Mary Margaret McBride and I have been together (in spirit, at least) since I was a child. Her encyclopedia series of cookbooks was printed in 1958 and they were used as incentives in one of the local supermarkets to buy more groceries. When the total spent on groceries reached a certain amount, the shopper was entitled to the latest volume. This has to be one of the best promotions in the history of store promotions.
The twelve volumes cover every aspect of cooking and baking, from appetizers and canapes to omelets and eggs benedict, to soups and chowders, sandwiches, fish, meat and poultry, all forms of desserts, drinks, candy making, sauces and gravies, etc. etc. The books are superb.
As well, there are chapters on everything from carving and table setting, to menu planning, feeding the sick, barbecuing, freezing and storing food, teaching children to cook, feeding babies, cooking with wine, and more. Every recipe you could ever desire is found in these volumes. They are well written, timeless, and a preface to each section explains the difference between the types of food in the category (chiffon cakes, for example, versus one bowl butter cakes, versus sponge cakes, etc.) and outlines the techniques that contribute to the success of each type of dish.
You can tell the books have been very well used over the years.
Movita was here for supper this evening and the dessert came from Cakes (Volume 5) and Frostings and Fillings (Volume 3):
Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake With Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
