Rawleigh tries to play it cool for July

Are you melted yet? Thanks to air conditioning, probably not, but the users of Rawleigh's Good Health Guide Almanac Cook Book (1953) were probably feeling pretty overheated by July. Let's see if Rawleigh tried to mitigate this problem or just add to it!

Shockingly, Rawleigh does seem to at least kind of take the season into account for a change! Granted, the Cabbage-Frankfurter Skillet might seem a bit more like a fall or winter meal given its reliance on cabbage and onions, but at least it's a stove-top prep rather than something that needs to be baked. The Chipped Beef and Corn Medley relies on corn and green peppers that should actually be coming into season. Rawleigh being Rawleigh, of course they recommend baking it for half an hour, but a smart cook might sauté the corn with the other veggies and mix the cheese into the sauce for a stovetop meal.

For me, the real attractions are the gelatin recipes! The Pineapple Angel Pie actually sounds similar to a no-bake "cheesecake" I used to make with lemon Jell-O, cottage cheese, and canned pineapple. That teaspoon of nutmeg in the Rawleigh version sounds like it could be pretty overpowering, though... I might end up thinking of it as egg nog-adjacent, which is not summery, but the pie would still be cool and creamy.

The real "gem," though, is the Shrimp Salad Loaf. At least this uses plain gelatin, so it's unlikely to be overly sweet. Whether you're interested in canned shrimp floating in a sea of jiggly condiments is a separate question, but again, it's cold! That's a win.

As for the horoscope, I am most interested by the line "You are very dependent upon your friends but are apt to change companions and friends very often." I take this as a nice way of saying "You're a drama queen who burns everybody out so fast that nobody can put up with your shit for long."

What's our featured Rawleigh product for the month? It's definitely appropriate for summer:

These are drink flavorings-- kind of like today's Mio in that they're liquid, but also like Kool-Aid mix in that drink mixers had to add their own sugar. And not only do these taste good (which I can attest, as we occasionally had these drinks when I was a kid), but these are also ...

..."so good for them" (with "them" referring to your creepy-looking twins who are currently drinking a toast to their plans to take over the world so they will never be forced to wear smocked dresses again). I'm not sure of Rawleigh's metric for "good for them," as there is no explanation of what makes dyed sugar water a great addition to a crafty schoolgirl's diet. Maybe the plan is to secretly give them diabetes before they can institute the Anti-Smock Brigades? They won't see it as good for them at the time, but it will keep their historical record clean... so maybe just "good" in the long run?

Feel free to make your own theories, and try to stay cool until next month's installment!