Remember this?
Although Jane and I are still in the process of becoming well acquainted, I was contacted by Barbara, who very well may be Jane's best friend.
Barbara sent me an email asking me if I would be willing to make a copy of a cookie recipe for her. Well duh, of course I would! As a cookie lover myself, saying no wasn't an option. As we started emailing, it became clear to me how sentimental and important this recipe was to her and her family.
Although she grew up eating Jane Christopher cuisine, there was one particular recipe that she was ready to have back in her possession. Section 7, Oatmeal Cookie Mix Cookies.
This recipe is a family favorite. Barbara's mother, Edith, used to make cookies every Thursday for Barbara and her three siblings, (LOVE that!!), and it was a good day when these cookies filled the jar.
Edith originally purchased the box in the 1950's at a Weingarten's grocery store in Bayton, TX. Every week, Weingarten's would sell another section of the recipe's for the box, and Jane Christopher also published a recipe weekly in the Houston Post.
Somewhere along the road, oatmeal cookie mix cookies went missing...and they've been looking for it ever since! The Houston Post is no longer in print, and google is pretty sparse in Jane Christopher hits. (In fact, my blog is the top hit for the recipe file...) What I LOVE, is that Barbara's mom is the one who found my blog and post on Jane Christopher. Way to go Edith! :)
From left: Dad (Jack), Barbara, Martha (sister), Lynn (sister), and Mark (brother).Mom (Edith) in front.
This is what a well used recipe file SHOULD look like! :)
It turns out, the Jane Christopher Recipe File is something of a classic, even holding a spot in the Americana section of the Library of Congress. Boo Yah!
It was such a pleasure emailing with Barbara, and I'm so glad I was able to have a small part in reuniting her with her favorite cookie recipe! And lest you readers think these cookies are just going to be made for her family, you are wrong! The first thing Barbara said to me was "I work for a chemical company in Houston (sit at a computer processing railcars-no outdoor work!) and I can't wait to make these for the always hungry railcar loaders who work very hard all day in the south Texas heat and humidity." Have fun re-filling that cookie jar Barbara!
Here's to happy tummies!
p.s. if anyone else decides to make these cookies, let me know how they are!! They are in my kitchen's immediate future for sure!
Sarah, thanks from Barbara's big sister Martha! I made the cookies a couple of days after Barbara sent me the recipe. They're still awesome - light and chewy and even better with pecans! But the best way to eat them is (cover your ears if you're concerned about food safety) - RAW. I swear the only time we ate them cooked is if my mom made them. If the girls were doing it we never got them baked!
ReplyDeleteI just found this exact recipe box at a garage sale and paid $ 3.00 and it has all the original recipes and original box and both are in great condition and it includes the oatmeal cookie mix recipe. It also is autographed and the autograph shows " Cindy and Jane C". Could someone let me know if this is rare and how much it is worth or are there thousands of these out there?
ReplyDeleteCindy is my mother ! Jane C. Is my grandmother. I love everything about this!!
ReplyDeleteThis is my grandmother! My mom's mom. My mother is "Cindy" Cynthia Christopher Provasek. My grandmother Jane Christopher had her own cooking show on TV in Houston Texas in the 50s my mom would go and squeeze fresh orange juice on the show. I miss her so much. When I go back to Texas I'll have to share some awards and photos of my grandmother here. Thank you for bringer her to life again. She truly was a spectacular woman. Her and my grandpa Dan
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