The Great Cookbook Experiment

I eat a lot of avocado on toast for dinner. It's my go-to dinner when I don't know what else to eat, and I can justify it by saying that at least it isn't fast food. This blog could have just as easily been called "South Station Pizza" since I eat a lot of that too, but it doesn't have the same ring to it. Plus, avocado is just so much more retro, don't you think?

Then, one day I was roaming randomly through the internet, thinking "I'm going to be an Adult this week, and make dinners!" when I came across the glory that is The Gallery of Regrettable Food. It's the commentary that really makes the site. It fulfilled my craving for snarkiness that I've had since Regresty is no more, but it didn't help me figure out what Actual Adults have for dinner. Or had it?


My inner scientist was intrigued by the idea of experimenting with old recipes. Was it just the photography that made them look unappetizing, or were these foods really as scary to eat as they sounded? They also appealed to my less than adult side too-- how icky were these things really?

It was like the internet had offered up a triple dog dare in the form of awesomely weird recipes from days gone by. Of course I accepted, I can't ruin my rep by turning down a dare of any kind.

Thus, this blog, and the Great Cookbook Experiment has begun. The plan is pretty simple, at least once a week I'll try a new (to me) vintage recipe, with no regards for how weird it sounds. Lemon jello with chicken in it? Bring it on! Tomato aspic with shrimp? Sure why not! If the recipe is good awesome! It goes into the regular meal rotation. If the recipe turns out not quite good, but not a complete loss, I'll do my best to update it. If the recipe is just plain awful, there's always avocado toast. But, I have to take at least one bite of the food, no matter what it is.

I'm not going to lie, this is a bit scary. I have a deep seated dislike of condiments, and food in vintage cookbooks seems to be almost nothing but condiments. However, these were things that people ate at one time on a regular basis. I'm trying really hard to think of this as an edible time machine.

For anyone curious, this is my recipe for avocado toast:

• 1 ripe avocado
• Lemon juice
• Salsa
• Salt
• Cheddar cheese
• 2 slices good, thick bread

1. Slice the avocado in half, remove the pit and scoop the avocado out of the peel into a dish.
2. Add lemon juice, salsa, and salt to taste, and mash all ingredients together. 
3. Toast bread and top with avocado mixture, followed by the cheese. 
4. Broil until cheese is melted and eat!

I spend a lot of time at my day job doing science-y things, which usually means measuring things Very Exactly, so when I get home and it's time for dinner, I don't tend to measure things. A "glug" and a "glob" are standard units of measure in my house.

Tonight, I go grocery shopping for the first experimental meal. The first ingredient on the list is unflavored gelatin, the second ingredient is liverwurst. Wish me luck!

Angela