Cookbook Junkie Roadtrip

It's probably intuitively obvious that I'm a cookbook junkie, especially those little pamphlet ones printed by church groups in really small towns.

So recently on an out of town trip, I ran across an antique shop (aka junk shop) with a treasure trove of old recipe books. This was also just after I re-organized all my cookbooks and said I wouldn't buy anymore. Well that was a resolution that didn't have a long life because there are some cookbooks that I just can't resist.

Cookbooks on canning and preserving are special favorites of mine. When I ran across this Ball Cookbook, it had to come home with me to add to the five other Ball Cookbooks that I already had. But the cover is so pretty.

I'm also a sucker for Culinary Arts Institute Cookbooks. And this one had such a cheerful cover! It was $1.50 more than my 50-cent price target for these little booklets, but on the back cover there is a sweet little black cat sitting in front of a big stone fireplace and I'm a sucker for black cats too.

The recipes probably aren't "masterpieces of Italian cookery, " but they are interesting to read. Each recipe has it name in English and in Italian so I get to practice my Italian pronunciation.

Then I found a book with handwritten recipes. The book was divided into recipe sections with about 50 blank pages in each section. It was apparently a gift to someone and the person giving the gift had written a recipe on the first page of each section. The person receiving the book had added a few but not many. If you are into making books, this would be a great gift idea.

I also joined the Foodie Blogroll. You will find the Foodie Blogroll links on the right. If you like reading foodie blogs, then you will love this blogroll. Lots of interesting foodie blog.

I've got some new recipe requests that I will be searching for this week. If I can't find them, I'll be asking for help. I did find and post a recipe for Tomato Soup Cake. The request was from a friend. I found quite a few recipes, but they were all about the same. The major difference was in the spices added. Some added Allspice and some didn't.

We welcome your recipes and their memories on our Heritage Recipe site, so please share. The holidays are fast approaching and that is the busiest season for our website. Everyone is looking for those favorite recipes that their moms and grandmas made -- so share your old family favorites!

Terrific Old Time Recipe Cookbook!

Book Review: Saltville Centennial Cookbook,
A Century of Good Cooking, 1896-1996

If you like my Heritage Recipe website, then you will want to get a copy of The Saltville Centennial Cookbook, A Century of Good Cooking, 1896-1996. Following a similar format to my Heritage Recipe website, every recipe has a story about a Saltville area person. Out of print for many years, cookbook has been reprinted by the Friends of the Museum of the Middle Appalachians, Saltville, VA and is available again at the Museum of the Middle Appalachians Store.

The cookbook contains over 110 old recipes, family photos and articles from and about the old time cooks in the Saltville area. This cookbook is a "must have" for collectors of old fashioned recipes. I have a copy of the book from its original printing in 1996 and it's a family treasure. Even though I don't know the people in the stories, I have really enjoyed reading them -- and re-reading them.

Here's the beginning of one of the stories, "Sarah Greer's mother died at birth. Her father had to go off to the Civil War and never returned..." If you want to know what happens to Sarah, you are going to have to buy the cookbook!

You can learn more about the Museum of the Middle Appalachians on their website. This is a terrific small, community museum, located in an area of Virginia that is rich in both American history and pre-historic history. If you are traveling on I-81 through Virginia, take a detour off the interstate and visit Saltville. It is located eight miles north of I-81 in the southwestern part of Virginia. Take exit 35 via Route 107 or Exit 29 via Route 91 for the short and scenic drive into Saltville.

If you are interested in obtaining a copy, contact the Museum Store at (276) 496-3633. The price is $20 per copy and supplies are limited. The museum doesn't have online shopping so you will need to call them. They are happy to take phone orders! The funds from the sales of the book go toward supporting the museum. Purchase this cookbook and you will help the museum continue to grow!

Disclaimer: In case you are wondering how I even know about the re-print of this cookbook, I'm the volunteer webmaster for the Museum of the Middle Appalachians.