with a rim; you can put all kinds of food on it, especially small stuff like veggies or shrimp, without worrying it’ll fall through grill grates. (To hand in three sizes, $15-$25 each)</p><p><strong><span class="subhead">A bag</span></strong></p><p>Well, no, you wouldn’t get a guy a purse. Some might balk at anything called a “man bag,” too. But John McClain, owner of Habitat Shoe Boutique in Leawood ( <a href="http://www.habitatshoes.com">www.habitatshoes.com</a>), thinks a lot of guys would go for the Matt & Nat line of men’s bags, which combine the functionality of the old-school briefcase with good looks and personality. Plus, there are compartments for modern must-haves such as a laptop, iPad, iPhone or whatever. ($200-$250) </p><p><strong><span class="subhead">Day at the spa</span></strong></p><p>If your dad could really use some pampering, check out the Gents Place at Park Place in Leawood ( <a href="http://www.thegentsplace.com">www.thegentsplace.com</a>), a business that offers haircuts (color, too), hot shaves, facials, massages, manicures and pedicures. And yes, for men only.</p><p>One thing: They don’t call ’em manicures and pedicures here. Instead: “hand repair” and “foot repair” ($30 and $50 respectively; neck-and-shoulder massage, $18; 30-minute upper-body massage, $45).</p><p>The mood is guy-friendly, with beer available, sports on TV and a pool table.</p><p>Nail salons aren’t typically guy magnets, but you do see some men getting manicures and pedicures (or whatever you want to call them). At Brookside Nails on Gregory Boulevard, a manicure costs $15, a pedicure, $25.</p><p><strong><span class="subhead">Jewelry</span></strong></p><p>What can you get your father at a jewelry store? Well, if money’s no object, how about a Rolex gold watch?</p><p>But there are other options. David Behnke, manager of the Tivol store ( <a href="http://www.tivol.com">www.tivol.com</a>) at Hawthorne Plaza in Overland Park, likes TW Steel watches (starting at $395), which are oversized and “gorgeous.” For younger people in particular, cellphones have replaced watches as time-keeping instruments, but watches are still fashion accessories: “It has to be something striking,” Behnke says.</p><p>Behnke also suggests:</p><p>•David Yurman braided-leather bracelets and necklaces ($275 and $325, respectively).</p><p>•Stephen Webster silver rings ($265-$1,000).
Source: Kansas City Star
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