The holiday season is upon us! For many that means cookies, cakes, and pies…oh my. I have some very distinct wonderful memories of holiday baking with both my mother and grandmother. Scattered throughout the Archives of Women of the Southwest and the manuscript holdings of the DeGolyer are countless recipes and cookbooks ranging from Caroline Rose Hunt’s The compleat pumpkin eater to The Texas Cook Book: a Thorough Treatise on the Art of Cookery edited by the Ladies’ Association of the First Presbyterian Church in 1883.
In case you have not decided what you are making for that big family gathering coming up, here are some highlights from ladies in the archives.
Fancy a pastel bombonera? This chocolate cake recipe comes from a collection containing various manuscript and typescript volumes of recipes written in Spanish circa 1910-1956. Included are “recetas de Elvira Ponce de Marquez, Mexico, 1933”; “libreta de cocina perteneciente a Enedina Tortolero, 1956”; two unidentified volumes written in both English and Spanish that include a recipe for “pork chops southern”; and a volume entitled “Socorro Aceves de Clever Cocina” written in small cursive that contains recipes for German foods or “recetas alemanas.”
This recipe for soft ginger bread comes from Mamie Hudson Gilliam (1901-1982). Mamie was the mother of bookseller Franklin Gilliam. She was a native Texan, and her recipe cards are taken from Texas cook books circa 1960s-1980s.
Fancy yourself more of a sweets maker than a cake baker? How about some fudge or divinity candy? These Recipes are recorded in pencil by Ida Morgan of Phoenix, Arizona. Her notebook consists mostly recipes for cakes and other sweets, breads, and salads 1909 – 1913.
No matter how your creation may turn out, you will have made some family memories. Happy holidays from the DeGolyer! Stop in and check out some more tried and true recipes from the collections. Contact Samantha Dodd, curator of the Archives of Women of the Southwest for additional information or assistance with accessing the collections.
For access to these collections or to learn more about the adventurous women of the southwest, be sure to visit the DeGolyer Library and check out our books, manuscripts, pamphlets, and photographs.