Stories often hide between the lines even in old cookbooks. Like this well-used one that belonged to my mother-in-law and holds many ink-altered recipes.
Mom loved to entertain and often had small groups in her (now our) home. In fact, she had two kitchens because the family lived in the basement for a year while the upstairs was remodeled. I still mourn the loss of pocket doors and wood floors and glass doorknobs and especially the beautiful old molding and corner blocks. Mom wanted modern.
Anyway, she helped serve 190 people at the Charlotte Grange fried chicken supper on October 14, 1941. Apparently, they ran out of chicken and potatoes, so if you got there late, you might have had to fill up on cottage cheese and applesauce–and maybe some pie. I think it’s interesting that they diluted whipping cream for coffee.
But my favorite is the plan for the Kieser Farm Face Lifting Lunch on September 15, 1949–planned for 1000 people.
I wonder what a farm face lifting is.
The menu included barbecue sandwiches, hot dogs, fried cakes, home made pies, ice cream, coffee, potato chips, candy, and gum. She seems to have forgotten any fruit or veggies. And how do you eat barbecue sandwiches when you run out of buns? I suppose they used the more expensive hot dog buns.
They got the buns from Holsum Bread Company. I followed a rabbit trail to learn a little about the company. I learned that “the inner part of the bread encased by the crust is called the ‘crumb'”. This is why small bits of this part of the bread are called crumbs.” And that the average American student will have consumed 1500 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches upon graduation from high school.
At any rate, the next time I want to serve a large crowd, I’ve got blueprints already on hand, including Mrs. Fulton’s barbecue recipe for 250 buns.
When I turned the page over, I found the whole table setup for the affair.
The barbecue and hot dog stoves and supplies were set up on the east end and the coffee supplies and stoves on the west. She stacked the supply of pies and fried cakes in the center. People were assigned serving stations, including my sister-in-law who had charge of one of the ice cream cup tables. She would have been about ten years old. I asked my husband what he did, but he didn’t remember. He was four days shy of his second birthday. He was probably sneaking ice cream cups and candy.
The stream of people must have moved efficiently down each side picking up gum and candy first. I’ll bet the kids loved that. Then you got your barbecue, hot dogs, mustard and catsup, potato chips and/or fried cakes, pie, ice cream, and coffee. Then you stopped at the cashier, so the shindig wasn’t free.
But Mom, where’s the Kool-Aid?
By the way, did you know Kool-Aid was first called Fruit Smack? And that the man who invented it also developed a product called Nix-O-Tine to put the smack-down on cigarette smoking?
Now where was I?
I don’t know, but over here in the corner is a recipe for Vickie’s prize-winning pie. I think it says something about grasshoppers.
I’m also thinking I won’t be trying the recipes for broiled or fried brains any time soon. “Calf’s brains are the most desirable; lamb’s are sometimes used for food. Brains are very delicate but have never attained great popularity.” I wonder why. I won’t be trying the tongue or tripe, either. But the sour cream cookies or Indian pudding might hold some promise.
Have you found any stories in a cookbook?
In the stillness,
Sandy
What a treasure you have found! To see your Mom’s handwriting and follow her thought process…what a gift! Thanks for sharing. Blessings!
Thanks for coming by, Sophia. Yes… There’s a note in the back about what amounts served 153 women at a benefit luncheon–chicken salad, cupcakes… 20 packages of lemon jello…
And 4 dozen large fried cakes with meat sandwiches made with two loaves of Wonder Bread served 20 adults. It took 15 dippers of water for coffee.
I gain weight just reading through this stuff. 😉
Oh, this is reminding me of my wonderful mother-in-law who left us all of her recipes, and, thank heavens she lived long enough to translate them for us! The cooking culture was so different in her day that “put it on the back of the stove” actually meant something, and her recipe for relish included the amazing directive to “cook ’til it smells like a hot dog should.” Old recipes are a treasure.
“Cook till it smells like a hot dog should.” Love it!
Speaking of hot dogs, my MIL recorded this hint in her notebook:
To Roast Wieners: Use an old-fashioned corn popper for roasting wieners over fire. In this manner, you may roast several at a time and lose none in the fire.” Just an FYI. 😉
What a treasure trove you have there, Sandy, and in your MIL’s own hand. How wonderful! I don’t have altered cookbooks, but recipe cards in my grandmother’s flowing penmanship. I can still see her stirring her famous pot of fudge over a flame, wiping her face on her apron as the kitchen grew hotter and checking the liquid fudge temperature with a candy thermometer. She had neither written nor followed a recipe for this concoction. The measurements and ingredients were written in invisible lines, emanating from a heart of love for the sweet things of life–sweet things that she gave to her first grandchild, who still remembers far more than that candy. I don’t think even the most eloquent prose could capture all my grandmother meant to me. . . . or what her only son, my beloved father (gone eight years today) has meant. I think I shall always be reading their influence between the lines of my life, straight into eternity. Thank you for your meaningful, beautiful sharing today.
Love
Lynn
“The measurements and ingredients [and influence] between the lines of life… ” Oh, Lynn. How beautiful.
And now I want some fudge.
How lovely. I have my grandmother’s old Searchlight cookbook and I love reading her handwriting in the margins. It’s about to fall apart, but I never tire of caressing each page with eyes, hands and heart. Your post brought back wonderful memories.
I’m glad, Karla. Do you ever cook from any of the recipes? Now I’m wondering if my grandmother ever had a cookbook or if she just cooked from memory. Maybe she had one, and one of my aunts inherited it. Now one of my cousins?
I think cookbooks, like memoirs, give us a peek into people’s lives and passions. A lot of my favourite recipes came to me on handwritten cards, but there were a number of personalized cookbooks created by family members, too. (There’s a blog post I did about three years ago on them: http://wp.me/phaYw-12c ) I don’t think any of the accompanying stories are to be found with any of the recipes, but I remember being told several while working in the kitchen with my mom. 🙂
What a fun post, Carol! And it sure garnered a lot of activity. I inherited my MIL’s recipe card box, too. But none of my mom’s. I don’t know if she even had any. There came a point when someone said something about something she made, and right then and there, she quit. I’m not sure she ever cooked again. It became my dad’s job–and he still loves it. He loves experimenting and making odd things… pork and bean bread, kitty litter cake, rhubarb upside down cake…
Thank you for this. I love a mind that turns the pages alive with history and imagines. Reading this was like having tea with you.
I’d love to have tea with you! I wish we’d had more time to spend together in Nebraska. xo
An absolute treasure trove! No, I can’t say that I’ve found any stories in old cookbooks, but I do have some insight into the lives of relatives who have gone before me through their personal Bibles and memoirs.
Blessings, Sandy!
I have some old Bibles… but their owners must have felt it wrong to write in them. Though I have found a poem tucked away in one. My kids may roll their eyes at the scribblings in mine. 😉
When done just right, beef tongue is fabulous.
Tripe, however, is terrible any ol’ way.
Ewww…
I remember asking my dad once what sweetbreads were. He was so embarrassed at what he thought they were, he stuttered out the words and nearly tripped over himself rushing out the door.
I don’t want any of those, either.
I borrowed my friend’s “More with Less” cookbook before I bought it. By one of the cake recipes, she wrote, “for David’s poop party.” When her son pooped in the potty for the first time, they celebrated by throwing a party, and that was the cake!
Now he’s in college, so I hope David doesn’t end up reading this. 🙂
Oh my goodness! That is TOO funny. I hope his wife inherits that cookbook!