Cookbooks, An Exhibit, and a New Scone

My family and friends will tell you that I have always been interested in food. When I was growing up, I hovered around the kitchen, tasting whatever my mom or dad was making, and asking questions about why we ate what we ate. As I have previously mentioned, my mom was a product of the 1970s health food craze, something I definitely did not appreciate at the time. While my friends arrived at school with Twinkies and white bread sandwiches in their lunches, I tried desperately to convince them to trade one of my carob cookies (to no avail. How could I really blame them?).

At the same time, I enjoyed my mom’s cooking, and am now very appreciative of her insistence on using fresh, pure ingredients while many grew up eating bland casseroles and processed foods. I also realize how fortunate I was to enjoy the vegetables and fruits we grew in our backyard and the delicious ones my grandparents grew. All of this is to say, my love of food runs deep and has longevity.

My keen interest in food and cooking leads me down some rabbit holes sometimes, and I would like to share one of my recent discoveries. Just the other day, I came across an article in The Los Angeles Times about a cookbook exhibit at the Central Library in Los Angeles. I learned that artist Suzanne Jaskow began collecting mostly self-published cookbooks compiled by Los Angeles county organizations. I agree with her assertion that in reading the cookbooks and looking at the illustrations, ‘“You get a snapshot of all of these simultaneous experiences of place,” Joskow says. “The way people eat and the way people talk about their food just tells you so much.”’She describes how the cookbooks provide a window into the history, culture, politics, and sense of place in a special way, by connecting people through food. Her eclectic, unusual collection includes “‘Y Wives Cookbook’ from the Downey YMCA from 1968, ‘Cop’s Cookery: Wives of Los Angeles Police Officers’ from 1977 and ‘Hints to Housekeepers’ from members of the Woman’s Relief Corps, many of whom were wives of veterans of the Civil War, from 1907.” You can go here to watch her discuss the cookbook project, something I relished after a long day at work. I will let you know if I make it down to LA’s Central Library to see the exhibit. And please let me know if you get there.

On another note, I have a new go-to scone recipe from the Los Angeles Times. It is not much different from my previous one, which I wrote about last November, but I like this one’s smaller amounts of sugar and butter. When I make scones these days, I always brush them with milk, cream or yogurt, and a light sprinkling of turbinado sugar before baking, as this recipe advises. I’ve added lemon zest, orange zest, and chunks of chocolate to this “new” recipe, and have subbed in whole wheat flour for some of the regular flour. Each variation has been delicious (though I didn’t love the ones I made with oat milk). Admittedly the version below the photo does not look markedly different from my former standby scone. Still, I’m a big fan.

At the end of this month, I am going to visit my younger daughter who is going to college in Oregon. I was crushed to learn that Alchemist’s Jam, an exquisite bakery, will be closed two out of the three days I will be there. I’ll have to do some strategic sampling that one day and will make sure my dining companions bring hearty appetites. I am already wondering how big my daughter’s freezer is and how well the Alchemist’s breads and pastries travel. Stay tuned!