The other day a blogger whose posts are always entertaining, Ally Bean at The Speckled Bean, wrote about glimpsing into a cookbook from the 1980s. Her post reminded me of my mother-in-law’s cookbooks which were published by the Relief Society (Mormon’s ladies charity) and so contained recipes meant to serve large families on the cheap. I couldn’t find those gems. But I did find this one:

It’s hard to tell when it was “published” or by whom. There’s no information on the front or back cover and no title page. However, based on this sage bit of advice, I would say no later than the 1960s.

Good news, Ladies! if your spouse is one of the poorer varieties, don’t despair! A bit of patience is all you need.

These cookbooks may seem quaint by today’s standards, but I’m sure the women who contributed the recipes and helped type up and illustrate the book were proud of their accomplishment. Proud to sell those books and donate the proceeds to charity. However, reading through them I had the eerie feeling that many were the result of trial and error and that many children suffered.

Have any of you ever tasted Ginger Ale Salad? It sounded okay until the stuffed olives. Well, I don’t know about the celery and banana combo but then I’m a notoriously picky eater.

Ever wonder what to do with an old can of tomato soup? Well, make a cake of course. Ingenious? What do you think?

The following recipe was a bit of a surprise. Delores Cook must have been a woman ahead her time. I might even give this one a try.

Another surprise! Who would have guessed that liver, applesauce, and cinnamon can be tasty together? Sadly, I don’t eat liver but if any of y’all want to give this dish a try, let me know how it goes. I’m dying to hear!