Honorable Mention 2008 DIY Book Awards

Last year Ruth McLeod entered Tastes & Treasures in the DIY Book Awards. The cookbook has just won Honorable Mention in the 2008 DIY Book Awards Cookbook section.

Phoenix Zoo now carries Cookbook

You can now enjoy Zoo Lights with your family and purchase the cookbook in the gift shop for a wonderful Christmas present. Delivering books to the Zoo and seeing all the children gave me flashbacks to the days when my children were young. Kids love to see the animals and vegetation. Parents love spending such quality time. What could be better?

Another Satisfied Buyer

Ruth received an email from a woman who purchased Tastes & Treasures at the Wickenburg home tour organized by Toby Daum. She ordered 2 more through online sales.

"Thank you, Ruth. I love the book, I bought it at the little Xmas bazaar when we came for the tour of the five homes in early November. These two are presents for good friends.

I took the Cowboy Caviar to a party last weekend and am bringing the John Wayne eggs to a family get-together this weekend...great cookbook!"

ArtFest Success

Customers at the ArtFest in Old Town Scottsdale (Nov 21-23) loved Tastes & Treasures. One fellow (shown at right) returned to buy it and wanted a cookie. Leslie and Jeannine joked that he could have a FREE cookbook if he paid $24.95 for a cookie. So he did.

Last year Leslie sold 180 books at the event and as of Sunday at 1 pm she had sold 130 books. She reported final sales of 151 cookbooks, 4 adult, 1 junior and 3 children' aprons for a total of $3,872.05 to support our museum programs.

Leslie expresses her thanks for all the wonderful help - especially to the newcomers - Joan, who helped with set up, and her new sales women, Sharon, Kassie and Lindy. Kassie & Lindy (shown in photo) even helped with tear down. Leslie wondered, how are your backs??

It was a very successful event, considering the economy and hearing other vendors complain that their sales were way down from last year.

Growing Cookbook Availability

An update on market locations - Tastes & Treasures is now available for sale through DelStar (Westin Kierland, Sheraton downtown, Desert Ridge Marriott and the airport). Barnes & Noble is offering the cookbook at several Valley stores and also online.

Roast Beef Salad Recipe

Following the cookbook inventory, we shared a lunch prepared by Ruth McLeod. This delicious salad is a recipe from the Winter Lunch section in Tastes and Treasures, page 167.

Roast Beef Salad

Blue Cheese Dressing
1/2 cup olive oil or vegetable oil 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 3 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley or cilantro 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1 garlic clove, crushed 1/2 teaspoon sugar Salt and pepper to taste

Salad
1 1/2 pounds chilled roast beef, julienned
12 small fresh mushrooms, sliced
12 cherry tomatoes, cut into halves
1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 avocado, sliced

For the dressing, combine the olive oil, vinegar, cheese, parsley, Dijon mustard, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and seal tightly. Shake to combine. Chill in the refrigerator. Substitute Gorgonzola cheese for the blue cheese for a milder flavor.

For the salad, toss the roast beef, mushrooms, tomatoes, artichokes and avocado in a large salad bowl. Add the dressing and mix until coated. You may serve on a bed of lettuce. Serves 6

2nd Printing of Tastes & Treasures

Tuesday morning, Ruth McLeod assembled a crew at the museum to unload a shipment of the 2nd edition of our cookbook. 2 pallets held boxes filled with a total of 2,000 books. A daunting task? Not so -- Mary Parker, Zona Lorig, Renee Donnelly, Terrie Sanford, Ruth Ann Hogan, Kay Holcombe, Jeannine Moyle, and Joan Robinson-Blumit cheerfully opened boxes; inspected books for quality; then re-sealed the boxes. Inventory numbers were assigned to the boxes, which were then moved into storage. The 830 originally printed cookbooks were moved from the storage area and transported to vehicles for storage at various members' homes or to taken to stores.

Ruth whipped up the Roast Beef Salad (recipe in above post) from Tastes & Treasures - for our lunch. Yum!

Tomorrow, 11/21 through 11/23, League members will be selling the cookbook at ArtFest in Scottsdale, which is held on the grassy area by the central library.

New Store Selling Tastes & Treasures

Always good to visit a new customer and it was a treat to deliver cookbooks and meet Missy Shakelford and Vivian Mueller, owners of Gifts with a Conscience at 3301 E Indian School in Phoenix. http://www.giftswc.com/

Their philosophy is to support non profit organizations and a percentage of all their sales goes to worthwhile causes. The shop is filled with lovely gift ideas and our cookbook is selling very well. This delivery was a reorder for them. My eye caught the lovely wrought iron book stand that would look so good in my kitchen with our cookbook displayed on it. Check it out www.giftswc.com

Vivian told me her 23 year old daughter, Christina, loves to cook from Tastes & Treasures and Roasted Teriyaki Beef Tenderloin, pg 157 is a favorite, especially with her boyfriend and sister. She also makes the Mexican Chicken Casserole, pg 182, but "lightens" it up a bit with lower calorie ingredients.

The ladies mentioned that they usually go out for dinner at Christmas but this year, with a down economy, they have decided to celebrate with a dinner party using recipes from the cookbook.

Williams Bus Tour

Tours of historic sites and other locales of interest are organized monthly for League members, and November's trip to Williams turned into an unforgettable experience. As recounted by Delores Tomasek, a 7:15 a.m. departure meant very early rising since she lives in Fountain Hills. She needn't have been so punctual. The bus had a flat tire and a new bus had to be sent from Gilbert, pushing their departure to 9:15 a.m.

Arriving in Williams, the group discovered that their planned tour guide was no longer with the company. They were greeted by a guide who specialized in telling the town's ghost stories, not what they'd signed on for.

Lunch was fine, but the group joked that it was a long way to go for a hamburger.

The ride home began at 3:00 p.m. and shortly after, the bus pulled off I17 to the shoulder and stopped. The bus wasn't going to make it and a new bus had to be sent from Gilbert. The wine and cheese they'd brought along helped "ease" the wait, and they enjoyed waving at the truckers.

Everyone finally got home and all agreed: in spite of everything, they had a lot of fun.

Recipes to Try

Zona Lorig recently made the Cashew Pea Salad on page 150 and reports that it's delicious.

The Arizona Date Cake, page 140, submitted by Betty Rhodes, the late Congressman John Rhodes’ wife, is the same recipe that Zona’s grandmother Edith Davis made and is wonderful. Her grandmother was born in Tombstone in 1885.

Happy Customer

I learned about it (Tastes & Treasures) from the Old Ned's News, which I received I guess because I'm a member of the AZ Historical Society. I received the cookbooks and loved them so much I gave them away as gifts. I need two more! Is the free shipping still available? Shall I order just like I did before?

Naomi M.

Desert Botanical Gardens is venue for Historical League Open House

What a beautiful place to hold the annual Historical League Open House October 23. Most of the guest toured the Monarch Butterfly Exhibit prior to meeting at Webster Hall. Our guest speaker, Beth Brand, was very informative and presented the history of Webster Hall and the Botanical Gardens as well as the construction of the new entrance. Several members and guests took the opportunity to purchase our Tastes & Treasures Cookbook. We munched on lovely appetizers and desserts and enjoyed the unusual cactus centerpieces. Meeting in one of the most unique desert dwellings in the world is a wonderful experience.

Love to hear from history buffs

Celeste emailed in an order and will get free shipping (good for the month of October).

"I am giving your cookbook to each of my three children who grew up in Arizona and also using one for an Auction item in our Church Charity Ball that is a fundraiser for our St. Thomas Aquinas Grade School.

Thanks for creating such a nice cookbook as it will make a very special gift."

Celeste Crouch
Founder of our Litchfield Park Historical Society and
active in state historical ventures

Satisfied Cookbook Customer

Michele from Oro Valley, Az sent us a nice email.

"I am a member of the Arizona Historical Society and received Old Ned's Newsletter. The write up of the cookbook was on the front page. I will use them for Christmas gifts for two wonderful ladies who collect cookbooks and love to visit me here in Arizona. I am sure they will love it!"

Guest Speaker Author Jan Cleere at October League meeting

We thoroughly enjoyed the Powerpoint presentation from our speaker, author Jan Cleere. Jan graduated magna cum laude from Arizona State University West. She writes about the unique characters, creatures and vegetation of the desert southwest. Her writings have appeared in many Southwestern periodicals. She has received many awards for her writing and belongs to many associations including The Arizona Historical Society.

Jan discussed her new book "Amazing Girls of Arizona: True Stories of Young Pioneers". It’s so fascinating to hear about pioneer women, what they went through and how they did it without air conditioning!

Jan autographed her books for League members after the talk and Sharron McKinney presented her with our Historical Cookbook.

Salad Featured from Cookbook

Among the salads featured at our monthly luncheon/meeting this week was Curried Chicken Salad from Tastes & Treasures, page 151. Lindy Isaakson was our salad maker and she’s standing with Pam Ryan who helps organize the luncheons.

Curried Chicken Green Salad

½ cup olive oil 10 ounces fresh spring mix
1/4 cup red wine vinegar 2 Gala apples, chopped
1/4 cup chutney 3/4 cup golden raisins
1½ teaspoons curry powder 12 fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon dry mustard 2 or 3 green onions with
½ teaspoon sugar tops, sliced
½ cup pecan halves,
toasted and chopped
½ teaspoon salt
2 whole chicken breasts, cooked
and chopped

Process the olive oil, vinegar, chutney, curry powder, dry mustard, sugar and salt in a blender until pureed. Chill, covered, in the refrigerator. Toss the chicken, spring mix, apples, raisins, mushrooms, green onions and pecans in a large salad bowl. Add the desired amount of dressing and mix well. Serve immediately. Serves 6 to 8.

Stand Up Banner

Several people have asked, "Who did the stand up banner?" Groups at FRP Cookbook University in Nashville convention actually took photos. They loved it. Dr. Peter Welsh at the AHS Museum asked me yesterday, "Who produced it"? It is such a professional looking promotional tool. I carried it on the plane to Nashville and fellow flyers thought I was carrying pool cues or asked if I was a professional fisherman??? It's not that heavy and fits in the overhead compartment on the plane. The carry on case is very helpful with handles and shoulder strap. And so easy to set up.

FRP Cookbook University

Recently two League members, Ruth McLeod and Kay Holcombe, attended FRP Cookbook University. They met the president of FRP and what follows is from an email he sent to Ruth, complimenting Tastes & Treasures:

Ruth and Kay,

It was certainly a pleasure to meet both of you. When I originally reviewed a copy of Tastes & Treasures as it came off press I said, "These ladies understand the meaning of a community cookbook." Most people we deal with misunderstand the relevance of associating historical information through the subject of food. Tastes & Treasures is the best example of a true "community" cookbook that I have been associated with since the inception of the current Favorite Recipes Press model.

Your book is truly wonderful and it is THE sample reference I use 100% of the time to illustrate what the content of a "community" cookbook should be.

Thank you again for sharing in our Cookbook University experience; I hope you found the investment of your time worthwhile. Please say hello to my friends Gaye and Donna and keep me posted on your numerous success stories if marketing and selling Tastes & Treasures.
Dave Kempf
President
FRP Books, Inc.

Local Cookbooks Reveal Lots of Information

I saw a 'Tribune' newspaper article about the cookbook. I moved to AZ 8 years ago and am always looking for info about the state. The website www.HistoricalLeague.org is very informative & user friendly. I find 'local' cookbooks reveal lots of interesting facts & folklore about a region/state. I'm sure it will make a great gift for one of my friends. by Vicki H

Our Fancy Place Cards

When a recipe from Tastes & Treasures is featured at a League function, we now have place cards decorated with tatted ring medallions.

Tatting is a hobby of HL member, Mary Pearce. The skill has been handed down through four generations.

Recipe Feature for September 2008: Special Chocolate Chip Cookies

From Tastes & Treasures, page 191

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups old-fashioned oats
2 cups (12 ounces) cholcolate chips
1 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together. Combine the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in a bowl of a stand mixer and beat until creamy, scraping the bowl occasionally. Add the eggs once at a time, mixing well after each addition. Blend in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture and beat until smooth. Mix in the oats and fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto a nonstick cookie sheet or a cookie sheet lined with baking parchment paper. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on the cookie sheet for 1 minute and remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Makes 3 to 4 dozen.

Cookbook Recipes Served at League Meeting

We had our monthly meeting today, which always includes a salad/bread/dessert luncheon provided by the members. I'd volunteered to bring a salad. Being one who wants simplicity in my kitchen efforts, I looked in Tastes and Treasures and decided on what looked like an easy one to make: Romaine Salad with Two Cheeses (page 169). Plus it could be assembled up to 24 hours before serving. I could whip this together at midnight, if I wanted to. The recipe calls for romaine, Parmesan, Romano, avocado and green onions in an olive oil, lemon juice and Beau Monde seasoning blend. Beau Monde seasoning ... mmm.

Checking the spice aisles at 2 grocery stores revealed nothing so I got on the Internet to find out exactly what Beau Monde had in it. cdkitchen.com featured a recipe. Easy enough to mix, Beau Monde is a blend of cloves, cinnamon, salt, bay leaf, allspice, black pepper, nutmeg, mace, celery seed, and white pepper. But my spice rack only contains the basics like garlic powder. Back to the store.

I'd say it was worth the effort. It tasted great to me and the big bowl of a doubled recipe was empty so members must have found it to be pretty good, too. And I have a jar full of Beau Monde when I want to make the salad again.

April Riggins brought the Special Chocolate Chip Cookies (page 191.) She substituted the walnuts for pecans, but wow. Either way, they would have been delicious. The plate of 24 cookies disappeared fast. April said that she should have brought more because she had members saying that they were disappointed not to have had a chance to try them.

Couldn't put it down

The book was given to me by an Arizonian friend who purchased it on a tour of historic homes. This copy is for my Michigan daughter-in-law who couldn't put it down when she came to visit recently. Jane V. Phoenix, AZ

Two years in the making

In a nutshell:
The Historical League, Inc. worked for over 2 years to put together a unique cookbook that blends our passion for Arizona history with our love of cooking. We contacted historic places throughout the state- 50 years or older, that serve food, and asked their chefs to submit menus & recipes. After thorough testing to be sure the recipes could be made by cooks at home, we wrote the history of each location. We feature places like El Tovar, La Posada, Garland's in Oak Creek, Lon's, El Chorro, The Arizona Inn, and Rancho de La Osa. That's chapter one.

Chapter two focuses on people we have honored as Historymakers- like Polly Rosembaum, Rose Mofford, Erma Bombeck, the Goldwater brothers, Eddie Basha, and Bil Keane, to name a few. They, or their family members, sent in a recipe with a story about its significance.

Chapter 3 is dedicated to our League members. Like I said, we love to cook, so a chapter for us was a given. We didn't need to test these recipes...

We hired the food stylist and photographer from Phoenix Home & Garden Magazine, so "Tastes and Treasures" is beautiful. The recipes are delicious.

The response from the public has been phenomenal. We were recently featured in Arizona Highways, Phoenix Home & Garden, and Suzanne Bissette from Channel 3 filmed a TV segment for "Good Evening Arizona".

In the first 3 months that we had the cookbook, we sold 5,000 books- half of our first printing. Leslie C. Historical League cookbook committee

Combine great recipes with Arizona history

And I did see the GMAZ spot - not my usual watch for the morning but happened to catch it. I love Arizona history (am a "near native") so when I can combine great recipes with Arizona history, I'm tickled. The second is a gift for our native Arizona daughter who is living/working in Washington DC.

A huge fan of Arizona history.

I actually received a copy as a gift and wanted to pass it along in kind to others. GREAT collection! I am a huge fan of Arizona history. My grandparents moved to Phoenix in 1947 and at the time my grandfather was the only licensed pediatric dentist in the state. He passed away four years ago but his legacy lives on - I'm just finishing my last year of training at the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin and will be returning to join a practice in the Phoenix area.

Thanks for all you do to support the Historical League in its endeavors to share the rich and vibrant culture of Arizona's past with the present.

Charlie

Love the History in the cookbook

Not only do I love to cook but I was raised in the valley since grade school (50 YEARS AGO) and love the history that comes with the book. I saw a segment about your cookbook on channel 3 news....Everyday Entertaining. Kathleen G.

Tastes & Treasures: A Storytelling Cookbook of Historic Arizona

The Historical League cookbook has colorful stories and recipes from historic properties throughout the southwestern state of Arizona. The southwestern recipes range from the Cameron Trading Post on the northern border of Arizona to Rancho de La Osa in the south. There is a charming chapter on recipes and food memories from our Arizona Historymakers such as Barry Goldwater, Erma Bombeck and John Rhodes, and delicious recipes from "Lunch at the Museum."

This cookbook has been named Southwest Regional Winner in the 18th Annual Tabasco Community Cookbook Awards. Only nine books out or hundreds from across the country are selected for this honor. "McIlhenny Company of Tabasco sauce is honored to play a role in celebrating the hard work of these organizations which help capture culinary traditions and make significant contributions to local charitable causes," said McIlhenny. "The true meaning of community is defined within each of these unique cookbooks." Tastes & Treasures is also a finalist in Foreword Magazine "Book of the Year Awards" and USA Book News "Best Book Award"

A perfect Southwestern Arizona cookbook full of western food recipes and authentic western cooking. It will become one of your favorite Southwestern Arizona cookbooks!

Hardcover, four color, $24.95, 207 pages.
($6.00 Shipping, $3.00 per additional book)/

Cases of 10 or more are available at wholesale prices.