October Thrifty Week #5 ~ #2 Navy Wives Cookbooks

Navy Wives - Ready for Seasonings, published in 1987. This copy is the 8th edition, with the first being printed in 1974.  The book is the first of THREE Navy wives cookbooks I picked up for 50 cents each at the same thrift store!  All the books are fairly large and filled with lots of yummy dishes. The recipes were collected from bases around the world and reflect the cuisine of  the various countries where the contributors where stationed.

The books all follow the same format with pretty much the same chapter sequences: appetizers, beverages, breads, entrées, soups & salads, vegetables and desserts. All have a "Men's Only" section with recipes culled from the husbands of the contributors.

In this particular book, a very fancy and intricate Duck L'Orange can be found in the Men's section as well as Clams Casino.

Among Pork Chops & Other Things, published in 1992.  This copy is the 9th edition with the first publication date in 1977. The contributors were the Navy Supply Wives and money raised from the sales of the books benefited the Navy Supply Wives Scholarship Fund. This book is the largest of the three coming in at 327 pages. 

There was a Navy Supply school in Athens until it closed in 2011, and I spent a summer in Rota, Spain working for Navy - also on the supply side. So imagine my surprise while skimming the recipes I found a contributor from Athens and her recipe for "Fudgie Scotch Ring" was the same recipe my mom used to make for us during the holidays and one that she contributed to the base cookbook while stationed in Rota!

In the Men's section (again!) there is a complicated recipe for an Old Fashioned Fruitcake solicited from the contributor's mom.

Potpourri of Oakleaf Cooking,  published in 1986. In the last book, in addition to the usual chapters, there is an International section as well as a microwave and food processor chapters. 

The former owner noted two of her favorite recipes on the inside over - stuffed flank steak and white Zinfandel cake. There is also a local recipe for Georgia Bulldog Punch sent in the then commander of the Athens Supply Corp School.