Among my favorite thrift finds are old entertaining and decorating books that I find and garage sales. You never know what you might turn up -- a Technicolor cookbook filled with improbable concoctions of gelatin and food coloring or tawny toned meats accessorized with pineapple rings or wrinkly tomatoes.
When I dug this "Hits from Heloise 1966 Diary Appointment Calendar" book out of a box with my cousins, I am most certain I discovered the pre-cursor to what Martha Stewart has become today. (Note the lovely ball fringe on the cover of this "Deluxe Library Edition.")
Inside the front cover Heloise Cruze is described as a "petite five-two, hundred-twelve, blue eyed kind of hurricane from Texas [who] measures 34-27-34."
Woah!
The description of Heloise's mission to take drudgery out of house work continues:
"The naturally attractive and vivacious Heloise loves color. She finds release from her work in painting, and her closet-full of muumuus covers the spectrum. Heloise works the way she talks -- fast and often, also plays an electric organ."
I guess when she wasn't pumping away at the keyboard, she was busy rolling out bon mots of the household kind to sprinkle into a calendar that notes her celebrated hints throughout:
January 5: "Keep dustpan waxed. Dirt will slide off it much more easily than an unwaxed one."
March 9: "Tomato cocktail juice and consomme (instead of water), make a much more flavorful gravy for beef stew."
April 4: "Don't forget that the idea of making smashed cheese sandwiches, wrapped in foil and ironing them, with an electric iron is fabulous."
July 8 "Don't keep your husband in hot water all the time because this will not make him tender."
And then here's the general tip for August that I will never forget, and may just try:
"When preparing hamburger meat, shape it to look like a weiner. Then cook it the same way as ordinary hamburgers and serve on hot dog rolls."
Digging out my electric iron for lunchtime -- The Elegant Thrifter
Always Frugal, Always Fabulous!
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