kelp

Dinner for Two

This parasite single proud housedaughter took some time off from retro cookin’, mainly to work on This One Hall Closet and Prepare To Work A 5-Day Convention and what not, but as the weeks ticked by I felt like I should at least make some sort of nice dinner at some point.

And I did, in fact, recently make some Babi Kelp…badly. See, I actually bothered to source some actual pork belly (bizarrely offered at every grocery store in town except the one closest to my house) instead of just settling for boneless chops, and not wanting to use up my dad’s nice soy sauce (you know, the kind you dip your supermarket sushi in), I picked up a cheap bottle of that as well…but really I should have gone the extra mile both literally and figuratively and gotten some actual kecap manis. Long braising story short, I spaced on sweetening, my liquid ended up way too salty, and the result was barely edible.

That failure combined with me not getting together my actual next planned food post based on a Strawberry Shortcake kids book spurred me to Make A Successful Dinner.

A preview when I eventually tackle that post in the distant future

And handily, I had a cookbook nearby that I haven’t yet made a recipe from. (I think. Mega-fans, feel free to correct me.)

two of them

The New Dinner for Two has a 1964 copyright date, but it does read fairly modern – there’s recipes with avocados, frozen vegetables, and an overall emphasis on convenience.

" ... From Sea to Shining Sea" Coast to coast, and according to the growing seasons of each region, America the beautiful abounds in richly varied native foods. And the pleasures of a whole new way of dining can be found in every section of this land. Following are some of these regional specialties whose very names whet the appetite, delight the taste, and linger happily in our memories. THE FAR WEST Abalone Apple Dumplings Avocado Salad Bean Sprouts Columbia Salmon Eggs Foo Yung Fresh Figs and Dates Honeydew Melon Jack Cheese Kumquats Mountain Trout Orange Juice Pheasant Ripe Olives Spanish Omelet Tiny Pacific Shrimp Venison Steak Walnuts Water Chestnuts THE SOUTHWEST Barbecued Beef Chili con Carne Frijoles Grapefruit Hot Chocolate Lettuces Melons Prickly Pears Sour Cream Pies Summer Squash Tortillas THE SOUTH Baked Ham Baking Powder Biscuits Black-eyed Peas Deep-dish Peach Pie Deviled Crab Fritters Frogs Legs Hominy Grits Oysters Rockefeller Pecan Pralines Shrimp Gumbo Spoon Bread Terrapin Watermelon THE MIDWEST Bacon and Eggs Cherry Pie Cobbler Corn on the Cob Green String Beans Honey and Biscuits Mashed Potatoes Mushroom Gravy Pork Chops Pumpkin Pie Roast Beef Roast Turkey Rutabagas Smelts Steak Sweet Cider NEW ENGLAND Anadama Bread Boston Baked Beans and Brown Bread Boston Cream Pie Broiled Lobster with Drawn Butter Clam Chowder Codfish Cakes Cornmeal Pancakes and Real Maple Syrup Cranberry Sauce Gooseberry Tarts Indian Pudding with Nutmeg Sauce Succotash

There’s uh, a lot going on here. I’ll limit my comment to “what an insult to Florida that the Far West got orange juice”

Many ‘recipes’ are just “put a pat of butter on some peas you warmed up”. To be fair, the goal of this book is to help you organize dinner menus moreso than anything, so there’s bound to be stuff like “make a vegetable” or “put some ice cream in a glass and pour some choco sauce on it”. Even the more substantial recipes tend pretty basic – things like cooking roasts or baking a ham.

I am surprised by the restraint shown with giving an actual recipe for brownies (not pictured) before saying “uh, btw, we’re Betty Crocker, just buy our mix”

Not strange given the imagined target audience for this book is the new housewife, who might not know temps and times for a big hunk of meat. Even so, there is a weird chronology followed throughout, with sections going from a “Seven Day Sampler” to “When Company Comes” to “So You’re Back to Two”

Seven-Day Sampler Dinner for two can be an exciting adventure every day in the week when you choose tempting menus from any chapter of this book. Here is a Seven-Day Sampler of model dinners for two to start you on your way. Remember, good menus begin with these few simple rules. 1. Look at each day as a whole! Consider your breakfast and lunch when you plan your dinner menu.

Alternatively, look at each day as a hole, a yawning void from which you cannot escape, no matter how successful your meal planning is or the excellence of your menu, nothing awaits but the formless dark

“Well, what’s weird Kelp? People come over on the weekends.” Yeah well…it’s not just a week-long stretch. Towards the end of the book it starts talking about…the end of your life.

So You're Back to Two If for years you have been accustomed to several places at your dining table, and now your family is grown and has gone away, you face the task of learning again to cook for two. The difference between the appetites of growing children and those of mature adults will at once become apparent. Your choice of foods may be lighter now, because less active days require fewer calories. But lighter foods need not mean less interesting meals. Once again dinner for two can be a leisurely pleasure for you. Un- hurried, with more time to plan and prepare tempting dishes to suit your personal tastes, you may indulge in a few more luxuries of the table, too-fruit out of season, seafood, or a special cut of meat. With more leeway in your food budget, more time to set a pretty table and linger over dessert and coffee, you can add fresh touches of color and interest to each meal. Plan attractive centerpieces, dine often by candlelight, and experiment with new recipes and menu combina- tions for the drama and variety that make each evening meal a joy to look forward to throughout the day.

Sorry 1960’s Betty Crocker, every grocery is a luxury now. Well, I guess not ‘fruit out of season’, but that’s been the case here in the Far West for a few decades

Right before the Cook’s Primer section, which has a bunch of helpful general tips and tricks common to larger reference-style cookbooks, there’s a brief bullet list about what to cook during your Sunset Years

Sunset Years Guide

But this is Betty Crocker, not Sunset. Also milk punch? Are stress liquids boozy liquids?

Given this appears towards the end of the “So You’re Back To Two” section, well. My dad even expressly pointed this slightly disconcerting section out when I handed him the book to pick out a recipe. 

Anyways. This is actually I think a really solid cookbook compared to the big binders that were often gifted to young women when starting their own household. It’s not an exhaustive reference, and that’s its strength – the scope is limited and the knowledge is applied.

Dear Friend, If you are a bride, a business girl, career wife, or a mother whose children are away from home-this book is for you. The New Dinner for Two Cook Book takes you on a grand tour through pages of Exciting menus, recipes, tips, and ideas for planning and preparing different and delicious dinners for two. Here you will find recipes that make the most of your time, your food budget, and your creativity as a cook with specialties of Every region and season and wonderful meals to serve on many occasions. And when you entertain, turn to "When Company Comes" or simply double the recipes for two from other pages. We hope that you "small-home-makers" everywhere, and those who cook for one, will Enjoy the New Dinner for Two and its friendly fare - favorite, fancy, and family style. Sincerely, Betty Crocker P.S. Every recipe and menu in this book has been tested for you, both in our kitchens at General Mills and in homes like yours across the country.

Tag yourself, I’m a small-home-maker

Some haters people might criticize the recipes for being rather bland or basic, but again, that’s the point. By building up a simple, easy-to-remember foundation, you can reliably pump out a modest variety of delicious dinners for your man every night as God intended, and still have time to watch your stories!

When Time Counts Timing is a very important part of meal preparation, and one of the most difficult to master. To bring all dishes on the menu to the table at the proper time, each at the perfect temperature and degree of done- ness, is an accomplishment requiring planning, practice, and concentration. Here are some "dos" and a few "don'ts" for arriving serenely at your own dinner table with the meat beautifully brown, hot and tender, the salad crisp, cold and dewy, the rolls fragrantly fresh from the oven, and every little garnish prettily in place. . List the order in which you plan to prepare food for the meal. First read through your recipes, noting cooking times and estimating pre-cooking preparation time. Then make a rough time schedule to follow. · Wash and prepare fresh vegetables and salad greens as soon as you return from the market, before storing them. This will save you many minutes at dinnertime and will also result in crisper, tastier salads because the ingredients will be thoroughly dry and chilled when you use them. · Make salad dressings sometimes in quantity and keep refrigerated; keep a covered jar of seasoned flour on the shelf for gravies and breading meat and fish. · Make refrigerator desserts and molded salads the night before or early in the day. · Have water and coffee measured and ready beforehand . Plan to set the table, make the dessert, and prepare vegetables and relishes after you finish the breakfast dishes to cut down on work later in the day, when your energy is often lower. . Avoid planning too many new dishes for any one meal; doing the unfamiliar always requires more time. · Avoid leaving too many tasks for the last minute. Making gravy, salad, and coffee and warming rolls in the oven all at once can be confusing. . Keep shears or scissors in the kitchen and use them to snip fruits, celery, meat, chicken, and dozens of other ingredients that require more time to chop. · Use your thermometer and kitchen timer. · Assemble all ingredients and utensils on a tray before you begin to bake. This saves many minutes of actual preparation time. · Set out all serving dishes conveniently on counter or table to speed up last minute serving. . Clear as you work, wash cooking equipment or put it to soak in water as you finish with each piece. This cuts cleanup time later. · Keep a list in the kitchen and note each staple item as you use the last of it. Add this to your shopping list at marketing time.

Despite the provided tip and the charming lime green illustration, there actually is only one or two gelatin molds in this thing

Speaking of that, the man in this particular equation flipped through more or less at random, saw Barbecued Spareribs in the Outdoor Entertaining section, and stopped there. To make it a dinner, we added the corn muffins mentioned on the opposite page, and trusted our own ability to make a vegetable to round out the plate.

Oh right, let me get out my corn stick pan– okay sorry I looked this up finally and it’s pretty cool. I actually want one now.

The recipe was followed by two choices of sauces made from scratch, and we went with the Texas Barbecue one, as the Sweet and Sour, well. I’m sure it’s alright. Prolly.

Outdoor Entertaining Following the trend to casual entertaining, more and more Americans are giving al fresco dinner parties during the warm-weather months. On these pages we suggest foods that are perfect for such occasions-easy to prepare and simple to serve.

Their consistency in grilling everything reminds me of a specific aspect of the Waffle House Index – waffles are ironically the first thing to get struck from the menu, as the wafflemakers require electricity. Everything else, including boiling water for preground coffee, can be done on the gas grills

Ribs for Two(?)

Whilst the man was out marketing (we’re a modern household), I got a text message asking me what the difference is between spareribs and shortribs. Surprisingly, while the meat part of the Cooks Primer section does have a good chunk of info, that’s not in there, so I told him “I think that’s more of a question for the Google lady”.

Cookbook section on Meat Cookery - the cow diagram just says "Rib"

Midsommar (2019) dir. Ari Aster

Turns out the answer is weirdly complicated and depends on what animal you’re eating, but basically ‘spareribs’ are usually the default cut, and ‘shortribs’ are a more specific cut. Sort of.

This conundrum combined with the poor eyesight I inherited and the high price of meat resulted in my father mistakenly only purchasing a premade package of two (2) spareribs, which I was honestly surprised one could even do. Even this small-home-maker can eat more than two spareribs. We figured this is another sad sign of the grocery economy nowadays.

Ah yes, the classic pantry staple, sherry extract

I also slightly overcooked the corn muffins (in my defense, my oven typically runs cold, so I figured it was safe to finish up my mahjong hand before pulling them out). I also let my father take the photos below of the finished product, as I didn’t have the spoons to get out my usual photo setup and artfully plate a dish (are the kids still using the spoons metaphor? I really doubt it. Younger readers, chime in with the new hip slang in my non-existent comments section.)

Grill, the natural habitat of dads

The resulting modest portion size due to the meat market math mistake

That being said, everything turned out fine. I cut the fridge time for the ribs in half, but I don’t think this had any adverse affect on the final product. I do think though that baking ribs in the oven for several hours is the easiest and most effective method for deliciousness as opposed to the parboil-rest-grill combo this directed. Plus, it makes your house smell like bbq ribs! A Meaty Bonus!

I did manage to take my usual mid-prep photos – you’ll recognize the barn wood substitute of my trusty cutting board below.

Not to mention boiling meat is uh…not the most visually appealing of prep methods

The sauce for the ribs was a bit more tomato and vinegar forward than the bottled stuff we usually use, but it had a nice acidity and clung to the ribs well. I almost added my leftover coconut milk to it just to use it up, but realized I needed to judge the recipe as written. In hindsight I think I had the right idea.

Nothing quite as appealing as squirts of ketchup suspended in white vinegar

The corn muffins needed butter, as corn muffins do. The recipe also made more like 5 muffins than 6, and we’re talking babby muffins. No way it’s making 8 whole corn sticks. I would consider doubling it even if you’re just two, and possibly recommend a fancy butter option, like honey butter.

I didn’t burn them, they’re just optimized for cutting board camouflage

Recipe for Two

(spare)ribs, at least 4-ish?
½ cup soy sauce
1½ tbsp cornstarch
1 cup tomato juice
½ cup water
¼ cup ketchup
¼ cup vinegar
2 tbsp worchestershire sauce (or soy sauce)
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp chili powder
⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
(I omitted all italicized and increased paprika)

⅔ cup Bisquick (or the equivalent)
⅓ cup corn meal
1 tbsp sugar
1 egg
¼ cup milk

fresh/frozen vegetable of your choice

  1. Get out a Dutch oven or something like it to plop the ribs into, and cover them with water. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.
  2. Transfer ribs to a glass dish and mix together the soy sauce and cornstarch. Brush ribs liberally with mixture and place them into the fridge. (Maybe wait for them not to be piping hot…) Chill for thirty minutes to an hour, or basically until an hour before dinner time abouts.
  3. Meanwhile, combine remaining sauce ingredients and simmer for about 15 minutes. Transfer to some sort of container with a brush in prep for future basting.
  4. You can also combine dry ingredients for biscuits and do some dishes while you wait. Maybe play an East round of mahjong on your phone.
  5. Fire up your grill to…I don’t know, low and slow? MoM (Medium Off Medium)? In true mid-century fashion I had my dad do this part. Grill ribs for a half hour.
  6. Get ready to multi-task! (i.e., Read the next couple of steps at once.) You’re going to be continuing grilling the ribs for another half hour, but this time turning and basting “frequently” with your sauce.
  7. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 450F. Add your wet ingredients to dry for corn muffins. Beat vigorously for a minute or so, then drop into greased muffin tins. (I just used paper liners, but…that was possibly a mistake.) Bake for about 12 minutes.
  8. Also, steam some veggies in the microwave. Your choice.
  9. Take the ribs off the grill and remember to butter your corn muffins. And the veggies.
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