From Pillsbury’s Food for Friends (1978)

If you don’t have this cookbook in your library, you are really missing out. Here are the search results at Bookfinder (also a few other hits at that big store in the sky).

This is one of my all-time favorites. It’s occasion and menu-based–perfect for the person just starting out on the cooking journey, and full of new ideas for the old-timers.

It’s also fun to look at from a cultural perspective.

“Breakfasts and Brunches,” followed by “Casual Entertaining”

BREAKFASTS AND BRUNCHES

No wonder early-bird entertaining has become so popular in recent years. Just think of the appetizing array of food one can serve for breakfasts and brunches. And what a gracious way to say “Good Morning” to special friends while offering a pleasant change of pace from the dinner party routine. Use your imagination for this flexible type of gathering and charm everyone with a buffet set up in your country kitchen or little tables arranged in your yard or on the patio for the first al fresco meal of the season. Breakfasts can, of course, be quite early, but brunches are usually served form midmorning up until about 1 p.m. If the brunch is to be on Sunday, it is a thoughtful hostess who plans her timing to accommodate churchgoers.

CASUAL ENTERTAINING

When the invitation reads, “Come casually,” we all look forward to a comfortable, informal get-together. There are many reasons why Americans are choosing this type of entertaining over stuffy, sit-in-the-parlor parties—more working homemakers, busier schedules for the whole family, inflation and the desire to dispense with the unnecessary frills of a bygone era in favor of streamlined suppers. Although the atmosphere is relaxed, there is no reason why the menu cannot be just as imaginative and distinctive as if it were planned for an elaborate setting. “Casual” does not automatically mean hamburgers on the grill. Just glance through the suggested menus and share some of our secrets for unique informal entertaining—around the fire, the tailgate of a station wagon, a fondue pot or a steaming tureen of homemade soup. These gatherings are especially popular with young people who have little in the way of formal table service. Why, almost anything goes, right down to colorful paper plates, just as long as the party perks with tasty dishes, congenial guests and most important of all—gracious, carefree hosts!

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