This week’s Tastes Like Vintage guest blogger is Suzanne from Bits of the Past.
This book is called The Record Book and is written by my great grandmother. She wrote it for my mother from 1940-1960’s for her hope chest. It was given to my mother in 1968, and I have been fascinated with it since I was little. I always loved looking at the pictures she cut out of magazines, seeing her writing and reading her funny way of putting things.
But the main reason I love it is for the vintage recipes.
The book that led me to making my first ever jello mold! Oh, my goodness, the chaos it created in my house!
Or the bean salad with hard boiled eggs and sloppy joes.
Yes, this book has led me on the strangest of adventures! But is has also taught me so much about cooking.
Since I have begun my journey of cooking from the Record Book, I have learned so much. First of all, I have learned that cooking from scratch is not that difficult or time consuming. Cooking takes practice just like everything else. The more I cook, the easier it becomes.
I have also become more familiar with my kitchen, the different ways of preparing food, and realizing that baking does require one to be precise.
I have become more daring. I have learned to take a recipe and make it my own. Sure, I have messed up a great deal, but I am proud of a meal that I have cooked and my family is excited about.
Which brings me to the next thing I have learned. I have learned that my family becomes excited about dinner when they know it has been an adventure or made with care. They love the nights when I have cooked from the Record Book.
Cooking has brought me closer to my great grandmother, mother, grandmother, mother-in-law. I now call and ask for help. We talk about recipes and what they remember. Even though my great grandmother has passed, when I read the book, I feel like I am getting private lessons in cooking. When I do not understand the lingo, like use a No. 2 can of pineapple, I call my grandmother and she teaches me. Cooking old school is a family affair, and I have truly grown so much from it.
Today I thought I would share with you the Red Bean Supper Salad recipe. A picture of it is above with the hard boiled eggs and beans. It is written by my great grandmother, and I am unaware of the exact date, but as mentioned above, it is old. I am assuming 1950’s. Oh it was so much fun to make, and I felt as though I needed to be wearing a dress and heels. I hope you enjoy making this recipe as much as I did. It truly is a nice recipe to make in the summer time because it requires no heat.
Red Bean Supper Salad
1 can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained. You can also use one package of dry red beans.
1 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced dill pickles
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt
5 hard cooked eggs, or one for each person
1 tablespoon mayonnaise (I used the olive oil mayo)
Lettuce
Combine first six ingredients. Mix lightly. Chill for one hour. When ready to serve, stir in mayo. Pile onto lettuce leaf and arrange eggs.
Thanks for the opportunity to share my recipe! If you want more, come check out me blog Bits of Simple Life http://bitsofthepastandpresent.wordpress.com/ . Would love to see you there.
Related
This week’s Tastes Like Vintage guest blogger is Suzanne from Bits of the Past.
Thank you for this lovely post! I'm not a fan of beans, but I really love what a special gift this was from your Great Grandma to your Ma, and how it keeps on giving. Awesome!