Molly MacRae Monday: There's Always Room for....Mushrooms!

Happy Labor Day! It's the 1st Monday again, and that means Molly MacRae guest blogs with another of her very funny posts and unusual recipes. Molly's new mystery, Lawn Order, will be out soon! Lawn Order (A Margaret and Bitsy Mystery)-AA

Hanging out at Vintage Cookbooks with Amy isn’t just fun, it’s also beneficial. Now when my friends and relatives see old, strange cookbooks, apparently they immediately think of me. I’m not sure I want to explore that connection too closely. Instead, I’ll think of this development as fun!


Last week, for instance (end of August, mind you), my friend and co-worker, Kristin, handed me a package wrapped in penguin Christmas paper. Fun! Inside were these four gems:

1. Lamb for All Seasons by Alison Holst, a New Zealand publication from 1976 that includes recipes for such cute food as Fragrant Lamb Moulds, Little Lamb Puffs, and Nutty Lamb Snacks.

2. The New, New Can-Opener Cookbook by Poppy Cannon, 1968, with icky salad recipes involving canned carrots, canned chicken and canned tongue.

3. The Hog-Lot Cookbook by Kay White Miles, no date, but a very funny book that’s also “A surefire guide for the unsure woman with household tips, psychic warnings, soulful poetry, and recipes guaranteed to make you eat like a pig and.”

4. Fresh Mushroom Cookbook by Sybil Henderson, 1967. This little booklet will scare the bejeebers out of Amy. The Cucumber Mushroom Aspic, for instance, calls for 2 packages of celery flavored gelatin. Ooh, yum. But then there’s Mushroom Chocolate Cookies. “You won’t believe it,” the author says, “but these are about the most delightful cookies you’ve ever tasted.” She goes on to say “they stay beautifully moist and tender for days.” How much would you like to bet she knows that because no one actually does touch them? But, here, you might want to give them a go yourself.

Mushroom Chocolate Cookies

½ cup butter or margarine

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon almond extract

2 1-ounce squares unsweetened chocolate, melted

2 cups all purpose flour

½ teaspoon soda

¼ teaspoon salt

¾ cup dairy sour cream

½ cup fine macaroon crumbs (we all have those around the house, don’t we?)

½ cup chopped and drained maraschino cherries (I’ll drain, then chop, thank you)

1 cup coarsely chopped fresh mushrooms

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg, vanilla and almond extract and beat thoroughly. Stir in chocolate. Stir flour, soda, and salt and add to creamed mixture alternately with the sour cream. Mix well and add remaining ingredients. Drop from teaspoon at least 2 inches apart on a greased cooky sheet. Bake in moderate (350º) for 12 minutes or until done. Remove from pan and cool.