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Famous Death Row Last Meals
"Some women, it is said, like to cook. This book is not for them."
If you have any interest at all in cooking or history, you must get your hands on a copy of Peg Bracken's I Hate To Cook Book. Published in 1960, Peg Bracken was the forerunner to women like Sandra Lee, taking a semi-homemade approach to things that she felt obligated to do, like cooking for her husband. Peg's strategy was to get away from the stove and onto another cocktail as quickly as possibly. Her writing is clever and witty, downright hilarious at times. Even without considering that it is a cookbook, it makes a great read.
The book has 180 recipes, divided into chapters with headings like "Potluck Suppers, or How to Bring the Water for the Lemonade" and "Desserts, or People are Too Fat Anyway." The first chapter has 30 recipes, one for each day of the month, because Peg noticed that her husband (and the rest of the family) tended to get cranky when they were forced to eat the same thing day in and day out. Some, she says directly, are "pretty dull", but they taste good and they'll get you through the month. Others in the book are more interesting, but they're all quite easy.
She sums up the book with some household hints (to avoid heavy duty cleaning) and a chapter on how to fake your way through a conversation with someone who is actually a good cook by using words like "sauté" and "garnish" and avoiding "fry", "hamburger" and "top with bacon" .
[Photo by Nicole Weston]
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1-31-2006 @10:15AM Alice said... This sounds too, too funny! I will have to scare up a copy to read. I especially love the cover of the book! Angry red cheeks! (or too many cocktails? ;)
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1-31-2006 @10:28AM Anne said... Oh, I love it. That's so cute! Even though I *do* like to cook, I really want that book! :)
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1-31-2006 @12:07PM leslie said... This book has been one of my guilty pleasures for years. The recipe for "Elevator Lady Spice Cookies" is a never-fail favorite, and "Chilly Night Chili" was one of the first recipes I dared fool around with and adapt as I gained cooking skills in my 20s. Besides, she writes in a humorous, no nonsense way that reminds me of the late Erma Bombeck - and that's high praise.
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1-31-2006 @12:14PM Mike Bigham said... My Mom had this book when I was growing up and it was laugh out loud funny. I seem to remember she also had a syndicated column in the paper.
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2-01-2006 @10:03AM Mom said... Peg Bracker was the best, and no slouch herself in the kitchen, despite what she'd have you believe. My favorite remembered quote: A quick swipe is better than no swipe. How true.
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2-01-2006 @1:37PM Gloria said... I found a copy of this book a couple of years ago in an antique store, and I just love it. Peg Bracken has a couple of other books also - I have an etiquette book and another one entitled "I didn't come here to argue" - and both are just so funny.
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