I once referred to Virginia Roeder as “Baltimore’s own Martha Stewart.” The statement is a little out of character for me, but I wanted to convey my impression of Roeder’s business savvy, the way her “immaculate home” was described in the Sun, her reputation for culinary acumen, and the sense that Roeder was one of…
Dr. Edna Dorothy Meshke, like most of the contributors to “Maryland Cooking,” was a home economist. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: many of us have no idea how much we owe to Home Economics educators for creating, sharing, and fine-tuning classic recipes, and for raising the expectations of what a recipe…
I must admit I was pretty surprised to learn that Beef Stroganoff is actually Russian. I first met the creamy, comforting dish through our old pal Hamburger Helper. In community cookbooks, I’ve come across many recipes, most of which list a series of canned ingredients. I would’ve assumed Beef Stroganoff was some classic American ‘corporate…
“In Cornwall, saffron bread is made on special occasions throughout the year, but in Western Maryland it became distinctly associated with Christmas.”
Home Economics as a professional pursuit codified “women’s work” and amended school curricula, but it also opened doors for women professionally. The name Virginia Roeder may ring a bell to longtime Baltimore recipe collectors. For 23 years she wrote for the “women’s pages” of the Baltimore Evening Sun, offering guidance on cooking and housekeeping. She…