On the Porch
The History of Cookbooks
By Jennifer Andries
The display case in the front entry of the museum has been changed to feature a few of the cookbooks in the Lyon County Museum’s collection. The display case includes a few kitchen items as well.
A cookbook is a collection or recipes, instructions, and information about the preparation and serving of foods. The printing press revolutionized the culinary arts by making cookbooks widely available. The first known to have been printed, in 1485, was produced by an Italian, Bartolema Scappi.
One of the most successful and popular cookbooks of all time was produced in the United States in 1896, when Fannie Merritt Farmer’s The Boston Cooking School Cook Book was published. Fannie Farmer was the first to standardize the methods and measurements of her recipes, which gave reliable results for home cooks. A revised copy of her book, now entitled, The Fannie Farmer Cookbook, is still in print today.
Below are three recipes from one of the cookbooks on display. The Marshall Ladies’ Treasured Recipes cookbook. This cookbook was sponsored by the Federated Ladies Aid. It was printed by Henle’s Job Printery in Marshall in 1938. The binding was done by Modern Binding Company in Minneapolis.
Goulash by Mrs. Don Stearns
1 lb. ground beef; 1 large onion, cut fine; 1 green pepper, cut fine; 1 can kidney beans; 1 large can tomatoes; 1 can tomato soup; 1 can vegetable soup; salt and pepper to taste
Brown onion and green pepper and add hamburger. Brown. Add beans, tomatoes and soups. Put in oven and bake about one hour. Spaghetti may be added if desired.
Cabbage and Pineapple Salad by Mrs. Ernest Mellenthin
1 pkg. lemon jello; 1 pint warm water; 1 cup shredded cabbage; ½ tsp. salt; 4 tsp. vinegar; 1 c diced canned pineapple; 4 stuffed olives, sliced
Dissolve jello in warm water. Chill until slightly thickened. Combine cabbage, salt and vinegar; fold at once into slightly thickened jello. Fold in pineapple and olives. Turn into individual molds. Chill until firm. Unmold on crisp lettuce leaf. Garnish with mayonnaise. Serves 6.
Angel Food Dessert by Mrs. F.W. White
¾ Angel food cake, broken in pieces about the size of a walnut; ½ envelope Knox gelatin; 1 pt. whipping cream; ¾ cup sugar; 2 well beaten egg whites; ½ tsp. vanilla; small bottle maraschino cherries; nuts
Whip cream, add gelatin, cherries (with juice) nuts, sugar, cake. Then fold in egg whites. Let stand over night in ice box. Then cut in squares to serve. Commercial angel food may be used.