Sweet Sour Cream Cornbread is a quick and dirty instant cornbread recipe perfect for beginner cooks. If I were twenty years younger I might call this a “hack” or “cheat code”. The key ingredient is Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix, already a shortcut to better-than-it-ought-to-be cornbread. For those unfamiliar, Jiffy Corn Muffins are usually prepared the……
Month: August 2022
Instant Pot Eggplant Chili (adapted from Open House, 1995)
Instant Pot Eggplant Chili is a hearty vegan dinner perfect for a busy meat-free weeknight. This recipe comes to me from an unlikely source: the 1995 cookbook Open House, prepared by the National Alliance to End Homelessness. It’s a weird little cookbook. On the outside it looks like a run-of-the-mill community cookbook, down to the……
Vintage Cookbook Review: Money-Saving Main Dishes (1966)
Money-Saving Main Dishes is a 1966 booklet published by the United States Department of Agriculture. At forty-six pages it’s more than a pamphlet but not quite an honest cookbook, and contains around a hundred and fifty recipes. The booklet is printed on sturdy white paper with royal blue ink and no cover. There are no…
Sausages in a Curry Sauce (adapted from The Mystery Chef’s Never Fail Cookbook, 1949)
Sausages in a Curry Sauce is a simple and inexpensive comfort food suitable for all seasons. While its perhaps a close cousin to a traditional currywurst, Sausages in a Curry Sauce eschews the traditional tomato-based sauce for a sweet-tart curry gravy. This recipe comes adapted from The Mystery Chef’s Never Fail Cookbook (1949), an odd……
Grilled Chicken Breasts with Honey and Lime (adapted from Light & Easy Cookbook, Country Kitchen Collection 1990s)
Grilled Chicken Breasts with Honey and Lime is a simple, low-fat option for your summer barbecue. It is the last recipe in Jean Childress’ Light & Easy Cookbook, part of her self-published Country Kitchen Collection. I happened upon this recipe while searching out side dishes. The opposite-facing page features the intriguing and delicious Sesame Asparagus,……
Sesame Asparagus (adapted from Light & Easy Cookbook, Country Kitchen Collection 1990s)
Sesame Asparagus is a simple way to spruce up steamed asparagus. Adapted from the Light & Easy Cookbook (1990s) it is, true to form, both light and easy. Not quite as light as plain steamed asparagus, I suppose, but still weighing in around 100 calories per serving. The Light & Easy Cookbook is part of……
Meat-Potatoburgers (adapted from Money-Saving Main Dishes, 1966)
Meat-Potatoburgers is a recipe that perfectly encapsulates the spirit of Money-Saving Main Dishes (1966). Judging by name alone I was expecting Meat-Potatoburgers to resemble certain Depression-era burgers, like the Mississippi slugburger or Oklahoma Onion Burger. There are any number of regional variants, many of which are still available if you know where to look, but……
Arroz Verde de Zihuatanejo (adapted from Buen Provecho, New Jersey, 1995)
Arroz Verde de Zihuatanejo (Green Rice from Zihuatanejo) is a traditional Mexican side dish that can be thrown together easily on a weeknight. The recipe comes to me by way of Buen Provecho: 500 Years of Hispanic Cuisine, a 1995 community cookbook compiled by a Hispanic employee group at AT&T. Arroz Verde de Zihuatanejo is one……
Instant Pot Frijoles con Chorizo (adapted from Buen Provecho, New Jersey, 1995)
Instant Pot Frijoles con Chorizo is a hearty take on refried beans suitable for a Mexican family feast. This recipes comes to me by way of Buen Provecho: 500 Years of Hispanic Cuisine, a 1995 community cookbook compiled by the AT&T Hispanic Employees Association. It’s a huge step up from your run-of-the-mill canned refritos, and……