Egged

A "new" cardboard egg carton I picked up at an antique mall (5 bucks).

Superb graphics!  Look at all the wonderful things you can do with eggs!  Scrambled, deviled, poached, fried, and benedicted!

I want a pink plate so I can recreate that perfectly symmetrical breakfast!

Inside view.  

There is a lot of engineered complicated folding involved in here to keep those 12 eggs safe!

I am adding this to my mini supermarket "aisles" display area in my kitchen.

Here are a few more items on the grocery list of past posts concerning vintage/retro food packaging:

Happy Kids Pickles
Vintage Marketing
Pre-Sifted
Early Garden Tasty Pieces Peaches
Bama Mayo
Packaging Love
Butter Boxes
Mini Vintage Pantry

Sifter

Another one of my favorite things...this sifter.

I have a thing about not wanting items that are uni-taskers only used on a limited basis.  I just prefer to substitute other tools to do their in low demand jobs.  All of these years I didn't have a sifter and just dealt with clumps in my powdered sugar, I just tried to work them out with a fork, unsuccessfully for the most part.

I happened to come across this adorable sifter at an estate sale and brought it home.  I am a sifting fool now!  Also it's not a uni-tasker since during it's down time it's a decorative item on my kitchen display shelf!

Another item that I don't own, which is going to be a hard one to believe, is a rolling pin.  I just use a large tall drinking glass and coat it down with flour.  Maybe if a gorgeous (cheap) one crosses my path I may consider adding it to my kitchen arsenal.

Sewing Choo Choo Cards

These vintage kid's sewing cards are so freaking cute!

I found them at a thrift store a couple of years ago.  I think there may be a few cars missing though since there is a "baggage car #1", gotta be a #2. Also 2 wild animals and a few clowns does not a circus make! All of the red sections are fuzzy felt.  These would look adorable framed in their train sequence on a kid's wall.  Feel free to print these for your personal use.  Maybe use a small dremel drill bit to make the holes for sewing.

GE M-47

The GE M-47

Sounds like some kind of heavy duty machine gun artillery.  But it's just the official name for this vintage hand mixer from General Electric.  I picked it up from an estate sale for 6 bucks.  Why would I need another mixer when I have a lovely Juice joggling, Sunbeam Mix Master stand mixer?

Because...Because...my beloved 1951 Mix Master is "sick".  It happened during that marathon baking I did making 6 different Christmas cookies.  Now when plugged in, even in the ''Off'' position, it is "On" and runs only at max speed.  I have cried over this.  I love that mixer.  I found an appliance repair shop in town that says they will take a look at it (and not for free) but I am not ready to let it leave the house, and have the guy tell me there's no hope.  I am also scared that in normal fashion, usually when I take on something that involves another party actually doing their job properly it goes to hell and lingers.   Either the guy will lose the beaters, or the entire machine, or just take my mixer and money and close up shop causing the authorities to then get involved.  And yes, I generally check reviews and have friends recommend people for the jobs even. This stuff happens to me, all of the time....all the time.  Around the same time my mixer went out I was also dealing with the eyeglass store breaking my pair of vintage frames and then losing them, then finding them...to discover that the outside lab broke them because they tried to shove too big of lens into them.... 

So, I picked up this mixer to get me through until I can take my Mixer to the doctor.  I have used it once already, and it is no comparison.  It is not as good as my stand mixer and cumbersome having only one hand free.  Also the beater eject button is right where my thumb goes...that's going to happen one day.

It is a dandy looking machine though!

Be Mine! Sweetheart Cake

"Clad in swirls of delicate pink frosting and boasting a heart of spicy red-cherry filling, this Sweetheart Cake is a sentimental way to court the favor of your valentine."

For Valentine's Day this year, I decided to make this lovely icing clad cake.  I actually ran out of icing so I had to do the lettering with some left over red gel icing in a tube.  It turned out kinda bloopy texted compared to the original from 1953.  The cake is just chocolate from a mix but I added cherry pie filling to it.  The description in the ad called for a heart formed from spicy red cherries...maybe I should have added some Tabasco to the cherry mix and molded it into a cardiac form?! The small red hearts flanking the edges are oversized sprinkles made by Wilton.  I have had them for a year (clearance last year 50% off score!) so you may not be able to purchase them in current times.  I can't find a "best by'' date on the container so that translates to me as "Good forever". 

 I'm sure the sprinkles are fine....If anything they might cause some artificially red hued holiday colored meadow muffins.  Nothing but the best sentiments to court favor with my valentines!

Will you be my chicken-tine?

You guys!!!  KFC is giving out FRIED CHICKEN SCRATCH AND SNIFF VALENTINE CARDS (with a purchase)!!!!!

 Four deep fried sentiments featuring the Colonel!

"You have the secret recipe to my heart."

"I fell in love the moment I slaw you."

"We're two peas in a chicken pot pie."

"I'd be with you all the time, if only I could.  You make me feel so finger lickin' good."

The backs feature a heart shaped set of drumsticks scented with love...Kentucky Fried Chicken love! 

Enjoy these past deep fried morsels:

National Fried Chicken Day 2015
Chicken in the Trick or Treat Bucket
Kentucky Fried Wigwam Night
Wishing you a Kentucky Fried Christmas 2017

Squirt

Since I have been going through my stuff and only keeping the things that bring me joy I thought I would post some of my favorite things for the next chunk of posts.  

These vintage Squirt salt and pepper mini bottles are teetering on joy and ehhh.  I don't like green glass bottles but they are cute and mini. Mostly I love the box!

Squirt boy is super cute!

Simpson Cookies

Mr. Husband Sir and I just had own 21st "Metting Day" a few weeks back.  No, "Metting Day" isn't some obscure Simpson's reference.  It's something PB came up with several years back.  It's the day that we first met...therefore it's our "Metting Day".

For own first Valentine's Day back in 1997,  I made Mr. Boyfriend a batch of Simpson cookies from these exact cutters.

I have made these cookies for him several times over the past years.  Normally I leave them dough skin colored and icing-less, along with using a pre-fab sugar cookie mix.  How boring.  This year I decided to try out a few improvements.  I used a recipe for sugar cookies that I got from PB's second grade teacher (5 years ago), which I hadn't tried out yet.  It is perfect!  It holds the shape of the cookie and doesn't spread while baking.  I also tinted the dough Simpson's flesh yellow.  

I then made icing to add some umph to the features and painted it on with a paint brush.  I made the brown Homer stubble by adding a bit of cocoa powder to some of the icing.  To achieve the vibrant red on Maggie's pacifier and Marge's necklace I first painted on white icing and let it dry.  Then I mixed a tad of red gel dye with a double tad of coconut extract in a small container, then painted it on over the dried white icing.
Mr. Husband and PB showed how much they liked all of my hard work by finishing them off in 24 hours (I helped too!).

Sugar Cookie Recipe:

1 cup butter

2/3 cup Sugar

1 egg

1 tsp coconut extract

1 tsp almond extract

2 1/2 cups sifted all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

Cream butter and sugar.  Beat in egg and flavorings.  Combine flour and salt in separate bowl.  Stir into butter mixture.  Cover and chill for 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease cookie sheet.  Roll cookies in flour to 1/4 inch thickness.  Cut and bake 8-9 minutes.  Ice when cooled.

Icing:

1 1/2 cup confectioner sugar

1 tbsp milk

Food Coloring

Sift sugar into glass bowl, add milk, and stir.  If icing is too stiff, add more milk.  Divide into number of colors desired and tint.  Spread on cooled cookies.  Icing will set when completely dry.  Store in airtight container.

Here a few more Simpson-y past posts:

Treehouse of Horror
Hub's Doh! Birthday
I cho cho choose you! Simpson Valentine cards
Greetings from Springfield
Simpsons Christmas Tree

Mrs. Elsie Borden

 A few weeks ago we went to see a new exhibit within the museum I am always talking about.   Same one that my apron show* was held in.  The show was a hodge podge of items from the archives.  I would love to peruse those archives!!! This adorable life size Elsie Cow statue was at the entry...

 and wearing an apron!

I am not sure of the year of this statue, maybe 1950s.  The info card didn't give much, other than she had been displayed in a local grocery store.

 If I would have known I could have worn my red gingham apron so we could be matchers!

*What?  You've forgotten about that apron show?!
Well, then grab your gingham apron and shuffle on over!:

Apron Strings: "Ties To The Past" Exhibit Pre-show
Apron Strings: "Ties To Past" Exhibit {Part I}
Apron Strings: "Ties To Past" {Part II}
Apron Strings: "Ties To Past" {Part III}

Westinghouse Laundromat Salt and Pepper Shakers

 

Many years ago (probably 18) I saw a set of these salt and pepper shakers at an antique mall.  I fell in love with them but the price was too steep for my thrifty blood, 25 bucks.  At that price I figured they must be rare and I eventually forgot about them.  Back in October, Mr. Husband Sir and I happened to be looking around the very same antique mall and (no they weren't still there) I happened to recall these cuties.  I just mentioned it in passing really, but look what happened to be under the tree this year!

Now my dinosaurs can wash their own tube socks!