Friday, December 14, 2012

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.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

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.

Friday, December 7, 2012

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.

Friday, November 23, 2012

Food Friday: Turkey Skeleton Soup

Here we are, the day after. Today may find you in a quandary over what you should do with all of those leftovers. We are pretty boring and typically in the days after Thanksgiving we have leftovers and then turkey sandwiches and turkey enchiladas.

In case you want to do something with that turkey carcass, consider making a soup. These instructions from 1898 provide a foundation for making a soup that can  include a "turkey skeleton."

This is from  The Puritan Cook-Book. Composed of Contributed Recipes. Edited by The Loyalists and The Sisters of Dorcas, Sunday School Classes in Asbury Methodist Episcopal Church (Rochester, NY) available on Google Books.







Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Happy Thanksgiving!

From the collection of Gena Philibert-Ortega

Friday, November 16, 2012

Food Friday: Thanksgiving Edition with Shrimp Cocktail

Next week is the big day. It's time for Thanksgiving and the all you can eat buffet that many of us are cooking for our families.

What are you cooking for Thanksgiving? Is it different than what you had last year? What traditions do you have around the holiday?

At my house Thanksgiving varies slightly depending on if I'm cooking or if my brother and his family come to our home. My brother is a talented cook and comes up with some great side dishes.

So this Thanksgiving we are having: Turkey, Stuffing, Green Bean Casserole, Sweet Potatoes, Cranberry Sauce (the canned kind), Homemade Cranberry Sauce, Rolls, and Potatoes and Gravy. For dessert we will have Pumpkin Pie and Apple Pie. Of course there will probably be a few appetizers as well.

Use this Thanksgiving to conduct interviews with family. Ask them about past Thanksgivings. Take photos of the food you are eating, the people preparing it, and the table. Resolve to make Thanksgiving a time for collecting and documenting family history and your family's food history.


Today's Food Friday is a Thanksgiving menu courtesy of the Celebrations cookbook published by the Assistance League of Salt Lake City, 1992. Their Thanksgiving menu is a little different than mine but I wouldn't mind too much having some seafood with my turkey.




Friday, November 2, 2012

Food Friday: Ice Cream Muffins

One of the things I love about community cookbooks is when the owner has made comments beside a recipe or has stuck in additional recipes either by using them as a bookmark or adhering them to the pages of the cookbook.

Back in September I spotlighted a jello recipe from the community cookbook compiled by the Reading (Kansas) Women's Club. You can see that post here.




As I looked through this cookbook a few recipes fell out including this one for ice cream muffins.

from the collection of Gena Philibert-Ortega

I love the comments on the back of the recipe card.  The one at the bottom says it all.
from the collection of Gena Philibert-Ortega