I've had an idea in my head for some time -- which, is to try and create a nice, high quality cookbook, consisting of old family recipes originating from the greater MC community. You know, the stuff that your grandmother, or great-grandmother, or even your mother cooked.

In my family, I have the good fortune of possessing the old recipe boxes of my mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. I just opened one up, and discovered the recipe for "Swiss Steak". Now, Swiss Steak, is not that special, or anything I liked that much as a child, but as an adult it brings back memories. I haven't had it in years, nor seen it on a menu any time recently. It appears to me though, that if you wish to have Swiss Steak, then you need to make it yourself.

But that's what I'm talking about.

"Swiss Steak", while perhaps not the greatest of examples for the cookbook I am proposing, is the card I pulled out of the recipe box. However, I think it would be something cool to share anyway. It came from a moment in time, where that card may have been the recipe for the meal that night.

The whole purpose of my proposal, would be to bind and print some of Miles City's past history, in the culinary sense, into something we could all use and appreciate today - even if only occasionally.

So, are you with me? Why not create a great cookbook featuring past MC fare?

If I were to take on the effort of creating the cookbook itself (in my mind a nicely done hardbound edition) would you contribute a recipe or two from Grandma towards the effort?

Let me know.

Regards, Larry Antram
MilesCity.com Webmaster

I think the "Cow Belles" or Montana Cattlewomen as I guess they go by now, have done this in the past. At least I've seen a cookbook in either my Mother or Grandmother's house with recipes with local people's names on them. I don't know if this is something they still do or not but at least at some point I think it has been done.

I may have eaten out of that particular recipe box a time or two myself. If you find the recipe for suet pudding, please burn it...

I think you have a great idea. My Mother's recipe box is full of such recipes. I also think a person can't have "too many" recipe books!

Levi - I'm sure it has been done many times before. I don't have one of those cookbooks however... really just wondering if there's support for creating another... one perhaps better from the MC.com crowd.

Bridgier - You probably did. Rememeber, coconut was once an extravagant ingredient.

Mmmm, Lutefisk.

Seriously though, it sounds like a good idea. I will concur that it has been done by several women's groups, churches, and ethnic groups in the past. How about starting a forum (here at milescity.com) for recipes?

I didn't mean to discourage the idea, but just suggest that this may be something that is still done from time to time and you could possibly get your recipes put into one of those if you didn't want to try to start the whole thing from scratch.

The recipe forum is an interesting idea as well. Another online community that I visit has something like this and I have gotten a few good ideas from it.

[This message has been edited by Levi Forman (edited 11/1/2006).]

How about posting that swiss steak recipe, Larry? I have a moose shoulder steak defrosting at home right now that I am trying to figure out how to cook.

I have recipes I would love to share from my family for the cookbook of you decide to do this. I actually still have some of the old Miles City cookbooks that are fun to look at and have pictures from the 70's. I think it's a great idea!

Count me in Larry. I'll contribute (and help if needed) online, print, or both.

For you Gunnar, here's the recipe straight from my great-grandma's handwriting... she passed away in the early 1970's... so don't expect the latest 5 star Chicken and Snow Peas in Oyster Sauce Thai dish...

===========
Swiss Steak
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Ingredients:

1/2 cup Flour, more if necissary
Salt + Pepper to taste
3 or 4 pounds of Round Steak
1 Large Onion
1 Cup Tomato Juice
2 Tbs. Fat

Instructions:

Season flour with salt + pepper and pound into meat. Be sure all fat and bones are removed before pounding. Brown meat in skillet, remove the meat when browned. To a roaster add onions, tomato juice. If too thick add a little water. Cook in a moderate oven no less than an hour, or longer is better. More tomato juice may be added as it cooks away this also makes the gravey. Helps when warming again.

Thanks, Larry...that is a pretty simple Swiss steak recipe...but I wished I would have followed it tonight. I winged it, pretty much the same recipe but with more stuff in it...one of the things I added was a teaspoon of smoked hot Hungarian paprika...a contributing factor to my wife pronouncing my Swiss steak too hot. So I am in the doghouse now.

Larry, that's a fabulous idea and I don't care how many other cookbooks are out there since I don't have them either. I have just one really W O N D E R F U L family Christmas-tradition type recipe I would like to contribute. I've named the sauce "Kavorkian Sauce" because of the deadly ingredients so you gotta know it's good!

My mum too made a great Swiss Steak (one of those recipes popular in the 50's/60's) that's really simple but it had a secret ingredient that yours didn't include...Fuller Brush all purpose seasoning.

Looking forward to the new forum.

Patti