amylsacks' photos with the keyword: 1931

And think of what all those hours of quadruple sifting will do for your upper body strength, Ladies!

"Swans Down Cake Flour will not only help you to achieve perfection in cake making, but it will make all your fine baking better than it could ever be, if you used ordinary flour. Swans Down will give extra crispness to your cookies-- extra lightness and tenderness to your biscuits, muffins, shortcakes, griddle cakes, and waffles-- wonderful lightness and flaky tenderness to your pastries! Follow these recipes and prove it!..."

"Frosting Frills For Special Occasion Cakes: ...The pastry bag may be made of a three-cornered piece of heavy paper folded into cornucopia shape and pinned in place, or, better still, of a piece of heavy muslin or light-weight canvas stitched in the desired shape. This can be washed after using and so kept clean..."

In the lower left hand corner of the "Caramel Layer Cake," you can just make out the illustrator's name: "Giro." I don't know anything about them. But these really are terrific pictures.

Some clippings from inside the booklet, slightly enlarged. I'm not sure what the "lightning" in "Lightning Layer Cake" was in reference to, since all of these cakes seem like pretty drawn-out productions. Usually the devoted cook sifted the flour 3-4 times, and presumably didn't own an electric mixer.

Inside front cover and first page from the booklet. Considering that the Depression was in full swing, this is a pretty lavish production. The cover is heavy cardstock and the papers inside are thick. Nice Art Deco stylings on the typeface and pictures, too.

Front and back cover of a 50-page promotional booklet published by Igleheart Brothers, Inc. ("Established 1856") of Evansville, Indiana, and General Foods Corporation. I don't know what the punched hole was for. A string holding an extra coupon or a small trinket went there, maybe.

(L.) Please tell me somebody based a quilt design on these sandwiches. (Including the banana-liverwurst combo.) Because that would rock. (R.) The foods-for-kiddies page also looks great, though I don't know what animal the salt and pepper shakers are meant to be. (Donkeys? A Chihuahua-Doberman mix?) Or why you'd need to salt and pepper a Banana "Junior Custard" in the first place. Some mysteries aren't meant to be solved, I guess.

In the instructions for Banana Frosting (which sounds like it might be pretty good), they specify using a "silver fork" to mash the fruit with. I'm not sure why. Maybe it was like serving caviar, and the wrong utensil substance would destroy their delicate bouquet or something.

On the left, you can see why they nicknamed this dish "Banana Slug Delight." [shudder]. Meanwhile, on the center right, the trippy Deco patterns keep everyone from noticing that their banana has been rolled in mayonnaise before being, er, studded with nuts.

...Still, somehow the banana-bacon combo got on through. To this day, nobody's sure how it happened.

When bananas got into trouble back then, their press agent talked privately with Hearst and made sure that the public never found out...

The inside of the front and back covers. The placid pink coloring here reflects how much the locals loved giving us all their food and labor, before Che' and Castro showed up to ruin everything.

By 1931, it should have been okay to start conversation at parties using gin and vermouth again. Maybe this booklet was targeted at hostesses who didn't drink. From a 24-page promo published by Fruit Dispatch Co.

Clockwise from upper left, chapter images clipped from "Story of Maxwell House Coffee," "How to Make Good Percolated Coffee," "Delightful Recipes from Other Countries," and "Correct Use of Different Types of Percolators."

"Care of Coffee Equipment: Remember that scrupulously clean equipment is necessary for making good coffee. Wash the pot in clean, hot, soapy water, using a slender brush for the spout and any crevices or grooves that cannot otherwise be reached... Keep the coffee pot bright and free from any stain or discoloration. The sediment which collects on the inside of the pot should be removed by scouring..."

"The World's Favorite Drink-- Good Coffee. Fragrant, sparkling, amber-clear coffee is truly a drink of a thousand delights. Rare bouquet... pungent flavor... limpid, mellow smoothness... all in one glorious beverage! "Coffee belongs to so many occasions. The satisfying, homelike beverage of the family table. The savory zest of the camp fire meal. The friendly glow of the cozy, intimate gathering. And the crowning touch of dignified drawing-room hospitality. "Small wonder that the secrets of making the perfect cup of coffee are so coveted and so well worth knowing!" Front and back covers of a 20-page promo booklet published by Maxwell House Products Company, Inc. of Los Angeles, CA, Jacksonville, FLA, and Houston, TX.

I kind of think that 5-Minute Grapefruit Mayonnaise speaks for itself. :/