A Taste of Texas: An Introduction to some vintage recipe madness

"I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food."

Mr. Spencer and I had a very lovely Saturday night; We decided to stay in and cook a good ol' American meal. I had a special little book in tow and we chose a couple of  recipes to try out for the first time...Today, I introduce you, my dear friends, to "A Taste of Texas", edited by Jane Trahey, and published in 1949. Aquired at an estate sale, years ago...this is the first time it's seen the light of day.  I was delighted when he agreed to some vintage recipe goodness. Can you see the little devil horns peeking out? And it all worked out great...

We prepared the Eggplant and Broiled Tomato Casserole first. Take a look at the ingredients; We substituted bacon drippings for butter and oil, and American Cheese for Mozzerella. Looking for shallots was an adventure in itself, neither one of us knew what they were. Turns out, they are an onion that kinda look like garlic bunches. Whoulda thought? We also cut this recipe way down to one eggplant and two large tomatoes.  Even then, this dish was way too much for two people.

Finding roquefort cheese proved difficult. There was NONE at the grocery store. We instead used Blue Cheese.

The final result:

Some final thoughts: Having both dishes containing lots of cheese is probably not a good idea. Pretty heavy unless you are a cheese lover like myself. And apparently Blue Cheese is too strong for the steak. You live and you learn, I suppose. We thought blue cheese was pretty comparable to roquefort. Whether or not it is, can any one answer that? I'm clueless when it comes to that stuff. Overall both dishes were very tasty! Next time, I'll add more veggies to the casserole...that'll be delish!

***Update: As I was surfing the internet world, I came across a lovely blog, with a just-as-delectable version of the above eggplant and tomato casserole, take a look-see here!

So much creative energy...

...and I don't know where to focus it! I have so many ideas and I don't know the direction I'd like to go forward with. I am some what tired of the online shop and want to persue being a vendor at some of the car shows around here. Or maybe create a pop up shop for a month to add some spice to this boring town I live in. Amongst other thoughts, I need to decide and focus on one. Then, I can put my all into it.


I think I will be packing up shop for a few months as I go on a personal journey towards direction and fulfillment. With both of my parents ailing health and the struggle with what-seems-to-be-transitioning roles of reversal, it's super difficult to focus on the side business for now. I plan on moving as well, upon my paid off student loans. I'm starting school again in a couple of weeks, finally, after talking about it for 2 years!


With the shop off my shoulders, I can focus on doing other things: going on hikes, reading, personal relationships, snowboarding (what's left of the season anyway), also getting my home in order because after 20 years, shit accumulates!


But, by no means am I giving up my blog! I love writing here and reading everyone's posts! Mr. Spencer has been nudging me to do the Project 365, and I am seriously considering it. Starting tomorrow. Maybe. Having a photo diary with entries every day for a year, could be amazing. I have no idea where I will be a year from now. Feel free to join me in this journey. Be it, following me on Flickr or having your own...*psst* dear followers, I'd love to follow you, too.

Hamming it up for the camera, yet once again with my beloved '50s eyewear