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.
