Due to a shortage of space in our condo, Isabel has put a moratorium on buying new cookbooks. That instruction was briefly suspended today when in a flurry of thrift store madness we bought 24 new hardcover titles. The books in question are an out of print series from Time Life called “The Good Cook.” From what I’ve read, the series was made up of 28 volumes, released monthly between 1978 and 1980. Each installment focuses in on a broad topic. From “Poultry” to “Pasta,” “Offal” to “Terrines.”

They are nicely bound and feature surprisingly decent illustration and photography. On the whole, it’s an interesting time capsule of how people ate and cooked in the 1970s, but from what I can tell, each book is grounded in techniques that are still very much relevant today.  And I gotta say, they look great packed together on our bookshelf. We’re going to keep our eyes open for the outstanding four titles in the series (I’m really bummed we are missing the “Preserving” installment). But I think that I’ll probably jump right into the “Terrines, Pates and Galantines” book for an edible project in the coming weeks.

We’re more ready than ever for a 70s-themed dinner party.