The Settlement Cook Book

By Mrs. Simon Kander

1936 edition

As I write this, I am quite grateful to Mrs. Simon Kander, although I really wish I could think of her by her own name, not just her husband’s!  I am enjoying a slice of peanut butter bread, taken from page 65 of her very comprehensive cook book.  

Notice the title on the cover, “The Settlement Cook Book – the way to a man’s heart”.  I looked up some information about this book online and was relieved to see “the way to a man’s heart” phrase removed from more recent editions because this is a really great cook book – for women or men alike, whether cooking for themselves, to steal someone’s heart, or to feed a crowd. 

To be sure, the nutritional guide at the front of the book is outdated.  It is no longer suggested that “Every infant should receive cod liver oil from the second month on…Beginning with a few drops at a time, the dose is increased until the baby receives ½ to 1 teaspoonful of cod liver oil twice daily.”

What I love most about this particular copy is noticing the obvious favorites of the cook it belonged to.  This cook baked a lot of small cakes and cookies!  Sugar cookies appear to have been a favorite.  Besides the taped pages, I can still see remnants of flour and other food stains on its pages. 

Thanks to Michelle who thought of me when she saw this book and to the book’s finders for passing it on and not throwing it away!