Cookbook commemorates military history - SerVe
This article is an opinion by Kevin Duggan, published in the Coloradoan newspaper, in Fort Collins, Colorado (the home of a very large army community). Let's Write about cookbooks!
Opinion: Cookbook celebrates food, community and military history
For many people, food means love.
In fact, they show affection for friends, family and even strangers by whipping up something in the kitchen and gladly sharing it.
Take that basic notion, toss in several dozen recipes, sprinkle in some history, add a dollop of love of country and you have “SerVe: Revisiting a Century of American Legion Auxiliary Cookbooks.”
SerVe is a work of love created by The American Legion Auxiliary Unit 1879, at Colorado State University. It marks the 100th anniversary of The American Legion Auxiliary, which began in 1919 shortly after the American Legion was established to support World War I veterans.
The hardcover, 240-page, coffee-table style book contains recipes collected from cookbooks produced by American Legion auxiliaries across the country during the last 100 years. Every state is represented.
It has directions for how to make tea cakes as they were done in 1919, homemade basil marinara sauce as described in 2010 and many scrumptious things in between.
There are recipes for soups, salads, main courses, desserts and beverages, all kitchen-tested and translated into useful directions for contemporary cooks.
“We had to take liberties because some of these ingredients are no longer available,” said Karen Boehler, president of TALA Unit 1879 and manager of the SerVe project.
“We didn’t know what it meant when (a recipe) said ‘a lump of lard’ or ‘15 cents worth of ground lamb.’ We had to figure those out.”
But SerVe is more than a compilation of recipes. It is organized by wartime era, from World War I to the war on terrorism.
A primary goal of the publication is to educate the public about what the military has done over the last 100 years, Boehler said.
Narratives include information about the causes of the conflicts.
Another goal is to honor the work done by the American Legion Auxiliary over the years to support military veterans and their families.
Unit 1879 supports the CSU American Legion post, which was established in 2016. It is the first and only campus-affiliated unit of the auxiliary.
Another goal, which is in keeping with historic auxiliary cookbook projects, is to raise money. The edition is limited to 2,500 copies. Books may be ordered at www.alaservecookbook.com.
At $42, SerVe might seem a bit pricey. But it’s a quality product whose proceeds will benefit creative arts and mental wellness programs for veterans.
“I think there will be a lot of education coming out this,” Boehler said.
The project took about two years to complete. Six months were spent collecting cookbooks and recipes from across the country.
About 80 old cookbooks — collectively known as “the archives” — were received, collectively containing more than 600 recipes. Recipes were whittled
down to a workable number based on their connections to a particular era and how appetizing they sounded.
Recipes were tested and retested by 75 volunteer cooks scattered across the country. Testers and unit members learned how to take high-quality photographs of food, which is not as simple as one might think.
The book was designed and laid out by unit member Ann Diaz, a Colorado State University graduate and instructor at Aims Community College.
With its historical narratives, first-person accounts and behind-the-scenes photos, SerVe is meant to be more than a cookbook, she said.
It’s intended to be an “on-ramp” to conversations between military and non-military people and better understanding of what service means and entails. People who serve in the armed forces are extremely diverse, she said.
“When we talk about supporting veterans and supporting the military, it’s really important to know that means understanding service members as individuals,” Diaz said.
Unit 1879 has 17 members. Nearly all participated in the SerVe project is some way.
An experienced food writer helped standardize the recipes and their presentation. Others contributed digital expertise that helped organize the project. Others organized promotional events.
It was a community effort that turned into a national effort, Diaz said.
“It was an honor to work on this and learn about all the women who have served in the auxiliary and used this timeless tool — cookbooks and shared recipes — to raise funds to support veterans,” she said. “We celebrated that tradition. It’s an experience I’ll never forget.”
Kevin Duggan is a senior columnist and reporter for the Coloradoan.
Opinion: Cookbook celebrates food, community and military history
For many people, food means love.
In fact, they show affection for friends, family and even strangers by whipping up something in the kitchen and gladly sharing it.
Take that basic notion, toss in several dozen recipes, sprinkle in some history, add a dollop of love of country and you have “SerVe: Revisiting a Century of American Legion Auxiliary Cookbooks.”
SerVe is a work of love created by The American Legion Auxiliary Unit 1879, at Colorado State University. It marks the 100th anniversary of The American Legion Auxiliary, which began in 1919 shortly after the American Legion was established to support World War I veterans.
The hardcover, 240-page, coffee-table style book contains recipes collected from cookbooks produced by American Legion auxiliaries across the country during the last 100 years. Every state is represented.
It has directions for how to make tea cakes as they were done in 1919, homemade basil marinara sauce as described in 2010 and many scrumptious things in between.
There are recipes for soups, salads, main courses, desserts and beverages, all kitchen-tested and translated into useful directions for contemporary cooks.
“We had to take liberties because some of these ingredients are no longer available,” said Karen Boehler, president of TALA Unit 1879 and manager of the SerVe project.
“We didn’t know what it meant when (a recipe) said ‘a lump of lard’ or ‘15 cents worth of ground lamb.’ We had to figure those out.”
But SerVe is more than a compilation of recipes. It is organized by wartime era, from World War I to the war on terrorism.
A primary goal of the publication is to educate the public about what the military has done over the last 100 years, Boehler said.
Narratives include information about the causes of the conflicts.
Another goal is to honor the work done by the American Legion Auxiliary over the years to support military veterans and their families.
Unit 1879 supports the CSU American Legion post, which was established in 2016. It is the first and only campus-affiliated unit of the auxiliary.
Another goal, which is in keeping with historic auxiliary cookbook projects, is to raise money. The edition is limited to 2,500 copies. Books may be ordered at www.alaservecookbook.com.
At $42, SerVe might seem a bit pricey. But it’s a quality product whose proceeds will benefit creative arts and mental wellness programs for veterans.
“I think there will be a lot of education coming out this,” Boehler said.
The project took about two years to complete. Six months were spent collecting cookbooks and recipes from across the country.
About 80 old cookbooks — collectively known as “the archives” — were received, collectively containing more than 600 recipes. Recipes were whittled
down to a workable number based on their connections to a particular era and how appetizing they sounded.
Recipes were tested and retested by 75 volunteer cooks scattered across the country. Testers and unit members learned how to take high-quality photographs of food, which is not as simple as one might think.
The book was designed and laid out by unit member Ann Diaz, a Colorado State University graduate and instructor at Aims Community College.
With its historical narratives, first-person accounts and behind-the-scenes photos, SerVe is meant to be more than a cookbook, she said.
It’s intended to be an “on-ramp” to conversations between military and non-military people and better understanding of what service means and entails. People who serve in the armed forces are extremely diverse, she said.
“When we talk about supporting veterans and supporting the military, it’s really important to know that means understanding service members as individuals,” Diaz said.
Unit 1879 has 17 members. Nearly all participated in the SerVe project is some way.
An experienced food writer helped standardize the recipes and their presentation. Others contributed digital expertise that helped organize the project. Others organized promotional events.
It was a community effort that turned into a national effort, Diaz said.
“It was an honor to work on this and learn about all the women who have served in the auxiliary and used this timeless tool — cookbooks and shared recipes — to raise funds to support veterans,” she said. “We celebrated that tradition. It’s an experience I’ll never forget.”
Kevin Duggan is a senior columnist and reporter for the Coloradoan.
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