March 20, 2010
4 Fun Flea Market Finds
If fifteen people share this post on Twitter, I will post two recipes, one from each book, for you all to enjoy. You’ll really get more than that, because I want to share the three pages of biscuit recipes from America’s Cook Book. I’ll share Cheese Nippies (eat like popcorn!) from The Big Spread. If you share the post, use the hashtag #LAMcooking or include @xgravity23 so I can count how many times it has been shared.
Oooh, did I have fun today! Sarah and I were downtown hanging out / working at MudHouse with Nigel and Nigel (they’re married—read their story here and here). Then we went to Red Velvet Art because I love love love Elsie‘s art and inspiration and wanted to finally see it in person. What a treat! We got all inspired and decided to spend some time seeing what we could find at a flea market.
I found two World War II / early Cold War cookbooks. I picked up America’s Cook Book (with washable cover!) because it’s old, from 1945, and presents recipes along with3 or 4, sometimes 10 or 12, modifications, like a basic biscuit recipe, then mods for nut biscuits, orange tea biscuits, or cheese biscuits (p 114).
Plus, the introduction to this third wartime edition is an excellent little piece of writing. Here is the first paragraph and part of the second.
Introduction to the Third Edition by Mrs. William Brown Meloney
The kitchens of America have gone to War. Today every homemaker is drafted and the kitchen apron is her uniform. In small towns, in big cities and on farms, American women are standing up to daily battles as momentous as those on the military fronts–the battle of supply and demand, of food values against food shortage, of flavor versus monotony. And, like our boys in blue and brown, housewives must expect much hardship and little glory. Yet on their smallest decisions hang tremendous results. The struggle in the kitchen will decide not only the health and morale of the home front but the conservation of our nation’s food supply. Women are hastening or retarding our final Victory. The hand the cuts the ration coupon may win the War.
Fortunately the American housewife has many friendly allies. In no other country has the art of cookery and the science of food values been so carefully studied and so clearly explained to the public as in America.
How could I not pick this up?
The Big Spread: The Encyclopedia of Hors D’Oeuvers and Canapes, from 1953, is small—3×5 index card size—with a comb binding and tabs denoting the fun section titles, like Decorative Edibles and Spear-Its.
I love the unique format, love the graphics, love the sans-serif font. Check out this classy 1950s guy nomming on a delectable Spear-It.
I can’t wait to make some of these tasty-sounding dishes!
If fifteen people share this post on Twitter, I will post two recipes, one from each book, for all of you to enjoy. You’ll really get more than that, because I am going to share the three pages of biscuit recipes from America’s Cook Book. I’ll share Cheese Nippies (eat like popcorn!) from The Big Spread. If you share the post, use the hashtag #LAMcooking or include @xgravity23 so I can count how many times it has been shared.
I love playing cards, and I collect unique Bicycle desk, so when I saw a red and green Bicycle Christmas tin filled with a red and green deck, I had to pick it up. I don’t think these are vintage—my guess is that they are from some time in the 1990s or early 2000s—but both decks have all 52 cards plus jokers, and the back of the cards and the tin liner has a festive star print.
My last fun find is a wooden owl napkin / salt and pepper shakers holder. I fell in love with cute, stylized owls because of Hootsuite, my Twitter client of choice and all of their cute owl graphics like El Hoot-o, Link Bandito, which I just found today, and their main Hootsuite owl. WhenI found this cute and functional trivet owl at Grandma and Poppy’s, and Poppy gave it to me, we decided that we would decorate our kitchen with owls. The owl trivet has nested above our stove, where it is in reach when I need it.
Today, Sarah spotted this wooden owl napkin holder at the flea market. It has round hollows on each end for what I am sure were originally adorable matching salt and pepper shakers, long lost now unfortunately. In the Mueller household, this napkin holder will corral important mail before it gets filed, reducing countertop clutter.
Have an adorable Saturday, and don’t forget to tweet a link to this post (use #lamcooking or @xgravity23 in your tweet).
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Apr 01, 2010 @ 17:34:53
I LOVE Elsie’s blog! It’s one of home pages… I readit at least once a day! She’s so inspirational! We should go check out her store together sometime. I’ve yet to make the trip… I’m intimidated by her amazingness.
Apr 01, 2010 @ 07:00:02
Those are so cute! I love owls! Here’s a kit that I want from one of my favorite indie business owners! http://www.redvelvetart.com/whats-new/story-of-us-kit I am trying really hard not to spend money, but look at it! SO CUTE! I’m glad we share this love of owls.
Apr 01, 2010 @ 13:56:52
@Brianna: I love RVA! Do you read Elsie’s blog, A Beautiful Mess? You know RVA is on Commercial Street, right? I am a bit shocked that something so holycute came out of little ole Springpatch. :)
Mar 20, 2010 @ 11:53:52
Awesome finds! I absolutely love the graphics on that Hors D’Oeuvers one! You should also try looking for The White House Cookbook: it’s from the turn of the century and my grandma has a copy. If you love old cookbooks, it was the authority at one time. I think there are reproductions out there somewhere…
Mar 28, 2010 @ 19:55:33
@Lorraine: Aren’t they cute! I will definitely look for The White House Cookbook–sounds really good! Maybe I’ll come across two and we can both have one. :)