Welcome to The Retro Table

I am completely fascinated by old cookbooks. I suppose I always appreciated this kind of thing, but a few years ago I picked up a copy of 1967's Better Homes and Gardens Barbecue Book and fell in love. At first glance, the pictures knocked my socks off. The vivid hues not found in nature, the plastic look of all the foods, the super-cool tableware. What's not to love? Upon closer inspection, I learned the true beauty of the book. Recipes such as Nutty Pups (peanut butter slathered hot dogs) and Hobologna Bunwiches (American cheese and bologna wrapped in bacon, grilled, and served on a bun) revealed a big misstep in the American culinary journey. Of course, most of the other recipes in the book looked delicious. In that guilty-pleasure kind of way.

Since then, I've received and purchased a slew of old cookbooks. I read them recreationally, but until now I really haven't cooked from them. You see, usually I lean toward the natural or moderately healthy, and these recipes are anything but. I've decided to blog about them so I have an excuse to make some rich or ridiculous retro recipe every week or so. I'll share the recipes and their sources, share some really shoddy pictures of the finished product, and review them for taste or weirdness value. I hope you enjoy it!