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    Recipes » About

    About

    Welcome!

    I’m Kate, and I love thumbing through a vintage cookbook.

    Gift of Hospitality is dedicated to finding the best vintage recipes, and sharing them with people who love to cook.

    I’ve stumbled on a LOT of vintage recipes that say, “Bake until done.”

    Um, what? What oven temperature? Are we talking 10 minutes or 45 minutes? How long do these muffins need to bake?!

    So I take vintage recipes and test them, and then update them with accurate instructions. Occasionally, I will update ingredients, such as swapping butter for lard or clarifying the meaning of “light cream”.

    stack of wire bound vintage cookbooks on a white table.
    A selection of the spiral bound cookbooks passed down to me

    It’s my goal to help you cook the best vintage recipes, whether it’s a dish that you’ve enjoyed before, or one that’s new to you.

    More about me

    woman bringing a bowl of green beans to a table set for Thanksgiving dinner.

    I’m Kate, and I’m a believer, wife, mom, and big fan of old cookbooks. I live in Chicago with my husband and two young sons. And I love to invite people into our home for a meal.

    I’m an enthusiastic home cook, trained by my mom (who still cooks dinner every night), cookbooks, tv cooking shows, and endless recipe testing.

    In my twenties, I taught cooking classes at Whole Foods Market and worked in marketing for Standard Market, a gourmet grocery store in Chicago’s suburbs.

    In 2017, I started Gift of Hospitality as a creative outlet. It morphed into a business but most importantly a passion—a passion for finding the best vintage recipes and sharing them here.

    Why Gift of Hospitality?

    Growing up, we would always have an extra chair or two at our Christmas dinner table. Friends were always invited to stay for dinner. Hospitality was modeled by my parents, and, as I’m learning with two young boys, the most effective teaching comes by modeling it to your kids.

    As I started living on my own, I would host groups of girlfriends for dessert or a potluck. Then came dinner parties. My first major furniture purchase was a dining room table with not one but two leaves so I could host more guests.

    So you could say that I have the “gift of hospitality“. And I love sharing ideas and recipes so that others can share food with those they love, too.

    This blog started off with recipes for entertaining, but quickly morphed into a vintage recipe blog after I was inspired by my Grandma’s handwritten recipes.

    recipe for date nut bread hand printed on white notebook paper.
    Grandma’s Date Nut Bread recipe

    My grandpa also gave me her treasure trove of church cookbooks from the 1970s–1990s. They are loaded with delicious recipes that have been passed on for generations.

    These recipes have served many, many people over the years. I hope that they transport you back to a delicious time in your own history.

    A few of my favorite recipes

    • slice of date nut bread next to a whole loaf.
      Grandma’s Date Nut Bread
    • crock pot pork chops in sauce on a white oval platter.
      Crockpot Pork Chops with Mushroom Soup
    • glass parfait dishes filled with pistachio salad, topped with chopped walnuts
      Old Fashioned Pistachio Salad
    • coconut bars stacked on parchment paper with a glass of milk
      Grandma’s Chewy Coconut Bars
    • special k bars on a green glass serving platter
      No-Bake Special K Bars
    • hand with a spoon of sweet potato casserole, lifting it out of a white casserole dish.
      Southern Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecans
    • rum balls stacked in a white dish on top of a red tablecloth.
      Grandma’s Rum Balls
    • German potato salad with hard boiled eggs and chives in a green bowl on a wooden table
      German Potato Salad with Eggs

    Follow along!

    Join me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for the latest recipes.

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    Note: You will find recipes on this site that don’t necessarily fall under the “vintage” category. Gift of Hospitality previously focused on recipes for entertaining, and readers have requested that those recipes remain on the site for their reference.

    So if you stumble on the Mango Mojitos, you should know that I did not find that recipe in a vintage cookbook. Though I heartily recommend giving them a try while thumbing through old recipes. 🙂

    Have a question or interested in working together? Contact me here:

    kate(at)giftofhospitality(dot)com

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    Welcome

    Kate from Gift of HospitalityI’m Kate. I love discovering old fashioned recipes that will transport you back in time. Learn more here
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