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Snazzy, Funky and Eclectic

Epicly Adorable Anne Taintor Matchboxes!

January 11, 2011 ashleigh No comments

Hello!!

It is a super snowy day here in Chicago which always makes me want to curl up next a roaring fire. *sigh* And what better way to light a fire than with a witty little match from a witty litle matchbox?? Fortunately, we have just that at Eclecticity! Yay! Our matchboxes from Anne Taintor have super fun retro graphics along with awesomely witty little comments on them! The perfect *zing!* to add to any fire! Stop in soon!!

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Happy New Year!!!

January 5, 2011 ashleigh No comments

Call of the Goddess 2011 calendarHi Everyone!

I hope you’re having a fabulous start to your new year!! To help kick start your awesome 2011, all of our calendars are now 20% off! Yay! So come snag one of your own today before they run outta here!

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Banana Bread from Callaway Gardens and The Midnight Sun Cocktail from The Midnight Sun- 1974

December 30, 2010 ashleigh No comments

Hello Friends!

The holiday season sure is a busy one here at Eclecticity!! Please forgive the period of non-blogitivity that happened in the interim! But, we’re back now and ready for a new and exciting year!! Yay!

So, to kick things off and get us back on track, I found a super delish sounding and seemingly simple old timey recipe from one of our newest old cookbooks in our ever expanding cookbook collection! This one comes from Secrets from Atlanta’s Best Kitchens by Earlyne S. Levitas. It’s a fantastic cookbook composed of various recipes from the best eateries in and around Atlanta in 1974. Enjoy!

BANANA BREAD

You will need:

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 cups sifted flour

1 teaspoon soda

3 mashed bananas

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Mix together sugar and shortening. Add salt. Add beaten eggs and slowly stir in dry ingredients. Add mashed bananas and bake in a well-greased loaf pan for 45 minutes in an oven set at 325 degrees.

See? Simply delicious!

And since it’s almost the New Year, how about an amazing cocktail recipe?!

This one comes from the same book as the banana bread recipe but it comes to us from the bar at The Midnight Sun. Cheers!

THE MIDNIGHT SUN COCKTAIL

You will need:

1 oz. gin

1/4 oz. apricot brandy

1/4 oz. peach brandy

1/2 oz. cherry heering (Danish cherry brandy based liqueur)

2 oz. champagne

Shake gin and brandies together very well and pour in a chilled glass. Then add 2 oz. champagne, stir, and serve immediately.

And then make another one right away because they’re super scrumptious!!!

Old Time Recipes, Recipes from 1950 to 1975, What's New at Eclecticity none
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Fabulous New Year Greeting Cards!!

December 29, 2010 ashleigh No comments

Check out our swingingly swell collection of New Year cards!! They’re pretty great if we do say so ourselves!!

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Book Signing with Author Mark Earnest

November 12, 2010 Eclecticity No comments

Hello Friends!!

Come on down to Eclecticity (4718 N. Lincoln Chicago, IL 60625) tomorrow afternoon from 1-3 pm to meet author Mark Earnest who will be on hand to sign copies of his fabulous novel The Delta Project in the newly added Holiday Room in the back of our store! All sales will benefit The Enterprising Kitchen, a wonderful non-profit organization that helps women in need become self-sufficient. A fantastic book, a fantastic organization, and a fantastic store, so come on in and say hi tomorrow!

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Delicious Pumpkin Pie – 1931

November 11, 2010 ashleigh No comments
Coconut Dishes That Everybody Loves!

Hello All!

It’s November which means you’ll be eating plenty of pumpkin pies later on this month, but none will be as delicious as this one! And, if you need to bring a dessert to an office function or family gathering like we talked about yesterday, then this is definitely the pie you want to bring to showcase your awesomeness.
 
Taken from Coconut Dishes That Everybody Loves (1931).  (It even says in the title that everybody will love this!!)
 
You will need:
1 unbaked pie shell
1 1/2 cups canned shredded coconut
2 cups cooked mashed pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon mace
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
3 tablespoons butter, melted
3 eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups milk, scalded
 
Combine ingredients in order given and mix thoroughly. Pour into pie shell. Bake in hot oven (400 degrees Fahrenheit) for 15 minutes, then decrease heat to moderate (350 degrees Fahrenheit) and bake 30 minutes longer.
Pretty easy, no? Bear in mind these recipes come from vintage cookbooks so there are some old-fashioned techniques, (who knew pumpkin pies could be made without the canned stuff? Not this schmuck, that’s for sure!) but if our grandmothers could do this stuff, we sure as hell can, right? :/  As far as the coconut goes, you’d be best off making sure you use the canned stuff versus the flaked stuff since the canned coconut has more sweetness and moisture to it.
 
Also, if you do use canned pumpkin, don’t use a full 2 cups since there’s less water puree in canned pumpkin…probably more like 15 ounces would be better. But, mashing a pumpkin is easier than it sounds like it is. (Or am I the only one who think that sounds tough?? I mean, pumpkins are only for carving faces into and then roasting the seeds, right?) Find a sweet pumpkin (NOT the kind you carve at Halloween…a smaller, “pie” one…a 2 pounder should yield 2 or more cups), cut it in half, scoop out the seeds and stringy junk, place the halves face down in a roasting pan with a cup of water in the bottom, and cook for 60-90 minutes. Then pull it out, let it cool, scoop out the remaining cooked pumpkin and throw it in a bowl and mash it! Totally easier than it sounds…
 
And, last but not least, the mace spice. No, do NOT just spritz some of that pepper spray you have to guard yourself on the walk home from the train at night…unless you want your loved ones to choke to death. No bueno. DO use ground mace from your local grocer’s store (I had no idea it came in non-pepper spray form either). The bonus is, if the cookbook is wrong and everybody doesn’t love this pie, you can just throw some of that leftover mace in your pepper spray and then we’ll see who doesn’t like your pie, eh? But, they’ll love it so you won’t have to resort to that. :)
Old Time Recipes, Recipes from 1925 to 1950 none
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Pineapple Sweet Potatoes and Artichoke Hearts Riviera- 1973

November 10, 2010 Eclecticity 2 comments
Amazing illustrations from The American Heart Association Cookbook

Hello!

Looks like it’s that time of year again, folks…time to gather around the dinner table with our nearest and dearest and gossip about everyone else whilst simultaneously stuffing ourselves silly! Ah, The Holidays. So joyous. And, if you’re anything like me, you probably get routinely stuck having to bring a side dish or dessert because you’re not trustworthy enough to do the main course just because you once burned macaroni noodles. (I was 12…when will they ever let it go?!) Bringing the side dishes is like being picked last for dodgeball. I myself could live off of nothing but side dishes, but let’s face it…everyone’s looking at the main dish, not the boring side of yams. But, not to fret, my friends! With the help of the following side dish recipes, you’ll be able to show off your awesome culinary skills, your family and friends will be fighting over the last remaining bits, and you’ll shine through as the star that you are! Victory!
 
Both recipes are taken from The American Heart Association Cookbook (1973).
 
Pineapple Sweet Potatoes
You will need:
4 medium sweet potatoes, unpeeled (about 1 pound)
1/4 cup pineapple juice
2 tablespoons oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chopped pineapple
pinch each cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice
1 tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon margarine
 
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Farenheit. Boil potatoes until tender (about 30 minutes), and remove skins. Mash pulp. Add the fruit juice, oil and salt and whip until fluffy. Add chopped pineapple and spices. Turn into an oiled 1-quart baking dish. Spread molasses over the top, dot with the margarine, and bake uncovered until lightly browned. Makes 4-6 servings
 
Artichoke Hearts Riviera
You will need:
1 10-ounce packages frozen artichoke hearts
1/2 cup dry vermouth
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1/2 cup margarine
 
Cook artichoke hearts as directed in package. Drain. Combine vermouth, lemon juice, garlic, seasonings and margarine in a saucepan. Cover and simmer 5 minutes. Pour over cooked artichoke hearts. Garnish with chopped parsley. Makes 6 servings.
 
 
 
 
Old Time Recipes, Recipes from 1950 to 1975, Uncategorized none
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Zen-ticity

November 9, 2010 ashleigh No comments

Sooo relaxing

Namaste Friends!

Ever have a day that just stresses you out to the max? You have a bazillion things to do, meals to make, AND the holidays are lurking just around the corner meaning you have even MORE stuff to do?? Yikes! Well, never fear, dear friends! We have many helpful and relaxing things here at Eclecticity (a.k.a Zen-ticity!): soothingly delightful Shoyeido incense in a variety of scents, a multitude of oil diffusers as well as a fantastic array of aromatherapy oils, and so much more! So, take a deep breath, head on over, and get ready to Zen yourself through this holiday season. See you soon! :)

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Chicken Breasts Baked in Cream – 1958

November 3, 2010 ashleigh No comments
Yet another amazing First Edition cook book in our collection!

Hello All!

As the weather cools down, it’s always nice to have delicious and warming go-to dinner recipes and this mouth-watering creamy chicken delight should definitely be in your repertoire! So without further ado, here is the recipe for this tantalizing dish pulled from our First Edition copy of Betty Crocker’s Dinner For Two Cook Book (1958).
You will need:
 
2 whole chicken breasts (about 2 lb.)
3 tbsp. fat
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 small garlic clove, minced
3/4 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup cream (20%)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
 
Heat oven to 300 degrees. Cut chicken breasts in two, making 4 serving pieces. Brown breasts in fat until golden brown. Heat onion, garlic, broth, cream, and seasonings in saucepan. Place chicken in roaster and pour sauce over them. Cover and bake 2 hours. Uncover and bake 15 to 20 minutes more. Remove chicken from pan and keep warm while making Gravy: Blend 3 tbsp. flour and 1 cup water into drippings in pan. Cook 2 to 3 minutes.
Mmmm…doesn’t that sound yummy? Pair it off with some wild rice, grilled broccoli, and hot bread rolls (all of which there are recipes for in the book located at our store ;) ) and you’ve got yourself a meal!! Enjoy!
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And on a serious note…..

October 29, 2010 Eclecticity No comments

Our newest addition, Spatz, has had some serious and unexpected medical bills of late. He had a really pissed off pancreas which shut down all of his internal organs. He was close to death and needed emergency surgery. None of this came cheap, and, we’re asking our friends, if you can help defray the medical costs, please…


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