I inherited a bunch of great stuff from my family. There were not any jewels or expensive valuables. But after three generations of artists, chefs, packrats, and general collectors-of-things, there were many wonderful things to cherish. When my now-late mother and I had to make a hasty skiddoo from our family home on the West side of Anderson, Indiana - I scooped up every treasure I could get before the sheriff came to lock the doors (back-taxes were overwhelming). A modest collection of antique and vintage cookbooks made it out of the heap, and I am thrilled every time that I leaf through them that I got them out of the house. The pictures, above all else, are invaluable and entertaining. They depict a time in America when cooking was very important to families - especially the women. The irony is that almost every cookbook I have was my grandfather's. He served in WWII on Christmas Island as a cook. Before that he owned and cooked for Klusmeier Cafe in Terra Haute, Indiana. When I was growing up, every night he would have different recipes and books spread out in the kitchen - cooking up a new and delicious meal. So I have decided to share some of the neater selections from the cookbooks here. This particular cookbook is from Spry shortening. To see the pages in their entirety, check my flickr.
The look on Calvin's face is unmistakable: it is the look that every housewife dreamed she would see on her own husband's face as she presented him a meal. Or at least - that is what this picture implies.
