"Marion Cunningham" news and stories

I have something of a crush on Marion Cunningham. I love her Lost Recipes book and I often flip through my edition of Fannie Farmer, just to read her down-to-earth, wise words about cooking (and by extension, family and home). She is on my list of food writers with whom I would love to sit and talk (I would do most of the listening), as she has experienced the entirety of the modern-day food revolution.

Last Saturday, I found myself in a used bookstore and as I skimmed the food section, Cunningham's The Breakfast Book nearly jumped off the shelf and landed straight in my hands. At $4.50, it was a bargain and I do believe that it will pay dividends for years to come. It is chock full of recipes that work for everyday morning meals (the Cereals section will help you happily shake up your basic oatmeal routine) as well as ones that are better for special brunches and holiday celebrations (Featherbed Eggs on page 159, a baked dish of bread, custard and cheese that is similar to a Strata, is destined for my next festive brunch).

The Quick Breads section alone makes the book worthwhile, especially since that section is filled with recipes that appeal to people trying to increase their whole grain intake (I can't wait to try the Buttermilk Barley Biscuits). I realize that I've waxed poetic about a great many cookbooks and that you all can't possibly incorporate all of them into your collection. However, if you are a particular lover of breakfast, this is a book you must look over.

Source

Over the weekend I went down to Philadelphia's Italian Market. Scott and I had brunch and then wandered through the shops and stalls. He bought himself some new knives at Fante's (the best kitchen supply store in the Philadelphia area) while I ogled the rectangular removable bottom tart pans. After that we wandered into a funky little used bookstore that has a great section of cookbooks. I picked up a copy of Marion Cunningham's Lost Recipes, and I've been reading it in snatches, as if it were a novel, in my spare moments.

I've actually wanted a copy of this book since it came out in 2003, but as is often the case, there are just so many cookbooks and so little time. But when it crossed my path for $8, I was hard pressed to say no. The thing I'm loving about this book is that it captures the essence of American cooking as it was forty, fifty and sixty years ago. It has the same intangible feeling of nostalgia that I chase after with all my old cookbooks and the contents of my grandmother's recipe box.

One of the recipes that is calling to me is the one for "A Side Dish of Onions." It calls for 2 pounds of onions, sugar, butter, mustard and spices and sounds like it would be something that would tempt me to eat it straight out of the pan. The full recipe is after the jump.

Source