I’m fortunate to live in an area with a large Asian population and have ready access to high-quality traditional Chinese food. And I occasionally like to tell myself that I’m somehow fancy or cultured because I can distinguish regional cuisines or appreciate cold, spiced jellyfish, but I also have a soft spot in my heart……
Month: April 2021
Vintage Cookbook Review: No Regrets (Junior League of Portland, 1974)
No Regrets (1974) is compilation of recipes from the Junior League of Portland (Oregon). Like the other Junior League cookbooks in my collection this is something more than a traditional community cookbook. As with a church or Elks Lodge cookbook it contains recipes collected from members, but they are presented without attribution and intended to…
White Fish in Wine Sauce (adapted from Sunset Cook Book, 1949)
White Fish in Wine Sauce captures the West Coast vibe of the Sunset Cook Book, a colorful warm-weather meal that dresses up fresh seafood with vibrant Spanish flavors. Delicate and filling, casual and elegant, and only takes an hour or so start to finish. It seems like a perfect weeknight dinner for the California coast, served outdoors……
Chicken in a Hurry (Oregon, 1974, adapted)
Chicken in a Hurry is a weeknight chicken dish adapted from No Regrets (1974), a compilation of recipes from the Portland (Oregon) Junior League. The name of the recipe is somewhat misleading – this recipe still takes around an hour start to finish – but it requires very little active time and no chopping. In……
Broiled Seafood Sandwich (Oregon, 1974, adapted)
Broiled Seafood Sandwich is a light, easy-to-make dish suitable for a light lunch or warm weather weeknight meal. It originates from No Regrets (1974), a recipe compilation from the Junior League of Portland (Oregon). Unlike many of my vintage cookbooks from this era, No Regrets contains an unusually large number of seafood recipes, perhaps because……
Cookbook Review: Cooking with Regis & Kathie Lee (1993)
CooDear heavens did I love Regis Philbin. I’m not talking about a crush or some sort of romantic love, but he had this crazy manic energy that elevated everyone and everything around him. He’s probably best remembered for his long-running stint on daytime television, but that’s not how I got to know him. I’ve been…
Gelman’s Chicken Amore (adapted from Cooking with Regis & Kathie Lee, 1994)
The quintessential recipe from Cooking with Regis & Kathie Lee is Gelman’s Chicken Amore. For the uninitiated, Gelman is Regis’ nickname for Live… Producer Michael Gelman. Producers are typically behind-the-scenes sorts of folks, but Regis went out of his way to bring Gelman into the spotlight. Gelman had been working with Regis since he was an……
Orygun’s French Dressing (Oregon, 1974, adapted)
This simple salad dressing recipe comes from No Regrets, a cookbook compiled by the Junior League of Portland (Oregon) in 1974. The recipe itself doesn’t particularly spark joy in me – I find it hard to get excited about salad dressing in general – but the title makes me smile. No, it’s not a typo. ……
Spanish Chinese Fried Rice (New Jersey, 1995, adapted)
Spanish Chinese Fried Rice is a nifty little recipe that I found in Buen Provecho, a community cookbook compiled by HISPA, then a professional development group for Hispanic AT&T employees. This cookbook was put together to raise money for the National Hispanic Scholarship Fund as part of HISPA’s larger efforts in the community. Shortly after Buen……