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How much of the interior decor, furniture, and lawn and garden ornaments from the 50’s and 60’s do you remember? You know, like pink and black tile in the bathroom, pink flamingos stickin’ up on the lawn, console stereos, and those chrome kitchen table and chair sets. What about those avocado green and harvest gold refrigerators, stoves, sinks, and, of course, sculptured carpet in the same colors from the 70’s? (Excuse me while I gag and s-s-s-hhh-i-i-i-vvv-e-e-e-rrrrrr…I never have taken to the harvest gold and avocado green colors.)

I don’t think I’ll ever forget the pink and black tile in the bathroom because it’s STILL in the home of one of my older family members. Believe it or not, it’s still in tip top condition. Come to think of it, this family member still has one of those console stereos and green, sculptured carpet in the living room, too. Kinda makes it easy to fall back a few years in time and relive my childhood when I visit this family member’s home.

If you’re longing to literally relive your childhood complete with chrome kitchen table and chairs and pink flamingos they’re still available at Amazon.com. BUT, there’s ONLY ONE of The Original Don Featherstone Lawn Flamingo Ornament in Original Packaging! left so you better hurry and have a sizable roll of cash or a good chunk of available credit on your credit card if you absolutely MUST have the original!

One of my fondest memories is getting up at the crack of dawn at my Grandmother’s and gathering around the red and white formica topped and chrome plated kitchen table with other siblings and cousins also visiting to sip our kids version of coffee from a saucer. Amazon.com has a 7pc White & Chrome Retro Oval Table & Rose Chairs Set similar to my Grandmother’s, but hers had a red and white swirly design on the tabletop.

I’d have to say home and garden design and decor has come a LONG way, wouldn’t you? It’s fun to be able to visit the homes of those that seem to stand still in time, but I don’t think I’ll be decorating my kitchen like Rachel Ray’s retro stage kitchen anytime soon. Please tell me you don’t want harvest gold or avocado green stuff in your house.

Popularity: 22% [?]

UPDATE - I removed the context links and replaced them with specific product links. The context link code creates links throughout my blog and I don’t like that. I prefer to have more control over the links in my blog.

I’m playing around today with Amazon.com affiliate links to see what happens when I use the context links. If you’re interested in the product I’m going to review here to test this, wonderful! If not, I’m fine with that, too. I do want to be honest and upfront, though, and let you know that this post is strictly a test.

I’m not sure I’ll leave the context links operative afterwards. It depends on how much it tends to take over my content. If it does so excessively, it’s gone and I’ll only use affiliate links that I generate when I wish to do so.

I think I’ll try reviewing a kitchen product because I recently purchased a new George Foreman Grill about which I can give an honest positive review. I purchased the George Foreman GRP90WGP G5 Multi Removable Plate Grill, Waffle Baker, Griddle and Bake, Platinum mainly because of the ability to remove the grill plates for ease of cleaning. That aspect has proved to be a godsend, too. It is so-o-o-o-o much easier to clean this one than it was to clean my older model GF grill.

The plates are dishwasher safe, but I read one review that stated they came out of the dishwasher discolored. The maintenance instructions in the manual state that you should “…wipe the uncoated side with a dry towel to prevent discoloration” after cleaning them in the dishwasher, and that “Dishwasher detergent may cause oxidation on the uncoated side of the cooking plate.” It goes on to state that the oxidation is not harmful and can be wiped off with a damp towel.

As for grilling and cooking, the quality of the food is pretty much the same as with my older model which I was always happy with. One of the benefits of the G5 is the five interchangeable plates that come with it. There are two plates for waffles, a steak plate, a grilling plate, and a baking plate. I also received a bonus of two more plates for omelets.

I prepared waffles using the Perfect Morning Waffles recipe in the cookbook that also comes with it. They were perfect in texture, taste, and size. I doubled the recipe because I was cooking for five, however. The plate is divided into two 5″x7″ waffle areas, but you will want to make them a little smaller so you won’t make a mess with batter running over the edge of the grill. My grandkids loved these waffles.

Of course, I’ve grilled meats and vegetables on this grill numerous times since purchasing it, all of which have turned out as I expected and just as meats and vegetables grilled on my older model. I did attempt to make crispy oven-baked pork chops using the baking plate one evening. I dipped the pork chops in beaten egg and then coated them with seasoned crumbled bran flakes. It took over 30 minutes for the center of the pork chops to reach 170 degrees fahrenheit, but they were very tender. They weren’t crispy as I had hoped for, though, probably because the enclosed cooking area is too small to produce dry heat and create the crispy texture.

The omelet plates will make three small omelets. I like the size of these because I usually can’t eat a large omelet. The omelet plates can also be used for individual pies, pizza pockets, wraps, quiche, sandwiches, and toast, too. Other than my experiment with crispy oven-baked pork chops, I haven’t made anything else with the baking plate. The cookbook does have a number of recipes for biscuits, cookies, etc. for it, though.

The George Foreman GRP90WGP G5 Multi Removable Plate Grill, Waffle Baker, Griddle and Bake, Platinum has proved to be an excellent buy for us. There are two of us living here, one of which has to eat out frequently due to his job. The grill is perfect for quick, healthy meals just for me or for both of us. It also served us well when we had three grandchildren visiting for a couple of weeks as it is large enough to grill/cook the main dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for five of us.

Popularity: 14% [?]

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Would they peek over your shoulder as you cook and tell you the right way to do it? No, seriously, as I stood in front of my microwave waiting patiently for my bowl of lima beans to reheat, I glanced up to my shelf of cookbooks and had a hmmm… moment. I realized how much someone could determine about a person just by checking out their collection of cookbooks.

If someone were to take stock of my collection, they would see that I have studied a number of different diet plans, love southern cooking (naturally, I’m from the South [USA] ), enjoy learning about food from other regions, and last but definitely not least in my eyes, that I prefer to cook things from scratch.

My favorite cookbook is Household Searhlight Recipe Book published by Capper Press in Topeka, KS. It was given to DH and me by my mother-in-law years ago. DH already had a worn copy of it when we first married which I wore out even more and so badly that the front hardcover of the book came off. After mentioning to my MIL how much I loved that one and wished I knew where to find another copy, she presented me with a new copy of it for Christmas that year. Thoughtful lady.

This cookbook was first published in 1931, has been printed in 32 editions, and made its way into over 2 million homes over the years. It’s a vintage cookbook, but you can find one easily by doing a search for it on the internet. If you’re looking for quick and easy or healthy recipes you won’t find them in this cookbook. What you’ll get is a cookbook broken down into 24 category chapters with over 300 pages of recipes literally made from scratch. It is the one cookbook that taught me cooking basics and reminded me of many things my grandmothers prepared.

What would your cookbooks tell about you? What is you favorite cookbook? Why?

Popularity: 21% [?]