Hard to believe that next week is Thanksgiving. It is even harder to believe how different the holidays might look. Last year I spent Thanksgiving with my family, and whipped up a traditional feast of turkey, stuffing, and assorted sides. In my post from last fall, “Someone’s in the Kitchen,” I scoped out some fun recipes for a pastel bombonera, traditional gingerbread, and some divinity candy.
Though we may spend the upcoming holidays apart from friends and family, we can still have some quality time at home (zoom cooking session anyone?). With more time at home and people looking for things to do, historic recipes were a social media trend this year. I even tried out the 1930s peanut butter bread.
If you are looking to try something new (or rather old) to test out in your kitchen, then look no further than the special collections of the DeGolyer Library and the Archives of Women of the Southwest.
Minnie Belle Campbell Jones was born in Illinois in 1871, moved to Dallas in 1879. Her husband, Charles Redus Jones (1869-1951), was the owner of Pure Ice and Cold Storage of Dallas as well as other ice businesses in Texas. In her little ledger book she wrote out her recipes for breads & rolls, breakfast cakes, candies and fudge, chaffing dish recipes, salads, sauces, soups, and oysters. Enjoy cornbread with your turkey? Why not test out this recipe for Golden Corn Bread, or Boston Brown Bread?
Breakfast is by far my favorite meal of the day and cinnamon rolls are a holiday tradition in my family. Though I may not see them this year, I will be trying out Minnie’s recipes for cinnamon rolls and a breakfast cake.
Looking for something even sweeter? How about some Old Fashioned Sea Foam Candy? Or Fudge? These recipes are recorded in pencil by Ida Morgan of Phoenix, Arizona. Her book comprises mostly recipes for cakes and other sweets, breads, and salads. Also includes two recipes clipped from newspapers.
However you celebrate this year, find joy in the little things. Explore your past, make connections with family, and check out some more tried and true recipes from the archives.
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 wo
men of the southwest, be sure to visit the DeGolyer Library’s website and digital collections.