Cooking Up Memories

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Cooking Up Memories

The Tazewell Genealogical & Historical Society has published a cookbook entitled Cooking Up Memories. The book contains over 700 Tazewell County recipes, 40 historical pictures, 30 sketches, and many "Tazewell Tales" of county happenings. Some of the pressing questions answered by this book are:

What was a typical Civilian Conservation Corps menu?
"Spooning" in the pear orchard took place in what township?
What did the Woodard Hotel serve the 1897 Pekin High graduates for their class party?
What is in the "Dutch Meinen Sauerkraut Salad" recipe?
How many great-great-great-great-great-grandparents does one have?
What markings did hobos use during the Great Depression to show where food could and could not be found?
Where can one find the most delicious recipes?

All these questions and more are answered in Cooking Up Memories - the Tazewell County Genealogical & Historical Society's new cookbook. Order your copy today using the order form below!

Cooking Up Memories was selected as the Midwest Regional Winner for the 1999 TABASCOŽ Community Cookbook Awards. These awards were established by McIlhenny Company ten years ago to recognize the role these cookbooks play in chronicling and preserving our American local and regional culinary traditions. Copies of the book have been placed in the Walter S. McIlhenny Library for community cookbooks on Avery Island, Louisiana. Besides a cash award, the society received a plaque, a certificate, and award stickers (see photos) for our remaining books. The cookbook is also featured on the TabascoŽ website.

Members of the judging panel were: Jan Turner Hazard, food editor of Ladies' Home Journal; Meryle Evans, culinary historian; Ann H. Harvey, retired editorial director, Special Interest Publications, Oxmoor House, Inc.; Jan Longone, curator of the Wine and Food Library; William Rice, columnist for the Chicago Tribune; Tommy Simmons, food editor of the Baton Rouge Morning Advocate; Nahum Waxman, owner of Kitchen Arts and Letters bookstore; Joyce Goldstein, cookbook author and restaurant consultant; and Pam Hoenig, cookbook editor.

The awards press release stated "The Midwest Regional Winner is an interesting book called Cooking Up Memories, produced by the Tazewell County Genealogical and Historical Society, in central Illinois. Though it may lack in culinary sophistication, it more than makes up for it in richly told tales of early pioneer life and farm living. Many of the recipes feature few ingredients, which reflects the simple nature of rural Midwestern cooking. A number of recipes also refer to old family cookbooks that were passed down from generation to generation. The last section of the book is all old wives' tales and advice culled from the personal collections of Tazewell County residents. Typical recipes include Corn Fritters, Salmon Crackers, and Potato Cheddar Chowder."

Since we've received the award, the cookbook has had favorable reviews in the Peoria Journal Star, Pekin Daily Times, and Chicago Tribune newspapers. We've had inquiries from individuals and cookbook stores from all over the country. Sales have boomed!

Cooking Up Memories is also featured in America's Best Recipes--A 2001 Hometown Collection, published by Oxmoor House, Inc. Our cookbook is one of only 146 from across the nation so honored! Two of our recipes are included in the collection: Carrot-Praline Cake and Green Beans with Bacon & Mushroom. And, the Carrot-Praline cake was selected for the cover photo of the new cookbook! Read the Press release and see a photo of the cover.

Order your copy of this award winning cookbook while they last!