Hello Dear Readers and welcome to the first installment of:
Recipes for People Who Are All Dead Now
It wasn’t easy making Knox Gelatin. Just ask anybody who was born before 1925! So, why not combine the newfangled invention of the television with gelatin recipes for people who are all dead now and put it into a book? Apparently somebody at the Knox Gelatin Company didn’t realize the question was rhetorical.
Back in 1969, there were a lot of old people still alive who actually ate things like tomato aspic, jellied Gazpacho and Waldorf salad.
Unfortunately, all those people are dead now. Taking with them to the grave — every conceivable need for Knox Gelatin.
But don’t feel bad once way or the other, Dear Readers, because through the pages of this slightly bizarre Knox On-Camera Recipe Book from 1969, we will examine in great detail (probably too much) some of the Knox Gelatin Recipes that made this country what it used to be.
Recipes that salute a quieter, gentler, jigglier time in our nation’s food history.
The Knox On-Camera Recipes book begins by educating us in the five types of gelatin.
This delightful red brick is an example of a simple gel. Mix Knox Gelatin with your favorite liquid and lay it atop (gently now!) a type of lettuce that is probably extinct now. Slice a cucumber for charm and casually toss some olives (blindfolded) for that devil-may-care appeal. The only thing left to do now is wander the streets looking for a person in the 110 year-old age group to eat it.This is an example of a gelatin whip. Which means after you make a brick of gelatin (see above) it is whipped (by whom and with what is omitted information — a 110-year-old with a cane, perhaps?) until light and fluffy causing it to become far more appealing than an aspic; but far less appealing than anything people who are all dead now could get at the ice cream parlor.Here’s an example of unflavored gelatin snow. It doesn’t look very much like snow or at least not very much like snow you would want to put in your mouth. But nevertheless, gelatin snow it is!! This mixture is also whipped until light and fluffy and/or to teach it a good lesson whichever comes first.In an effort to include something actually edible into the five types of gelatin, Knox came up with Lemon Chiffon Pie. First it’s chilled then whipped then partially chilled yadda yadda yadda, who cares anymore.Well this is a good one to end up with Mousse. (I know your name’s not Mousse, I just forgot the comma). Mousse happens when a solid ingredient is added into a not-so-solid ingredient either on purpose or by mistake. This was a favorite of people who are all dead now because there’s no whipping involved which means Gramps didn’t have to get out his cane, yet again!
And there you have it, Dear Readers, our first foray into preparing recipes for people who are all dead now.
32 thoughts on “Recipes for People Who Are all Dead Now”
Last fall I made a family cookbook to give out at Christmas. One of the recipes my grandmother gave me was an aspic recipe. I googled aspic and discovered it was a gelatin. The worst part? It was SHRIMP ASPIC!!! Oh I almost barfed when I put the pieces together.
Hahahaha! She actually gave you an aspic recipe! That is so funny. I remember when I was 19 years old, I worked in a hotel coffee shop and a lot of elderly people lived in the hotel and ate every meal in the coffee shop. One lady asked for Tomato aspic everyday. And we never had it. But I had her in mind when I wrote this post. She probably would have loved your grandma’s shrimp aspic recipe!! HA!
The only one I remember ever having around (andavoiding like the plague) when I was little was lime jello with carrots in it and mayonaise dabbed on the top. eeee-Yuck!
If I happen to wander by the old folks home and I happen to run into a 110 year old with a cane, I’ll be sure to have he/she whip up some aspic gelatin while playing tip toe through the window on the sound machine. What fun!!
Lol! Have you ever seen Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’? There’s a wonderfully amusing moment when the detective says something along the lines of ‘If doesn’t gel it isn’t aspic.’ lol.
Ha! Yes. It’s funny but now that I think about it, I don’t think I ever cooked anything I didn’t like to eat. I did buy some cottage cheese recently. I hated it when I was a kid and I thought it was high time I gave it another chance. And you know what I discovered? I still hate cottage cheese! 😀
Well, gee, not ALL of us are dead! I remember those pictures like it was yesterday. I got married in 1969, and spent time reading through recipes like this.
The lemon chiffon pie was pretty doggone good, by the way 🙂
You are absolutely right about the lemon chiffon pie. I think it’s gone extinct. We should definitely start a movement to bring it back into fashion. I haven’t seen one in years. (Of course now it would have to be made with eggbeaters and Splenda, nowadays, but still!) 😀
Linda Vernon Humor 
Last fall I made a family cookbook to give out at Christmas. One of the recipes my grandmother gave me was an aspic recipe. I googled aspic and discovered it was a gelatin. The worst part? It was SHRIMP ASPIC!!! Oh I almost barfed when I put the pieces together.
Hahahaha! She actually gave you an aspic recipe! That is so funny. I remember when I was 19 years old, I worked in a hotel coffee shop and a lot of elderly people lived in the hotel and ate every meal in the coffee shop. One lady asked for Tomato aspic everyday. And we never had it. But I had her in mind when I wrote this post. She probably would have loved your grandma’s shrimp aspic recipe!! HA!
Unflavored gelatin with veggies and bavarian chicken? Ugh, test of the fittest took a new meaning!
Ugh!! Bavarian chicken makes it sound just that much more horrible!
~Takes a bite out of chicken drumstick in his bucket of KFC~ I can’t imagine! *crunch*
LOL!!! I can just see you doing that tooo!!! 😀
Finger lickin good! 😉
Whip it good!
I’m trying to think where that’s from. Austin Powers?
I recognize those gelatin molds!
Haha!! So sorry to hear that Rick! 😀
The only one I remember ever having around (andavoiding like the plague) when I was little was lime jello with carrots in it and mayonaise dabbed on the top. eeee-Yuck!
I’m making these next time hubby decides to have a ‘Saturday off’ and I’m left to do all the work on the RUC 😀
Oh I love that idea Dianne!! Hahaha! He would never, ever do that again! HA! 😀
If I happen to wander by the old folks home and I happen to run into a 110 year old with a cane, I’ll be sure to have he/she whip up some aspic gelatin while playing tip toe through the window on the sound machine. What fun!!
Tip toe through the window on the sound machine? What? I have no idea what you’re talking about which makes it just that much funnier! 😀
Is it sad that i remember some of these? what about Tang gelatin?
I remember them too! Hahahaha Tang Gelatin, YUM! (But the aspic lovers would have added pork chops or what not to it, I bet!)
well the pork chops would totally wreck the Tang!
You’re right. And the astronauts would have chocked on them in space! 😀
that would just be a tragedy!
I had no idea there even WERE five types of gelatin. Goodness.
I know! Is it wrong to say that I’m glad all the aspic gelatin lovers are all dead now? No I don’t really mean that . . . much.
D’you know, to my palate there’s few things more stomach churning than jelly round meat. Ugh!!! I love sweet jelly, but aspic – yuck!
Oh I absolutely agree whole heartedly AND whole stomachly Katy!! 😀
Lol! Have you ever seen Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’? There’s a wonderfully amusing moment when the detective says something along the lines of ‘If doesn’t gel it isn’t aspic.’ lol.
Hahaha! I’ve only seen that movie once! But I LOVE that line. I may have to start working that into a conversation!! LOL!!
I remember that phase of cooking….I never quite managed to do them well… maybe because I didn’t care for them…Diane
Ha! Yes. It’s funny but now that I think about it, I don’t think I ever cooked anything I didn’t like to eat. I did buy some cottage cheese recently. I hated it when I was a kid and I thought it was high time I gave it another chance. And you know what I discovered? I still hate cottage cheese! 😀
Funny…I did the same thing…and came to the same conclusion… Diane
Really? I guess we’re on the same wavelength! 😀
Well, gee, not ALL of us are dead! I remember those pictures like it was yesterday. I got married in 1969, and spent time reading through recipes like this.
The lemon chiffon pie was pretty doggone good, by the way 🙂
You are absolutely right about the lemon chiffon pie. I think it’s gone extinct. We should definitely start a movement to bring it back into fashion. I haven’t seen one in years. (Of course now it would have to be made with eggbeaters and Splenda, nowadays, but still!) 😀