Vintage Recipe Friday: Corn Tamale Loaf

I feel like the last Vintage Recipe Friday was pretty gross, and this one might be too. Sorry. But it cracks me up the weird and disgusting stuff that people used to (and still do) eat.

Corn Tamale Loaf
From Ladies' Home Journal, March 1967 

Heat oven to 375

You will need:
1 medium onion, minced
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/2 cup cooking oil
1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 3/4 cups hot chicken broth
1 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
3 eggs, beaten
1 can (17 oz.) cream style corn
1 tbsp. butter
Green onion for garnish
Olive slices for garnish

Saute onion and garlic in oil until tender. Mix with next eight ingredients and blend well. Pour mixture into well-greased 9" loaf pan; set in pan of hot water. Bake at 375 for one hour or until firm and brown. Heat corn with butter. Turn out loaf on platter; top with corn. Garnish with green onion and olive slices, if desired.

Serves six.

This is the story, and you're not in it.

Over the last few days I've been talking and thinking a lot about break ups. It was sunny this weekend but that drab, sad feeling of the bottom dropping out prevailed, and the sun slipped away sometime early in the week, leaving us with gray clouds, chilly weather, and sniffly noses. We can't just ignore it, this feeling. I usually just try to ignore anything that bothers me - the dirty dishes, the overflowing trash, the finite breaking of a heart. But just like the dishes and the trash, these need to be addressed and overcome.

I was chatting with my best friend earlier. We're tired and busy. We need to clear our heads so we planned a night to wear heels and flirty smiles. We need to heal, we need to get past this, and we can do it together, right? Right.

I can't stop listening to I'm Not Yours. It's relevant for all of us, and you know who you are.

So how do you get over it?

Boyfriend in a bottle available on Etsy.

My daily habit

Of course there are lots of things I do each day. Fiddle. Pick at my nails. Drink hot tea, drink Crystal Light (seriously, I'm obsessed). Pop my neck, check Facebook, check email, check other email. Blog. Make more tea. Glance over conspiracy theories, but only sometimes (more on this later). These habits usually happen in the mornings, when I'm working and/or bored, when I'm staring off wondering exactly how I will tackle a given problem, whether work-related or not.

One thing that I particularly like to do is to check a photography and culture site my writer friend the other AB suggested a while back: American Suburban X. Some of the photographs are haunting, disturbing, telling, and sometimes just plain weird. I just like how photography - and art in general - reflect more about our current lives than we even comprehend. Here are just a few.

Robert Frank

Larry Sultan

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

William Eggelston

David Goldblatt

Spotlight: Spoonflower.com

I am in ab-so-lute 100% love with spoonflower.com, a fabric website that custom prints various types of fabric for reasonable prices. You can choose public prints or you can choose your own design, including the fabric width and repeats.
There are so many cute ideas for these fabrics - most involving kids, in my imagination. The amigurumi-Japanese-style cartoon prints are my favorite (ok, I like owls, too) (and all the other stuff below).

Ch-ch-ch-changes: Artist Date #1

Yesterday was a Monday but I didn't have to work and the weather was incredible - the sky was brilliant and the air fresh, almost sweet smelling - it finally felt like spring was coming.  I sat out at the picnic table and watched my dog chase squirrels. I thought about changes, how I finally felt ok, possibly even happy, for the first time in months.
There haven't been any significant changes, really. I didn't come into a large sum of money, I didn't get a nicer, newer car. If anything, these past couple of weeks have been packed with more changes and jostling extremes than the weeks prior. But there have been a lot of small changes, ones that are actually starting to make a difference.
One thing that I've been trying to do is to weed out the negative energies from my life, and another, one that I think has had a huge impact on me is to get back in touch with creativity. Just having some way to channel all the emotions, whether good or bad, has helped in a way that is hard for me to even comprehend. I fell in love with Julia Cameron some time back and I try to tell everyone about her. If you haven't checked her out, you need to. She has tons of books about creativity, the artistic pursuit, blocks and how to unblock yourself, spirituality and creativity combined, etc.
I'm currently reading her book, The Artist's Way, a 12-week "course" on creativity. This course is self-imposed, so instead of taking 12 weeks it will probably take me the rest of the year. (I've been on week two for about a month now.) Anywho! Week one teaches you to get back in touch with your inner artist, and in doing so you do several tasks, one of which is the Artist's Date, where you basically hang out with yourself and do something that will tickle your creative fancy.
For my first week of going on artist dates, I took my dog up to the lake on a lovely, lazy Sunday. The sun was warm and the afternoon long. My friends were busy - a new baby had been born - so I was alone and found myself on this date without necessarily intending it. There is a thrift store, one that is huge and nice, just north of the lake, and soon enough I was there. Here is what followed.

 The drive.

 Love the sun.

 My overloaded cart ;-)

 A travel set and a child's microscope case, circa 1950s.

 After a day of happiness.

Vintage flower brooch available on Etsy.

The Thing about Breakups

It's Saturday and the sun is shining. There are mushrooms growing on the side of my picnic table. I noticed them this morning while I was playing Scrabble and waiting for my head ache to go away. I didn't touch them though; I was slightly impressed and disgusted with their weird spindly growth. I want to do something for someone that is hurting but I'm not sure what to do. I want to tell L, listen to If You Had a Bad Time. Break plates in my kitchen. Hit the steering wheel in your car, beat on something. Drink a million beers in the sunshine with me, today's perfect for it...

I'm working on a new mix, something for spring. I first thought it would be about sadness, like the last one, but then I thought about revenge, then love, then back to sadness. We all carry our baggage in different ways.

It was a full moon last night so I'm not surprised about the things that happened or the conversations that were had. If real life was like movie I could predict the next scene, but our life is not like a movie. And we're still here. In the sunshine, on a Saturday, you and me.

Daphne D painting available on Etsy.

Vintage Recipe Friday: Barbeque Salad

Are you in the mood for "tomato aspic with personality"?

Yeah, I don't really know what that means either. But I love these old weird recipes featured in so many advertisements from womens' magazines in the 1950s.

 Barbeque Salad
From Woman's Home Companion, February 1954

1 package Lemon or Orange Jell-O
1 1/4 cups hot water
1 can (eight ounces) tomato sauce
1 1/2 tablespoon vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash of pepper

Dissolve Jell-O in hot water. Add tomato sauce and other ingredients. Blend. Pour into individual molds. Chill until firm. You can serve four to six people for about a nickel each.

NOTE: For extra spiciness, add any of the following before chilling: onion juice, seasoning or celery salt, cayenne, Worcestershire sauce, pepper sauce, or horseradish.

If you actually eat this, let me know and I will send you a prize. I'm serious. You deserve props for eating spicy, tomato-y Jello. God knows I never would.

And the Case of the Empty Email

There is a situation in my life that makes me incredibly frustrated. I don't want to handle it, and don't know HOW to handle it, so I bitch and moan and let it get to me often. I know that these passive aggressive tendencies are not healthy or helpful so I started writing about it in my journal, once I started writing in my journal again after following Julia Cameron's advice. And it helped. Then I started working out and that helped too, but I can't make it to the gym every day and that frustration just keeps building up. So I started writing emails - emails without a To address, ones that I will never send. Empty emails, if you will. On these emails I can actually say what I want. I can place blame even where it's not due. I can fire off insults, I can explain disappointment and dread and all the things that I really can't say, all the things that don't need to be said, really, because it's not you, it's never you, it's me. No, it's not me. I was just saying that to be cliche. It's the situation. And it's you. And it's me. Hell!

The empty emails really do help; it's like sucking poison from a wound. There's a lot of poison in this wound though, and it only festers when life gets stressful and eventful.

So here are some other stress-relieving tips from me and from the good ol' interwebs. A list, if you will. Brief, informative, delightful.

1. Shadow boxing
2. High kicking
3. Breathing
4. Amigurumi-ing
5. Walking, even aimlessly

And, of course, my favorite: cursing. And the creative ways to incorporate bad words into your life.

Hollow Book Secret Safe available on Etsy.
The F Word Cross Stitch available on Etsy.

Non-Toxic Home Cleaning and Care

I'm moving soon so that means cleaning - a lot of cleaning. Ugh. I hate cleaning with harmful chemicals like ammonia and bleach, so I wanted to find something that will make my home sparkle without making me and my pets sick. I found this great website, eartheasy.com, that is just packed with various home cleaning concoctions. Here are some of the ideas I found most useful:

• All-Purpose Cleaner: Mix 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/4 cup baking soda (or 2 teaspoons borax) into 1/2 gallon (2 liters) water. Store and keep. Use for removal of water deposit stains on shower stall panels, bathroom chrome fixtures, windows, bathroom mirrors, etc.

• Air Freshener: Commercial air fresheners mask smells and coat nasal passages to diminish the sense of smell.

• Baking soda or vinegar with lemon juice in small dishes absorbs odors around the house.
• Having houseplants helps reduce odors in the home.
• Prevent cooking odors by simmering vinegar (1 tbsp in 1 cup water) on the stove while cooking. To get such smells as fish and onion off utensils and cutting boards, wipe them with vinegar and wash in soapy water.
• Keep fresh coffee grounds on the counter.
• Grind up a slice of lemon in the garbage disposal.
• Simmer water and cinnamon or other spices on stove.
• Place bowls of fragrant dried herbs and flowers in room. 

• Deodorize:

• Plastic food storage containers - soak overnight in warm water and baking soda
• In-sink garbage disposal units - grind up lemon or orange peel in the unit
• Carpets - sprinkle baking soda several hours before vacuuming
• Garage, basements - set a sliced onion on a plate in center of room for 12 - 24 hours

• Disinfectant: Mix 2 teaspoons borax, 4 tablespoons vinegar and 3 cups hot water. For stronger cleaning power add 1/4 teaspoon liquid castile soap. Wipe on with dampened cloth or use non-aerosol spray bottle. (This is not an antibacterial formula. The average kitchen or bathroom does not require antibacterial cleaners.)
• To disinfect kitchen sponges, put them in the dishwasher when running a load.

• Floor Cleaner and Polish:
• Vinyl and linoleum: mix 1 cup vinegar and a few drops of baby oil in 1 gallon warm water. For tough jobs, add 1/4 cup borox. Use sparingly on lineoleum. 
• Wood: apply a thin coat of 1:1 vegetable oil and vinegar and rub in well.  
• Painted wood: mix 1 teaspoon washing soda into 1 gallon (4L) hot water.  
• Brick and stone tiles: mix 1 cup white vinegar in 1 gallon (4L) water; rinse with clear water. 

• Oven Cleaner: Moisten oven surfaces with sponge and water. Use 3/4cup baking soda, 1/4cup salt and 1/4cup water to make a thick paste, and spread throughout oven interior. (avoid bare metal and any openings) Let sit overnight. Remove with spatula and wipe clean. Rub gently with fine steel wool for tough spots. Or use Arm & Hammer Oven Cleaner, declared nontoxic by Consumers Union. 

• Toilet Bowl Cleaner: Mix 1/4 cup baking soda and 1 cup vinegar, pour into basin and let it set for a few minutes. Scrub with brush and rinse. A mixture of borax (2 parts) and lemon juice (one part) will also work.

• Tub and Tile Cleaner: For simple cleaning, rub in baking soda with a damp sponge and rinse with fresh water. For tougher jobs, wipe surfaces with vinegar first and follow with baking soda as a scouring powder. (Vinegar can break down tile grout, so use sparingly.) 

• Window Cleaner: Mix 2 teaspoons of white vinegar with 1 liter (qt) warm water. Use crumpled newspaper or cotton cloth to clean. Don't clean windows if the sun is on them, or if they are warm, or streaks will show on drying. The All-Purpose Cleaner (above) also works well on windows. Be sure to follow the recipe, because using too strong a solution of vinegar will etch the glass and eventually cloud it.  

All recipes from eartheasy.com.

Etsy Treasury #2: monster monster

Little monsters, little darlings.

Chocolate: An Anti-Valentine's Must Have

You and Me: Chocolate and Peanut Butter - heaven in delightful morsels. 

This year I will be spending Valentine's Day working, drinking a cheap bottle of red wine, and packing for a sudden and somewhat unexpected move. Last year I think I was doing the same, only I was moving into my house instead of moving out. The point is not that I've yet to find my forever home, it's that I'm alone, without my sweetheart, without A sweetheart. What can a girl do? How about flip on The Golden Girls and eat these little delights! (Chocolate goes great with red wine, too -- perfect for me!)

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

from verybestbaking.com

Prep: 15 mins

Cooking: 2 mins

Level: Easy

Cooling: 60 mins

Yields: 60 bars (5 dozen)

Just beat, melt, stir, and refrigerate...these bars are that simple!

Ingredients

• 2 cups peanut butter, divided
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar, divided
• 3 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

GREASE 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

BEAT 1 1/4 cups peanut butter and butter in large mixer bowl until creamy. Gradually beat in 1 cup powdered sugar. With hands or wooden spoon, work in remaining 1 cup powdered sugar, graham cracker crumbs and 1/2 cup morsels. Press evenly into prepared baking pan. Smooth top with spatula.

MELT remaining 3/4 cup peanut butter and remaining 1 1/2 cups morsels in medium, heavy-duty saucepan over lowest possible heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. Spread over graham cracker crust in pan. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until chocolate is firm. Cut into bars. Store in covered container in refrigerator.

Vintage Recipe Friday: Caramel Surprise Upside-Down Cake

From McCall's, July 1953

Caramel Surprise Upside-Down Cake
1 cup caramel sauce*
6 slices pineapple
1 pkg. yellow or white cake mix

Pour the caramel sauce in a grease 10-inch skillet. Place one slice of pineapple in the center of the skillet. Cut the remaining pineapple slices in halves and arrange around the center slice. Prepare the cake mix according to directions on the package and pour the batter over the pineapple slices. Bake in a moderate oven, 350 degrees, for 55 to 60 minutes. Turn out of the skillet onto a plate to cool.

*Caramel Sauce
1/2 lb. caramels (about 28 caramels)
1/2 cup hot water

Place the caramels and hot water in the top of a double boiler. Heat, stirring frequently, until the caramels are melted and the sauce is smooth. Makes 1 cup sauce.

Etsy Treasury #1

I'm in love with Etsy. Not only is it the home to French Press Vintage, but it is my sanity go-to. Feeling angsty? stressed? bored? Etsy is the answer. It's practically a snake-oil medicine: good for all that ails you.
The more I use Etsy, the more I learn. I've recently learned about creating Treasury lists - which is what Etsy uses (depending on popularity, number of clicks, comments, etc) for their daily Handpicked front page. So I made a Treasury, my very first one in fact, and HERE it is. Got some free time on your hands? Make a Treasury - you'll be surprised by what all is out there on Etsy.

Click here to view my Treasury, "..birds of a feather."

Clutch available on Etsy.

Can we go?

Now that I'm getting myself together and staying out of the bars, my friends and I are planning "friend dates" - just special times together where we actually DO something. And I think that this will be one of them. Watch the clip. Information about the event follows.

information from the light factory

GUY AND MADELINE ON A PARK BENCH Directed by Damien Chazelle 2010 / USA / Black and White / English Thurs. Feb. 17 - Sat. Feb. 19 7:30 PM Hodges Taylor Art Consultancy (401 N. Tryon - Transamerica Square) $5 Members / $7 Non-Members

Frenchie's Winter Mix, Volume 1

The official French Press Vintage first ever mix, slightly gloomy and missing love, ready for the newness of spring.

frightened rabbit - old old fashioned

the buzzcocks - everybody’s happy nowadays

the falcon - the la-z-boy 500

jay reatard - my family

blur - magic america

coconut records - i am young

matt sharp - goodbye west coast

the magnetic fields - the luckiest guy on the lower east side

 matt costa - never looking back

neutral milk hotel - two-headed boy, pt. 1

bright eyes - i’ll be your friend

shout out louds - oh, sweetheart

wolf parade - grounds for divorce

chad vangaalen - i miss you like i miss you

phantom planet - lonely day

 phoenix - long distance call

the catheters - i fall easy

the modern lovers - pablo picasso

flogging molly - if i ever leave this world alive

print available on etsy