Photo Friday: Desi, Lucy, & Van

Candid photos are so fun! I just adore Lucy's hair color, and that Van Johnson appears to be drinking milk.

Happy weekend!

Vintage Recipe: Lemon Coconut Cake

Lemon Coconut Cake

1/4 cup lemon juice

15-oz. can sweetened condensed milk

2 tsp. grated lemon rind

Betty Crocker Angel Food Cake (baked as directed on package)

1/2 cup finely chopped coconut, toasted

Add lemon juice slowly to condensed milk. Stir until thickened. Add grated lemon rind. Chill 30 minutes. Cut angel food cake in 3 layers. Spread about 1/3 cup of lemon mixture between each layer. Spread remaining mixture on top and sides. Sprinkle top with coconut.

Taken from Betty Crocker's Guide to Easy Entertaining: How to Have Guests — and Enjoy Them. Published in 1959.

Photo Friday: Frank & Ava

Yard Sale Finds

This past Saturday my Mom and I ran across a yard sale on our way to run errands. Yard sales aren't very common in Baltimore, you might find 3 on a Saturday — if you're lucky — and they usually won't have very good prices or items (at least not for the vintage lover! Mostly children's clothes, toys, As-Seen-On-TV junk that doesn't work, etc).  So when we spotted a sale at this house we were very elated!

We had stopped at this lady's rummage the other year and she had scads of sewing supplies! Her items were clean, super cheap, and extremely organized. She's lovely to talk to — we probably ended up spending most of the time talking more than shopping!


For $6.00, I came away with three zippers, three tape measurers, a gorgeous rhinestone pin, a bundle of safety pins, and a Dritz tracing wheel. This pin was the most expensive item at $3.00. I bought all the tape measurers because I never have one handy when I need one! They seem escape from my knitting bag and sewing box.

Photo Friday: Betty Grable

Grab a cola, a Betty movie, and have a fabulous weekend!

Vintage Recipe: Maggie's Butter-Nut Cake Filling

"Come by for Dessert and Coffee"

Entertaining after dinner is growing fast in popularity. It is an especially pleasant and practical plan for hostesses who hold daytime jobs or have very small children who need to be bathed, fed, and put to sleep in the earlier part of the evening.


It also is the most convenient way to entertain for those living in extremely small quarters, such as a young couple I know.


He is a divinity student. She is working as a secretary until he gets his degree. They have wisely put current comfort second to ambition for their future, and are living in a one-room apartment. It has a tiny range and sink behind a Venetian blind. She is an excellent cook, but obviously cannot ask more than one couple for dinner. There is no place to put used dishes for more.


"But we can take care of ten after dinner — and without the range and sink staring at us," she said. "And we find that many of our friends like the idea of an after-dinner get-together as much as we do. Some with babies like to put them to sleep rather than let a baby-sitter do it, so they much prefer to join us around nine o'clock when everything at home is under control."


This young friend makes a point of choosing a dessert that is dainty in appearance but fairly substantial, such as a warm fruit pie `a la mode, a chiffon cheese cake, or an elaborate layer cake. One with an exceptionally good filling starts with our White Cake Mix and Fluffy White Frosting Mix. She bakes it the night before her party. When the layers are cool she spreads in this filling:

Maggie's Butter-Nut Cake Filling

Mix 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tbsp. flour, 3 tbsp. orange juice, 1/2 cup soft butter, 1/4 cup chopped dates or raisins in saucepan, and cook over low heat, stirring until mixture boils. Boil 1 minute. Pour half into 2 egg yolks, beaten, stirring constantly, then stir into filling remaining in saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add 1/2 cup chopped nuts. Cool before filling cake. Makes 1 1/4 cups.

She spreads the frosting on in big swirls later in the evening, and is all ready to serve it the following night from he small drop-leaf table flanked by coffee cups, sugar, cream, and an electric percolator — with the Venetian blind firmly lowered in front of her cooking facilities.

Taken from Betty Crocker's Guide to Easy Entertaining: How to Have Guests — and Enjoy Them. Published in 1959.

Photo Friday: Esther Williams & Van Johnson

Source

From the movie "Thrill of Romance (1945)", this photo captivates me for so many reasons:

1. It's Van Johnson.

2. Esther is simply gorgeous: her hair is perfect, her dress stunning, her expression perfect.

3. Van has an Eighth Air Force Patch.

4. All of the above adds up a picture of beautiful 1940s-ness.

Has anyone ever seen this movie? The description from IMDb has me ready to run out and buy it for the weekend!

"A swim teacher and a wealthy businessman are married after a brief courtship. A charming war hero falls in love with this newly-married woman, after her husband abandons her on their honeymoon for the sake of a business meeting."