The 1958 “Historical Cookbook of the American Negro” proves that a cookbook can be an object of delight without being full of glossy photos of food. The recipes in the book, interspersed with history and reproduced ephemera, take on new significance, offered as tributes to historical figures or events. The cookbook’s editor, civil rights activist…
Although I don’t have a very favorable opinion of Mayor James H. Preston, I recently became aware of one bright spot in his legacy. It seems that Preston was an ardent advocate of what was then known as “municipal music,” that is, city investment in music for the enrichment and enjoyment of Baltimore’s citizens. In…
These two recipes come from a cookbook put out by the “Tuscanna Chapter No. 24, Order of the Eastern Star “ in 1932. As with previous masonic cookbooks I’ve cooked from, I can’t really come up with a lot of information. Order of the Eastern Star certainly has a cool-ass logo though! Open to both…
Baltimore’s Front Street Theatre had undergone “extensive alterations and improvements” in 1850. Carpenters Carnan & Eckert built out a parquet for standing room theatergoers. “Skillful” painter John Delpher was hired to apply a fresh coat of paint. New curtains were hung, and 600 cushioned seats with spring-backs were installed. A decade and a half later,…
It’s pretty rare that I should have *too much information* about a person associated with a recipe. For years now I’ve sighed in frustration when all I can find on someone is a date of birth, a passing newspaper mention, a headstone. This week’s recipe comes from a woman who has been so scrutinized and…