The Best of Food Friday 2012

On the eve of a  new year, I thought I would recap the most popular Food Friday posts for 2012. 

State Library of Queensland, Australia via Flickr the Commons

They are:

Turkey Skeleton Soup (Nov 23  ) 

Idiot Salad (Oct 26)

Out of Vermont Kitchens-War Cake (October 12) 

Beef Tomato Gravy from the Los Angeles Times (September 14) 

Evansville Favorite Recipes by the Girl Scouts (July 31)

Oh the Things You Can do with Fritos (June 22)

Women’s Glory, Slovenian Women and Pink Tea (May 25) 

I want to thank my readers for checking out Food Friday each week. Have a great 2013!

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Food Friday Follow-Up: German Potato Salad

This last Food Friday I posted a recipe for German Potato Salad. Lucky for me, my friend and fellow genealogist Gary Clark of PhotoTree.com tried the recipe.

Here's what he had to say:

(c) 2012 Gary Clark, PhotoTree.com. Used with Permission

"Loving German potato salad as I do, it was a no-brainer to give the recipe in your December 28^th blog posting a try. For one, the recipe in Favourite Recipes looked simple, and it was. Since the cook book came from Motley, Minnesota, I assumed there were some  German descendants that offered their family favorite."

"I used the ingredients as specified, knowing I could jazz up the recipe on a second try. I took some minor liberties on a couple items, only because they weren't precisely specified.  I used red potatoes, they seem to hold up better while boiling, and left the skin on. I also sliced them before I boiled them.  You just have to watch them closely as they will be cooked in a short 10 minutes or so.  Also, slicing them before boiling keeps you from turning them into mush while trying to slice them once they are cooked."

"I made the sauce as written.  Used red onions as a personal preference, and I probably used a little more bacon than called for. No one complains about too much bacon however.  It also said to grate the onion.  I really didn't want to start crying from the fumes that grating would cause, so I just diced them."

(c) 2012 Gary Clark, PhotoTree.com. Used with Permission.

"This was easy to make, with all the ingredients already in most cupboards. I tried a quick faux wienerschnitzel using thin sliced boneless pork chops. Pounded them even thinner, adding pepper and flour in between poundings.  Fried quickly in a hot skillet with olive oil.  It was not really authentic schnitzel, but pretty good anyway."

"I will make the potato salad again, probably adding a little more vinegar for a bit more bite. Of course this is personal taste."

"Kudos for including this cookbook and recipe in your blog."

Thanks Gary!

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Food Friday: German Potato Salad

Have  holiday leftovers? If you're like us, you may be eating countless ham sandwiches and need something to add to that. How about German Potato Salad?

from the collection of Gena Philibert-Ortega

Today's recipe comes from Favourite Recipes from  the Motley Lionettes in Motley Minnesota.
This 1980 cookbook includes a synopsis of what the Lionettes had achieved in the past year.

Here's the recipe

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Food Friday: Christmas Fruit Cake

Every year I hear people complaining about fruit cake and every year no one shares a slice with me. Yes, I like fruit cake. When I think of fruit cake I remember an old neighbor who would serve it with tea in a cute tea set complete with a knitted tea cozy.

So here's not one but two fruit cake recipes for you from Recipes from Our Redeemer's (Benson, Minnesota, 1964)

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Food Friday: Arroz Con Jocoque

There's no doubt that community cookbooks are a source for researching women but there are other types of cookbooks that provide valuable information like  names and addresses. On the GenealogyBank blog I wrote about newspaper recipe contests and the resulting cookbooks that included women's names. The modern magazine Taste of Home is another good example of showcasing recipes from women around the United States and in some cases including their photos.

Today's recipe comes from Favorite Recipes of America: Casseroles Including Breads, published by the Favorite Recipes Press (1968). This book was part of a five  book set that included Desserts, Salads, Meats, and Vegetables.

I have to admit that I know very little about the Favorite Recipes Press and how they acquired recipes for this collection. If you know more about this collection, please leave a comment.

According to the introduction written by Mary Ann Richards, Staff Home Economist:

The fine collection of casserole and bread recipes in this edition of FAVORITE RECIPES OF AMERICA offers you a multitude of dishes. These recipes were selected from the more than 50,000 in my files to represent regional cookery at its finest and to give you a real variety from which to choose.

These favorite American recipes were home-tested by hundreds of cooks just like you in all parts of the country. Each recipe was personally endorsed by the homemaker whose name appears under it.

Recipes included are from women who reside all over the United States and beyond. Their name, city and state accompany each recipe. In a few cases, their associations are also included such as in the case of Mrs. Edwin J. Witzenburger, Officers' Wives Club, Fucha AS, Tokyo, Japan who provided a Crab Meat Newburg recipe (pg. 141).

Today's recipe is for Arroz Con Jocoque submitted by a fellow Southern California resident, Mrs. C.C. Carson (pg. 227).

Just goes to show that even those seemingly dated cookbooks from years ago can hold genealogical value.

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Win My Book and Money! Archives.com Recipe Contest

Official Submission Page

The holidays aren't complete without that special family recipe. Archives wants to celebrate your family's favorite holiday recipes. Between now and 12:00pm (PST) on December 21, 2012, enter the Archives Family Recipes Contest for a chance to win great prizes:

• 1st Prize: $300
• 2nd Prize: $200
• 3rd Prize: $100

First, second, and third prize winners will also receive an autographed copy of From the Family Kitchen: Discover Your Food Heritage and Preserve Favorite Recipes by Gena Philibert-Ortega (Family Tree Books, 2012).

Entering is easy. Click here for the official submission page and enter your family's recipe and the story about why the recipe is so special. Was this what Grandma always saved her pennies for so she could get all of the ingredients? Is it one of those wacky recipes that nobody actually eats, but makes people disappointed if it isn't on the table?

Entries will be judged on uniqueness, creativity, and the family story behind the recipe. Full contest rules can be found here: Official Rules Page.

These special foods are not only tasty, but they bring back wonderful memories of holidays past and the people who made them before us. They are a part of our families' histories.

Winners will be announced Friday, December 21, 2012.

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Food Friday: Cookie Recipes from the Mothers of World War II

Today is  the 71st anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor so it seemed fitting to provide recipes from a cookbook published by the Mothers of World War II (1954).

The address found on the cover is that of their nationwide headquarters in 1954.

From the collection of Gena Philibert-Ortega

As with any recipe from an older cookbook make sure you read it carefully. In some cases these recipes don't include all the ingredients or the directions for baking such as the first recipe for Ice Box Cookies on this page.

Was one of the women in your family a member of the Mothers of World War II? A list of  women in Unit 107 from Markle, Indiana can be found here. Their annual convention program for 1965 and 1968 is also online via the Wabash Valley Visions and Voices Digital Project.

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