This soup sounds horrible to me. And while it might make sense if it was being suggested as a quick lunch for the kids, especially on a day the kids were being particularly obnoxious, it’s being suggested as part of a swanky New Year’s party menu. Seriously!
They don’t tell us what Celery Knobs are, but yes, that Candle Salad is the one with upright bananas dripping mayo in a rather disturbing manner. Christmas Recipes and Menus of The Home Service Department, 1926, also had some decorating advice.
vintage cookbook shelf 
[…] When that happens, I peel them, mash them in large quantities in my KitchenAid mixer, and freeze them in pre-measured quantities for future baking. This way I always have bananas that are perfect for banana bread, banana muffins, or banana soup… (no thanks!!) […]
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Has anyone actually tried the banana soup? I agree it sounds disgusting, but you never know?! Carrot cake might sound a bit disgusting to the uninitiated. I once had brown bread ice cream which sounded horrible but was quite nice. They were obviously bananas for bananas in those days!
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To be fair, I don’t know of anyone who has tried it. I did try bacon wrapped bananas, just to see, and they were surprisingly good! You can find the post if you search my blog.
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Bacon wrapped bananas? Sounds weird but I’ll take a look! x
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[…] I love sweet potatoes, or yams, as I grew up calling them. They are one of my very favourites, and I would honestly rather eat them than potatoes, any way they are prepared. I saw the recipe for Duchesse Sweet Potatoes in an old booklet called Christmas Recipes and Menus of the Home Service Department, which was put out by the Public Service Company of Northern Illinois in December of 1926. Christmas is coming, and I was looking for recipes to try this holiday season. This booklet has some great recipes – such gems as Snowflakes -“use any of the well-known brands of round white crackers”… yes, that’s the whole recipe! Candle Salad – half a banana stood upright in a ring of pineapple with a cherry “flame” and mayonnaise dripping down the side, and let’s not forget Cream of Banana Soup. […]
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Oh my gosh! I’m with you, that Banana soup sounds quite yucky. Ha ha. Especially when I saw it was cream of chicken… Oooooooo.
That centerpiece is quite detailed. I bet in its day, it was quite a big event to put that all together. 😊
I’d like to know how they did Ice Cream Clocks. Bet that was neat. I love when you post these things. Definitely a different day in 1926. 😊😊
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Things sure were different… Not always better, as the banana soup proves!
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Good point. I love how they made do with what they had. And, things weren’t wasted. 🙂 Pretty neat.
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Yes, I love that too, and I really like their entirely different way of going about things. Thriftyness and sticking to a budget were things to take pride in. Making things last, repairing, repurposing, and managing without were just part of everyday life for most people. A very different mind set that perhaps we should learn from. But still no to the banana soup!
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