My Vintage Cook Book & Recipe Collection

      One of my favorite things to collect is vintage cook books. I've been collecting recipes and cook books for years.  I love the illustrations and graphics in old cook books and pamphlets.  I'm always on the look out for cook books at thrift stores, estate sales and antique shops.

        My mom gave me her (1965) 'McCall's Cookie Collection' years ago.  It's one of my favorite cook books because I remember it from my childhood.  I remember being fascinated with Betsy McCall baking in the kitchen with her Mama.   I love her apron and she looks so adorable peeking in the oven.  I used the rolled sugar cooky recipe for years with my mom's cooky cutters.        Erich loves the Date-nut Pinwheels and Keith loves the old-fashioned Peanut butter Crisscross cooky recipes. 

      My best go-to cook book of all----- is my Better Homes and Gardens "new" Cook Book a.k.a. "Old Faithful".  Old Faithful is circa 1984.  I've had it since I was 20 years old;  I've been schlepping it around with me through several moves throughout the years.  I honestly use it at least once a week.  It's a great basic cook book, often times I use it as a reference book.  Old Faithful is now sporting a vintage 'jacket'.  I found a 1962 edition at one of my favorite thrift stores and switched the pages from my 1984 cook book into the 1962.  I love the look of the vintage jacket.

      I bought the 'Better Homes and Gardens Dessert Cook Book' at an estate sale in Grosse Pointe Woods,  for a dollar.  It has the original J.L. Hudson's Department Book Store price tag on the cover of the book. I love the pie crust recipe.  I also used the pastry cream recipe for the Strawberry Pie that I made for Keith on St. Valentines day, and the boys loved it!                       

      I especially treasure my great-uncle Billy and  Grandma Belcher's hand-written recipes.  I really get a kick out of Grandma's recipes because she wrote them on envelopes, a receipt from William's Department Store that she worked at, and stationary paper.  I love how she just jotted down the ingredients and she gave very little instruction.  Grandma was quite the cook and baker, she had six children and she cooked for Grandpa three times a day. She even made sunny-side-up eggs and toast just for me when I would stay with them for a week every summer.  I also have recipes from Keith's mom, my mom, my former co-workers, and family friends.    

    I recently found  'The Art of French Cooking' By Julia Child at one of  my favorite thrift stores for a whopping dollar!  I was so excited I almost did the happy dance in the store!   I've used 'The Pleasures of Cooking With Wine' by Emily Chase several times and it's a great cook book.  I also can't pass up any magazine with an Ina Garten article and recipes (the page above is from Better Homes & Garden March 2009).  I took the articles/recipes out of the magazines and put them in clear pages in a binder.  I also have another binder with recipes I have torn out of magazines over the years.  I like being able to take the clear page of the binder while I am preparing a dish---it takes up less space on the counter, and I can wipe it clean if it gets messy; then I simply return it to the binder when I am done with the recipe. 

    Well, it's time for me to get back to my spring cleaning which includes cleaning out cupboards and closets to prepare for (hopefully) more spring-time weather, springy recipes, and clothes.  It's still chilly here in Metro-Detroit, so I am not able to put all my sweaters away.  I've been looking through my recipes for salads and lighter entrées to make.  It may reach 71 degrees tomorrow!  I will be opening my windows and singing with the birds for sure! 

Enjoy spring-time----- wherever you are!

~Marcie