Category Archives: Things

The Westinghouse Kitchen-Proved Refrigerator Book

February 9, 2023Food, Thingsrecipes, refrigerator, vintage, westinghouseDona

I’m not sure what literature we get with refrigerators nowadays, but back in the days when a freezer was called an evaporator, refrigerators came with handy kitchen-proved refrigerator books that explained that mold and bacteria could be prevented by COLD. Plus! Recipes!

If you need a beverage that makes 50 servings, look no further than the Westinghouse Kitchen-Proved Refrigerator Book:

Country Club Punch

3 cups sugar
3 quarts water
1 cup strong tea
12 lemons
12 oranges
1 quart grape juice
1 small can crushed pineapple
2 quarts ginger ale

Boil the sugar and water together for eight minutes, add the tea, then chill. Add oranges, lemons, grape juice, and pineapple. Place in refrigerator to mellow for about two hours. Before serving, add 2 quarts of ginger ale and ice cubes.

For small parties this recipe may be divided into thirds. If served in a punch bowl, add quarter slices of orange and lemon and one small bottle of maraschino cherries. Serves about 50.

Okay, I have some questions. Do you cut up the oranges and lemons? Or do you use their juice? I’m assuming the latter based on the second paragraph. And where’s the alcohol? (none of the “cocktails” contain alcohol).

I’m hanging on to this booklet for a while. I might like to try one or two of the better sounding recipes.

My Plaid Luggage

February 8, 2023Things, Travelfamous, luggage, plaid, skyway or knockoffDona

Before I went to England for an extended period of time, I treated myself to a nice set of luggage. Knowing that I was going to be responsible for hauling my luggage around, I was excited to find some large suitcases with wheels. The fact that they were beautiful was just icing on the cake. This was back before most luggage had wheels, so it was indeed a great find. It seems to me that I spent around $200 on them. That’s more than $900 in today’s money.

This style luggage was seen on WKRP in Cincinnati (the only episode I ever watched) and in Rocky IV where a robot tells Rocky’s coach to “be careful with the plaid ones, they belong to the boss”.

The zippers broke on at least one. We had the zippers repaired so could still use them, and did for a while but then better roller suitcases came along so I quit using these suitcases as suitcases.

Eventually we gave them to Clare when she went off to college — they were perfect for storing under her bed. She didn’t take them with her when she left for Olympia so they sat in the knee wall, full of her stuff, for nearly ten years.

We’ve emptied one and made the sad decision to let the trashmen haul it away tomorrow when they pick up our garbage. I’m pretty sad, but since it zips up on both sides and both zippers are broken (and expensive to repair) it would be silly to keep it. We still have the other, larger one.

Mom’s Sewing Machine Instructions

February 8, 2023Emotions, Thingselna, instruction book, mom, sewing machine, supermaticDona

My mom had an Elna sewing machine that ended up being sold at the estate sale. I kick myself for not taking this — even though our history was complicated. I don’t sew. I tried, I failed. I hated that sewing machine with a passion. On the other hand, it was a big part of my childhood — mom sewed often — my first pair of jeans, all of my middle school and high school dance dresses, a perfect gothic cloak for Clare.