My First Cookbook

It was called Mary Alden's Cookbook for Children, published in 1955, and I learned to cook by following its picture instructions. My favorite recipe was for "Eskimo Cookies", made from butter, powdered sugar, oats, and cocoa. Made into balls, rolled in powdered sugar, and chilled, well, there's no way to describe their deliciousness!

I also remember baking cakes, cornbread, and cookies, all from scratch. Egg salad sandwiches, cut into thirds diagonally, just seemed like the perfect lunch. Breakfast items included pancakes, puffed eggs with cheese sauce, and the "reddy grapefruit", a neatly-cut half topped with a maraschino cherry. And the "snuggled franks with cheese"! I can still taste those bacon-wrapped juicy, cheesy dogs! The tuna casserole and meatloaf recipes gave me confidence to fix supper for our family, even when I was ten years old.

But the best part might well have been the diplomas, one to be awarded upon providing evidence of being able to return the kitchen to its spanky-clean state (the "Clean Kitchen Cook Diploma"), and the second upon preparing every recipe in the book (the "Super Cook Diploma").

I have no idea what became of that little book, which had such an impact on my childhood. But thanks to eBay, I have a copy once again! I'm currently bidding on a couple more, so that I can share those recipes with my grandchildren one of these days. And I want to be able to put a copy in the kitchens of each of my grown-up children for those little grandbabies to use and enjoy as I did.