A Moderate Oven

My crazy Aunt Shirley sent a treasure trove of old and very old cookbooks last week. I've had only a scant amount of time to dedicate to these cookbooks but I couldn't wait any longer to share this one with you. It was printed in 1943 and it has provided me (and my coworkers) a great deal of entertainment today. I will include some of my favorite passages for your entertainment as well.

"Irradiated Carnation Milk is such a wonderful product, so amazing in its qualities and its benefits, that I scarcely know where to begin. First let me tell you, in the briefest possible way, exactly what Irradiated Carnation Milk is. It is simply rich whole milk, evaporated to double richness, irradiated for 'sunshine' Vitamin D, homogenized to break up the cream particles, and sterilized for safe keeping. Nothing has been added to it, except Vitamin D, introduced by exposure to ultra-violet rays. Nothing has been taken away except part of the water that is present in all milk as it comes from the cow."


I had to include photos of the photos. Don't go too hard on me concerning the quality. It is just a camera phone after all.


I call this one 'Golden Eagle Buffet' and it's my favorite. Just look at it! Was it taken at the White House? I think it might have been...




This is a recipe for Stuffed Lobster Tails with Asparagus and Parsley Potato Balls. Mmmmmm mmmm... potato balls. And how about the symmetry in this presentation?



The only unsettling thing about this book is how mushy everything appears. I understand its a milk cookbook and milk doesn't have much of a backbone but everything is whipped, moussed, gelatinous and congealed. A few pages back was a noodle nest. A congealed chicken noodle soup ring thingy. This is no better. It's a Rainbow Meringue Ring with Pineapple Milk Sherbet and Apricot Cream. Those little satellites are apricot halves filled with pineapple sherbet. Ugh. Can you imagine something so drab in your mouth?


There is a section of "special menus" in the back that include a Bridge Luncheon and Lincoln's or Washington's Birthday Supper along with many other gems. There is also a section on child feeding. Here is a little something from it's introductory paragraph.

"If for any reason your child does not enjoy his milk as he should, there are several ways available to get him to enjoy it thoroughly. Try giving him a couple of straws and let him sip the milk through them just like the 'grownups' at soda fountains. Or put his milk in a dainty sherbet glass with a bit of meringue on top, calling the dish, liquid ice cream."


And my personal favorite from the section entitled, Invalid Feeding...

"Carnation Milk is an especially valuable item in the bland diets required by certain classes of invalids. Its protein, fat and mineral content is more easily digested and assimilated than that of raw or pasteurized milk. A convalescent diet may include the foods of a soft diet with the addition of fruits and well cooked vegetables, with a small serving of tender met once a day."

I try to start most of my days off with a small serving of tender meat. How about you?