Virginia Housewife Or Methodical Cook STEREOTYPE EDITION,WITH AMENDMENTS AND ADDITIONS By Mrs. Mary Randolph, 1836 180 Pages, indexed searchable - Bonus Book –- Colonial Recipes From Old Virginia and Maryland Manors By Maude Baumberger 1907 Requires Adobe Reader 5 or higher to view, Autoboot menu for easy access $9.99 + $1.99 shipping and handling http://cgi.ebay.com/Virginia-Housewife-or-Methodical-Cook-Bonus_W0QQitemZ130371300092QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item1e5abc2afc According to the National Park Service (Arlington House): “Cousin of George Washington Park Custis, Mary Randolph was Mary Randolph Custis' (Mrs. Robert E. Lee) godmother. A noted hostess, she wrote The Virginia Housewife, Or, Methodical Cook, a book of recipes and housekeeping suggestions that was published in 1824. It was the first truly American cookbook. Prior to its publication in Washington, DC, few cookbooks had been printed in America. Most were English reprints. The Virginia Housewife was extremely successful and was reprinted several times. It was widely used by upper-class women of the period who supervised large manor houses with supporting buildings and numerous servants. Responsible for the household, family and visitors, they needed to know how to acquire foods, as well as preservation and preparation, and elegant entertaining. “The Virginia Housewife provides a vivid picture of Virginia and Southern foodways. It is likely that the ingredients, flavors, recipes, household organization, and the preparation and presentation of meals at Arlington House were much like those described in this remarkable document. Randolph's influential housekeeping book went through many editions until the 1860s. Randolph tried to improve women's lives by limiting the time they had to spend in their kitchens. The Virginia House-Wife included many inexpensive ingredients that anyone could purchase to make impressive meals. Besides popularizing the use of more than 40 vegetables, Randolph's book also introduced to the southern public dishes from abroad, such as gazpacho."