Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Planning a Big Meal?

I shared this a few years ago but was reminded of it once again as I think about hosting Thanksgiving this Thursday.  Below you will find the words written by Mary Emma Showalter that can be found in the back of the Mennonite Community Cookbook (copyright 1950).

May you feel encouraged.  Unless it makes you feel more overwhelmed...oh, dear.  I hope I didn't make things worse.


"This bit of information was found in a quaint, old handwritten recipe book from my Great-grandmother's day. It is included here mainly for the purpose of giving us a peep into the past. As many of us know, a "barn raising" was quite an event during those early years. When a new barn was built, all the friends and neighbors came on the specified day to help put up the framework of the barn. This policy is still carried out in some communities where neighbors are neighborly. Homemakers of our day will no doubt be astounded at all the food consumed in one day. What is more difficult to believe is that it was all made in Great-grandmother's kitchen.

Here is the list I found:

115 lemon pies
500 fat cakes (doughnuts)
15 large cakes
3 gallons applesauce
3 gallons rice pudding
3 gallons cornstarch pudding
16 chickens
3 hams
50 pounds roast beef
300 light rolls
16 loaves of bread
Red beet pickle and pickled eggs
Cucumber pickle
6 pounds dried prunes, stewed
1 large crock stewed raisins
5 gallon stone jar white potatoes and the same amount sweet potatoes

Enough food for 175 men."


And in case this makes you feel a little underwhelmed with your responsibilities this week, you could make these little cuties.


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1 comment:

  1. We look at that and think that is so much food, but it isn't really. 500 doughnuts is really less than three a piece. That is all the food 175 men doing heavy labor will eat that day... And the wives and children that tag along will eat what's left.

    ReplyDelete

Just a friendly reminder, if you know me personally please try to refrain from using my name. There are those who may try to locate me, break into my pantry and steal my pickled beets. Thanks:-).

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