Is there a minimum time requirement? When I think ‘vintage’, I think of the huge flowered wallpaper in my grandfather’s front hall – updated in the 70’s with ‘modern’ panelling; or maybe the yard high brass table lamps my dad had made for my mom when he was in Asia in the late 60’s – a set of two, but I only use one in the living room so it’s not too ‘matchy’. I also think of some of the recipes I’ve found on web sites and tried – the gold rush brownies, chicken paprika, fruit basket pie – but some equally old recipes seem as fresh and contemporary as the day they were written – Julia Child’s ratatouille, for one (I haven’t made that for this site yet, maybe come the fall).
Enter ‘breakfast in a cup’ from a 1992 ‘Lite Delight’ booklet. Is it vintage? I’m not sure. It doesn’t ‘feel’ dated to me, in fact, the concept of a portable wheat-free single-serve breakfast bite from your freezer seems like it was made for today; Rich can nibble them on Metra, and I could safely offer them to friends with gluten issues. Of course, other options in this booklet fairly scream vintage (or, maybe ‘outdated’ is a better term) – sangria jello mold, anyone? Maybe it’s just the copywriting; ‘Lanai Pasta Salad’ sounds interesting, but just because a recipe contains pineapple doesn’t mean you have to break out the ‘exotic’ tropical definition of a porch, any more than the use of cilantro requires a Mexican name – maybe, since that recipe has both pineapple and cilantro, along with pea pods AND Italian dressing, it could be called ‘Pan Asian Pasta Salad’ or ‘Marco Polo Pasta Presto’ (how’s THAT for a vintage name)?
In any event, I have some rice left over from last night’s dinner (apple brined pork chops), and figure I’ll reach back eighteen years to try these rice nibbles, with a few adjustments to suit my tastes and pantry. Recipe and results tomorrow!