It’s a classic 1977 recipe box – literally, box. Plastic box.
There are a whole gaggle of people out there preparing recipes from yesteryear. Or, in the case of this “name too long for it’s own good” collection, the 1970s.
Vintage Recipe Cards has prepared a snootful of these recipes. I know Yinzerella at Dinner Is Served 1972 has a copy, and probably tries out recipes on a regular basis.
I could go on and on and on about this collection for so very many reasons. Let’s start with the index, shall we?
First, why, oh why did the authors feel the need to write these instructions:
- If you’re pining for a cool rum drink, look up RUM, under “R.”
- If you want an Apertif or an After-Dinner Drink, consult the Index under “A.”
- The second section lists the food recipes, also by name of recipe and by type of food group (for example, “Dips,” “Spreads,” “Desserts,” “Chicken,” “Shrimp,” and so forth.
- In the Food Index, you will also find such entertainment aids as “Party Themes,” and “Party Planning.”
And who is/was Michael Dorn?
It’s NOT the Michael Dorn that was in Star Trek: The Next Generation or Star Trek: Deep Space Nine playing Worf, son of Mogh, the beloved Klingon with a heart.
Googlefu has turned up a few tidbits like this “Tycoons in the Kitchen” cookbook published in 1967 by Dorn Press. So I can surmise that Michael Dorn was a publisher of cookbooks…perhaps a chef or restaurant owner? But otherwise, nothing except Worf, Worf, Worf.
The 2 in 1 International Recipe Card Collection has more than 300 cards, each with a drink recipe on the front and food recipe on the back – hence the “clever” 2-in-1 title.
For example, Card #90 is for American Brandy – brandy, dry vermouth, grenadine, orange juice, and port wine. There’s an optional American Beauty No. 2 which substitutes white creme de menthe for port wine and a suggestion to garnish with a rose or mint leaf.
The flip side has a “recipe” for a Radish Rose Garden. Oh my.
Promise yourself one: A gleaming dark platter decorated with scarlet radishes artfully sculptured into rose buds and filled with a delectable variety of creamy fillings. It makes a refreshing appetizer all by itself and a gay addition to a cocktail party buffet table.
And the instructions for “how to” carve those radish rose? Just “cut thin petals around the radishes.” There’s far more to creating radish roses than that:
The mid-century genius (ahem) of The 2 in 1 International Recipe Card Collection shines like a mirrored disco ball, blindsiding you with oddities with every flip of the card.
You can find a copy on Ebay for around $25, though I’ve seen complete collections in pristine condition as high as $45. I’m keeping this slighted scratched, defiantly demented copy all to myself.
And sharing the recipes with you, one card at a time.
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