A few weeks ago, I was at my mom’s house, and she showed me a cookbook she had discovered in a box. She imagined it came from one of my relatives who had passed away, but my eyes got big when I saw this cookbook. It was a vintage lover’s dream.
It’s not even the cookbook itself that is exciting; do you see all the newspaper clippings hanging out the sides? This little book is STUFFED with all sorts of handwritten recipes and recipes cut out of various publications. (I see an article about bladder irritation is hanging out for your viewing pleasure. You’re welcome.).
This book is fragile, as are the pieces of paper, so I will take care to scan everything in as carefully as possible. In the meantime, enjoy this little nugget that was buried in the middle, all about the wonders of LARD.
Of course, working in and living near Chicago now, I notice when things are published in Chicago. This little pamphlet was published by the National Live Stock and Meat Board, which had offices in the Old Colony Building at 407 South Dearborn. This from Google Maps:
And a pic from the Old Colony Building in its heyday:
This article talks more about the buzz surrounding this building during its construction in 1893. This will be one I make sure to include on my lunch walking tour next time I am working downtown.
On the back of another recipe clipping, I found this funny little ad for Marvene soapless suds.
It’s not a full ad, of course, but I was intrigued by this soapless suds that I had never heard from. I found this from a Winona, MN newspaper:
And this from the 1944 Midland Reporter Telegram:
Google couldn’t provide an answer to when these “soapless suds” stopped being made, but the ads seem to dwindle shortly after the end of WWII.
Stay tuned for the fun scans that I will be sharing from this cookbook!
