All posts by Alix

The Midcentury Supper Club Goes BBQ

Real Life : Alix, ,

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You know those vintage cookbooks we all love? With the crazy photos and elaborate creations? Well my friends and I have a habit of trying to recreate those dishes….and the results? Sometimes AMAZINGLY delicious! Sometimes…..wellll, a little scary! But always, always interesting!

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You might remember last December when I posted about our fabulous friend Karen’s legendary annual Midcentury Potluck! It was a Christmas party to end all Christmas parties, with a treats like a savory gingerbread house, a Liberace jello mold and even a meatloaf Santa! (if you’d like to see, and you know you do, pop over here!) She had the brilliant idea that the Dames (our lil sassy supper club) throw a Midcentury BBQ—and we KNEW we had the makings for a great shindig.

We found an amazing locale and then spread the word….browse your vintage cookbooks and magazines for recipes and then get to work! I was on the hunt for something summery and fun. And then I remembered this:

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Oh yes…..the giant pineapple shaped cheeseball!!!! Two pounds of cheddar later (and other secret ingredients), I had molded myself a winner! VOILA!

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Next up, a festive outfit to match my pineapple dreams:

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And off to the BBQ we went! OH MY WORD….talk about a colorful and fun afternoon! The dishes were all soooooo awesome, and amazingly many tasted REALLY GREAT! Here, take a gander:

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(this was a baked bean jello mold which looked a tad frightening, but was dang tasty!)

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My pineapple cheeseball was a smash success! I was so relieved it tasted pretty yummy….

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There was an amazing assortment of savory and sweet dishes….everyone dressed up, and lot of people just bought fun vintage decor to spruce up the place!

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Meet your hostesses, The Dames!

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This cute little girl and her folks happened to bring the side garnish appetizer to my pineapple (you can see it in the cook book photo below on the left) so she was super excited to see the pineapple was already there!

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The kids were so cute, running around playing horseshoes and tryng their hand at limbo (that’s Wolfie in the faux ‘coon skin cap below). And yeah, of course there was the requisite iPad/3DS break…..hey, they’re all just regular kiddos who are amused/bemused by their kooky parents!

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All in all it was a most wonderful day! Have you ever made anything from a vintage cookbook? Was it awesome or awesomely awful?? Either way, I’d love to hear about it!

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Vintage Love // Myrtle Beach Hotel Signs

Uncategorized

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We have been on a lovely vacation visiting both sets of grandparents. First stop? Myrtle Beach! It is hot and humid like CRAZY there (103 with humidity) but these Californians love it. One of my favorite things to do is drive around down by the beach and check out all the old hotel signs. So many cool ones!

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We found this last casuality laying in the parking lot of the Carnival hotel—and don’t think we didn’t think about trying to cram it into the overhead bin on the airplane home!!!

 

Vintage Flashback // Summertime fun in Santa’s Village

Vintage Pop Culture

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‘Twas the night before Thursday, a bit quieter than most
    As I sat on the couch wondering what I should post…

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Ho ho ho everyone. Yes, this is a summer post, despite what you may think!

Although I grew up in Michigan, every summer my parents packed up the family car and drove us across the country to Santa Cruz, California. My dad is a professor and he and my mom taught at the UC Santa Cruz Summer Language Program. It was the perfect place for a family vacation— Santa Cruz is a cool, beachie town and I have tons of amazing memories of playing in the redwood trees and swimming for hours each day. But of all the memories, I have to say that one of my favorites is of a little place called Santa’s Village.

Santa’s Village was a Christmas-themed amusement park built in 1958 (opening up two months before Disneyland!). The concept was simple: bring Christmas joy to children all year round. A little insane and yet….totally amazing! My brother and I were fascinated by the place (we would pass it on the highway whenever we were taking a weekend road trip to San Francisco) and would beg our parents to let us go inside. We visited it only once and then sadly it was shut down. My favorites were the Flying Christmas balls (kind of like the Dumbo ride at Disneyland, only with holiday ornaments!) and of course all the little gingerbread houses.

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Oh look, here’s Mrs. Claus with the infamous Lollipop Tree!

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How cute is this place?? There is something so awesome about celebrating Christmas in the summer time…it makes the whole place even more magical. Like you were getting away with something sneaky!

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Just look how cute these ladies are in their sassy little elf costumes! You know there was a hierarchy to the uniforms—I’m guessing red elves were the entry level workers. Green elves were clearly the senior team members. Uh oh, looks like Green Team Leader Dolores swapped her beige tights for non-regulation pink. I’m going to have to tell Santa about this one….

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There were eventually three parks opened—two in California (Skyforest and Scotts Valley) and one in Dundee, IL.

“Residents of Santa’s Village included Santa and Mrs. Claus, their elves who operated the rides and sold tickets. There was a baby petting zoo filled with goats, sheep, bunnies, ducks, deer and a Mexican burro. All the buildings were designed to look like log chalet-type structures, repleat with snowy roofs and gingerbread trim. The park had a gingerbread house, a elf toy factory, a lollipop tree and brightly colored gift shops. Around the village were tree-top tall wooden soldiers and candy canes. Santa himself had a huge mailbox to accept all the letters from children around the world.”

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Pretty amazing little place, huh. And guess what? That giant pumpkin carriage is actually FOR SALE ON EBAY! HAH! Scoot on over here at snap it up for the jolly price of $29,000.

IMAGES: Alameda Net

This Time Last Year // TIKI OASIS!

Real Life : Alix, Real Life : Dottie, , , , ,

Every August our good friend’s Doe & Otto throw a big ol Tiki-Tastic Bash called Tiki Oasis. If you’re a long time reader, then you’ve seen the posts we’ve done on it over the past years (check some of them out here and here!). Basically it’s a super fun weekender in San Diego that celebrates 50s/60s tiki and exotica culture—the music, the art, the drinks and of course, the fashion! We take over the entire hotel and there is literally something for everyone: poolside lounging, super interesting historical symposiums, lots of vintage shopping, tiki carving, live music and big room parties at night for the more lively set.

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Every year there is a new theme, like South of the Boarder, Tiki-a-Go-Go and last year’s awesome “Exotic Espionage”! In addition to the usual amazing Aloha Wear, there were some FAB spy ensembles in the evening—I went for a villainous Bond girl (ok fine, I wore a vintage dress with an eye patch….what can I say? It was HOT down there and I couldn’t do a trench coat!).
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{mini update: Wolfie has kindly reminded me that I was also wearing my cool SPY PHONE PURSE! It’s a purse from the early 70s that actually is a functioning phone, if you plug it into the wall. Crazy!}

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The kid’s love Tiki Oasis. Wolfie is an old pro—he’s been to four of them already! Our favorite thing is to swim while all the cool DJs spin cool old tunes poolside. It’s like your own retro movie soundtrack!

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Little Miss Peach went to her first Tiki Oasis last year and loved it!

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Dottie even made her a super cool pineapple princess tiki hat!

There are always so many great vintage tiki ensembles and patterns and colors—it’s a treat for the senses!

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I have it on good authority that Miss Peach is not very fond of wearing dresses these days….unless they are hawaiian!! Haha. I love it. That’s our girl!

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I loved this vinage Magnum P.I. shirt I found for Wolfie—although I have to confess  that initially he balked at wearing it and said, “What? WHO is THIS guy?? I’m not wearing this shirt!!!” I explained he was a private detective who loved Hawaii and that it kind of fit the theme. One bagel bribe later and he was sold….

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Alas, I’ll be missing out on the Tiki Oasis fun this year, but Dottie will be heading down this week and I know she’ll do it up in style!! Be sure to follow along on her instagram @missdottie to check out all the tiki-riffic hi jinx! OH, and the theme this year? HULA-BILLY! (rock-a-billy goes tiki!)

TASTY BITES // tip toe-ing into fall

Tasty Bites

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We can’t believe it’s already here. The last week of summer! Well, our summer at least. As of next Monday, school is back in session. Even though the boys have missed their friends, I am pretty sure they are not quite ready to give up these care free days. They are not exactly looking forward to early mornings and enforced bedtimes. Not to mention, they will have to put on shirts, and comb their hair! Who the heck has time for that?! But, like it or not, it’s coming. The end is near! For us, and you.

What in the world does this have to do with a recipe? Well, I am glad you asked. The beginning of the school year is always a tough transition for every aspect of our lives , even for food. We go from eating whatever we want, whenever we want, to planning and thinking ahead. Not to mention, that we are working with a considerably smaller window of time to make things happen. So, it is always nice when we have a couple things already made in the fridge for those times when we are running a little behind.

This week’s dish is perfect for that: roasted root vegetable and barley salad. Easy to make, and perfect for any meal. It is hearty, healthy, and full of flavor. Just whip it up, and use it as you need it. Throw an egg on it, and it makes an awesome breakfast. Eat it all by itself as a quick lunch. Warm it up as a side for an easy dinner. Or our personal favorite, eat it straight out of the bowl in your underwear, in the middle of the night. Really, it’s perfect for everything. We might not be quite ready for the end of summer, but with a little planning, we might just survive another year.

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roasted root vegetable + barley salad

 

  • 4 cups fingerling, or other small potato. Cut into 1/2″ pieces
  • 2 1/2 cups assorted root vegetables (carrot, parsnip,turnip, beet, etc.) cut into 1/2″ pieces
  • 8 oz. crimini mushrooms, halved
  • 4 cloves garlic, whole
  • 3 cups cooked barley (about 1 cup uncooked)
  • 1/4 cup chives, chopped
  • olive oil
  • salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine potatoes, vegetables, garlic and mushrooms together in a shallow baking dish. Toss with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 45-50 minutes, until vegetable are tender and beginning to brown. Remove garlic, set aside. In a large bowl, combine vegetables, barley, chives. Add dressing 2 Tb. at a time until you reach your preferred taste. Garnish with parsley (and an egg, if you’re into it). Serve and enjoy!

 cider vinegar dressing
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tsp. dijon
  • 1 tsp. sugar
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • reserved garlic

In a small bowl, smash reserved garlic with tines of a fork until totally smooth. Combine vinegar, salt, sugar, and mustard, mix to combine. Whisk in oil until mixture is totally emulsified.


Want more Tasty Bites? Go here. If you are on Instagram, be sure to follow @birdandclever for more delicious photos.

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