Sunday, July 24, 2011

Magic goop and wacky cake


If I’ve learned one thing from all of you, it’s that when it comes to collecting, there’s something for everyone. 


Or someone for every thing.
And with that philosophy in mind, occasionally some of those things come home with me from yard sales.
Things not all that long ago I might have passed by.


Exhibit A.  This jumbled box of hundreds of recipes.
At first I thought I would just send them off to my etsy shop but as I started to photograph them for the shop listing, I got caught up in the story they told.


A story involving decades of foods that were once fashionable in the kitchen or at least were in style according to the chef who was in charge of this collection.


What event was this little menu for? I don’t know what Under-the-Sea-Salad is but anyone who serves two kinds of bread AND cake and ice cream is okay with me.


A scribbled recipe for Magic Modeling Goop on the envelope for a sympathy card –  could this be the original Play-Doh formula?


And my favorite of them all, the double secret and highly coveted ingredient list for Wacky Cake.  :-)





19 comments:

  1. I have a handwritten wacky cake recipe as well, its so good!

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  2. I look for loose recipes, both handwritten and clipped, when I shop estate sales. Then I repackage them 40-50 to a bag and sell them in my booth. I always include at least a few handwritten recipes in every bag. They're always a hit!!!

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  3. SOL

    smiling out loud :)

    xo
    elyse

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  4. These are wonderful! Don't you just love these old handwritten recipes? They're always the best. All so yummy. It's a good thing they never listed the calorie and fat content back then.

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  5. Hand-written recipes are like gold on Ebay and Etsy. You done good, Kemosabe......

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  6. My grandma never met a cake recipe (wacky or otherwise) she didn't love. And I have them all, so if you're looking for anything, especially if it calls for Jell-O or Dream Whip, let me know.

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  7. I remember making the "wacky" cake with my Auntie! It's very moist and YUMMY!
    Deb

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  8. Great post! I DID make my own homemade play-doh for my kids when they were little and colored it with food coloring and stored it in those one-molecule-from-being-plastic margarine containers. And bubbles. Put a little sugar in with the water and dish soap and it makes stronger bubbles and a stickier kitchen floor.

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  9. What a fun Box of treasures please do share the Wacky cake with us when you make one! ox, Diane

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  10. I love these handwritten messages and paper cuts. I keep an old index file full of them. Something that I think will not be a part of this generations past. With all the electronics and such. Penmanship is one of my favorite things. I really like to see what all the old ingredients were...the graphics don't hurt either! Smiles...Renee

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  11. What wonderful old recipes! That wacky cake looks interesting, with no eggs. (like so many recipes during the war, where they were trying to conserve to feed the army.)

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  12. I love love love these! They tell stories we never could...I think I may be a "hoarder" of them...yikes!

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  13. I have a bunch of old recipes. I marvel at what they were making and love the old handwriting. A mini time box of a different era. I think you should have some wacky cake with you for a snack at Vintage Gathering...save me a slice!

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  14. I adore old recipes!! Especially, the stained handwritten with special notes ones. And Wacky Cake! Love that recipe. Although, I've never made it. Why don't you and then blog about it?! :o) Kathy

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  15. So tell us, you gonna try the Wacky Cake? You gotta share the results:)

    ~Cindy

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  16. I love the stories that recipes and old notes tell...thanks for sharing!!
    Hollie

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  17. What I love most about these is how lovely the handwriting is... Reminds me of grandma!

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  18. You photographed all of these precious recipes so well! My mom got me a camera for christmas with a higher resolution just so I could take pictures of handwriting!

    Delightful!

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  19. Under the sea salad - some green jello/pear/(maybe) cottage chees concoction. my grandmother used to make it. the recipe was on the jello box.

    haven't thought about that in years.

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