In Which We Investigate The Timeless Question, "Woodcock or Surprise Package?"

A vintage cookbook, a decent Vogue cover and subpar Mariah artwork.

It’s been a while since we dipped into my collection of vintage cookbooks and I sat down this weekend to dig through them with the goal of seeing if they had any amusingly unhinged Halloween recipes. You know what I mean: little crudites designed to look like ghosts, or punch bowls with dry ice in them to mimic a witch’s brew. Well! Imagine my surprise when my collection yielded none of the above! But I did not leave this quest empty-handed and I’m pleased to report that my findings are still seasonally apt. Today, we turn to Company’s Coming: Food for Entertaining, by the Junior League of Kansas City, Missouri, copyright 1975. As my fellow vintage cookbook collectors will surely confirm, Junior League cookbooks are generally a treasure trove of both actually good recipes — my family’s chili recipe is from a Junior League cookbook, and this one contains the famous Chasen’s chili recipe — and also completely insane concoctions, especially the older ones. (Imagine my surprise that this …