Historical sources are funny things. Sometimes they look official with their certifications, notarizations, and signatures. Think in terms of vital records or land deeds. But sometimes they are simple like a long-forgotten school project that ends up in the trash or at a used book sale.
Today's recipe comes from one of those simple sources. It's a community cookbook in that it includes recipes from various people. But that's about all I know about it. There's no title page, no copyright date, no acknowledgements. There's not even page numbers.
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| From the collection of Gena Philibert-Ortega |
The cover is blue burlap with stitching in various colors of embroidery floss. Its look says it was done by someone who was not accomplished in embroidery but was probably learning. Its mimeographed purple ink pages hint at being created at a school or perhaps a church. The inside front and back covers have a layer of card stock hiding the underside of all that stitching.
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| From the collection of Gena Philibert-Ortega |
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| From the collection of Gena Philibert-Ortega |
Recipes found inside are for a mishmash of dishes like tacos and lasagna but they largely lean towards desserts like Fudgy Cookies and Chocolate Upside Down Cake.
Each recipe bears the signature of a child whose experience signing their name is short. Unlike adults whose signatures often become a series of illegible lines and loops over time, these signatures neatly emphasize every letter.
Based on some quick Google searches, my guess is that this Cook Book comes from Michigan. One other clue to this cookbook's origin is found in a singular typed sheet of paper found in the back that includes a recipe for Walnut Sundae Torte and the acknowledgement "Senior winner in Pillsbury's 14th Grand National Recipe and Baking Contest by Mrs. John Charles Mulder, E. Grand Rapids, Michigan. Adapted by Ann Pillsbury." The 14th Grand National Bake-Off occurred in 1963.
This Super Bowl weekend may mean lots of food. Here's a recipe for those leftover potato chips. Today's recipe is for Potato Chip Cookies by Sherri Lee Whitney.
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| From the collection of Gena Philibert-Ortega |
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