This is a Hobbit-themed cookbook by an author who actually did her research into Tolkien foodways. The recipes themselves aren't quite professional-level (this one, in particular, could have benefited from her being a bit more specific about sizes and measurements) and the organization in the book manages to be both cutesy and random -- this sweet bread was considered a Supper dish, but similar recipes found their way into Breakfast, Second Breakfast, Elevenses, Luncheon, Afternoon Tea, and Dinner chapters, as well. Still, I got it with Kindle credits, so for a practically free book, it was pr ..read more

Not strictly a cookbook, but the "cookery" sections -- there were 3 in all -- did offer a full cookbook's worth of recipes. The Lemon Lightning was just lemonade, although made with a shortcut that has been revived and rebranded as a "hack" numerous times since this was published. For the record, I don't think tossing unpeeled lemons in the blender is much of an effort-saver over just squeezing the lemons, although I'm still on the fence about whether the skin does or does not make it a bit more bitter. Also, I cut down the sugar by 75 percent and still would up finding this a little too sweet ..read more

This little gem of a cookbook was published in 1973. Most of the names and inside references I don't get or remember. but others I do. Wow, ancient history. And weird recipes. And way, way too many Jell-O salads involving coleslaw. The Hubert Humphrey-themed chicken was too sweet, but overall ok.   And as far as Humphrey's connection to Watergate -- turns out he could have prevented it, and the entire Nixon presidency. LBJ gave him some kind of "smoking gun" info in 1968 that would probably have tanked Nixon's campaign and gotten him elected instead, but oh well, that didn't happen. Makes ..read more

WrestleMania was 2 nights, so I thought I could do 2 in a row, too. Cooking the chili (which was amazing) was put on pause while I watched the show and aftershow, though, so I didn't get around to actually patching together and uploading the episode until after the show. I would totally eat the leftover chili (cold, because that's how I like it) while watching Monday Night RAW, only we don't get the stupid USA Network. $5 a month for the PPVs on Peacock is totally worth it and Friday Night Smackdown is on free (with antenna) TV, such a deal, but if Vince McMahon could see his way to severing t ..read more

The obligatory Wrestlemania episode, featuring a recipe named after a wrestler who is actually not scheduled to appear (although you never actually know who's going to show up). The bean dip turned out to be one of those things that kind of looks like crap, all grey and lumpy and kind of spackle-ish, but it tastes fantastic. I stuck pretty close to the recipe, just leaving out the garlic because I finally realized that I don't really like raw garlic in anything. Plus, I'm not an edgy-yet-vulnerable teenage girl, so there's no reason vampires would be interested in me, anyway ..read more

Anyone and everyone can get Spam in their inbox, but yay me, I'm special, I got Spam in the mail. Literally. A promo from the Hormel company consisting of 2 cans of Spam, several Spam-themed utensils, and, yippee, a Spam cookbook. So I cooked with Spam, and it was actually pretty good. Go figure ..read more

This not-quite-vintage but old enough to be laughably out-of-date cookbook dates from 2008, so assuming it was published before August that yeat it at least predates Aaron Rodgers' tenure with the Packers. I don't care for Mr. Rodgers one bit. Tonight in Milwaukee we're looking at temps of 8 below, tomorrow's high will top out around 5, and that's not including wind chill, but I still say the worst part of living here is having to see Rodgers' gargoyle face on every newscast spouting his "expert" opinion on absolutely everything. Dairy prices falling? Let's ask Aaron Rodgers what to do! Not en ..read more

Finally, my 12th and last episode of Cooking with Astrology from the Sydney Omarr/Mike Roy 1969 book of the same name. I saved the worst for last...Okay, I don't actually know any Capricorns, at least as far as I know. But then, I don't know the birthdays of anyone other than a small handful of people, nearly all of whom are related to me. The recipes for Capricorn were among the more difficult to pick from, though. A few good ones, all of which were too expensive/complicated/hard to source, and a few that were downright horrifying. The cheesy potato thing I went with was...ok. Pretty good for ..read more

At long last, the recipe I (mis)remembered for over 20 years, and the main reason I was bound and determined to track down the book again. The recipe couldn't be simpler: cook some bacon, crumble it, top iceberg lettuce with the bacon (or spinach: my mismemory used spinach, and it really does taste better) and shredded cheddar, then mix lemon juice (from a lemon, not a bottle) into the bacon grease and pour this over the salad as a dressing. Simple, unhealthy, and delicious, just what a salad should be. Sadly, I was out of real bacon, as well as either spinach or iceberg. My subbing in romaine ..read more

Another very late episode, this one for Scorpios. Sorry, Scorpios, if I even know any. But that's what you get for having a far more interesting sun sign than I do. You get to be all mysterious and intriguing (if possibly slightly pervy), while I get to be...boring.  Anyway, this chapter, unsurprisingly, was full of all kinds of interesting recipes, actually only one dud in the bunch (because asparagus), but the recipe I went with was chosen on account of budget/time/calorie/seasonal availability restraints. Omarr and Roy were, I believe, in California and also weren't necessarily trying ..read more