Like my mother, I've never been particularly interested in creating nutritious, tasty meals. Granted, more often than not my father was at work, and all her daughter wanted was a hamburger.
Well go figure. All these years later, I'm fascinated by my mother and grandmothers' many cookbooks.
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| Cracks me up! "Housekeeping should be a delight instead of drudgery, and perhaps for the women of America, with their ingenuity and eagerness ......" (ca. 1913)  'Not sure the fascination with prunes -- but it seems they were commonplace in many of those recipes.  A little toast water, anyone? * * * I'm sure reluctant to toss these old books, but have no idea what to do with them.  Perhaps something like this to hold knives? If only I had the counter space! (*sigh*) * * * Thanks for making time to visit my bit of Yesteryear. Until next time, please stay safe! Hugs, Myra |
Don't toss them. I love cookbooks and have a collection. And if you want to get rid of them, I will gladly take them. Just a sayin'. Smiles.
ReplyDeleteHey, I hope you all fared well from the Hurricane.
I'll keep that in mind! Lots of wind and rain, but we've only a flooded yard and a few small tree limbs down. Feeling blessed!
DeleteMy grandmothers had no cooke books, neither did my mother or my aunt, had not ever thought about that. they did have little boxes of recipes that they copied from their mothers. except my poor mother, her mother was like ME, she did not cook. you might find someone that would want those cook books for their collection. try putting them on ebay as vintage cook books. i can't follow a recipe, all these wonderful ones that people post on their blog, i make it and just yesterday tossed the left over penne pasta premvira in the garbage. we ate it because i made it but ended up tossing more than half. somehow it never comes out well, i think the FOOD KNOWS I hate doing it. i like a recipe like open this box, boil the pasta, open the squeeze bag of cheese and stir it in. YUM... i am betting the person who said housework should be not drugery was a male, that or a crazy woman.
ReplyDeleteLOLOL ... been there, done that! I actually thought about you when I read the book's preface about housework.
DeleteThey are probably a collector's item by now! Funny with the prune whip. My mom/grandmother would always make a prune roll around Easter. It is like a jelly roll but prunes were the filling. It was to combat the hard boiled eggs that might back one up if you get my drift and the prunes worked the other way. So maybe that was their fascination with it?
ReplyDeleteI remember in Home Ec in 9th grade the teacher who had to be in her 50s saying we should always presoak our pots and pans so that dinner cleanup would go quicker so we would have more time to spend with our husbands after their hard day at work. Looking back at it I always laugh with her tone of how she said it. My have times changes!
betty
That's funny ... and it makes perfect sense! I asked Tom if he remembers the 'jelly roll.' No, but he recalls it being baked into the kolache.
DeleteMy grandmother didn't have many cookbooks. Everything she made was in her head. But my mom had lots of recipes to share with us and I treasure those. Some of hers are still used often. Others not so much. Prune butter was something my hungarian grandmother used and I remember the filling being used as a filling in her baking. I never much like prunes but the prune butter was delicious.
ReplyDeleteLike with Betty's theory, I asked my Polish hubby if he'd heard of prune butter. "No", but it actually sounds tasty. I rather liked prune juice when my mother would buy it.
DeleteOffer them for sale!
ReplyDeletePeople collect old cook books, in whatever condition.
😰😱Did Blogger finally do it?????😰😱
I really should investigate. Thanks!
DeleteI'd like a toast water with a side of prune whip please lol. I love the old cookbooks and the recipe box! I remember finding my moms old recipe box thinking it would be something to treasure but it was just a bunch of recipes she had cut out of newspapers and magazines but never made lol. My mom was definitely not much of a cook. Thanks for linking up as always :)
ReplyDeleteComing right up, Martha! Thank YOU for hosting each Thursday. :)
DeleteI think now, with Covid, I've been looking for things to make. I do love that idea with the books.
ReplyDeleteI'd do that in a heartbeat if I only had sufficient counter space.
DeleteOld cookbooks are fun to look through. Some of the needed ingredients aren't even available today. And lard... lard, lard, lard!! But my grandparents still lived into their 80s and 90s, so go figure! I love that you have them. As to what to do with them...
ReplyDeleteYep, I remember my mom always kept an old coffee can of lard at the back of her stove. That must have been one of the rules in the 'Mom Book.' :)
DeleteHmm, "housework should be a delight instead of drudgery." My ingenuity is used to avoid housework as much as possible. :)
ReplyDeleteTruth! :)
DeleteAntiques ... antiques ... books like that, especially if very old and perhaps rare editions could be worth fortunes. Especially if the author died of food poisoning. You know ... like Van Gogh. His paintings were worth a fortune when he cut off his ear. Have you seen his painting "Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear painted in 1889? It's worth good money. That's because after he cut off his ear he could not see well ever again. His glasses kept falling off!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, that's my thoughts on the spur of the moment. What is a spur anyway? My dictionary says it is a metal object in the cowboy's shoes to encourage the horse to move. What's that to do with the moment?
I'm confused, Mevely.
God bless.
Hahaha. Poor Vincent!
DeleteOh, I love cookbooks old and new. I have a few of my grandmothers and her recipe cards. But I also have a growing collection of my own. Some, like the Granny Clampett Cookbook, are a lot of fun just to read like the ones you shared.
ReplyDelete"Granny Clampett"? Now that one sounds like a panic!
DeleteI love old cookbooks, and have several that belonged to my husband's grandmother and mother. They are interesting to look through, but I rarely have ever tried anything from them because they call for things like lard, etc., and sometimes just say things like bake in a moderate oven...whatever that is! (wood cookstove!) I have my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook that is just like my mother's, and I use several old favorite recipes in there. Nowadays I get recipes online a lot. I would not be able to get rid of the old cookbooks that belonged to the family. They are relics from the past and have special notes sometimes. My kids can figure out what to do with them someday. This was fun.
ReplyDeleteActually, I'm leaning that way, as well. No guilt!
DeleteI wish my mama had kept HER recipes. Mama was a whiz in the kitchen seemed to know what went with what automatically.
ReplyDeleteI seldom look at cook books, but they are a source for me on the net when I have a question, i.e. What is a good addition to tomato soup to make it more tasty.
I always enjoy your family flash backs and smiled at the daughter who was satisfied with a hamburger, I remember our boys. LOL
I don't know if mama ever used prunes in a recipe. I thought they were just for old folks to eat to stay regular!!! LOL
But I do like the picture of the knife holders. . Now that we have all this cabinet counter space, that ain't a bad idea.
However I know you treasure those 'Recipe Books', just the fact of those who held and used them.
I am feeling half way normal, except for the speed of this old Dell.
Love you lady, hug the man Tom for us.
Sherry & jack now we have an official address in Lake county Florida.
Congratulations on becoming 'official' Floridians! And hey, thanks so much for persevering through the computer challenges to come visit me.
Deletei inherited all my nanas and hubby's mom and aunts recipes. some cookbooks too. your cookbooks are indeed collector items. you are right reading through them takes you back in time.
ReplyDeleteGiven this season of uncertainly, ya. Back in time's not a bad place to be.
DeleteMy mother has a whole host of cookbooks that she never cracks open these days. Poor thing! Cooking for one is never a fun thing to do. Danny and I send her frozen meals from our table so she can simply thaw and heat. She's really enjoying that!
ReplyDeleteBlessings, Myra!
That's a great idea! Ya, I remember my mother telling me how she'd just fix herself a sandwich and eat it over the sink -- no muss, no fuss.
DeleteHello, sweet lady. Fun post!
ReplyDeleteI've got a TON of cookbooks, because what can I say? I love to cook, and I love to read. (A very dangerous combination, evidently...)
Take care, and have a super weekend.
How wonderful to 'see' you again, m'dear! Now, if I just loved to cook ... sigh.
DeleteI have tons of cookbooks like mom had. I also have a few handwritten recipes she and Auntie Ang wrote out for me. I cherish them. Rebekah gets riled up on some of the commentary. HaHaHa! I Never was too much into the whole Women;s Lib, I hate men scenario in the 60's and 70's! In fact those nosy Rosies who asked Tarrah, YOU'RE having another baby? UGH ! Get a life! My father would say, if they are paying you to write your life story, tell them what they want to hear. Otherwise tell them, MYOB! HaHa! I sure miss my dad, he came up with so many good comebacks! He was very modest and private too. Hoping this blogger business gets straightened out. It is driving me mad. HUGS across the miles and take care. XO XO
ReplyDelete