Saturday, May 9, 2015

A little practical "fun"

Whew! We went straight from winter to summer this week where I live, so this week seemed like a good time to crack out the "Ice Creams and Cool Drinks" section from Good Housekeeping's Cook Books (1958).

Just in case you thought the Good Housekeeping staff might cut loose a little and include some alcohol in a publication dedicated to cool beverages for a fun day in the sun, this is about as close as they get:


If "Champagne" composed of simple syrup, grapefruit juice, orange juice, and ginger ale is your idea of a good time, knock yourself out. I think grapefruit juice tastes like battery acid, though, so I'll pass.

As I continued to browse, I realized that this book's idea of a party may be best reserved for a retirement home. Drinking is a no-no, but staying regular? That's really something to strive for. There are plenty of "treats" to help with that goal.


A prune smoothie is an icy cold start to a day of fun, if the day of fun is spent playing cards in the day room, right next to the restroom.

If straight-up prunes, milk, and ice is a little too ascetic, there's always this:


At least there's ice cream with the strained prunes. (Just leave them out and this might be a serviceable Creamsicle shake, but that might be a little too celebratory.... Must mix the pleasure with practicality.)

And retirement community residents who can't bring themselves to choke down some prunes can go the crunchy route instead:


If I had to pick one, at least bran flakes liberally coated in brown sugar and butter sounds like a palatable enough ice cream topper... but I still think I might leave Good Housekeeping to party with the 70+ crowd. I'll leave them to their fun with prunes and bran flakes. I just hope I don't get filled in on all the details later....

2 comments:

  1. Make Believe Champagne, that describes that mess perfectly!

    Also, were party goers in the 50s overly concerned w/ their bowels? Prune dessert :P

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    1. Prunes seemed a lot more popular mid-century than they are now. Maybe there were fewer types of dried fruit to choose from back then? Maybe everyone was obsessed with pooping?

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