Fresh Raspberry Bavarian Cream

In my last post I wrote that I was going to try a whipped Bavarian cream, so I did. This recipe is yet another from my trusty 1936 booklet, What you can do with Jell-O. My younger brothers stayed at my place for the weekend, which gave me an excuse to make a dessert that … Continue reading Fresh Raspberry Bavarian Cream

Banana Bavarian Cream, 1936

For fun, I decided to let my 8 year-old son and his friend choose the next recipe. I gave them a bunch of delicious options like cottage cheese, molded shrimp and Carrot and Cabbage, but they ended up going with Banana Bavarian Cream. I don't know why they would choose that over shrimp. This creamed … Continue reading Banana Bavarian Cream, 1936

Neapolitan Loaf, 1936

I've been working out of a booklet called What You Can Do With Jell-O and finally made it to this three-tiered beauty. The Neapolitan Loaf recipe caught my eye the very first day I flipped through the book, but I needed to work my way up to it by first learning how to make a … Continue reading Neapolitan Loaf, 1936

Strawberry Jello Whip, 1936

I recently acquired this great book - more of a pamphlet, really - called What You Can Do With Jell-O. It was published by General Foods Corporation in 1936. What's great about this little book is it goes through the step-by-step process of 6 types of jello creations, as well as how to garnish, make … Continue reading Strawberry Jello Whip, 1936

Cucumber Jelly and Cheese Sandwich (1932)

A Dollop of History

When I discovered this cucumber jelly recipe I knew I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t also try the cheese sandwich. The sandwich falls outside the parameters of my gelatin blog, but I’ve tossed around the idea of posting it there anyway. After giving it some thought I decided its first home should be here.

These recipes come from a book called When You Entertain by Eleanor Lee Wright, published in 1932 by Wilson & Company. The entire digitized book is available on Archive.org. In addition to recipes, the book includes menus, table settings and tips for entertaining.

Some Historical Context

I am far from an expert on American food in the 1930’s, but generally speaking a housewife at that time would gravitate toward inexpensive yet attractive dishes. Table setting and food presentation were very important components of every meal. It was about this time…

View original post 1,155 more words

Hallowe’en Salad, a Retro Gelatin Treat

A Dollop of History

To celebrate Halloween, I thought I’d do something a bit more modern. This recipe is most likely from the 1930’s or 1940’s, though the image source (chronicallyvintage.com) suggests the possibility of it being even later. There are a few clues that indicate 1940’s or earlier: the font, ingredients, and the spelling of the word Hallowe’en.

halloweensalad Fun fact: Spelling Halloween with the apostrophe is actually grammatically correct and was how children learned how to spell it in school. It is a shortened version of Hallows Eve. Over time, a grammatical error actually became the norm and now it is rare (and a little strange) to see it spelled with an apostrophe.