Retro Cooking Books

Old Cookbooks Are A Treasure Trove of Retro Style.

Rummage through the charity shops for illustrated old recipe books. They usually  have very low prices because of the somewhat useless contents, but the pictures are well worth it.  40s, 50s and 60s  editions look great.

Frame a few for a dining room or kitchen space to enhance the domestic feel, especially if you have furniture or fittings from the same era.

 Whoa! The food looks none too healthy, but it captures a time in history well.

     
This is a curry party which doesn't look remotely authentic.

 A retro party would be kind of fun. The more garish the better.     

What the?

      Some nice examples of advertising from that time.

  This is the book: Good Housekeeping Australian Edition. No publishing date.

The cover jacket and inside cover have great colours.

Here is a recipe from the book which is actually quite do- able.

Gingerbread Pear Pudding:
2 tablespoons golden syrup.
3 pealed pears
50g butter
2 more tablespoons of golden syrup.
25g sugar, use molasses dark sugar if possible.
175g self-raising flour
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda(baking soda)
dissolve this in a teaspoon of water.

1. Put 2 Tblsp syrup in an 8x8inch or 20x20cm baking tin.
2. Warm tin in oven to melt the syrup and coat the base.
3. Cut the pears into slices and arrange nicely on the syrupy base.
4. Gently heat the other 2 spoons of syrup, the butter and the sugar.
5. Remove from the heat and sift in the flour and ginger.
6. Stir, adding the lightly beaten egg and the dissolved  baking soda, stir again.
7. Pour over the pears,
8. Bake at 375F or 190C for 30-35 minutes.
Serve warm, with custard of course.

I Tim 6v7
New Living:
After all, we didn't bring anything with us when we came into the world, and we certainly cannot carry anything with us when we die.
So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content!!!

A Green Garden.

Mostly, Year Round the Garden is Green.

Green in various shades, luminous in spring, darker in winter.

In October and November, spring pops in with some colour to decorate the green backdrop.

No need for this of course, just the love of perfumed roses and a cottagey dream.

It passes quickly back to green from the mini riot of purple, pink and Graham Thomas.

Even with zero flowers it has shape.

Sometimes the flowers self seed so don't pull them out, shift them to a suitable spot.

Self sown aquilegia look great in the veg garden.

Don't forget to pick and display the purposefully planted or the unexpected blooms.

Cottage inspired containers will bring that lovely country feel inside, even in the midst of the city.

New Living:
Proverbs 8, 24. Speaking of the Son:
I was born before the oceans were created, before springs bubbled forth their waters. Before the mountains and the hills were formed, I was born-before He had made the earth and fields and the first handfuls of soil.