Nancy Drew the short straw in the kitchen

Look what I was lucky enough to uncover at the thrift store today!

It's a classic cookbook created by the Nancy Drew team, incorporating recipes purportedly from many of the characters, and using the titles of many of the early books.

Not only is Nancy a stylish teen who dresses well, drives a cute car, and is both superbly popular and preternaturally clever at solving mysteries, she is also, apparently, a wonderful hostess who can throw together a charming dinner party.

Using these recipes.

Too bad I didn't have this cookbook before the weekend...I could have served some of these delicious salads at our Thanksgiving feast.

 Should the word "Diary" appear in any recipe name?

But since there were just two of us, maybe this pair of pears would have made a more suitable salad course.

And this tasty sounding autumnal soup could have been the clincher.

Okay, now that I've made myself a little nauseous simply by reading these recipes, I think I'd suggest that Nancy stick to dressing well and zooming around town solving crimes, and leave the cooking to Hannah Gruen.

To be fair, some of the hot drinks and dessert ideas do sound edible, and very suitable to the younger audience I'd assume this book was originally created for back in 1972. I would have adored this book with its weird recipes and seasonal menus (and little one-page mysteries interspersed) when I was a preteen and fond of Nancy Drew & the Hardy Boys. I had a strange fascination for retro party planning as a kid, even though all the parties I planned were imaginary....