The Betty Crocker Search for the All-American Homemker of Tomorrow.

 Since I've had so many request for some basic information about the Betty Crocker Search for the All-American Homemaker of Tomorrow Scholarship Program, I promise to periodically post more about it. 

But for starters, if you are not familiar, here's the basics from the Betty Crocker website:

In 1954, the Betty Crocker Search for the All-American Homemaker of Tomorrow was initiated and continued until 1977. High-school seniors competed for college scholarships and trips to the national awards ceremony based on their knowledge of cooking, baking and household management.

Most people naturally assume that General Mills saved all the scholarship information in their archives. I, too, was once so naturally naive. They have almost nothing in their archives about the scholarship program. Like most companies, General Mills threw away a lot of the history because they didn't see its historical value. But before you judge them too harshly, remember that they are not in the business of saving history, they are in the business of selling processed foods. And, compared to many corporations (like J&J) General Mills actually saved an enormous amount of their history.

The fact that General Mills didn't save much information about the Betty Crocker Search for the All-American Homemaker of Tomorrow Scholarship Program, is precisely why I am preserving this special little slice of American history. So, as always, feel free to leave your Betty Crocker scholarship stories here! And if you have photos...we would love to see them!

Happy New Year with Vintage Betty Crocker!

Happy New Year! So great to get to know so many of you this past year, especially you Betty Crocker Scholarship winners! So many great stories. And it's funny how so many of you winners were not the least bit "domestically inclined," but were excellent test takers. However, I think so many of you sell yourself short. My guess is that you are pretty smart too. Those Betty Crocker Search for the All American Homemaker of Tomorrow Scholarship exams were tough! I could have never past one in high school. Or college.

My hope in the new year is to see some photos of you scholarship winners. And of course, hear more scholarship stories. I especially hope to hear from national winners.

I've included this wonderful ad because this is the first and only ad I've ever seen of Betty in yellow! I've seen her in green and blue, and of course, in her traditional red and white. But never in yellow until now.

I also love the copy with lines like; "Imagine! A cake that needs no icing!" And "Don't risk failure!" And "Good cooks know this."

Happy baking in the new year!

Remember you can always find Finding Betty Crocker on Amazon.

Merry Kitschmas!

If you're more Martha than Betty, this site is not for you. But if you, like me, cannot get enough of Kitschmas, consider this an early Kitschmas gift. 

Will the real Betty Crocker please stand up?

So many people have told me about this episode of Antique Roadshow.  This is a very rare 1st edition/gift edition of The Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook - probably 1949 rather than 1950.

Christmas Baking with Betty Crocker (Vintage)

From Betty Crocker's (Ring-Bound) Picture Cookbook - Christmas Cooking section. 

Every year my sister and I get together in early December for a tradition we like to call "Fudge Fest". Our recipe is not a Betty Crocker recipe - it's better. It's a family secret recipe that is simply amazing. People who don't normally like fudge, like our fudge. I've seen grown men cry over our fudge. So that leaves my sister and I to figure out, each year, who exactly is fudge-worthy. It's truly that special. I hope every family has a recipe like that. Nothing you could find in a cookbook nor online. But a tried and true, past down through the generations, perfected family recipe.

A sneak peak behind the scenes of Fudge Fest 2012. 

Part of what makes our fudge so special is the methodology. It's not just your ingredients, but they way you go about preparing them. (And it helps to know just a touch of chemistry)

While we were waiting for the magic, we thumbed through some of our vintage Betty Crocker cookbooks, lingering on the Christmas baking sections. The photo at the top of this post reminds us of our childhood. Our mother, a true Betty, make almost all those cookies.

As you can imagine, when I was researching my book on Betty, I interviewed many home economists or "Crockettes" who worked for the Betty Crocker Kitchens.  I often asked them about Gingerbread men because they factor so heavily into Betty's recipes over the years. No one knew why, but they all remarked that Gingerbread men were so thoroughly ingrained into the Betty Crocker culture that no one questioned it. Gingerbread men, like so many of Betty's recipes are like a cultural singalong, we all know these tunes.

Vintage Betty Crocker and Holiday Baking

Have you started your holiday baking yet? Take a look at this vintage recipe from Betty Crocker. Christmas cake recipes are usually eclipsed by Christmas cookie recipes - at least North America. I love this ad of Betty. Not that she is not wearing her traditional red and white! Do you know what the secret ingredient in Chiffon is? If you read Finding Betty Crocker you do.

I was interviewed recently about holiday baking. Read here and here.

Happy Baking this holiday season!

All things Betty

If you love all-thing Betty and the quintessential housewife, you must know about killing hours and hours on pinterest: http://pinterest.com/beelori/vintage-housewife/

You can find me there too: http://pinterest.com/ohsolazysusan/books-i-wrote/