Jello Pretzel Salad, Grace Peterman Cowger

Layered dessert with fresh strawberries, cream filling, and pretzel crust on decorative plate with wooden spoon — can never get a good shot of this stuff because its always a cookout

In the summer of 1963, Grace Peterman Cowger and her three siblings organized an anniversary party for her parents. Clifford and Marian Peterman had wed on July 30th, 1913 in Princess Anne on the Eastern Shore where, like themselves, generations of Grace’s family had lived and farmed.

The Salisbury Daily Times ran a photo of the couple, unsmiling but with his hand placed gently upon hers as she held out a knife to cut a beautiful layer cake.
Grace herself had been married for twenty-three years at that point, having married Vernon Cowger in 1940, when she was just 17.

Upon their own 50th anniversary in 1990, Grace and Vernon’s daughter Charlotte continued the tradition of commemorating a half-century of her parents’ marriage, and the Daily Times again printed a hand-in-hand cake-cutting photograph. It must have been a fun party, as evidenced by the cake on pillars above a champagne fountain, and balloons in the background. Charlotte surprised them with another party on their 60th anniversary in 2000, and the family celebrated again in 2005. Each time, the Times ran a photo of the proud couple.

Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Cowger celebrate 50th, 60th, and 65th wedding anniversaries in three black and white photos. — 1990, 2000, 2005

In between the parties, there was life. According to the 1950 census, Vernon worked as a barber and Grace vaccinated chickens. Vernon would later go on to jockey horses. In 1978, Grace was profiled in the paper for her charity work, quilting with United Methodist Women, serving as director of Vacation Bible School, and working with the Salvation Army. This was all in addition to her day job with a courier company where Vernon also worked.

Grace’s 2008 obituary mentions that she was a lifetime member of the Ayres United Methodist Church in Pittsville, but Old Friendship United Methodist Church was only a few miles away, and Grace provided two recipes for their 1980s cookbook “Country Classics Volume 2.” Grace’s recipes are for Strawberry Pie and for Jello Pretzel Salad, another strawberry-based dessert. Grace Cowger was an Eastern Shore woman, after all. Strawberries were in her DNA.

Vernon’s family had moved from West Virginia to Pocomoke around 1926, and they put down roots. Vernon and six of his siblings are all buried in the area, as are the parents.

I already covered the history of Jello Pretzel Salad pretty thoroughly, but I couldn’t resist the urge to pull a recipe from a community cookbook when I wanted to make it once again. Doing so exposes me to yet another world of someone else’s anniversaries and cake-cutting, volunteering, living and dying; a few little glimpses into someone’s humble normal life embedded deep in the fabric of Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

Recipe:

Ingredients for Passover desserts including pretzels, jello, cream cheese, sugar, strawberries, and whipped topping on counter.

4 Tablespoons sugar
2 Cups unsalted, crushed pretzels
.25 Cup butter
.5 Cup sugar
1 8-oz package cream cheese
1 Cup Cool Whip
1 6-oz package Jello gelatin, raspberry
1 Pint frozen, chopped strawberries
2 Cups boiling water

First Layer: Mix all ingredients together and pat into the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch glass pan. Bake at 375° for about 8 minutes; set aside to cool completely.
Second Layer: Mix sugar and cream cheese until combined. Fold in Cool Whip. Spoon on top of cooled pretzel crust and refrigerate until cold.
Top Layer: Mix jello in boiling water until dissolved. Add frozen strawberries and stir well. Refrigerate until partially thickened. Spoon onto cream cheese layer. Refrigerate a few hours before cutting.

Recipe from Country Classics Vol. 2. Old Friendship United Methodist Church. 1980s.