All posts filed under: vintage cookbooks

Miss Mary Bobo’s Boarding House Cookbook

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  Let me begin by admitting that Miss Mary Bobo’s Boarding House Cookbook is my personal bible. I cannot complete a conversation about food without making reference to her magnificence. Miss Mary Bobo and her husband Jack took over the Salmon boarding house in 1908 from a retired physician in Lynchburg, Tennessee. Aside from her rather homely looks, Miss Mary demonstrated a fearless approach of farm to table food. Her recipes are as nourishing to the body as they are to the senses. A bowl of Miss Mary’s soup is as soothing as it is a gift from the culinary gods. A midday ‘supper’ is still served here daily, featuring the vegetables grown in the dual gardens on the premises. In a town famous for the Jack Daniel Distillery the county is actually dry, consequently Miss Mary’s only serves sweet iced tea and water. Regardless of this fact, many of her recipes famously include Jack Daniel’s whiskey. The vibe at Miss Mary’s house is in perfect retrograde. Rocking chairs line the front porch inviting guests …

Adventures in Good Cooking and The Art of Carving in the Home, by Duncan Hines

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“Tested recipes of unusual dishes from America’s favorite eating places.” I am lucky enough to have the 1953 version or the 25th printing out of Bowling Green, Kentucky. Mr. Hines (March 26, 1880- March 15,1959) was born in Kentucky to a father who was a confederate soldier. Because his mother died while at such a young age, Duncan was raised by his grandmother. This fun fact I like to imagine is exactly why he was so accomplished in the kitchen. Coupled with his early career in writing it wouldn’t have taken a soothsayer to predict his wild success. More than just a name on the adult-easy-bake-mix we are all accused of succumbing to on occasion, this man was molded by his grandmother  – therefore breaking all barriers of his and her cooking approaches. Ground breaking, well; to me anyhow.  As luck would have it, Mr. Hines was known for visiting the Midwest during the final years of his life and thanks to the bibliophile gods, my copy is signed. A most glorious treasure indeed! Not a coffee …