Scott Hutcheson

State Cookbooks

This 41-volume state cookbook series features best-of-the-best recipes from the most popular cookbooks published in each state (they say they cover the entire US yet have only 41 volumes - not quite sure how that works). Anyway, they claim to have pulled out the best recipes from the cookbooks sold by churches, Junior Leagues, and other types of groups. They've got a retro, kitschy kind of thing going on. I expect there are quite a few dishes that feature canned cream of mushroom soup. They are available as individual titles or in the 41-volume set. I've lived in Oklahoma, Illinois, Texas, Tennessee, and Indiana. It might be kind of cool to have one from each.

State Cookbooks

This 41-volume state cookbook series features best-of-the-best recipes from the most popular cookbooks published in each state (they say they cover the entire US yet have only 41 volumes - not quite sure how that works). Anyway, they claim to have pulled out the best recipes from the cookbooks sold by churches, Junior Leagues, and other types of groups. They've got a retro, kitschy kind of thing going on. I expect there are quite a few dishes that feature canned cream of mushroom soup. They are available as individual titles or in the 41-volume set. I've lived in Oklahoma, Illinois, Texas, Tennessee, and Indiana. It might be kind of cool to have one from each.

Toast

British cookbook author Nigal Slater's new memoir Toast: The Story of a Boy's Hunger is a delightful read. He recalls the foods and events of his childhood in delicate detail. In one chapter he describes marshmallows as the food closest to a kiss - soft and sweet.

The smell of "Sunday Roast" is one of my most vivid food memories. As a child it was a near weekly ritual. I can remember walking in the front door after church and having that glorious smell wrap around me like a warm blanket. We always ate Sunday lunch in the dining room and we had to stay in our church clothes to eat. My mom did a great job of making Sunday meals special. It was a little bit like Thanksgiving every week. We don't often make a Sunday roast but when we do I look forward to the smell as much as the taste.

What are your most cherished childhood food memories?