Collections : [University of Michigan William L. Clements Library]

"the spirit land"

One volume (102 pages). The recipes on pages 1-9 are labeled "Mrs. Goodfellow's Receipts," but whether or not this is the same Mrs. Goodfellow, who was the author of Mrs. Goodfellow's Cookery as It Should Be (1865), is unknown. The recipes are for numerous types of foods, such as fruits, vegetables, sauces, desserts, meats, fish, and alcoholic brews. While recipes for baked goods and sweets predominate, the volume also contains instructions for pickling items ranging from "cucumber mangoes" to oysters. Some foods are represented by multiple recipes; for example, the book has more than one recipe for doughnuts, "cold slaw," and biscuits, as well as receipts for 25 puddings of various types. The titles also reveal both English and American influences, such as "Indian Pickle," "Green Corn Pudding," and "Federal Cake" (American); and "Maids of Honour," "A Trifle," and "Yorkshire Pudding" (English). The authors made notes for housekeeping methods and two medical concoctions, a general ointment and an allspice-based tea intended to treat the "summer complaint." The endpapers have pasted newspaper clippings with information about tomatoes; recipes for catsup, tomato pickles, and "Indian muffins;" and instructions for making a cement for pottery, a dye, and a cure for colic.