Monday, November 30, 2009

Christmas Recipes

Everyone has those cherished holiday memories that involve food. After all, stuffing oneself is a proud Christmas tradition. I thought it would be fun to include some cherished recipes as part of my Vintage Christmas Monday posts. A friend brought me this cute vintage recipe box for my shop. He said he almost threw the recipes out but then came to his senses. The recipes are the best part. Everyone's mother had one of these in her kitchen. A tiny metal box crammed full of handwritten recipes or those clipped from magazines. In my mother's case, torn from magazines rather than clipped because she could never find the scissors.

Can you imagine a cake that actually "makes it's own tunnel of fudge"? Anything less would be a dissapointment! This Tunnel of Fudge cake is quite the engineering marvel!


Now here's a handy and helpful recipe pamphlet provided by the nice folks at San Diego Gas & Electric. So very helpful of them to print up recipes for tasty holiday treats. They've even brought in an expert Home Economist, Mary Means, in case you were wondering who that weird lady lurking behind the backyard fence is. Just some friendly neighborhood "chit chat"!



As a bonus, they have provided some safety tips for a joyous Yuletide. Did you know that "bright, shiny metal pans are best to use for baking because they heat quickly and efficiently"?




But wait....turn the page of this helpful brochure and it's just a shameless plug from SDG & E, encouraging us to use MORE electricity! My, how times have changed.


Here we have a recipe card typed instead of written. I imagine Sherrie kept a very tidy home. She was one of those women with the plastic runners on her carpeting and heaven forbid that she would let the kids step foot in her all white livingroom.



And of course, no Christmas recipe list would be complete without fruitcake! Everyone always recieved a loaf of fruitcake for Christmas but I don't believe anyone ever actually ate it. The recipe appears harmless until you turn the card over and....GUMDROPS? Thanks, Mom.



There are variations on the fruitcake theme but all are equally horrible!



If you're looking for a little "glamour" in your yeast roll, then this is the dessert for you!




Some of the printed recipe cards even include a handwritten review which are quite helpful. But the best way to tell if a recipe really is good is if it has lots of food stains.





Ah, Christmas memories... Nothing beats snuggling up to an old fashioned electrical log while munching on a tasty slice of grandma's fruitcake. The folks at San Diego Gas & Electric would be proud.



If you'd like to participate in Vintage Christmas Monday, check out Joan's blog: Anything Goes Here


Love, Kelly












10 comments:

  1. This is just thing to get me into the Christmas
    spirit.

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  2. Hi Kelly, oooh how wonderful! I didn't see that in your shop the other day!!! If it is for sale, will you hold it for me??? I got the two other recipe boxes but somehow missed that one! Happy Vintage Christmas Monday! (Love the comment about the plastic runner, tee hee hee!) Love to you! Bisous... Julie Marie

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  3. I am laughing out loud...LOL as the kids say. Can you hear me? My mom made a fruit cake that used a soup can..do you believe it..and surprise It WAS good.

    I have her recipe box so I probably have the recipe.

    Love the electric company wanting you to buy electric appliances to use more electric. They know which side of the fruitcake their butter is on. xo Joan

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  4. Good morning Kelly. These recipes certainly whet my appetite. I especially liked the typed card for the candied fruit slices from Sherrie, which is the way I spell my name and I am a cook. We must be kindred spirits, but no plastic runners at my house. I am so glad your friend did not toss the recipes out.....those are memories at their culinary finest.

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  5. Everyone needs a little glamour in their yeast roll, lol! Those were great and quite humorous! Thanks for sharing!

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  6. Yes, in deed! Tunnel of Fudge cake was one of my favorites. Such fun to look at old recipes. I pulled out a vintage artichoke spread recipe and made it for Thanksgiving. ~ Sarah

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  7. Vintage Christmas recipes! Woo-hoo! Just my "thing"!!! Come visit my blogs: A Vintage Cottage Home and Charming Vintage Recipes! I think you'll see we have a lot of "likes" in common! Thanks so much for sharing! Coralie

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  8. This was such a fun post! I think you're right about assuming the smudgy recipes are the best. And I'll have you know that I LOVE fruitcake! Always have and always will. So send all of your fruitcakes to me!
    Happy Vintage Christmas!
    Carol

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  9. I love old recipes and cookbooks...what a treasure to keep...thanks for sharing your vintage find.

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  10. Hey, that's my Mom, Mary Means!! She retired from SDG&E many years ago (she's 87 now), and now lives in the UTC area. She'll be thrilled that there's still one of those 'Chit Chat' flyers floating around on the tubes. Oh, and by the way, despite the seemingly kitschy way they presented her, she's anything but weird, okay? :-)

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