Kitchen Pickin’: Playing with matches

EAST TEXAS (KLTV/KTRE) - Garage sale season is in full swing with what seems like a bright neon sign at every turn on Saturdays. This week, Jeff shows off some finds from an estate sale he went to a couple weeks ago.

Kit Kat Cup

Jeff: I got this at a young family’s yard sale. They were looking to move and get rid of a few things. In addition to a couple cool utility knives, I found this cup for a dollar. I like that it’s a ceramic cup and not what is usually a light plastic cup. The grip and lid are also a big plus.

Steph: The grip and lid being silicone is nice. It keeps everything from spilling, and keeps you from burning your hand. Nice one.

Betty Crocker’s Cookbook

Jeff: This is a favorite find for me. It’s the third time I’ve found one like it. The first two sold pretty quick. This Betty Crocker cookbook is the 18th printing and from 1973. One of my favorite eBay moments that I’ve shared with Steph is the first one I listed like this. I got a message from a potential buyer asking if there was a chicken and dumplings recipe. I thought that was so funny that she needed an obscure recipe for that meal. Why couldn’t she just Google it? I said all that to Steph and, without missing a beat, Steph said, “Well, she probably enjoyed a particular recipe from her grandmother or someone like that and wants to recreate it.” This may have been one of the first times I realized my sales sometimes are more than just assets, but memories. It’s a lot more fun to make money and make someone happy at the same time.

Steph: As I always say, recipes are about more than filling your stomach. They’re memories, feelings, and culture. This is a huge reason vintage cookbooks like this will usually always be sought after.

Scott Towels Jr. paper towel roll holder

Jeff: There is just something about this thing I absolutely love. How many times do you run into a factory-sealed item from the 1980s that nobody is even asking for? Who needs Darth Vader when you got Scott? It screams vintage with that logo, plus it’s easy to ship. I got around six of these from a huge estate sale. I think the couple holding the sale had bought property and had to get rid of the assets and they were ready to get rid of them at really cheap prices.

Steph: I never cease to be surprised at what people are looking to buy on the internet or even at yard sales! I think this practical, inexpensive product must be handy for some, or hold memories of mom’s kitchen for others.

Pyrex mixing bowl

Jeff: Mrs. Awtrey picked this up at a mission trip benefit sale. She found it and couldn’t come down for a while. Best we could tell, it isn’t worth an awful lot, but still a fun pickup with that 1970s crazy daisy design. Pyrex is really tough. I’ve yet to get a complaint on one breaking. But, if you do find one with a chip or crack, you might want to pick it up anyway. Google “Pyrex jewelry.”

Steph: Funny you should mention Pyrex jewelry. I only recently discovered jadeite jewelry on Etsy! People are using broken jadeite dishware to create necklaces, earrings, and more. Really interesting. I admire that kind of creativity.

Jug-o-matchbooks

Jeff: Back to that big estate sale, I came across a basket of vintage matchbooks. I had never seen matchbooks at a sale before, and didn’t know to look out for them. But with the prices at this sale, I knew they were worth a shot. About half are from East Texas and the other half from locations around the country. So far, I’ve found some from Las Vegas, Branson, Hawaii and more. They are a mix of casinos, restaurants, hotels and country clubs. Some have just one match missing. Most have none missing. And the color schemes on some are really interesting.

Steph: I quickly got caught up in looking at these matchbook covers. The more I pulled out of the jar to look at, the more I wanted to see. Some of them are like tiny works of art! They really tell the history of a place, too, as far as what restaurants and businesses were around East Texas in decades past. For instance, there was a restaurant called Spiro’s at some point in Longview. I’d never heard of that before. How about you?

Pampered Chef ceramic egg cooker

Steph: I found this Pampered Chef egg cooker at the Salvation Army Thrift Store for 99 cents the other day. I didn’t know what it was, I just knew the brand, so I took a picture of it and did a search, and Google told me what it was, how to use it, etc. PC still sells these for about $20 plus shipping. I can’t wait to try it out.

Jeff: Pampered Chef is definitely a BOLO. I sell them extremely quick. The brand has been on the show a few times. This one also has great value.

To see more episodes of East Texas Kitchen Pickin’, click here.

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