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Sandy Meindersma Wachusett Watch - Telegram & Gazette
A community cookbook filled with
tasty recipes is a treasure.
Mine is almost 30 years old, with stained and sticky pages, holding a lifetime
of memories of friends and family who have shared with their favorite recipes
that have now become some of mine, including my aunt’s Swedish torte, half of
the cookies I bake for Christmas each year, my mother’s hot fudge sauce, and the
meatball stroganoff we ate last night for dinner.
The West Boylston Bicentennial Committee is looking to create such a treasure as
part of the town’s upcoming bicentennial celebration and is eager for community
members to contribute their favorite recipes.
Mychelle Phillips, bicentennial committee secretary, said she got the idea after
she purchased a similar cookbook at work that was used as a fundraiser for the
American Cancer Society.
“Also, our consultant suggested that we do one,” Mrs. Phillips said. “We hope
that it’s a cookbook that becomes a part of the town’s history.”
The cookbook will be published in February and will include a list of all of the
events planned for the yearlong celebration. Photos of town landmarks such as
the Old Stone Church will add to the historical significance of the cookbook.
So to record what West Boylston cooks, Mrs. Phillips has sent home notices with
schoolchildren looking for recipes, left copies of the recipe flier at the
senior center, the library, the town clerk’s office and posted it on the town’s
Web site.
“We’re just in the beginning stages of collecting the recipes,” Mrs. Phillips
said.
Soon after the notices went home from Major Edward Elementary School, Mrs.
Phillips received a recipe for “Grumpa John’s Cornbread” submitted by
granddaughters Jennelle and Jaidan Gadowski.
“When the flier came home from school, we talked about it,” Jennie Gadowski, the
girls’ grandmother, said. “They said they wanted to put in their grandfather’s
cornbread recipe. It’s so easy and everybody loves it.”
Jennelle, who is 8, said the recipe has been in the family for a long time.
“It’s really good,” she said. “Sour cream is the secret ingredient.”
Mrs. Gadowski said the girls are thinking about sending in another recipe.
“Maybe snickerdoodles,” Jennelle said.
Recipes have come in from all over town.
Selectman and local firefighter Allen Phillips submitted his “famous firehouse
chili,” which will go nicely with Grumpa John’s cornbread.
From Town Hall, Town Administrator Leon Gaumond sent in his recipe for
vichyssoise.
Members of the bicentennial committee have also been busy contributing their
recipes, including Mrs. Phillips who put in her German pasta recipe.
And while the bicentennial committee and town employees have contributed to the
cookbook, Mrs. Phillips said she is hoping to get more recipes from residents.
“We really want to make this a record of what West Boylston is cooking during
our bicentennial year,” Mrs. Phillips said.
Mr. Phillips, who is helping his wife with the cookbook, said it will include a
section for kids’ recipes, as well as all of the other traditional sections of a
cookbook.
To make it easy for people to share their favorite recipe, Mrs. Phillips has
arranged for them to be collected via the Internet, e-mail, regular mail or in
person. Recipes can be dropped off at Town Hall or by visiting the town’s
bicentennial Web site, www.wb200.com.
“Whether it’s your grandmother’s recipe that’s been handed down or something you
love to make with your children and want to pass along, please send it in,” Mrs.
Phillips said.
Mr. Phillips said recipes would be collected through the middle of January and
then reviewed and edited if necessary. The cookbooks should be available for
sale by the middle of February.
As for me, I sent in my recipe for Swedish coffee bread, which has been part of
our Christmas morning breakfast since before I can remember.
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