I don’t have much to add to Ezra’s fine post about cookbooks worth buying, but take a look at the Better Homes and Gardens Junior Cookbook photo that he used as a visual. I sensed a hint of mocking, as if the Better Homes and Gardens Junior Cookbook series isn’t a serious culinary-literary work, one deserving of the utmost of respect. Beg to differ, sir. Proof? My highly cherished 1972 edition, passed down to me by my mother. Glorious photographic evidence after the jump:
The masterpiece’s cover:
Let me start with by far the most disturbing image in the entire book:
The caption reads: “Spoon a generous amount of the zesty sauce over the hot dogs in a bun when you serve Saucy Hot Dogs. Be sure to make plenty because everyone will want ‘seconds.’” I like how they had to put “seconds” in quotations. You know how our generation makes everything dirty by force of habit? It’s too bad. These good-looking young people are simply trying to enjoy some hotdogs together. And why not?! It’s 1972!
The strawberry-pineapple freeze resembles nothing so much as a pair of kitchen sponges artfully dissected and topped with a pineapple half. Which is to say: delicious.
Besides the fact that this recipe consists of pouring canned cherry filling into a premade pie crust, come on, you’ve got to admit, that illustration of George can’t be beat. Dude’s a baller, standing there smugly next to the cherry tree he just slaughtered, holding a red-hot pie the size of his torso.
This is the one I drooled over the most. Those perfectly golden-brown marshmallows—how did they do it? Whenever we made S’mores by the bonfire at our relatives’ lakehouse, I always tried to make them that way, but ended up setting them on fire because I was too busy watching my cousins hurl rocks at each other.
If eating triangular beef patties smothered in greasy yellow American cheese is wrong, I don’t want to be right. Ever.
Everyday drumsticks. You know, as opposed to your fancy, special occasion drumsticks.
What, oh good god, where to start. The caftan? The bow? THE HOMICIDAL-LOOKING BUNNY RABBIT? Or the fat-kid sun in the background licking his chops? Sweet cracker sandwiches. Let’s never speak of this again.
awesome. just awesome.
The bunny rabbit pear half salads are in this book, right? First dish I ever made out of a cookbook.
My gradeschool uniform had slightly more red in it than the hot dog girl’s. I never realized this was a Catholic cookbook.
Make me some Cheeseburger Round Steak!
[...] The Better Homes and Gardens New Junior Cookbook is great for this (even though it’s not the same one that I used, and still [...]