Kitchen Pickin’: A little bit of East Texas

EAST TEXAS (KLTV/KTRE) - This week on East Texas Kitchen Pickin’, Jeff brings a piece of East Texas, Hollywood, and a big ugly/beautiful appliance from the 1970s. Plus Steph has a 80-year-old treasure from a junk sale in Wood County.

Corelle snowflake blue garland

Jeff: You can pretty much bet on Corelle, Pyrex or Corningware being a pickup every week. It won’t always be on the show, but it’s always a possibility. I’m really gaining a curiosity of the different designs and colors. I think this is the first time I’ve seen snowflake blue garland.

Steph: I like that pattern, too. It’s reminiscent of Corningware’s cornflower blue, to me. I like it a lot.

ICUP Christmas Vacation glass

Jeff: I love the first three Vacation movies with Chevy Chase and Christmas Vacation is my favorite of those, by far. I watch the movie every year in December, sometimes multiple times and it never gets old. So I was quick to pick up this glass but I don’t think there’s too much special about it. It’s from a company called ICUP and appears to have been sold in a set of three at Bed, Bath and Beyond.

Steph: It’s just one of those inexpensive things that gets its value from being fun! No harm in that. I love the Christmas Vacation movies, too, but my favorite Chevy Chase movie, which I say counts as a Christmas movie, is Funny Farm. I watch it every Christmas. Have you seen it?

Marine Corps birthday ball glass

Jeff: Another cool-looking glass. I’m a sucker for logos and engraving and the like. This is a 230th birthday commemoration of the Marine Corps and for a specific detachment in Libya. I read up on it and learned Marines wish each other birthday every year on the 10th of November. So our question is, do they have celebrations around the world for different detachments? I may have to bring this glass back to the show on Nov. 9 so we can wish Marines a happy birthday.

Steph: It’s very nice to celebrate our military anytime, indeed. And here’s a teachable moment: There is a difference between etching and engraving. Engraving is a physical process, and etching is a chemical process. An engraver uses sharp tools to cut lines directly into a surface, while an etcher burns lines into a surface with acid (via engravers.com). Engraving leaves a deeper mark, so you can feel the difference if you compare two objects, one of each kind. Just thought I’d share since we’ve never had an etched item before!

Yesteryears sugar container

Jeff: Steph thought this may be to hold grease but, seeing how it had sugar in it when I bought it, I’m calling it a sugar jar. This is from a company called Yesteryears, which went out of business about 15 years ago. And it was based in our backyard of Marshall, Texas. I decided to research this company today and didn’t find much but noticed a lot of the same-style pottery comes out of Marshall. Did you know some in Marshall consider the town to be the pottery capital of the world? Many pottery companies come out of Marshall, with the most famous being Marshall Pottery. The East Texas clay and abundance of water make it the ideal spot for pottery. I think you’ll be seeing a lot more pottery from Marshall on the show.

Steph: This is a really cute item, and I was happy to learn about its history in East Texas. I’d never heard of Yesteryears Pottery. The reason I believe that this is a grease jar is simply that it’s larger than most sugar bowls and has the hipped sides grease jars typically had, but they may have just taken inspiration from those when they created this design and made it a sugar bowl. Either way, I like it, especially the design on the front.

Wear-Ever Kabob-It

Jeff: This is big, awkward, ugly and glorious! From the 1970s is a Kabob-It from Wear-Ever. A heating element is in the middle and you put your kabobs on the stand. They turn on the platform and cook. This is like the answer to a problem nobody knew they had.

Steph: That is a great description of many things in the 1970s! Big, awkward, ugly and glorious. What a fun time! I’ve never seen this appliance, so was happy you found it to share it with us.

Rooster pitcher

Jeff: Another Steph surprise. She got this at a yard sale and she says it comes from the 1940s! The condition of this is unbelievable. I suggest the best thing to put in it is raw eggs when you want to make scrambled eggs and she thought that was a horrible idea.

Steph: I love this rooster...or chanticleer, as the makers at the now-defunct Shawnee Pottery called him. He was made in the 1940s in Ohio. Not sure how he made his way to East Texas in such perfect condition 80 years later, but I’m glad he did! I found him at a junk sale for about $10. I see them online at prices up to about $150, depending upon condition. I’m keeping him at my house, of course, and I’m not sure I’ll make eggs with him; how about pancake batter?

Make sure to join us each week on East Texas Kitchen Pickin’. We are live at 3 p.m. on Wednesdays on East Texas Now.

You can check out more of our treasures and share some of yours with us on Mama Steph’s Facebook page.

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