There used to be an active Minister’s Wives Fellowship in the Bible Fellowship Church. In 1971, they put together a cookbook. This must not have been the first cookbook because they mention this book was “an attempt to fulfill your request for another cookbook.” Carolyn Ellingson and Bea Koch wrote the forward and also encouraged the ladies to “pray for the cook who shared what she had with you.” They also thanked Esther Cassel who typed the book.

The book has a heavy cardboard cover and is decorated with cherry red and brown kitchen themed stickers. They look like they may have been cut out of a roll of contact paper.

The cookbook also features a “foreign food” section with recipes from some missionary wives including Ugali from Africa from Flo Gehman as well as some British recipes from Maureen Butler and polenta from Ruth Shelly.

There is also a low-calorie section along with a table for how many calories are in certain foods for “watching the waistline.”

There are a few wise sayings scattered throughout including:

“Give no more to every guest,
Than he’s able to digest,
Give him always of the prime,
And but a little at a time.”

And:

“The right angle to approach your problem is the “TRY” angle”

Get it??

It’s a blessing to have this peek into what was served on the tables in our pastor’s homes in 1971.