From Southern Living: Our Best Recipes. Volume 3, 1978.

1 cup cooked chicken

1 tablespoon chopped onion

2 tablespoons chopped pimiento

dash of hot sauce

1/2 cup salad dressing or mayonnaise*

1 cup chopped pecans

*the cookbook actually has a typo here that says manonnaise…maybe because they are balls? I don’t think I would use this much mayo.

Combine all ingredients, mixing well; chill several hours. Shape into 1-inch balls. Yield: about 2 dozen.

For a another interesting chicken balls recipe, though I don’t know if it qualifies as retro at all, and it isn’t chicken salad balled up see the Hot Chicken Balls Salad recipe.

Make your favorite meatball recipe or better yet “cheat” and buy them frozen. This would be a recipe for small meatballs, not those giant things that go on spaghetti. Cook them thoroughly. (Don’t forget your food thermometer! Ok, so, I have never used a food thermometer to make this recipe but you really ought to because ground meat is like that.)

Before the advent of frozen meatballs, my mother generally mixed ground beef, onion soup mix, an egg and breadcrumbs together for the meatballs for this recipe. Clearly meatballs themselves are not her specialty but it doesn’t really matter because, well, the sauce is the thing.

Combine 1 package of onion soup mix, one small jar apricot jam/preserves, 1 small bottle russian dressing in a small saucepot. Heat until melted/combined. Pour over meatballs. Then you can serve or you can throw them in a crockpot on low and let them work their party magic. Rumor is that you can serve them over rice or noodles, but can’t say that I have ever done such a thing.

Yes, that’s right. We are going to grow a pair and cook balls this week. Meatballs, sausage balls, maybe even matzoh balls and those yummy-no cook peanut butter chocolate balls.

No, no, sorry to disappoint you, no family jewels on the menu, if you are interested in recipes for those, click here.

Does anyone know when Brim coffee vanished? Does anyone know that it has vanished for certain? How many of you complete “fill it to the rim” with Brim? Have you ever had a cup of Brim? I am afraid I haven’t, but I will admit that some of my earliest coffee experimenting was with the Sunrise coffee also pictured on this page from Rita’s Retros. My mother had a jar of sunrise that I think my grandparents had left, though I am not sure of that. I do remember digging into the hardened mass with a spoon and deciding coffee was overrated. (keep in mind I was probably 6) I am glad I got past that.
Accompanying this post is the inspirational mug of Late Night Log-in from Boca Java. I am enjoying it quite a bit. Smooth I think describes it to perfection. Smooth, of course being a code word for: nice for folks who think they like coffee but really like something drinkable. It truly suits me: the coffee drinker who finds the fussiness of the coffee pros a bit off-putting and likes coffee in the morning or with dessert but reaches for Coca-cola the rest of the day. For this, I might be able to put away my coke.

In order to be thematically appropriate for the day.
Bring one quart of water to a boil in a saucepan (or old can). Add 3/4 cup of ground coffee. Return to boil. Remove from heat and cover (you could use your cowboy hat for this). Wait until the grounds sink. (5 minutes or so) Serve.

This comes from the “Brazilian Menu” in Around The World Cookery with Electric Housewares. 1958. Live better Electrically!

Coffee Ice Cream (Electric Refrigerator)

1 cup cold strong coffee

24 marshmallows, quartered or 2 cups minature marshmallows

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup heavy cream

COMBINE–all ingredients except cream in container of electric blender.
BLEND–thoroughly. POUR–into freezing tray of electric refrigerator or freezer.
FREEZE–until mushy. WHIP–cream, using electric mixer.
WHIP–coffee mixture. FOLD–in cream. FREEZE–until firm. Serves–6.

This comes from Talk About Good, Le Livre de la Cuisine de Lafayette, a cookbook from The Junior League of Lafayette, Louisiana, first printing in 1967.

Now, I have an affection for Junior League cookbooks, particularly this one. I have NEVER made a recipe from this cookbook that failed to impress. This cookbook definitely makes the list of which books I would rescue in an emergency, if I was to rescue books.

Cafe Brulot

16 lumps sugar

12 jiggers of cognac

4 sticks of cinnamon

2 twists of lemon peel

24 whole cloves

4 large twists of orange peel

10 demitasse cups strong coffee

Allow all ingredients (except coffee) to muddle 1 hour before serving. Blaze all for 1-2 minutes. Add coffee slowly. May top with whipped cream if desired after serving.

Charles H. Stewart, M.D.

My additional notes: You have to love a recipe that offers a use for demitasse cups AND uses the words lumps, muddle, and blaze.

From the Modern American Family Cookbook

3/4 cup boiling water

1/3 cup medium grind coffee

1 tablespoon butter

1 1/2 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup milk

2 egg yolks, beaten

pinch salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup whipping cream

Add the boiling water to the coffee in a saucepan, heat it just to the boiling point, then remove to a warm place to stand 5 minutes. Strain through four thicknesses of cheesecloth or through firm muslin. Melt butter, blend in flour and add milk slowly, stirring constantly over direct heat until sauce boils and thickens and is smooth. Stir some of the hot mixture into the beaten yolks; then add the yolk mixture to the hot sauce. Place over boiling water and cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add 1/4 cup of the strained coffee, salt and sugar; stir well. Chill, then stir in the vanilla and fold into the stiffly whipped cream. Serve immediately or store in a tightly covered jar in the refrigerator; it may be kept 2 or 3 days. This is a delicious sauce for chocolate blanc mange, cornstarch pudding, ice cream or steamed fruit pudding. About 2 cups.

Coffee provides much of the fuel around this house. We have been trying the BocaJava blogger blends. I really adored the New Media Mavericks, really wasn’t fond of the Blogs of Bravery Blend, but that isn’t a reflection on the coffee itself, it definitely could be someone’s favorite coffee ever, just not mine. New Media Mavericks almost tasted good enough to convince me that brewing coffee can come close to being an event worth taking part in. It definitely fills your home with great coffee aroma as well. I can’t wait to try the rest of the blends.
In any case, even without Boca Java filling our cups, May brings the week when we celebrate coffee in this house. You see, coffee serves as one of the touchstones of our relationship. Late May comes and our thoughts go towards coffee. Spring means love to some, to us it means love and coffee. In that spirit, the retro foods this week will have something to do with coffee.

From the Modern Family Cookbook

The Meal Planner’s Creed

The health of my family is in my care; therefore–

I will spare no effort in planning the right kinds of food in the right amounts.

Spending the food dollar for maximum value is my job; therefore –

I will choose from the variously priced foods to save money without sacrificing health.

My family’s enjoyment of food is my responsibility; therefore–

I will increase their pleasure by planning for variety; for flavorful dishes, for attractive color, for appetizing combinations.

My family’s health, security, and pleasure depend on my skill in planning meals; therefore–

I will treat my job with the respect that is due it.