CHICAGO — Waking up on the morning of Thanksgiving in 1923, Chicago newspaper readers could learn about a LaSalle Street merchant who was kidnapped but escaped after 26 days. Or how the number of people killed in automobile accidents in the city was now 638. Cod liver oil was on sale for 73 cents at Walgreens.
And, as was the full-service nature of newspapers at the time, one could get recipes for Thanksgiving dinner.
The Chicago Evening American had daily kitchen tips and that year published what it dubbed "A Book of Practical Recipes for the Housewife." The paper said the recipes came from some 13,000 "housewives ready and willing to contribute."
(It also offered a few household hints, including using gasoline to take paint off silks, pouring boiling water down the kitchen sink every day and using baked cotton to plug milk bottles during pasteurizing.)
For Thanksgiving, the book had this suggested lineup:
Cream of Tomato Soup
Roast Turkey
Southern Giblet Gravy
Potato Croquettes
Brussels Sprouts
Cauliflower with Hollandaise Sauce
Cranberry Jelly
Romaine Salad with French Dressing
Pumpkin Pie
Whipped Cream
Nuts
Raisins
For the day after, the book included two ways to re-purpose leftover turkey:
Turkey Hash with Rice
Turkey a la Creole
Want more?
You can look inside the entire book by clicking here.
Early heads-up: It's got an "Old-Fashioned Plum Pudding" recipe on page 94 but warns that "if made for Christmas, [it] should be made a few weeks ahead."
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