Martie Young likes to collect cookbooks, but from her collection of seventy-five to a hundred cookbooks, her favorite is Masterpieces from Our Kitchen: A Taste of Bach, a creation of the Bach Collegium [Fort Wayne, IN] of which Young is a member. Since most of her days for the last thirty-nine years have been spent as a chair-side assistant, bookkeeper and office manager for her husband’s dental practice, Young, a resident of Allen County, looks for recipes that are simple and quick to throw together. “I can always find something good and easy in here,” she says, looking through the cookbook.

Many of Young’s family’s favorites are in the cookbook. She said Mary Weick, one of the cookbook organizers, sent out emails to the group’s members soliciting recipes. Marge Punke, one of the cookbook organizers, says they are hoping to raise awareness and money for the Collegium with the cookbook, which has three hundred sixteen recipes.

In addition to Weick and Punke, other cookbook committee members included Karen Johnson, typist, and Lois Pasche, proofreader. “I actually did not get involved in the project until it was time to key all the recipes into the program that the publisher used,” Johnson says. “Mary Weick gave me an instruction sheet and a large stack of recipes. The recipes were sorted into categories. As I recall, the categories were named with musical terms like ‘Prelude’ for appetizers. Then, every evening I sat down in front of my computer, logged in to the (Morris Press) website and started typing. It took almost two weeks to get them all in accurately.”

The women were asked if any of them had any experience in publishing a cookbook. Punke says, “I had done several other cookbooks for other volunteer organizations – church, hospital auxiliary, seminary student wives and Red Cross.” Johnson said she also had been involved in other cookbook projects. “My sorority put together a cookbook that I did all the typesetting, adding in clip art with wise and funny sayings. We photocopied ours and bound them ourselves with comb bindings,” she says.

Penny’s Special Asian Coleslaw

2 (14-ounce) packages of ready-to-use slaw mix
2 (3-ounce) packages Ramen noodles
2 (2.25-ounce) packages sliced almonds
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
6 tablespoons sugar
2 packages of seasoning from Ramen noodles

Set aside noodle flavor packets. Crush noodles and add almonds and sesame seeds. Toast this mixture under broiler. Combine the remaining ingredients separately and shake well. Combine slaw, toasted ingredients and dressing in a large bowl and toss until well-coated. Note: Dish does not stay crisp as leftovers. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Diana Parker – The Journal Gazette