February Thrifty - Week 3 #1 ~ Vintage Goodies: Three Rivers and College President's Wives

Three Rivers Cookbook II, published in 1981. This book is the third printing (all in 1981) with a total of 120,000 copies. All proceeds from the book benefit the Child Health Association of Sewicky, as did the proceeds from the first book which was published in 1973 and sold 265,000 copies.

We start with Openers - basically beverages & appetizers. All the beverage contain liquor (duh) and include punches, floats, slushes, frappes and Irish Coffee.  The appetizers encompass cheese balls (even one made with salmon), dips, pate. mousse and a few savory treats ~ stuffed mushrooms and spinach balls. Up next are Breads (both fruit and vegetable options), pancakes, rolls, fritters, pastries and coffee cakes.

In the Entrees section, the recipes begin with a few breakfast choices, mainly cheese and egg dishes (casseroles, quiche and strata), then delves into beef, lamb, pork, veal, poultry and game (duck, venison, and moose) with a few seafood & fish dishes, sandwiches, sauces and accompaniments.  A chapter on Vegetables, Rice & pasta follows along with another section on Salads & Dressings.

The Dessert chapter is filled with cakes, crepes, cheesecake, cookies, pies, ice cream & candy treats and finally we end the book with Foreign selections from Italy, the Mid East, Poland and Russia.

The College President's Wife Entertains, published in 1976.  Recipes were submitted by the wives of  the presidents of  26 colleges and universities - mostly located in Georgia, but with one each from Tennessee (Vanderbilt) and South Carolina (Converse College). The author is the wife of a chancellor affiliated with the Georgia Board of Regents.

The chapters contain menus for various university related functions with most of the recipes appearing below each menu. We begin with Luncheon Menus which is filled with lots of salads - mostly congealed - plus a few variations for chicken salad, aspic, and fruit salad. Of course there are desserts including muffins, flan, cheesecake, cookies, parfaits, pie, souffle and crepes. There are rolls and breads, plus a few casseroles, chicken, seafood, soup & gumbo dishes - all on the lighter side. A few highlights are 6 week bran muffins, a recipe spotted in many a community cookbook and the Congealed Chicken Log - which is aptly named - a concoction of gelatin, chicken, mayo, celery, pimentos and sliced stuffed olives all mixed together and shaped into a log, chilled,  then sliced.

Following luncheons are the Dinner Menus, filled with numerous entrees for beef, poultry, pork and seafood, plus a few sides (veggies and rice dishes), salads and desserts (another recipe for flan). Highlights are the Veal Chaufroid, a fancy dish that requires 2 days to prepare and the Big Tossed Salad which is created by letting olive oil, lemon & garlic season the serving bowl at least a few hours then adding mixed greens, tomatoes and cucumbers.

The third set of menus focus on Miscellaneous Occasions with suggestions for barbeques (salads, chicken and vegetables), a buffet or lunch for students (more chicken), supper for a crowd (casseroles, etc.) plus so much more! There are lots of choices for cheeses, pastries, breads & muffins, biscuits, grits and even a watermelon boat - which I actually made while in college for my dormitory's international day cook out!

The last set of menus are designed for Coffees, Teas & Receptions,  are mostly filled with a range of appetizers ~ cheese balls, dips, pates, sausage balls and bologna wedges ~ a few dainty desserts, sandwich fillings and beverages - a plethora of punches and just one wassail.