Thursday, September 5, 2019

Remembering Scholastic Books

It is back to school week in my area of the world,  with kids big and small heading off with freshly sharpened pencils and crisp new scribblers for another year of learning.
I enjoyed heading back to school to see friends I had not seen all summer, buying new schools supplies and seeing who my teachers would be for that year.

One of the other things I liked about the school year was access to books,  I liked all kinds of books; not just cook books!  I don't know if anyone else remembers the Scholastics Books order form.  A couple of times a year a newsletter would arrive featuring different books that students could order.  Growing up in rural New Brunswick without easy access to a good bookstore this was often the way I got new books and  I was fortunate that I was usually able to order a book each time the newsletter came out.

This is actually how I obtained some of my first cookbooks! This week I am going to feature two  cookbooks because both are from Scholastic Books, but also if I want to make a "complete" menu I need to feature more than one cookbook!

I have no way of knowing exactly when I obtained the books but I am suspecting probably around Grade 3 or 4!

The Cookie Book is probably the only cookbook I own were I have made almost all the recipes.  The Cookie Book featured a cookie of the month (with some variations)  and each month I diligently made every single recipe except one "Tiny Timmies" because it had pineapple in it and I don't like pineapple! Written for young cooks as directions were provided in great detail, I also had my own notes about how the cookie turned out.  Several of the cookies became a regular feature in my house, because supper was not over unless dessert was served which was often a cookie or a small square.

The second book Peanuts Lunch Bag Cook Book I suspected I ordered because I liked the Peanuts Comic Strip more so than I wanted ideas for my lunch box!  It provided all kinds of suggestions for a lunch box, back in the day when there was no microwaves and the lunch box sat on a shelf until lunch time.  All the basic sandwich fillings were covered with variations on each one.  It also includes a recipe for home made bread, home made mayonnaise and salads that could be packed in your lunch.  I don't recall if I tried many of the recipes.  I am pretty sure I didn't try "Linus Loves Liverwurst Sandwich"  but I might have tried "Schroeder's Harmonious Ham Sandwich'  except for the variation that included Avocado - because Avocados in rural New Brunswick in the late 1970's would have been an unknown food.

Going through the books and thinking about back to school has certainly been a walk down memory lane. I hope you will come back later in the week when I will pack your lunch box with all kinds of goodies including a few cookies for you to enjoy!  Do you remember who was on your lunch box?  I had a Raggedy Ann and Andy lunch box one year.



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