1971 Beans on a Budget

Have you met this cute little guy yet?  I’ve seen his little grinning face multiple times while browsing through vintage recipes on the internet.  It’s from a card collection with the copyright date 1973 from Curtin Publications, Inc.  My set is a reprint that my husband bought for a Christmas a few years ago. My favorite part about these cards is that they all feature a suggested menu!  Not having to decide what to serve saves me time and energy for all of the important things I have to think about.  Such as convincing my toddler that he has to eat from more than one food group.  (So far, a no go).

As cute as the Seafood Mousse is, I tragically lack a fish mold. Instead, I’ve made this:

I’d like to assume that as a 70s housewife, I would have just shuffled this deck and pulled out a card at random.  Billy doesn’t like beans?  Sorry Billy, random chance has spoken.  Now eat your beans.  (Full disclosure, “Billy” didn’t eat his beans). 😦

The results:

Pretty close to the picture!  I put a tomato in my cart for the salad, but it somehow vanished by the time I got home.  I used the fruit cup in place of the flowers, but did vaguely consider buying a ton of tchotchkes to mimic 1970s food styling.

The suggested dessert of applesauce spice cake isn’t included in the card collection, but fortunately I have a great recipe courtesy of my favorite retro cookbook author, Meta Given.

Not much too look at, but super yummy.  The whole menu turned out great, leaving me with nothing to make fun of.  Phooey!  I’ll have to try another one from this collection.

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103 Apple Sauce Cake

1 3/4 c. cake flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. cloves

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 c. shortening

1 c. sugar

1 c. unsweetened tart, stiff apple sauce (261)

1 c. seedless raisins

Sift flour, measure, and resift 3 times with soda, spices, and salt.  Cream shortening well and gradually blend in sugar.  Stir in the apple sauce.  Add flour mixture gradually, beating after each addition until well blended.  Stir in raisins.  Turn into a buttered cake pan (8 in. square), which has been lined with waxed paper in the bottom, and bake at 375 for 45 to 50 minutes.  Cool before serving.  Apple sauce cake improves with age, if kept in a breadbox.  6 servings.  (It took about 20 minutes for the cupcakes and make 12).

136 Thin Butter Icing 

2 TBSP. butter

1 c. sifted confectioners sugar, firmly packed

1 1/2 TBSP. milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Cream butter well, and add sugar and milk alternately, a little at a time, stirring until smooth after each addition.  Stir in vanilla.  When smooth, pour over the cake; let it stand a few hours, if possible, before cutting.  Sufficient for one 8-in. layer.

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