Stand Facing the Stove or 60 Days of Low Fat Low Cost Meals in Minutes

Stand Facing the Stove: The Story of the Women Who Gave America The Joy of Cooking: The Lives of Erma S. Rombauer and Marion Rombauer

Author: Anne Mendelson

In 1931, Irma S. Rombauer, a recent widow, took her life savings and self-published a cookbook that she hoped might support her family. Little did she know that her book would go on to become America's most beloved cooking companion. Thus was born the bestselling Joy of Cooking, and with it, a culinary revolution that continues to this day.

In Stand Facing the Stove, Anne Mendelson presents a richly detailed biographical portrait of the two remarkable forces behind Joy -- Irma S. Rombauer and her daughter, Marion Rombauer Becker -- shedding new light on the classic kitchen mainstay and on the history of American cooking. Mendelson weaves together three fascinating stories: the affectionate though often difficult relationship between Joy's original creator, Irma, and her eventual coauthor, Marion; the bitter dealings between the Rombauers and their publisher, Bobbs-Merrill (at whose hands the Rombauers likely lost millions of dollars); and the enormous cultural impact of the beloved book that Irma and Marion devoted their lives to refining, edition after edition.

Featuring an accessible new recipe format and an engaging voice that inspired home cooks, Joy changed the face of American cookbooks. Stand Facing the Stove offers an intimate look at the women behind this culinary bible and provides a marvelous portrait of twentieth-century America as seen through the kitchen window.

Table of Contents:

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Part I

1 The Golden Age of St. Louis
2 Beginnings and Endings
3 The Rombauers After the War
4 The Birth of Joy

Part II

5 Chronicles of Cookery 1
6 Rombauer and Bobbs-Merrill: The Making of an Enmity
7 Family Regroupings
8 War Maneuvers

Part III

9 Chronicles of Cookery 2
10 Indian Summer Interrupted
11 The Last Battle

Part IV

12 Little Acorn and Wild Wealth
13 Marion's Last Years

Epilogue

Notes

Selected Bibliography

Suggested Reading

Index

Copyright © 1996, 2003 by Anne Mendelson

Read an Excerpt

In 1931, Irma S. Rombauer, a recent widow, took her life savings and self-published a cookbook that she hoped might support her family. Little did she know that her book would go on to become America's most beloved cooking companion. Thus was born the bestselling Joy of Cooking, and with it, a culinary revolution that continues to this day.

In Stand Facing the Stove, Anne Mendelson presents a richly detailed biographical portrait of the two remarkable forces behind Joy -- Irma S. Rombauer and her daughter, Marion Rombauer Becker -- shedding new light on the classic kitchen mainstay and on the history of American cooking. Mendelson weaves together three fascinating stories: the affectionate though often difficult relationship between Joy's original creator, Irma, and her eventual coauthor, Marion; the bitter dealings between the Rombauers and their publisher, Bobbs-Merrill (at whose hands the Rombauers likely lost millions of dollars); and the enormous cultural impact of the beloved book that Irma and Marion devoted their lives to refining, edition after edition.

Featuring an accessible new recipe format and an engaging voice that inspired home cooks, Joy changed the face of American cookbooks. Stand Facing the Stove offers an intimate look at the women behind this culinary bible and provides a marvelous portrait of twentieth-century America as seen through the kitchen window.

Look this: Les Principes fondamentaux de FMEA

60 Days of Low-Fat, Low-Cost Meals in Minutes

Author: M J Smith

Delicious and Healthful Meals and Menus That Won’t Take a Bite Out of Your Family Budget. If you’re among the millions of Americans watching your fat intake, as well as your pocketbook and time, here’s good news. This innovative and exciting cookbook helps you save on all three. Most of these mouth-watering, health-wise recipes take under 30 minutes to prepare with ingredients that usually cost less than $10 per meal. 60 Days of Low-Fat, Low-Cost Meals in Minutes introduces more than 150 flavor-packed, easy-to-make recipes for real food—without all of the cholesterol, fat, sodium, and calories. Using nutritious ingredients found in virtually any grocery store, this guide contains a 60-day plan for low-fat dining, complete with shopping lists and preparation tips. M.J. Smith, author of the best-selling All-American Low-Fat Meals in Minutes also explains what foods to buy and what to avoid. She offers:

• A pocket guide to fat grams
• Inexpensive ingredient substitutes
• A kitchen-tested guide on cutting fat from your favorite recipes
• Meat and poultry cooking charts
• A sure-fire guide for selecting first-rate produce
• Microwave cooking tips
• Measurement shortcuts
• Complete nutrition information, including exchanges

From hearty entrees to enticing desserts, 60 Days of Low-Fat, Low-Cost Meals in Minutes contains the blueprints for such scintillating dishes as: • Banana Breakfast Muffins • Winter in New England Clam Chowder • Creole Shrimp Salad • No-Fat Fried Chicken • Beef Burgundy in a French Bread Crust • Grilled Halibut with Pineapple Salsa • Coconut Lover’s Macaroons • Better Than Sex CakePlus, the Special Binding Keeps the Book Open While You Work.