I love snack sets! Those little icons of the mid-Twentieth century serve so many uses, from breakfast in bed to late night gatherings after a concert. Sadly, they also get a bum rap as being "old lady dishes" (as if that was ever a bad thing!) and many can't stand them. Over the years, I have found many different sets and have gleefully collected them. I'm glad I did-some of these sets are now climbing in price and are getting hard to find!
I came across this set at a local church rummage sale and bought it. I didn't even open it, it was a snack set I knew I didn't have so I wanted it for my collection. Imagine my surprise when I got it home, opened it and found the cups were Forest Green! I had been expecting clear ones!
The set is clearly mid-Twentieth century, with the little star design on the bottom of the tray. The trays have wells for cups and also one with an indent. Some snack sets are also marketed as "sip and smoke" sets, with one of the smaller sections used to hold cigarettes. Or, some people have pointed out, the section with the indent could be used for your used spoon, so it wouldn't soil the table cloth. Which is it? Take your pick-that's the fun of it!
Forest Green is a color, not a pattern, manufactured by Anchor Hocking Glass Company from 1950 to 1967. It is a pretty emerald green color, perfect for holidays such as St. Patrick's Day or Christmas. Some Anchor Hocking patterns, such as "Bubble" and Charm were made in the attractive green color.
I invited some lady friends over for a game of cards and since it was ladies, a light dinner was preferred over a heavy repast. On the menu was:
Curried Chicken Salad
Cucumber finger sandwiches with a Garden Vegetable cream cheese spread by Philadelphia
Apple-Cranberry Gallette (a Robin Miller recipe)
Darjeeling tea
The meal turned out well, except the galette crust. Pre-made pie crusts could not be found when I went shopping, so I tried to use the ones in the aluminum pan. It did not work well; it tasted fine, but the crust cracked. Live and learn! Thankfully, the ladies didn't care, they were happy with a light but comforting dessert!
The flatware used is Titanic by Reed and Barton (QVC), which mimics the star pattern on the trays. Water glasses were my everyday Central Park by Anchor Hocking (Walmart). The chicken salad was served in milk white chili bowls (various places), also by Anchor Hocking (some saying "Fire King" on the bottom), and the galette was served on simple white Corelle bread and butter plates (Walmart). Tea was served from the Lucke family's silver plated tea pot on a tray from my beloved Auntie DD, with sugar and creamer and salt and pepper shakers in the Golden Elegance pattern from Mom and Dad. I used my sterling shaker set by National (thrift store) at the other end of the table as the second set. The table cloth and matching napkins are my hemstitched workhorse set from Walmart, and the centerpiece is the Longchamp centerpiece bowl (thrift store) flanked by Grandma Mayer's emerald green glass vases, on an emerald green runner found at Dollar Tree.
The deck of cards I used are special. My beloved Auntie Patricia gave me a set with the seagull and beach pattern when I was a girl. Of course, over time the cards became worn and lost. A few years ago, I found a brand new deck at a local thrift store. I forgot I had them until I grabbed the box I have my cards stored in, and there they were! I just had to use them!
