On My Mind: A Taste of the Past
I collect old cookbooks, not because I’m looking for new menu ideas but because the recipes reveal so much about a particular moment in time. I have a recipe booklet put out by the Hormel Company to introduce home cooks to the wonders of their exciting new product: Spam! I have a 1930s reproduction of an 1830s cookbook from Colonial Williamsburg that includes a delicious recipe for boiled squirrel. One of my favorites is a 1970s pamphlet on the various ways to use the latest and greatest small appliance – the Crockpot! (An essential time-saving tool for the busy working woman!) Reading these old recipes gives me insight into the lives of everyday, people and on the occasion when I make one these dishes, the food connects me to a time long gone.
Recently, someone gave me a copy of The Peoples Choice 2. For those who’ve never heard of this book, it is the official Peoples Church Cookbook from 1986. Since it has a two in the title, I assume there was an earlier cookbook. (I would LOVE to get a copy of that one).
The Peoples Choice 2 offers a wide range of recipes, including a tasty broccoli salad, three ways to make Swedish meatballs, and something called “Fancy Punch.” It’s a lot like every cookbook you may have seen except for one thing: each recipe includes the name of the person who submitted it. Many of the names are unfamiliar to me, faithful church members now long gone. A few of the names are of people who are still in the church. But the names that stop me in my tracks are of those saints that I have known - and buried: Audrey Wilson, Thelma Hansen, Maxine Ferris, Mary Lou Johnson, Barb Potter, to name a few. These recipes are somehow more appealing because I remember these people.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of our church building. To celebrate this milestone, the Capital Campaign Fun-raising Committee is sponsoring a potluck on October 12th at 6:00 pm in the Social Hall. But this isn’t just any old potluck; it’s a historical potluck! We’re going to select recipes from our old Peoples Church cookbooks and get a taste of the past. We’re calling it “Back to the Future: The Potluck!” There will be more information about this event in September’s Portal, but I want to get the word out now. If you have a copy of the first Peoples Church cookbook, let me know! If you’d like to help us put on this delightful event, let me know! And if you’d like to be one of the cooks, then dust off your Crockpot, polish your canapé platter, and check to see if the electric fondue pot still works. We’ll have a sign up on the Welcome Desk in August. I can’t wait to see what tasty historical treats await us!
Peace,
-Rev. Dr. Shawnthea Monroe