American Cookery, December 1942.

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Part of me is disturbed at posting these American Cookery magazines out of chronological order, but since I'm just grabbing and scanning, that's how it goes! For those who are new to my blog, I picked up a small stack of American Cookery magazines at an antique store about twenty years ago. They're all from the World War II years, and seem to be a real rarity. I've only ever seen one from this era on Ebay, and I bought it. I am slowly scanning each issue, since they are literally falling apart and crumbling away and certainly won't last another twenty years

In December 1942, America had been at war for one year. The angel cookies on the front cover certainly look a little dispirited, with their bowed heads. Their recipe is on page 173: a basic roll-out molasses and spice cookie. Wartime food issues come up here and there--we learn how to "Save with Margarine" on page 189 and we hear about "America's Problem Child, Coffee" on page 192. Margarine is plugged as a nutritious alternative to butter, as it is made from skim milk and has added vitamins, and dark roast coffee is recommended as a way to get more flavor bang for your buck with this wartime luxury drink.

On page 172, we are asked, "Are YOU a GOOD COOK?" with a ten-question quiz. I've never mastered an apple pie, and I don't know 25 ways to use biscuit dough, but I feel I'm a pretty good cook regardless. How about YOU??

This issue is full of interesting tidbits: packing school lunches for the "Five Little Rolands" (page 180), a tribute to the 1943 Grandma model (page 166), pictures of "An Old-Fashioned Taffy Pull (page 190), and "Christmas at Cross Creek" by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, a prominent writer of the time, describing a Florida Christmas at her home (page 168.) Be sure to look at all the little ads and sidebars, they provide a lot of chuckles and information. Click any page to enlarge the image; you can then click through the magazine.

American Cookery, February 1942.

The cover of American Cookery for February 1942 features a patriotic tablescape with a starry Seafood Pie (page 295), shrimp, crab, fish, and oysters in a white sauce, topped with a flaky crust. I think I'd eat that. For dessert, Lincoln Log Cake, a vanilla cake filled with maple-flavored frosting and rolled into a log jelly-roll style. Lincoln's birthday (February 12) used to be a much bigger deal before it got rolled up (like a jelly roll) with Washington's birthday (February 22) and turned into President's Day (the third Monday of February.) Page 297 also features a four-tiered Washington's birthday cake, much more patrician than the humble log for Lincoln.

I'm sure many of us have wondered about the three basic rules for giving a church supper for men, and on page 302 we are answered: 1) have plenty to eat, 2) give good service, and 3) don't try to make money. Yes, men are cheapskates, so if you need to raise money for church ministry, try a ladies' luncheon where the pocketbooks are presumably open. This begs the question of why one would have a church supper for men, but I suppose making all those weighty decisions and solving pressing Scriptural issues is easier when stuffed with baked ham, mashed squash, hot rolls, and mock Indian pudding (the recommended menu.)

We also get a step-by-step preparation for a "stag party," (page 306) which did not have the 2018 connotation in 1942. Here we see Winifred Hackett doing every bit of preparation for her husband's dinner party (thrown for a friend who is joining the Army) before tiptoeing away and letting her husband take all the credit. The Greatest Generation, indeed. Click on each image to enlarge.