I've always been a reader. Now, at the ripe old age of 29, I can hardly remember a time when I didn't have the ability to rip through books at breakneck speed. However, one thing I do recall is the first chapter book I ever read without confusion or parental intervention. It was The Boxcar Children, the story of a family of four children who lose the parents and so go off and live together in an abandoned box car in the woods. My favorite parts of the story were the moments when the children would cook for themselves. I particularly remember them making stew out of beef and baby vegetables and creating a 'refrigerator' out of a bend in a nearby stream in order to keep their milk (in a glass bottle) cool. The Boxcar Children Cookbook, by Diane Blain, came out in 1991 and contains recipes for many of the meals the Alden children consumed in that first book, as well as in many of the subsequent books (I was never as interested in the rest of the books as I was in that initial one). It's a cookbook geared for kids (which makes sense, as it is based upon a series of children's books) and contains lots of recipes that would be fun for parents and kids to make together, including homemade peanut butter and Dr. Moore's Favorite Brown Cookies (essentially just chocolate chip cookies).
If you also have an unnatural affection for the Boxcar Children series, this cookbook should be a must have, simply for the nostaglia factor.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-08-2008 @ 6:02PM
smammone1 said...
Thank you for the wonderful memories of The Boxcar Children. I too can't remember a time that I didn't tear through books also. This was one of my favorite books. I'll be sure to purchase the cook book also.
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10-08-2008 @ 6:38PM
kasey said...
I love The Boxcar Children! And the part with the stew was my favorite too. :) I've also been intrigued by the cherry dumplings they made. Thanks for posting about this!
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10-08-2008 @ 11:28PM
Henry said...
Ditto. I read every single one of the original boxcar children books (before they were ghost written) when I was a kid. I may have to pick up a copy to put away for my [future] kids.
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10-09-2008 @ 12:06AM
Liz said...
I loved that first book as well. But I don't remember if I read any of the others. I'll have to check out the cookbook. Thanks for reminding me of this series.
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10-09-2008 @ 8:43AM
dgarcia7 said...
I totally forgot about this book! I read all the Boxcar Children books when I was little. I still have this book packed away somewhere at home. My mom bought it for me because I was developing an interest in cooking at the time. Glad to hear it is now a classic!!
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10-09-2008 @ 11:20AM
Sally said...
The Boxcar Children was one of my favorite books, too. I remember the part about keeping food cold in the stream -- also something about a chipped, blue cup.
I introduced my children to the books, but they never liked them as much as I did. However, they are voracious readers.
Anna Quindlen said, "I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves. "
We have LOTS of bookshelves.
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10-09-2008 @ 1:46PM
Tami said...
My son read the entire series of the Boxcar Children 2 yrs. ago. We're going to take a look for this cookbook for the fun of it. Thanks for the review!
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