Retro cook-off

In my last post I mentioned the Retro Cook off that Kylie and Donna are hosting today.  I'm taking part!  Not that I'm actually here.  No.  I'm sunning myself in (hopefully) sunny Spain and am keeping my fingers crossed that the Blogger scheduling setting works.

Anyway, the thing about some vintage cook books is that the photos are few and far between and what photos there are tend to be a bit rubbish.  Not only that but the recipes err on the side of too bloody complicated.

Fanny Cradock's "Adventurous Cooking" is a case in point:

Fanny and her hen-pecked hubby, Johnny:



Famous in the 60s and 70s, Fanny was known to be bossy, snobby and a bit of a tyrant

So yes, the book.  Unnecessarily complicated.  For instance, she has a recipe for "Casseroled Peas".  Why would you casserole peas?  The whole damned thing takes one and a half hours to cook.  Why oh why?

These are the instructions for "Savoury Swans with Hard-boiled Eggs" consisting of a hideous concoction of whipped cream coloured with green food-colouring piped on top of the egg with the addition of a pipe cleaner to form the head and neck of the swan:

I couldn't get what she was on about but then eureka!  I found this picture on the internet of what they should look like.  Erm, nice. 







Remember what I said about rubbish photos? Well, I found this bizaare item under the cakes and puddings section. It clearly has a meringue base but what the topping is I know not. I think it's supposed to be chantilly cream but it looks horribly like raw mince or possibly spaghetti.



I thought about doing this little gem for the Retro Cook Off: the chequer board:

It consists of bread squares, buttered and then spread with alternating caviare and smoked salmon and finished off with a parsley border.  Sorry chaps, but I was clean out of cavier. 

Instead I went for the simplest recipe that Fanny could muster:  Oranges a la Turque:

I took my one orange, peeled it and simmered in water for 15 mins.  I then removed the orange and  and added sugar to the water.  I simmered for a bit and then I popped the orange back in and simmered for a further 10 mins, took it out and popped it on a plate.  Meanwhile, I tried to cut the pith from the orange peel and then cut the peel into thin strips.  Popped them into a pan of water, brought them to the boil, strained the water away and added a second lot of cold water, brought to the boil and did the whole damn thing again for a third time. 

A gratuitous pic of the peel boiling away furiously

Are you still with me?  I then placed the orange strips in with the sugary water and simmered until the syrup became very thick.  I spooned it over the orange and popped a bay leaf on top (the recipe calls for an angelica "leaf" but I didn't have that).

At last!  I present to you Orange a la Turque:

You know, I'm thinking that it doesn't look that bad

Unfortunately, it collapsed and I couldn't get it upright again:

Mr J and P tucking in:

Mmmm, slightly chewy.

I think it's a thumbs down from Mr J and P

Mr J and P's verdict: "Not bad but it left lots of chewy bits in my teeth.  Kept me entertained for hours afterwards though."  Charmant.

After my efforts, I went on the internet to find more images of Fanny's delightful cooking.  Hell, why didn't I do this?  Banana Candles.  Aren't they utterly brilliant?  Covered in nuts, I think, and topped off with glace cherries.



Lastly, I'll leave you with this little beauty:  Fanny's very own Swedish Bird's Nest.  Consisting of:  chopped chives, capers, diced potato, anchovy and two raw eggs.  Delicious.

Nom nom



They don't make them like that anymore.........



Fifties Fabulousness & galloping gourmets (well, just the one gourmet actually)

I am a very lucky blogger indeed.  Before Xmas, the gorgeous Curtise from The Secondhand Years sent me a fabulous parcel of lovely things.

Curtise remembered that I'd commented elsewhere about Graham Kerr aka The Galloping Gourmet (celebrity chef back in the 70s).  

The GG used to do his cooking in front of a live (I think) studio audience and at the end of the show invited a lucky audience member to come up on the stage and eat the yummy meal with him.  When I was little, I used to sit at the dinner table playing with my food and in my mind I was the Galloping Gourmet preparing a magnificent meal.  I'd be cutting up my sausages lengthways and stuffing them with mash and then getting someone from my imaginary audience to tuck in with me.  Aaaaaah, such happy memories.

A "fascinating" fact:  Graham Kerr cooked a lot with butter and cream and it wasn't until his wife had a heart attack that he learnt the error of his fat and cholesterol filled ways and started cooking low fat meals.

Curtise also sent me the Woman's Journal from 1958.

It's fascinating. Every little bit of it. From the short stories and their amazing illustrations:

Oooh er

Awwwwww

to the knitting and dress-making patterns:

and the recipes:

Ummm, yes that is a big pile of bacon and waffles you can see

But the biggest thrill for me has got to be the adverts.  There are literally hundreds of them and every one's a classic.  Here are just a few of them for your delectation:

Nylons

More nylons

That bed looks on the verge of collapse to me

Those biscuits don't look very inviting

Love this Persil advert.  Who'd have thought I'd be drooling over washing machines?

And pedal bins.

Lovely bedspreads:

How amusing:

Curtise also gave me a lovely pinny and hankie.  As she put it, I'll need a pinny while I cook and then "a sit down with a nice magazine and a hankie.  Because you are a lady."  Thank you soooooo much, Curtise. *Mwah!*

One last thing before I toddle off.  I've actually been CUTTING UP SQUARES TO MAKE A PATCHWORK PICNIC BLANKET.  *Squeal*.  Sorry about the attention grabbing capitals and the shrieking, dear readers, but this is exciting news in my world.  Yes, little old moi has been snipping away merrily on a project that I started, ummmmmmmmmm, a mere two years ago.  Watch this space.......

Right, I'm orf.  Pip pip. xx

Living the Dream

I'm punching the air
Like I just don't care
Yeah.

Ooh, hark at me, I've come over all poetic.

It's being the lucky recipient of blog giveaways what's done it.  Yeah.

Look at all this lusciousness:

Top Row:  Pins & Needles mag, wooden cotton reel, lacey trim and buttons from Miss Ginger Makes;  Lots of  fabulous stuff from Carolyn of Fashionista Sisters including tea, coffee, chocolate, tea towels, books, a mug and ribbons in her Teatime giveaway; Middle row:  the most gorgeous owl bag made by RosieHearts; the book "Where Women Create" from Sarah B from ShabbyChicSarah with inspirational photos that I've been drooling over on a daily basis

Thank you so much, ladies (and apologies for my rubbish attempt at photo mosaicing).

I did enjoy reading the 1955 issue of Pins and Needles that Miss Ginger sent me.  There's tons of makes to erm... make.  How about this stupendous chick-a-dee handbag perfect for the "discerning young lady":

Never mind knitting this cardie for a little boy or girl, I rather fancy it for myself:

Nothing planned this weekend?  Luckily Pins and Needles have "weekend workshop" projects to keep you busy.  How about making this "delightful modern couch" from an old door and mattress:

Not challenging enough for you?  Well, you could tackle this "versatile" "L" shaped table instead:

It's "smart, practical and easy to make".  Easy to make, my arse.  Look at those scarey diagrams on the left - eeek!

And if that wasn't scarey enough, what about this adjustable see-saw with its "gay horseheads with hand grips and adjustable pivot point". Blimey, it's a bit more demanding than fiddling with my buttons!

One last thing.  It's official.  I'm living the dream.

I've been approached by the manager of one of my local charity shops (well, I go in there often enough) and as of next week, I will be working for a couple of hours a week IN A CHARITY SHOP!!!!

I'm EXTREMELY excited.  Can you tell?

Mr J and P says I'm only doing it to get first dibs on the donations.  How dare he cast such uncharitable aspersions!

I've been approached by the manager before but I decided not to volunteer my services as I don't like him.  He's an annoying little man with a rasping voice who likes to be surrounded by his "ladies", especially on a Saturday when the volunteers are mainly school girls (eeewww).  Hopefully, I won't have anything much to do with him as he doesn't work on the day that I'll be working *breathes sigh of relief*.

Gotta dash.  Must make a start on one of those ridiculously difficult weekend projects..... Pass me the power tools, Mr J and P........... xx

A whole 3 followers....

Yes, you read it here first. A whole 3 followers......although one of them is me!! How did that happen?