While
filing some items in the genealogy room at the Algona Public Library recently,
I found a cookbook that was out of place.
It had been donated to the gen society ten years ago by a person who
purchased it at a used bookstore in San Diego.
At the time of our receipt it was in pretty rough shape.
Since it was falling apart, we placed each page in a page protector and
put the book in a three ring binder to preserve it.
The
cookbook is entitled Come Into Our
Kitchens. There is no other
information to indicate the date of publication, who compiled the collection or
what organization profited from its sales.
I recall at the time we received it we did a little research trying to
identify its source, but to no avail. Rather
than put it on the shelf next to the other cookbooks in our collection, I
decided to give it another go. Who
knows? At the very least I might be able
to find some good recipes for the upcoming Thanksgiving dinner.
The
publication contains advertising from many local Algona merchants which helps
to date the period it was published. There
is an ad for the Call Theatre which led me to deduce that it was published
prior to 1937 when that structure burned to the ground. Other advertisers included Kent Motors, Pratt
Electric, and The Hub Clothiers, among many others. One of the most vexing aspects of the advertisements
is that addresses are not given for most of the businesses. That seems to be a recurring theme in
advertising prior to 1970 or so. Evidently
no one back then considered the feelings of future local historians or family
history researchers and their need for specific information. Sigh . . .
The
cookbook itself is thin – 50 pages or so – and specializes in sweets. It begins with doughnuts, coffee cakes and
breads, proceeds on to cakes and icings, has a section on cookies and bars and
another on candies. It then moves on to
desserts and pies and ends with various salad recipes. Thumbing through the book was nostalgic. There is something about a well-loved
cookbook with pages discolored and splattered, corners worn, and notes in the
margins that is comforting.
 |
| Roll and waffle recipes |
Titles
of recipes can be fascinating. Today’s
cakes might be called “Death By Chocolate” or “Ooey Gooey Butter” cake, but
they had interesting names then too. Here
are some of the cakes from Come Into Our
Kitchens: Feather Weight Cake from
Mrs. H.M. Harris, Light as Ducks Down Cake from Fern (Mrs. W.A.) Foster, and Yellow
Feather Cake presented by Mrs. Homer Tuttle.
Angel food and sponge cake recipes were quite popular with recipes
submitted by Marie (Mrs. William) Hawcott, Ruby (Mrs. Francis) Hawcott and Ella
Mae (Mrs. Alvin) Weber. I have always
admired those talented bakers who could make an angel food cake from scratch,
beating all those egg whites that are required.
And these fine ladies likely beat them by hand.
Seeing
the Chocolate Pin Wheel Cookies recipe from Mrs. Antone Johnson reminded me of
the delicious ones my husband’s grandmother, Josie (Mrs. Aloysius) Eischeid
used to make. How we looked forward to
that treat whenever we stopped by for a visit!
Other cookies such as Carmel Cookies (Mrs. Burton Thorpe) and
Butterscotch Pecan Squares (Mrs. Ben Sorensen) sound delicious. However, a few did not sound appetizing at
all – Date Rocks (Mrs. Fred Frost) and just plain Rocks (Mrs. W. C. Steele) for
example. I don’t think I would enjoy
eating cookies that are described as “rocks.”
There
were several recipes in the candy section that I found intriguing. I had never heard of Sea Foam candy before,
but both Mrs. D. J. Mitchell and Miss Annie Ingersoll submitted recipes. My favorite candy in the section has to be
the one entitled “Patience” which again was contributed by Mrs. Mitchell. After reading the directions, I certainly
agree that one would have to have extreme patience to prepare it.
When
it comes to pies, these women knew what they were doing. I can almost picture them in their kitchens
rolling out the crusts. Lemon Chiffon
(Mrs. Anna Gill), Washington Nut Pie (Mrs. Lillian Norton), Silver Cream Pie
(Mrs. Walter Klamp), and Angel Food Pie (Mrs. Earl Moore) are just a few of the
many varieties mentioned.
While
paging through the book, I started to study some of the names of those who
contributed recipes for publication. I
began to notice that the majority of the surnames represented families who had
been faithful Methodists through the years.
After spending some time on Find-a-Grave, I was soon able to confirm
through obituaries that funerals for all but a very few of the women I was able
to track were held from the Methodist Church.
The book itself belonged to Elizabeth Carlisle who I have been unable to find. Her ownership could perhaps be
another clue.
So
as you can see, this post is part history and part mystery. To any loyal readers who happen to be
members of the United Methodist Church in Algona, does this cookbook look
familiar to you? Would it have been
compiled as a fundraiser for the church or perhaps one of the women’s groups? We would love to be able to date when it was
published and confirm its origin.
When
Thanksgiving rolls around each year, I can’t help but think of some of the
bountiful meals I have shared with friends and family throughout my life. In that spirit, does anyone have memories to
share of the culinary talent of any of the contributors that I have mentioned
in this post or whose names appear on the accompanying photos? If so, I would love to read your comments.
While
counting my blessings this year, I want you to know that I am thankful for each
of you that enjoy these posts and love local history as much as I do.
Happy
Thanksgiving!
Jean
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