Variety: The Spice of Life

Salad.

Any good Weight Watchers member -- be they retro or modern day -- will tell you that salad is a necessary staple on the WW program.

But a lifetime of salad eating can become a boring endeavor. There are only so many grilled chicken salads one person can realistically consume before wanting to spontaneously burst into flames and hurl oneself off a tall building.

The 1972 Retro WW Cookbook has offered up some very interesting salads for me to try over the past year including the Pink Lady Salad, the Chilled Celery Log and the dreaded freak salad that shall forever remain nameless.

But now I am ready to branch out.

So today--I took a little trip to my favorite little retro shop in Pittsburgh and picked up a brand new salad cookbook.

Better Homes and Gardens Salad Book, 1958

As always, BH&G have outdone themselves. There are over 350 different salads in this book - all with an elaborate theme and an extraordinary presentation. Not all of the salads are Retro WW "legal", but most can certainly be adapted.

For example--Do you have 4 hours to spare? Well then, why not whip up a Lemony Salmon Tower? Or a Shrimp-Lime Double Decker?

Garnish with: anchovy, pickles, herring, beets and Rolaids

Tall, Green and Handsome!

Have some extra Ham lying around? Well then, by all means -- you need to get started on a Party Ham Ring right this minute!

Beware the gooey yellow substance in the middle!

My personal favorite happens to be the Sunshine Salad. What can I say? I'm a sucker for a sunny day and a carrot mold.

Artsy Fartsy

I can't wait to start incorporating these new salads into my Retro WW repertoire. All I need now is a few more copper molds, a couple more boxes of Knox gelatin and a crap load more time on my hands.