November, 1964 Woman's Day

Years ago I was gifted a box of vintage magazines and from time to time I share them on my blog. Today I have chosen Woman's Day from November, 1964 which includes 100 gift ideas to make, and some ads that recalled to mind my childhood home.

My husband recently realized we are missing six spoons from our flatware set! I've had a lot of chatter on Facebook about what to do, from using heirloom silver plate to buying replacements. I would love to buy the pattern I grew up with, which appears in this advertisement--Twin Star. The design included two abstract stars etched onto a graceful curved handle.

I do still have Mom's Miro cookie press and cookie cutters, like in the advertisement below! It is so cool to know how old they are!

The article on 100 Christmas gifts came with complete instructions. The ideas were very diverse, for all ages, and includes needlework, sewing, crafting, and woodworking ideas. I would love to know if anyone remembers receiving a gift made from these instructions.

I love those stuffed animal dogs and these adorable dolls!

Vermont Maid offered this sampler for embroidery. $1.25 seems like quite the deal! That would be nearly $10 in today's dollars.

Of course, every woman's magazine had to include food ads and recipes. Quaker Oats offered suggestion on motivating kids to eat their oatmeal.

Money Saving Menus in 1964 seem quite elaborate but included thrifty use of planned leftovers. On November 22 the menu was Roast Pork, boiled potatoes, sauerkraut with allspice, sautéed apple wedges, and lemon meringue pie. Left over pork was used on November 24 for Pork Chow Mein with Chow Mein noodles, peach salad, and cottage pudding with chocolate sauce. Other menus included November 4's Lamb stew with potato balls, peas and onions, marjoram croutons with mixed green salad, applesauce, and cookies for desert; November 14's Yankee Bean Soup with frankfurters, scalloped tomatoes, corn bread, and for desert stewed pears with sour cream cookies.

 I remember Velveeta grilled cheese sandwiches.

 And Mom made Pineapple Upside Down Cake frequently--served warm with whip cream.

 Here is a real old pattern of Ancor Hocking baking ware.

We never had one of these Christmas Card Trees, but I knew people who did.

 Remember the Fisher-Price telephone? It seems every kid had one.

 I know my brother had that tool bench when a tot.

Oh, don't these bring back memories! Those plastic boots that we wore over our shoes! I always thought they looked quite dorky.

The shoes we needed to protect might have been Cobbies from Red Cross, "the easy way out and about suburbia." Only $13 a pair!

November 1964 was just a year after President Kennedy's assassination. Mementos of all kinds were sold.

 Reynolds Aluminum suggested making your own decorations.

 I picked up this book many years ago at a sale. There are nice chapters on quilting.

A pull-out section The Collector's Cook Book offered recipes for Gifts From Your Kitchen. Here are some selections.

Basil Salad Dressing
1 cup salad oil
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 1/2 tsp of dried basil leaves
Measure ingredients into a jar and shake thoroughly. Store in refrigerator.

Candied Kumquats
4 cups fresh kumquats, about 1 pound
water
sugar
pecan halves
Stem and wash kumquats. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Boil 5 minutes, drain, and cut in halves, lengthwise. Combine 2 cups sugar and 1 cup water and boil until sugar is dissolved. Drop kumquats into boiling syrup. Cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Put into bowl, cover, and let stand overnight. The next day cook 20 minutes and lift from syrup. Lay on paper to cool. Press a pecan on each, roll in sugar.

Preserved Grapefruit Peel
4 large grapefruit
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
6 whole cloves
2 sticks cinnamon, broken
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsps. mixed pickling spices
1/3 cup picked sweet red pepper
yellow food coloring
Pull skin off grapefruit, reserving fruit for other uses. Scald skins with boiling water. Pour off water, cover again with boiling water and boil until tender. Change water and rinse once during cooking time, about 45-50 minutes. Drain. Combine 1 cup water and remaining ingredients. Boil 2 minutes to make a syrup. Add peel and cook until thick, about 25 minutes. Pour into hot, sterilized glasses and seal. Makes about 2 pints.

Pick Up Sticks
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup light or dark corn syrup
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
2 tablespoons butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 package (5 ounces) pretzel sticks
Combine sugar, corn syrup, water, and salt in heavy saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Then cook over medium heat without stirring to hard crack stage, 290 degrees, or until a small amount of syrup separates into threads which are hard and brittle when dropped into very cold water. Reduce heat to low. Add butter, vanilla, and about a quarter of the pretzels. Stir until pretzels are boated and butter is melted. Lift out, drain, and put on a greased pan. Separate with a fork. Repeat until pretzels are all coated.