In honor of Jerry Lewis hosting his Labor Day MDA Telethon today, I thought I'd bring you this recipe for something his grandma used to make all the time and that he loved.

It's Vinegar Pie. It's not a dessert you hear people talking about much anymore. Certainly the fact that is has vinegar in it is probably something people will find a little odd, but come on, you need a little adventure in your life. Full recipe after the jump.

Awhile back I told you about a really great book titled Fashionable Food. It details the history of food decade by decade, and includes a lot of cool recipes. I'll be highlighting some of the more interesting recipes from the book, and today it's Porkers.

This recipe is from the 1960s and was originally in the book How To Keep Him (After You've Caught Him) - I guess it was for the ladies. It uses Saltine crackers and bacon and...well, that's it actually. Mmmmm ... bacon. Full recipe after the jump.

I never had the Kenner IceBird Snow Cone machine, but I do remember this song. Boy, do I remember this song. It's imbedded in my mind like my home phone number. But in a "wow, I didn't even know I remembered this song" sort of way. Once the song started, all the memories started to come back.

After the jump, the commercial for the IceBird. Please note the kids eating the stuff like they haven't had food in days. And also notice the "flavor packets" that look a lot like Chinese takeout soy sauce packets.

I'm reading a fantastic book titled Fashionable Food: Seven Decades of Food Fads, by Sylvia Lovegren. It's a really entertaining look back at what we were cooking and eating in the 20s, 30s, 40s, all the way up to the 90s. There's a lot of great history and pictures here, but the best part of the book are the actual recipes you can try. Some still hold up today. Others...ahem.

Take this recipe, for example, for Banana and Popcorn Salad, from the 1920s. Lovegren calls it "The Worst Salad of the Twenties," and after you read the recipe, you'll have to agree.

1. Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book - This has to be first, because it's one of the classic cookbooks, still in print since being published in 1950. The recipes and how it looks at life are a must-see.

 2. Esquire Drinks: An Opinionated, Irreverent Guide To Drinking - If I were to pick the best books on drinking, this would definitely be in the top 5. And writer David Wondrich gets extra points for really getting into the history of certain drinks, giving recipes for long-forgotten drinks, and just an overall great tone. Very much recommended. 

Behold! The ultimate kitschy retro hors d'ouevre: the nutty cheese ball. Yes, you are in awe of its nutty, cheesy glory!

I am not exactly sure of the origins of the nutty cheese ball's ball-like shape, but I will put out my own hypothesis. Since it seems to have been born around the early 1970s, I am going to guess that it's meant to look like a shiny disco ball.

There are about a gazillion ways to "flavor" the cheese ball, and some of the recipes I came across included such luscious "mix-ins" as canned crushed pineapple and maraschino cherries, chipped beef, and of course, pimiento-stuffed green olives. They all sounded very...retro...but I think sticking to the basic recipe and adding your own, slightly updated, "mix-ins" like chopped nuts, other shredded cheeses like a smoky Gouda, and even chopped figs or dates, might be better. Just don't make the mistake of calling it a cheesy nut ball. That doesn't sound right.

Recipe? Who am I kidding? All you have to do is roll 1 8 oz. pkg softened cream cheese into a ball and roll it around in sliced almonds. I didn't buy any Ritz crackers to go with these for fear that I'd gobble up the whole box. (I love Ritz.)

• Gourmet is celebrating its 65th anniversary and doing something fun: showcasing a great recipe from each decade, along with photos and other cool facts from the past.
• It's cool to find out what we were eating in the 40s, the 50s, and the 60s. The Men's Favorite Salad contains cottage cheese, cabbage, and a hint of lemon, so I'm not quite sure what makes it a "men's favorite." Heh.
• Did you know that Friday is Epiphany? Celebrate by making the Cake of Kings.
• And did you know that Gourmet regularly publishes recipes for food served in restaurants around the world? Check out the Spiced Banana Ice Cream from bluestem in Kansas City, MO.