Blast from the past

I had a conversation recently with a couple of people about the first cookbooks we remembered using as kids.  These, which I was delighted to snag from my mom over Christmas, were mine:

They're pretty good books, actually, with sections on techniques and safety, nutrition and manners. And both feature boys and girls about equally.

I made stuff out of them all the time, including this completely awesome bunny salad.

One of the books has a lot of fantastic illustrations:

While the other has mostly photos:

(And, yes, I did make those pink elephant meringues.)

In the section on a year of cupcakes, most of the months involve cutting up gumdrops and assembling them into a black cat for Halloween or a shamrock, but check out February:

A hatchet! On blue snow! I assume it's for Washington's birthday because of the cherry-tree-chopping thing and that the snow is blue for, like, patriotism, but it's a little weird, right?

One thing I never made, even though I totally wanted to, was the Ghost Cake With Flaming Eyes. I am suddenly so tempted to throw a super-campy dinner party making only dishes from these cookbooks. I really might have to. Soon.

Comments

[Kim]

The dinner party sounds like a hoot!

[Susan]

I totally had that Betty Crocker book when I was a kid!!!! Me and my dad made stuff from it!

[Phoe]

I seem to remember that bunny salad. :) The first cookbook I ever used though was my mom's old 1960s Betty Crocker cookbook, which I still have. And use!

[Juno]

That cupcake illustration looks strangely familiar.

[Lizzie Fox]

I had that cookbook but mine had a different cover. It still has it, actually - it's mine now, and I still make meatloaf from it. It's so good!