Green Stamps, Watergate and Pink Princess Phones

While perusing Amazon I came across a book entitled Green Stamps to Hot Pants: Growing Up in the '50s and '60s by Genny Zak Kieley.
Being 53 years old I was struck by nostalgia and moved it over to my Amazon wishlist.
Just the thought of S & H Green Stamps brings back beaucoups of memories. I can remember seeing Mother and Daddy sitting at the gray laminate aluminum sided kitchen table with a wet sponge pasting Green Stamps in books. The Dixie Store always gave Green Stamps in those days, maybe the A&P as well, I just don't remember. I know Mother's well used ironing board and iron came from Green Stamps. Our toaster, Mother's first blender and Daddy's wheelbarrow (pronounced wheelbarrel in the south or at least in my house) too. The very last time I remember using Green Stamps was in 1981 when we were putting together Lacy-Jay's nursery. We proudly purchased her Winnie the Pooh toy box with Green Stamps.

This whole Green Stamp curiosity really started when my 39 year old colleague, Michael, casually yelled across the office "what were Green Stamps anyway?" Whoa, he did not know about this wonderful grocery store premium that allowed hard working families the opportunity to shop for "free" things that sometimes were beyond their budget. Afterall, you had to buy groceries, why not shop where they gave you S&H Green Stamps. I am sure this was the criteria that many families used when deciding where to shop. Sometimes I fail to remember how wide the generation gap really is.

So much has changed since the 60's. As a teenager, I recall feeling very privileged to have my own pink princess phone in my room. This "modern" phone also sported a cord and you actually had to stick your finger in the ring to "dial" the number. First graders now arrive at school on the first day outfitted with their very own cell phone and Dora the Explorer backpack with cell phone pouch.

I'm sure everyone longs for their own "good old days". I came of age in the 70's and that will always be the decade to end all decades for me. I love the music, the clothes, the hair, the cars, Richard Nixon, and everything else associated with that wonderful time in my life. That was my decade. Lacy used to say Ronnie and I were stuck in the seventies (SIS), now in 2010 at 28 years old she finally understands why.

Today's recipe is a throwback. If you managed to live through the 70's and never had this cake you don't know what you missed. Those of you that were not fortunate enough to have been a part of the seventies, either by being born too late or living through it in a haze, should give this cake a try. You just might get a tiny understanding of why the 70's was in fact the greatest decade.

Watergate Cake

1 pkg. cake yellow mix
1 pkg. instant pistachio pudding
1 cup vegetable oil
3 whole eggs
1 cup 7-up or ginger ale
1 cup pecans (chopped very fine)
1 tsp. vanilla

FROSTING:
1 box pistachio instant pudding
1 1/4 cup milk
1 (8 oz.) container Cool Whip


Mix cake mix, pudding, eggs, oil, 7-Up or ginger ale and nuts together.
Blend well and beat 4 minutes.
Grease and flour 9x13 pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

Icing:
Blend all ingredients together and beat until light and fluffy.
Spread on cooled cake.
This cake must be kept refrigerated at all times.

So, until tomorrow...........
S~~~