I was hoping when Keely and Bill said they were going through the rest of their mother’s cookbook collection they would give me a call. As I was making my list for this Saturday’s sales, I noticed another ad for a garage sale at the same address was listed. Is it too soon to go back to the well for more?
I put it on my list and thought to give it a try. I got so many amazing finds last week, if they didn’t have more cookbooks—I think I’ll be okay. I’m still floating on a high from last week’s haul.
I walked up the driveway and into the backyard. I see a few people are already there but when Keely sees me, she says, “Are you ready to go through the rest of the cookbooks?”
The still small voice inside my head just let out a huge scream…
We went back into the kitchen and there are piles of cookbooks some were familiar, some were new to me. I went through the stacks on the island. Then, Keely brings out three more stacks from the breakfast nook. I move through each stack as quickly as possible. I ask for a cardboard box, but from the size of the stack, Keely brings out a huge plastic bin. And I start filling it up!!
I’m happy to see I’m getting a second chance at some cookbooks from last week. Plus, I’m looking at some of these with new eyes. Since last Saturday, I received a review copy of the Craig Claiborne biography by Thomas McNamee called The Man Who Changed the Way We Eat. I’m finding several of his cookbooks that I passed over last weekend and I’m thrilled at the second chance at some of these important cookbooks.
Walking the plastic tub full of cookbooks back to my car was a slow-going process. The tub was so heavy, I had to take lots of stops to rest the hands. Here is the second batch from Toni’s collection:
The Way to Cook (Julia Child), I’ll Taste Manhattan (Junior League of the City of New York), The Best of Craig Claiborne (Craig Claiborne, Pierre Franey), Paula Deen Celebrates, Paula Deen & Friends, The Two Fat Ladies: Full Throttle, Cooking with the Two Fat Ladies, The Two Fat Ladies Ride Again (Clarissa Dickson Wright, Jennifer Patson), Emyl Jenkins’ Southern Christmas, James Beard’s American Cookery, The Heritage of Southern Cooking (Camille Glenn), From Julia Child’s Kitchen, Christopher Blake’s Easy Elegance Cookbook, Lee Bailey’s The Way I Cook, Veal Cookery (Craig Claiborne, Pierre Franey), Craig Claiborne’s Favorite from The New York Times, Carolina Cooking (Telephone Pioneers of America, NC Chapter No. 35), The French Chef Cookbook (Julia Child).
And these as well:
Touche Microwave Cooking (Al Touche), First Baptist Favorites (First Baptist Church, Ballinger, TX), Charlotte Cooks Again (Junior League of Charlotte), Talk About Good! (Lafayette Junior League), Seasons in the Sun (The Beaux Arts Cookbook), A Third Course: More Cooking with Class from Charlotte Latin School, White Trash Cooking (Ernest Matthew Mickler), The Justin Wilson #2 Cookbook: Cookin’ Cajun, Tanker Tasties (100 AGS Spouse’s Group), Blueberry Hill Menu Cookbook (Elsie Masterton), Mama Dip’s Kitchen (Mildred Council), Cooks for Clients (Buckhead Brokers Realtors) and How to Cook for Your Man & Still Want to Look at Him Naked (Lori and Vicki Todd).
Take a look at that last one....
Hey now...
My next stop had a lot of fancy decorative items, but no cookbooks. I did find this awesome antique mallet for just a few dollars.
Just for curiosity’s sake, I decided to head on over to Eva’s estate sales. It had already started on Friday so I was checking out what was picked over. The description and pictures of the estate sale had cookbooks listed—but I knew those would already be gone.
When I arrived, I found these two framed recipes. I couldn’t believe they were still here!
I said as much to Eva and she was equally surprised that the Charleston recipe prints had not been scooped up earlier. She did say that the cookbooks went like hotcakes. Yeah…that’s a quick and deep buzzkill—right to my core. As I rounded a corner, the bookshelf was on my left. And to my great surprise, a few cookbooks were still there. Here’s the box that I brought home:
SLAR 1979, Pure & Simple (Neiman Marcus), Key Ingredients: Opening Doors to Hours of Happiness (Le Bonheur Club, Inc., Memphis, TN), Winning & Dining with John Grisanti, Mica Flats—Kidd Island Cookbook (The Happy Family Women’s Club, Mica Flats Grange Friends and Neighbors), The Pizza Book (Evelyne Slomon), Building Good Meals Again (Women’s Auxiliary of Home Builders Association of Charlotte, Inc.), Delectable Delights, Beginnings and Endings (The Charity League, Charlotte, NC), Louisiana’s Fabulous Foods and How to Cook Them, Holiday Sampler Cookbook (Providence UMC, Charlotte, NC) and Seafood Sorcery (Junior League of Wilmington, NC).
How amazing was today? I can safely say that it was a pretty good idea to return to the well again! I found so many great cookbooks, I’m thrilled. Sure, my back is killing me and the hands hurt—but it’s a great day to be a cookbookaholic!