Cookbookaholic

Dee-Luxe Betty

I always keep an eye out on eBay for any good Betty Feezor auctions. I’ve had some luck recently with getting a Carolina Recipes Volume I for less than $8. That’s a phenomenal find when you see some auctions start off northward of $60.

Understand that sometimes those auctions can get a little nuts and end up at a high price, but mostly, they sit there and languish when the starting price is outrageous.

About two weeks ago, there was an auction of one of the hardbound editions of Betty Feezor’s Best. As you know, that’s the very first one from the late 1950s. I actually have one that I found during a lunchtime excursion to an estate sale. It had been tucked away in a stack of cookbooks in a very cluttered kitchen; and without a cover, it was hard to decipher the title written down the edge of the spine. But this auction actually has the cover!

The cover! WOW! That would be nice to have. It has the right image, but of the Betty’s Best I’ve seen, there’s been a red cover and a green version. The description mentions that the cover may have some issues. But even if it’s about to fall off, I don’t think I’d mind. I can always put it in a plastic bag to help preserve it.

I placed my bid and waited several days for the auction to end. I don’t know if anyone was confused by the hardcover version? But, when the auction was over, it only cost me $8.50. Now the waiting game…

When it arrived, I was very careful about opening it. When I freed it from the package, I found it completed encased in plastic kitchen wrap.

If this cover is in delicate shape, would the saran wrap stick to it and cause further damage? I’m not really sure if I should even try to unwrap it? It’s sealed up so tight and I don’t see an edge to begin unraveling it!

I do a little more careful searching and eventually get two layers of saran wrap off. It’s amazing: the cover has a gold shimmer to it.

I open it up and find that it’s autographed and then personalized. This was a gift from a husband to his wife:

That is really touching!

As I’m flipping through the rest, I stop on a page that has an old newspaper clipping.

I turn the book to get a better look and find a Stroganoff recipe with a Helen Moore byline. She retired from The Charlotte Observer a few years back, so this is a neat find.

And then I take a look at the copyright page.

I see that the cloth bound version is what Betty called the “Deluxe” edition. It only cost a few cents more but over the years, I’ve found more with the plastic spiral spine. I don’t have a real understanding of how much $3 would’ve meant to a household in the late 1950s. Would that have been an expensive cookbook to own? And would that extra cost put the hardback version out of reach for most penny-pinching housewives?

I have a feeling that cost may have played a huge role and that’s why these hardback versions are so rare. And how about that, more than 50 years and $8.50 later, I’ve got a Dee-luxe Betty!

Inspiration Recipe: Caramel Treasures S’mores

A few months back, I reviewed the really creative and fun new cookbook, The S’mores Cookbook by Susan Whetzel. I found some inspiration in the recipe for the “Chocolate Caramel S’mores.” In that recipe, the chocolate covered chewy caramel—more commonly known as Rolos are used as the chocolate part of the s’mores equation.

This idea really appealed to me as I love caramel. I mentioned that I would like to try that recipe with either Ghiradelli chocolate squares with caramel or with the DeMet’s Chocolate Treasures with Caramel. As I am committed to bringing you only the very best…(LOL!)…I made it my mission to test both caramel-filled chocolates and bring you the best-tasting one.

And the winner? The DeMet’s Chocolate Treasures! I loved the taste of the chocolate and there’s a lot more caramel inside those treasure chests! (For my taste, the Ghiradelli was too dark and bitter.)

Caramel Treasures S’mores

6 graham crackers

6 DeMet’s Chocolate Treasures with Caramel

3 Large Marshmallows

 1.    Place graham cracker on a paper plate, unwrap two DeMet’s Chocolate Treasures and place on top of cracker. Top with one large marshmallow.

2.    Put plate in microwave and cook for 25 -35 seconds until marshmallow expands.

3.    Remove from microwave and place other half of graham cracker on top, smoosh and serve.

 

Just be careful of the caramel—it’s going to be a little on the warm side! 

Easter 2013

We spent another great Easter weekend in Winston-Salem. Sure, we had some rain during the sunrise service but it didn’t put a damper on anything. We found a great parking space, brought out the umbrellas and got a great spot up front for the final part of the service.

I also got some great finds during my weekend! Check out these cookies that I got from Winkler’s Bakery. Easter shaped and chocolate dipped.

And did I mention they were half price?

Plus, during my annual walk through the Moravian Book and Gift Shop cookbook section, I found this gem:

Paula Deen’s Southern Cooking Bible (Paula Deen with Melissa Clark).

So why did I get this one over a Moravian church cookbook?

This was originally printed in October 2011. I spotted this first edition, first printing down in their bottom floor cookbook section. Who knew?

Check out this really cool wreath that I saw on one of the front doors of a home in Old Salem.

I love this look! It's simple, rustic and cool with the painted wooden eggs tucked into the wreath. I thought it was just a great way to decorate for Easter. 

p.s. I missed a garage sale on Saturday that mentioned "lots of cookbooks." I'm eating a lot of chocolate dipped cookies to make up for that one.

Lillian's Cookbook

Going through a recent eBay search, I came across an auction for an antique Moravian cookbook from 1905. As I married a Moravian, I thought it would be neat to collect Moravian cookbooks. I’ve been doing that for a while now. Still haven’t been brave enough to try my hand at a homemade sugar cake—but I’ve got a million recipes for it! But a few years ago, I decided to narrow that down to just Moravian cookbooks from North Carolina. 

This one featured on eBay is from up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Plus, it’s a bit out of my price range. But there’s something about it and I can’t keep my eyes off of it!

Its description says, “Compiled by the members of the Home Mission Society of The Moravian Church.” Plus, it is over 100 years old! I circled it for a while, took a huge gulp and then placed a bid. If I won, great…but if someone outbids me, then no worries.

A few days later, I get an email notification that I had won the auction. I paid for the cookbook and then I did something I’ve never done before. I asked the seller if they knew anything about the history of this particular cookbook. Now granted, this could be a shot in the dark. For all I know, this was found at a garage sale and is being flipped on eBay for a profit. But anyway, I sent the message out there and waited for a reply.

And then, I got a reply! The seller, Terry, sent back this message: “I am so glad to have this go to a collector! The church was originally in downtown Lancaster, PA. My entire family is from Lancaster and the cookbook belonged to my grandmother. She was Lillian Harnish, born 9/8/1879 and was married to my grandfather 4/18/1906. She did not belong to the church, but they lived very close to it. I hope you enjoy it!”

Wow!!!! We’ve got some history on the cookbook! This is her grandmother’s cookbook and they actually lived near the old downtown Moravian church. Very nice!

About two days later, the cookbook arrives in the mail. That is probably the quickest anything has ever arrived from eBay. And, she’s packed it in one of those cushioned envelopes! Nice! The cookbook itself is safe and secure inside a cardboard shell. Don’t you appreciate it when someone takes the time to properly pack an item?

When I flip over the cardboard packaging, I find another envelope taped to the top of the cardboard with my name on it.

It’s a wonderful note from Terry and there’s something else tucked in the envelope. I pull out a b&w picture of a young Terry, her grandparents and her brother! Whoa! I can’t believe I’m looking at a picture of Lillian, the original owner of the cookbook!

I’m in total shock! I‘ve got an antique cookbook as well as this amazing photo connection to Terry and her grandmother, Lillian! By the way, how cute is this picture of Little Terry holding her grandmother’s hand?

Back to the cookbook! Did I mention how well this was packaged? This is definitely how you package a cookbook for shipping.

The cookbook is wrapped in tissue paper, then secured inside a plastic sleeve, wrapped again in some thicker butcher paper and then encased in a cardboard shell. It won’t bend, break or get wet….perfect packaging.

And under all that packaging….here it is!

The binding on the spine is hanging in there, but otherwise, it still looks great. The pages are yellowing but strong. Tucked in between two pages is a handwritten bookmark that reads: “Whatsoever things are of good report, think on these things”

I also asked Terry if her grandmother had any favorite recipes from this cookbook. She didn’t remember but told me to look on the back pages where Lillian had written down some of her favorite menus. Perhaps the recipes for some of the items would be found inside the cookbook. Here’s a page that includes a menu for “Evening Lunch” with crab meat salad and hot biscuits and a “Lunch” featuring a veal and egg salad.

Thank you, Terry, for letting me have a part of your family’s history! I'll take good care of Lillian's cookbook.