LOOKING FOR 1980S SEVENTEEN MAGAZINE NOW YOU’RE COOKING RECIPES? JOIN THE PARTY AND REQUEST OVER HERE!
Blame it on Seventeen magazine circa 1980s. Amid the legwarmers, scrunchies and plaid suspenders lurked a monthly food feature called Now You’re Cooking. Groan-inducing, goody-goody headers (“Wok With a Friend”) gave way to surprisingly worthy recipes for family dinners or dreamy party plans for the gang. A recipe hoarder was born.
This is really less of a cooking blog and more of an electronic recipe collection. It is helping rid me of an awkward binder stuffed with decaying clippings.
Since I began posting these retro recipe pages, something fun is happening: a little community is sprouting up. Those recipes were made for families and friends decades ago and they hold a lot of nostalgia.
I am always searching for lost Seventeen Magazine recipes from the ’80s, and a lot of you are, too. Feel free to ask and to share over here if you are a collector as well.
Warm regards,
Saucy
Saucy Cherie 
I love these Seventeen tecipes and have lots!! Would you swap or sharr?
I have the Seventeen recipe for Chicken Cordon Bleu (without the ham) if you have not found it yet.
Trena! Thanks for finding me and thanks for the recipe offer. I would love that one! Are there any you are searching for? Would be happy to help.
Saucy, I have three originals: Chicken Cordon Bleu (with ham) Seafood Chowder and Lasagna Rolls. I will email them to you if I can find your email address. Thanks!
In searching the web for a Seventeen mag recipe (so that I could pin it), I found reference to a search for the original recipe here on your site. I have the article “How to bake a Monster Cookie” from Seventeen from August 1977. It was in my middle school cooking class folder of recipes! I can scan it in if you’d like to have a copy.
Wow, Amy to the rescue! There are scores of people who would love that! I am happy to post it here at long last, thanks! Can we help you find any recipes?
Hi!
Did you get the Giant Oreo Cookie recipe, yet, because I FINALLY got it and will share!!:) Let me know!
Hi Mary! Please so share! Thank you for following up!
Giant Oreo Cookie!! (This is from an old coworker of my husbands. Enjoy!!!:)
1-6oz pkg chocolate chips
1 3/4c flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon (This amount is a guess? Unfortunately the recipe card she wrote on looked like “t tsp cinnamon” -could be less?)
1/2 tsp salt
2/3c shortening
2/3c sugar, divided
1 egg
1/4c light corn syrup
Melt chocolate chips in microwave. Set aside. Combine shortening, 1/2c sugar and egg. Beat until creamy; mix in corn syrup and melted chocolate. Blend in flour, soda, cinnamon and salt. Shape into 2 equal balls and roll in remaining sugar. Bake 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Will be soft, but will set. Do not over bake.
Filling-
4 Tbsp softened butter
1/4 tsp peppermint extract
2c powdered sugar
2-3 Tbsp milk
Cream butter with peppermint extract. Add powdered sugar. Stir in milk.
**I haven’t actually made this yet, but had it once when my husband brought some home from work. His coworker said it was from an old seventeen magazine:) I remembered it because I have made the peanutbutter temptations and cream cheese cut-outs from that issue for years! Enjoy!
Hi saucy! Hoping you might know the answer to my odd query….I remember a seventeen magazine “now we’re cooking” segment where Lara Jill Miller ( from the tv show gimme a break) made pizza and a chocolate cake with m&ms on it. I am DYING to find it, and am wondering if you have seen it? Please let me know…thanks! Tess
Sure thing, Tess. Posted!
Hi,
Really glad I found this site! I’ve been trying to find the recipe for a dense brownie with icing from Seventeen magazine in the early or mid 1980’s. It might have been with recipes for Valentine’s day. Thank you very much!
Hi Angela, we’ll try to help.
The only brownie recipe I have from then is a brownie layered with strawberry ice cream.
Do you remember anything else about the recipe?
Let’s see if our sleuths can help!
Hi! I have a memory of a 1980’s recipe in Seventeen that showed an ice cream watermelon bombe and some kind of gelatin (apricot) set in a cantaloupe rind? I’m thinking it’s from either 1980 or 1986 or later? Does this ring any bells? I have tons of back issues hoarded, let me know if there is anything I can help you find! Thanks!
Hi Gayden! We’d love to share some summer recipes from your collection. Can you scan and email us for posting?
Must admit, I don’t remember the watermelon recipe but I have posted it for readers here, so let’s hope someone has it: https://cookbookcherie.wordpress.com/2014/06/23/watermelon-ice-cream-bombe-recipe/
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I just found you today and all these great things from when I first started cooking at 11 (’81). I have the hearty hero sandwich roll recipe at home, but no pics. This is the one that can also be turned into a cinnamon roll.
I’m looking fir the recipe to make a cake look like a cheeseburger. Was in seventeen magazine
Hi Pam. This recipe says it’s from Seventeen 1983 Don’t have the page but would love to share if someone does!
http://www.astray.com/recipes/?show=Big%20mac%20cake%20kvtw10b
Hi SaucyCherie, I ran across your website while ISO a mid-1970’s Seventeen Magazine recipe for Short Ribs. I think they featured a teenage cook named “Barb” in it. Also, I recall there was an Easter Cake recipe in it so I’m thinking a March or April edition? It was the first time I had cooked dinner for my family and both recipes were outstanding. Any chance we can find both recipes? (BTW, I’m kicking myself for letting my mother throw out my copies of Seventeen!)
Brenda, don’t have that page but will ask around!
I would love to find the recipe for banana chocolate chip muffins from the 80’s. I remember them being different because you just chop the bananas instead of mashing them! They were so good.
Looking for 17 mag recipe for Navijo Fry Bread and the ground beef that went in it. It was so good. Around 1973
Mary Haynes: We’ve seen that issue on ebay. Hopefully someone can help!
Hello 🙂 I am looking for 80s Seventeen magazine’s Jambalaya and sole filets baked in a cucmber-milk sauce.
Please help me find them. Thank you.
Maja
Hi Maja. Head on over here for the first recipe request: https://cookbookcherie.wordpress.com/2017/01/23/mardi-gras-1980s-style/
I’m looking for a St. Patrick’s Day recipe that was corned beef and cabbage in a pastry roll. It was about as long as a cookie sheet.
Hi Kim, thanks for the recipe request! Is that from the 1960s or ’70s? Do not recall that from the 1980 pages but sounds interesting. Can anyone help Kim?
Hi there! This is off topic from the St. Patrick’s day recipes…but I could swear someone on your site was requesting the recipes from a 70’s issue that featured Navajo recipes…I think they were looking for the fry bread…anyway I have that issue (and many more) and would love to help…I usually don’t delete emails from your site, but I can’t find that one…maybe it wasn’t your site? So please disregard if that’s the case! Thanks, Gayden
Sent from my iPhone
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I am so excited to have found this blog! I have saved a few of “Now You’re Cooking” recipes, but I can’t find one that was SO good… it was a cornish hen recipe stuffed with wild rice and had a honey and something glaze. I made it for my parents when I was in high school and knew it was a keeper, but I can’t find it anywhere. Does anyone have a copy of this one? I would LOVE to make this recipe again.
Hi! I think I have seen that recipe, will take a look. Can you share your pages? We’d love to share!
Hi, I’m looking for a Seventeen Magazine recipe from around 1981 for Hamburger Pie. It uses cream of mushroom soup, mashed potatoes and cheese on top of a hamburger pie shell. Thanks!
I am looking for a Seventeen Magazine recipe – I think it might be a Holiday Season recipe – from somewhere between 1978-81 (I think) for Chocolate German Forest Cake. I think it was three layers, with meringue in between. Any help greatly appreciated!
Looking for 1975 – 1976 recipe for BBQ spare ribs – a little different from 1983 recipe
Hi Lori J Lundin. I posted an older spare rib recipe here: https://cookbookcherie.wordpress.com/2019/07/17/seventeen-bbq-spare-ribs/
Hi Cherie! Love your blog. I saw the post on Pinterest for the pulled pork cannelloni inspired by the dish at Il Terrazzo. I’ve been searching for a similar recipe for two years! I can’t believe I came across it on your blog. Could you send it to me?
Hi Cherie. Wondering if you might have, or know how to find, the recipe for 4th Street Rose’s Pizza Provencale?