As with all grandmothers, Elizabeth's recipes were part of who she was. These recipes gathered from our mothers and grandmothers are so much more than just a list of ingredient with instructions as to how to put them together. They are a direct link to our past. They are an integral part of our memories attached to a certain occasion or holiday. Mothers and Grandmothers love to reminisce about “the good old days.” Quite often this involves food memories. What better day to reminisce with them than on Mother's Day?
"To be really good at anything you have to love it," says Elizabeth in the forward of Grandmother's Cookbook. Elizabeth's recipes and country cooking style span a lifetime and are a collection from varied sources. As a nine year old school girl, she was fascinated with “all of the wonderful things” her girlfriends brought in their lunches. She and her German-Hungarian mother would experiment with these new recipes cooking on an old coal/wood stove. At fifteen Elizabeth left home to become a child's nurse and cook for a wealthy family in Philadelphia. It was there where her skills blossomed as she learned many gourmet recipes from the lady of the house. Elizabeth's expertise as a cook strengthened over the years as she prepared many delectable feasts for family and friends. All of these experiences fostered a love of cooking and baking in her.
Determined to preserve their treasured family recipes, Elizabeth and Carrie worked for two years collecting, testing and capturing for eternity the many recipes garnered over the years ~ some stored only in Elizabeth's memory. Grandmother and granddaughter spent long afternoons together sipping tea and coming up with ideas for their joint endeavor. One such ideas was to include wildflower watercolors on the title and divider pages because of Elizabeth's lifelong love of flowers. She wrote a reminiscence or story for each one. There are a total of nine stories throughout printed in her own handwriting ~ eight on wildflowers, one each about the family crest and the “homestead”
Grandmother's Cookbook is the perfect gift for Mother's Day. It is spiral bound and has laminated full color soft covers and divider pages. It includes over 125 hand written recipes with sections on Soups, Breads, Dumplings and Noodles, Appetizers and Salads, Meats and Vegetables, Desserts and Christmas Specialties. The book retails for $19.95 (plus $4.95 shipping & handling). For more information, visit http://www.grandmotherscookbook.com or contact Carrie J. Gamble at info@grandmotherscookbook.com or 215-340-0381. Review copy available upon request. Carrie J. Gamble is available for television and radio interviews.
