Raiding Mom's recipe closet

The pictures should speak for themselves. Click for larger images.

Gifts for the homemaker

I heard about these two books through Neighborhood Librarian, and thought it necessary that the widespread readership of this blog know about them:

Esquire's Handbook for Hosts

"Complete with everything from directions on how to stock the bar to tips on making conversation to hilarious party games and 400 delightful and useful period illustrations, Esquire's Handbook for Hosts is a delightful reminder that even the most hopeless host can give a terrific party, whether it's New Year's Eve 1949 or 1999."

Sitcom Style : Inside America's Favorite TV Homes

"[The author] fixes famous television homes on the page like a photo album annotated with insider trivia. She divides five decades of hit shows into eight categories, like "Home Sweet Home" ("Leave It to Beaver," "The Brady Bunch" "The Cosby Show"); "Single and Sassy" ("The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "Friends," "Sex and the City"); "Honey, I'm Home" ("I Love Lucy," "Mad About You"); and "Fashionable Fantasy" ("I Dream of Jeannie" and "The Flintstones").

She puts each program in cultural context to show how social trends in America guided the story lines and how set designers shaped the interior spaces to send class messages. "

Diana?!?!

Stay tuned for the grossest cocktail recipe ever, courtesy of Joy of Cooking. One word: chicken stock.

It's all about mood.

Via design*sponge, some polaroids that might capture the hearts of those who like to reminisce about things like chicken a la king and pimento spreads.