Fort Dodge Lutheran Rummage Sale

Here is one last post from our quickie Fort Dodge trip.  I will confess to being a Goodwill/garage sale junkie, so when Mom said one of the Lutheran churches in town was having a rummage sale, we both agreed that we needed to go right away.

I found some great stuff!  The jello mold below only set me back 25 cents and came with the original recipe booklet, including coupons that expired in 2000! There is a cranberry salad that looks really good, in addition to the pineapple/cherry one you can see on the cover.

My favorite find of the day was the square white baking dish I picked up for a dollar.  It turned out to be an old Fire King design called Meadow Green, or maybe Green Meadow.  I'm not entirely clear on that point.  If I wanted to sell it on Ebay, I could probably get $10-$20 for it.  I won't sell it, though, because we need a square apple crisp/brownie baking dish. The flower/snowflake design is so cheerful, it makes me smile.

Detail of the Meadow Green baking dish.

Then, I found an old cookbook called Betty Crocker's Party Book, a first edition published in 1960.  Just last week I'd found a similar book at Half Price Books called Betty Crocker's Cooking Calendar, which came out in 1962.  I had wanted it, but it was in the vintage section and cost $40, so THAT sale wasn't going to happen.   The Party Book set me back $1.  I love the old illustrations and the hideous food photos.

Which one of these things is edible?  Hmmm.

I also picked up an old Fleischmann's Yeast Baking booklet.  It was published in 1962 and is worth about $10.50 if you're an old cookbook fan.  I paid 50 cents, and got an additional bonus of newspaper clippings, including one for Circus Peanut Jello Salad. That was my favorite candy as a kid!  How could I resist? (For those who have never tried a circus peanut, I can tell you that they are 1.  very orange.  2.  very marshmallowey-flavored, and 3.  always stale.  In a good way!

I also picked up a really battered Better Homes and Gardens Dessert Cook Book from 1960.  I'm thinking maybe the same lady donated all the cookbooks?  Anyway, I picked it up because it had clearly been used heavily, and there were newspaper clippings, a hand-typed recipe for oatmeal cookies, and paperclips and bookmarks stuck in to several pages for the previous owner's favorites.  It's like getting a historical recommendation!

I did find one thing for Jeffrey- a very sweet little set of ceramic sauce holders, each with a little blue and white ceramic spoon.  This will be perfect for the Indian food he serves that has a mint sauce, a tamarind sauce, and a chutney.  Or maybe if I have company and want to serve 3 kinds of home-made jam at breakfast time.  At $1 for the set, it was a great find.

What's the best thing you've ever found in a secondhand shop?  If you'd like to share, leave me a comment!  (My favorite thing was probably a McCoy flower pot I found at the local Goodwill for $2).

And, just in case you're curious, here's the Circus Peanut Recipe.  I love the way 'jello' is spelled!

Circus Peanut Salad

1 6-ounce package orange Jell-O

2 cups hot water

1 package circus peanuts (about 40), cut into pieces

2 cups pineapple juice and water mixed

1 13-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained

1 8-ounce Cool Whip or 1 package of Dream Whip

Dissolve Jell-O in hot water. Add peanuts.  Stir to dissolve. Add juice and water, and let set until medium firm.  Add pineapple and Cool Whip or Dream Whip.  Nuts can be added if desired.  Chill until firm.