Lots and lots of cookbooks; living room set; set for history
Cookbooks in 15th and 16th century Europe were truly ‘fit for kings,’ as published collections of recipes emanated from the palaces of monarchs.
Created within a court culture, recipes attested to the luxury of foods presented at royal banquets. The introduction of modern printing broadened cookbooks’ intended audiences. Increased literacy and income levels brought more variety of foods to the tables of more people. The Mailbag offers a variety of cookbook recipes to your table.
Lots of good ideas for ‘what’s cooking?’
“A recent storage locker cleanout revealed a large carton of assorted cookbooks all in excellent condition, featuring a variety of recipes for grilling, slow cooker meals, vegetarian recipes, recipes from India, and even a book for cooking with a famous mouse and duck (Minnie and Daisy, of Disney fame), and … now I’m getting hungry myself,” says Bert the Picker of Nashua (LTR 1,775). “Just a few of the titles include ‘Grill It!, 150 recipes for sizzling steaks, burgers, barbecued chicken, even desserts; ‘Slow Cook It, 165 all-new slow cooker recipes; ‘Veg Power!, 140 recipes to pump up produce, using less meat; ‘Good Cooking from India’, 200 recipes from a century old cuisine that matches today’s interest in healthy eating; and ‘Minnie ‘n Me’ a Disney book of cooking together, recipes for kids of all ages’. Many of the books are Weight Watchers publications, most with illustrations and easy to follow recipes. Hope someone will enjoy them.”
Researching the history of cookbooks, in the 18th and into the 19th century, authors strove for greater precision when describing quantities, cooking time and temperature. For centuries, exact instruction had been provided only sporadically with common expressions such as “a handful,” “over low fire,” or “boil until finished,” making meal preparation challenging for entrepreneurs or even those more experienced in culinary creations. Interested parties should give Bert a call at 883-0990. Leave a message with a return phone number if no answer. He will get back to you.
Furniture to donate
“We’ve used Chris’ Mailbag before with great success so let’s try it again. We have a tan couch, love seat and large coffee table available to whomever can pick it up with a truck,” said Kyle L. of Hudson (LTR 3,334). “Hope this furniture will help someone starting out, starting over, or whatever the circumstances.” Some people use their living rooms as formal areas used mostly for entertaining while others actually live in their living rooms, making them rooms for gatherings with family and friends, dinner in front of the TV, homework, wrestling with the dog, etc. If ‘furniture’ is the need in question, Kyle’s offer could be the answer. He can be reached at 1-203-506-8165. Let me know how things work out.
Remembering 1947 and 1948
“I would like to offer a full set of 1947 Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 volumes including the Atlas and Index, plus the 1947 and 1948 Book of the Year,” said Nancy K. of Nashua (LTR 3,368). “The books are each 8½ by 11 inches by about 2-inches thick. All together they take up about 48 inches of shelf space. The Encyclopedia are black leatherette-bound with gold lettering. The indexes are brick leatherette. I had no responses to this offer back in July and am running out of time to find a home for these books. I am moving Sept. 7th and will not have space for these. Would you be able to re-offer them?” Done! While the Mailbag does not publish the same requests or offers week-after-week, if a reader hasn’t had a response and an items is still needed or still available, don’t hesitate to contact the ‘Mailbag lady’ again and I’ll see what I can do. Older encyclopedia sets contain interesting information about events that came to shape the world we know today. To ‘read all about it’ Nancy can be reached via email at: nancy@dogsandlife.com. Good birthday gift for someone born during those particular years, as well.
Contact Chris’ Mailbag by emailing christine.graham33@gmail.com or sending mail to Chris’ Mailbag c/o The Telegraph, 110 Main St., Suite 1, Nashua 03060. Include full name and complete address, along with telephone number or email address for publication, if applicable. Items eligible for publication are for donation, trade or barter only; requests of items for sale or purchase will not be included.