Throwback of the House: Jellied Chicken, or Blenders Aren't Just for Drinks

Todd Ehlers, Wikimedia Commons

Throwback of the House - Now on Mondays!

Good old Betty Sullivan. She was a 1965 Superwoman. Not only did she manage to make three squares a day for her six kids and husband, but she also maintained a busy career heading the test kitchen at Hamilton Beach. With so much happening in her go-go life, Betty somehow still had the focus to write The Blender Way to Better Cooking -- 200 pages of recipes, all requiring a blender.

I think Betty was probably mixing some pretty potent Mai Tais when she developed Jellied Chicken Loaf. I've seen variations of this disaster in many old cookbooks, but Betty's is the most pulverized and contains the highest number of unnecessary steps.

Robin Wheeler

​Soften unflavored gelatin in cold water in blender. Add hot water and chicken bouillon and take it for a spin with cooked chicken meat. Working mothers like Betty and I are far too busy to stir. Pour the chicken sludge into a bowl and chill.

Robin Wheeler

​Place cut-up celery, pimentos, onion, green pepper and parsley into the blender. We're way too busy for chopping, too. Mutilate the fuck out of it. Fold into semi-hard chicken sludge, place in mold and chill until hard.