Does this cookbook offend you? Do you think cooking from labels of cans and bottles is wrong? I met one cook who thought it was cheap to cook like this, almost like cheating. The idea being that a ‘real’ cook used only pure ingredients, not something vulgar like ketchup. I am not so pristine in the kitchen. Cooking from a cookbook like this for me is okay because, and only because, some of the food is quite yummy. It is also familiar. It is an extension of my early years, the formative ones.
I’m from the tail end of the baby boomers, born in the early sixties. Our moms managed their meals carefully while in abundant times when their pantries were stocked with canned goods.
They proudly exchanged recipes like the ones in this book, as if finding a new use for something they already have on hand marked a resourceful, clever cook. I don’t remember any of my neighbors being known for being 
gourmet cooks in our little corner of suburbia, but there were many successful cooks who always had hot, ample meals waiting for the family at the end of a day. (First photo, my 6th birthday, July 1968, second photo, with friends Dean and Bobby, 1970.)
Fast forward to today. Using fresher, organic ingredients is what’s in style. Haven’t we all heard that we need to shop only on the outside walls of the supermarket, where the fresh produce, dairy, meat and bread are? We all know what we should do. However, we buy fast and frozen food like never before due to time crunches and maybe even boredom. Can we instead glean ideas from the past to make our meals more satisfying, sort of a trans-generational mix of healthy meets comfort and ease? (In the current economic climate, we may have to.)
And a cookbook like this already tells you what was best from the past. I personally use about four dinner recipes from this book. But I’ve adapted them a bit to suit what we now know is healthier. I have found that the salt measurements in these recipes are much too high for our modern taste buds and health practices, so I lower them. I adjust some of the more fattening ingredients. I make sure to use goods with no MSG. I use healthier oil, like olive oil.
I recently found out that Curt was bragging at work about one of the meals I make from this book, quick Chinese pepper steak. (The fact that he even mentioned one of my meals to them made me smile. Call me dependent…but that’s another posting soon.) So, I sent the recipe in. Several of his co-workers, including men who do the cooking, have reportedly prepared it. They all gave very positive feedback, including that it’s very easy and simple yet quite tasty. I’ve listed the recipe below, with adjustments to the amount and type of soy sauce and also the type of oil. Also, I’ve not been able to find Ehler’s brand of Au Jus seasoning (does it still exist?,) but have found two or three brands available.
So what if you occasionally feel like you’re in an episode of Leave It To Beaver while you’re eating dinner? I’m sure June Cleaver was a great cook.
cooking in wok
served over steamed riceQuick Chinese Pepper Steak
(adapted from Best Recipes From the backs of Boxes, Bottles, Cans and Jars)
1 lb. round steak, cut into 1/2 inch strips
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 medium onion, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
1 envelope Ehler’s Au Jus Gravy Mix
3/4 c water
2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp ground ginger
3 c hot cooked rice
Cook meat, onion and pepper in skillet in hot oil until meat is browned. Stir in remaining ingredients except rice. Cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Serve over rice. Makes 4 servings.
