Class of '58

2008 Northfield Cookbook

The new edition of the Northfield Cookbook is a go!

FOREWORD

Dear Friend:

It is with great delight that we invite you to look back to our Northfield days through this reissue of the NORTHFIELD COOKBOOK. While images of Dummy smocks and scarves, breakfast prep, and "tins" float before you, may visions of Bishop's bread, Russian tea, and Plum Crisp dance in your head!

It is our hope that this book will at once stir many happy memories and titillate your taste buds! This cookbook was released in the fall of our senior year, fifty years ago. In the spirit of preservation, we have kept the cookbook with all its prefatory pages, photos and credits as it was originally.

We think it is appropriate to republish this book to honor and support our 50th Reunion Gift of moving the Northfield carillon from the tower of Russell Sage Chapel to the tower of the new Rhodes Art Center on the Northfield Mount Hermon campus.

Claire I. Kurtgis-Hunter
Helen Engelbrecht Ownby
Cookbook Committee, Class of Northfield 1958

The cookbooks will be ready to go and will be sold at the REUNION Check-in Desk at Crossley. The cost of a copy will be $20.00; the monies collected will go toward the Class of 1958 Gift of moving the Carillon from Nfld. to NMH campus.

GRAPHICS: The cookbook will be the same size as the original, 6" x 9", will be printed on glossy paper, will feature Northfield's Russell Sage Tower on the blue cover, and it will have a spiral binding. The original spiral was black metal and rather harsh--hopefully the new spiral will be plastic and more facile to deal with.

Everything else, including photos, features, and prefatory pages, will be exactly as in the original, save for the new Foreword.

After our Reunion, the remainder of the original run of 500 will be sold through the NMH Bookstore, again at $20.00 per copy. (I believe they may also be sold there DURING the reunion--for other classes' members.)

For those not coming to the Reunion, we will work out the details soon (where "soon" means "sometime, real-soon-anytime-now, after 24 Mar") for mailing which will include S&H (S&H not yet known). But Helen would appreciate hearing from you, by email (heownby@mindspring.com) if you plan to buy a copy (so we can order more Cookbooks printed, if needed).

These are samples from the 1957 Northfield Cookbook. The full 2008 edition will be available by the time Reunion gets underway, June 5

In the front of the cookbook was the following acknowledgement of an earlier edition:

Dedicated to ANNIE MILDRED HERRING, Dietitian since 1931: and
To all former dietitians and matrons, and to past and present House Instructors
who, through the years, have nurtured in Northfield students
the art of gracious living.

The Cookbook Committee
Irene Swanson Turner, 1928     Carolyn E. Bunn, 1916
Marjorie Fields Bruno, 1939     Dorothy Grant Reznikosf, 1922
Emilie Sonntag Curry, 1929     Margaret Eastman Smith, 1933
Isabel Collins Duncan, 1918     Mabel Darrah, EDITOR, 1929

Compliments of Jane Hougen Fast, 1958

Bishop's Bread

2-1/2 c. sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 c. shortening
1-1/2 t. cinnamon
2 c. dark brown sugar
1/2 t. salt
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1 egg
3/4 c. milk, sour or sweet [if sweet milk is used, omit baking soda and add an extra teaspoon of baking powder]

1. Mix flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and shortening together with a pastry blender.
2. Save 3/4 c. of mixture for top crumbs.
3. To remainder, add baking powder, baking soda, slightly beaten egg and sour milk.
4. Beat thoroughly until batter is smooth.
5. Place batter in 9" x 13" greased pan and cover top with reserved crumbs.
6. Bake 35 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
7. Nutmeats and/or raisins may be added. Good warm or cold. Yield 16 squares.

Submitted by Helen Gould Benney, 1928
"This is such a breakfast favorite at Northfield that seniors forfeit their privilege of 'sleeping over' when it appears on the menu."

NORTHFIELD COFFEE BREAD

1 cup scalded milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup shortening
1/2 tsp. salt
1 package yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water
2 eggs, well beaten
3-3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
 
1 egg, well-beaten, to brush on before baking

1. Dissolve yeast in water. Set aside.
2. Add sugar, shortening and salt to scalded milk while it is still hot. When the mixture is lukewarm, add the yeast, 2 eggs and flour.
3. Cover and let rise to double (about 1 hour).
4. Beat down. Add raisins.
5. Spread evenly in a greased 10"x13" pan. Let rise 30 minutes.
6. Brush with one well-beaten egg.
7. Cover with topping.
8. Bake 375º 30 minutes.

Topping
6 Tbls. butter
2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
6 Tbls. flour
 
Melt butter, sugar, and cinnamon. When sugar is partly melted, add the flour.

Attached is the recipe for the Northfield Sunday Coffee Bread. I think I may have gotten it from the Northfield cookbook. I have doubled the ingredients for the topping, it was so good.
Hope to see many of you at reunion.
Heidi Martin Makela

Three French Dressings

French Dressing I

2 tsp dry mustard, 1tsp paprika, 1 tsp white pepper, 2 tsp salt, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 can tomato soup, 1 1/4 cups vinegar, 1 1/2 cups oil, 1 tsp Worcestshire sauce, 2 tsp grated onion.

Mix dry then add wet ingredients. Let stand 4 hrs and strain. Makes 1 qt.

French Dressing II

1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup ketchup or chili sauce, 1/4 cup vinegar or lemon juice, 1 cup salad oil, 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1/4 tsp salt, dash pepper.

Mix well, makes 1 pint.

French Dressing III

1/2 cup salad oil, 2 Tbsp vinegar, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp dried mustard, 1 tsp confectioners sugar, 3/4 tsp salt, 1 whole garlic clove, peeled, dash pepper.

Put ingredients in bottle, shake well and chill.

Submitted by Helen Engelbrecht Ownby

Chocolate Maple Divinity Fudge

2 1/3 c. sugar
1/2 c. maple syrup (You can probably easily tap your own trees!) ¹
2/3 c.light corn syrup
1/4 c. H2O
1/2 t. salt
2 egg whites
2 squares unsweetened chocolate
1/2 t. vanilla

1. Combine & cook sugar, water, syrups, and salt over low heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
2. Continue cooking without stirring to 265 degrees F. (on a candy thermometer) or until a drop of the mixture in cold water forms a hard ball.
3. Remove and pour into beaten egg whites until mixture will hold shape when dropped from a spoon. Add vanilla and pour into lightly greased pan.
4. When cool, spread melted chocolate over the top and set in a cool place.
   (Inside your kitchen inside windowsill? Not outside--too cool!)

¹ Contributed by Claire Kurgis-Hunter. The suggestion re the "trees" is directed to Walt, but Claire adds: "My dad was a fantastic candy maker; made all the ribbon candy for S.S. Pearce [Pierce? Peirce?] and for his shop, Carl's Goodie Shoppe--but that was just about the time I was born--so I never got any freebies! Anyway--thought you might enjoy this one!"

Chocolate Lush
The recipe in the cookbook serves 48....so I've cut it down to 8 servings:

1 cup flour
2/3 Tbsp baking powder
1/8 Tbsp salt
1/8 cup cocoa
1/8 cup melted shortening
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Topping:

3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 3/4 cups hot water.

1. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and cocoa.
2. Add melted shortening, milk, vanilla, and nuts. Mix until well blended.
3. Spread in ungreased pan.
4. Combine topping ingredients; pour over batter....
5. Bake 350 degrees...says 50 minutes, but think I'd try half the time, since you're not making the larger recipe....

Submitted by Helen Engelbrecht Ownby

For those who have the cookbook, what's your favorite? Want it posted here? Send it to Walt.