The papers of caterer William Johnson, in the collections at the Maryland Center for History and Culture, offer a rare look at the finer details of the business of catering in the early 1900s. The documents aren’t extensive, but they include the purchase price of supplies like dishes and bottled water, the cost per person…
The 1936 “Lovely Lane Cook Book” produced by the historic Lovely Lane Methodist Church contains a lot of “dainty” recipes. There’s Date and Nut Bread; cakes and cookies; ice box rolls; Frozen Banana Salad. There’s luncheon dishes and cheese fondue and “Fruit Punch to Serve Ten.” Like many church cookbooks, “Lovely Lane Cook Book” was…
“Ham-Lettuce Mixture”: the awkward title caught my eye. The recipe opened with this: “A hearty country dinner, fit for guests or family. A good conversation menu!” I thought the recipe was so odd, I had to make it immediately. I invited friends over for dinner. I told them what I was making. My friends politely…
Like most things in Frederick County, Fort Detrick was built on farmland. The military installation started as a small, privately owned airport established in 1929 and later named after World War I squadron flight surgeon Major Frederick L. Detrick. The site was used as an airfield up until the United States entered World War II….
The mere concept of aspic invites a gag reflex in many people. Add to that any wacky combination of ingredients and you have a recipe tailor-made to go viral for yuks (and yucks.) When I first saw the recipe for “Try and Guess Salad,” my first reaction was not disgust. It was deja vu. I…