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This Is It! Published by the Class of 1981 US Army War College

Posted on July 6, 2023July 5, 2023 by Rachel Rappaport

This Is It! Published by the Class of 1981 US Army War College Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania 1981

From Wikipedia–Carlisle Barracks is a United States Army facility located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The site of the U.S. Army War College, it is the nation’s second-oldest active military base. The first structures were built in 1757, during the French and Indian War between Great Britain and France in the colonies.

My copy had a cute inscription to Selby from Jenny on the front cover.

Some of the recipes have small illustrations as do the section dividers. All of the contributors are named along with their connection to the class at War College. The opener by Sue Reed, the editor, talks about how they tried to give some economizing recipes but the focus of the book was recipes to be used while entertaining–bunch, hors d’oeuvres, main dishes, side dishes, and desserts.

Unlike a lot of community cookbooks which either have no helpful hints or only some generic ones included by the publisher, this book has hints and tips for cooks from the contributors and a lot of them are actually very helpful! Most of the contributors were the wives of the men attending the War College but there were a few from staff (Peanut Butter Cinnamon Rolls, Major Art Fournier) and members of the class (Rabbit a la Bugs Bunny, LTC Jim Andrews, Class of ’81).

Each chapter has a short history of a different building on the base.

Some recipes include info about their sources which I always enjoy and find interesting. I’d think the War College would attract a well-traveled bunch–in fact, one chapter is Entrees At Home and Abroad.

The recipes are pretty varied from “Aunt Bea’s Shoyu Chicken” contributed by Mary K. Miyamasu (Mrs. Paul K.) Class of ’81 to Mary Jo Myers (Mrs. Richard B.), Class of ’81’s Bean Chalupa and Harriet Stroup (Mrs. Theodore G.), Class of ’81’s Celeriac Remoulade and Vee Murry (Mrs. Robert E.), Class of ’81’s Pineapple Nut Bars.

There is a more than average amount of game recipes from dove to partridge to pheasant to rabbit. There are a lot of drink recipes as well. Making the base for Hot Butter Rum ahead of time is very clever of LTC Iain Reilly, Class of ’81.

I wasn’t sure what to expect but this really is one of the better cookbooks in my collection, the writing is clear, the recipes are varied, and call for a lot of fresh ingredients and ingenuity.

Tags: 1980s bookArmy CookbookCarlisle Barracks PACarlisle Pennsylvaniacollege cookbookcommunity cookbookcredits sourcesCumberland County Pennsylvaniahelpful hintsillustratedinteresting indexlocal historiesmysterious recipe namesnamed contributorsPennsylvaniaPennsylvania Cookbookspiral boundThis Is It!US Army War CollegeUS Military Cookbook
Category: bookPennsylvania Cookbook

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I'm a cookbook author and recipe developer collecting community cookbooks from around the US and recreating the recipes so you can make them at home, today.

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