Posted on 01/02/2022 8:22:22 AM PST by mylife
McCall’s was a monthly American women’s magazine that enjoyed great popularity through much of the 20th century, peaking at a readership of 8.4 million in the early 1960s. From 1973 through the early 1980s, the magazine created the Great American Recipe Card Collection “capturing the spirit of America through its recipes” by bringing “together the famous dishes… from the 50 states.” It was created by the editors of McCall’s and Random House.
The collection consisted of a plastic recipe card case featuring a bald eagle behind a red, white and blue shield surround by a plentiful food bounty. There are twenty four sections that each had twenty four recipe cards which became 600 cards in total. On each section divider card there is the title of the section, a little illustration pertaining to the theme in the top right corner, a full color photo on the front while on the back was a little blurb about the section’s theme. Lastly there was an index booklet that had a quick reference for all the recipes in the collection. These were available starting in 1973 all the way through the early 1980s.
There were two ways to obtain this collection. The first was to send the card found in the newspaper and McCall’s magazine to Random House. In return you would get the Bicentennial recipe card case, the 24 divider cards and the first set of twenty four cards called “Our Rich Heritage” for a free 14 day trial examination. If you liked the card and wanted to keep going, then you would pay one dollar for the initial set and then get sent the rest of the cards one by one and eventually in small groups at a charge of one dollar per set.
(Excerpt) Read more at vintag.es ...
The jello salad gave rise to a brief fad in the 60s and 70s which has come to be known as vomit clocks. These disgusting devices were made in jello molds and consisted of rocks and other objects embedded in clear or tinted resin. They used the cheapest possible electric movements. These atrocities resembled jello salads, but weren't perishable (except when they took a well deserved flying leap into the garbage pail). Unlike jello salads, many of these clocks survived and can still be seen in antique shops, yard sales, and flea markets, begging for some tasteless person to buy them.
A sample (but have a bucket ready):

It's "Chicken Polly-want-a-cracker" that you ought to shy away from, 'cause I don't think that's really chicken.
I’m with you on the liver. The smell of it cooking sends me running for the hills!
On the vegetables I think squash is the only thing I can’t eat. Dunno just something about it.
I hated broccoli as a kid, love it now. Washed and thrown on a plate with some dressing and I’ll eat a bucket of the stuff.
Kimchi??
I lived in Richmond, Virginia for three years. The Koreans had bought all the mom and pop convenience stores and every one of them smelled like Kimchi. So strong it would take your breath! I ain’t eating anything that smells like that!
A Korean neighbor invited us to a cookout, Korean style. Frigging AWESOME! Watching them cook the sliced beef over the it was something else.
They had it on a heavy duty screen door looking thing that was about 8’×4”. Two strong guys on each end would shake the cooking platform every minute or two. And old man would say something and they would pick the thing up, shake the meat to the center and WHOOSH throw the meat about a foot into the air. After they caught it the old man would take a look and decide whether to toss it again or level it out and continue cooking. The old man also occasionally put some spices on the meat. That Korean meat was some of the best I’ve ever eaten. Soft, tender, melt in your mouth without being fiery hot spicey.
Dang.
I’m getting hungry!
“Vietnamese iced coffee... Yom”
In Thailand the ice coffee came in a baggie with a straw in the end and a rubber band wrapped around a baggie to make sort of a container, did they serve it that way in Vietnam?
O-lee-ann was how the venders sang it out, I have no idea how it was spelled.
Ah, Koreans:
Up on the rooftop
Click, click, click
“kielbasa, kraut and granny smith apple is food of the gods!”
I love fruit with meat.
Turkey with cran, Jam, apples, prunes
Beef too!
“Our house was a peanut butter and jelly house.”
I was introduced to PB&T by the O’Flannery brothers. Not bad.
Peanut Butter and Tang.... astronaut food.
“kielbasa, kraut and granny smith apple is food of the gods!”
I love fruit with meat.
Turkey with cran, Jam, apples, prunes
Beef too!
The taters look yum.
Looking over the photos of the food from the recipes it is quite clear why people back then were not fat.
Nothing looked edible!
Try putting peanut butter on saltine crackers put them in tomato soup and enjoy!
Actually ‘Tang’ tastes great piping hot in the winter. I use more than is called for but a delightful break from all the other hot drinks.
“Ah, Koreans:
Up on the rooftop
Click, click, click”
Down goes the ferver of looter dicks!
“Try putting peanut butter on saltine crackers put them in tomato soup and enjoy!”
You are truly a connoisseur of the culinary arts!
Bravo! Bravo!
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