Dorothy M. Barr Cookbook

In 2020, I began to sift thru boxes and albums of my forbearers to review over 100 years of my heritage and came across an exquisitely handwritten cookbook by my paternal grandmother Dorothy “Pat” Maynard Barr.  She’d gifted my mother a 9”x 6” bright orange 1970’s Alice in Wonderland mushroom embossed cookbook with handwritten recipes. I wondered which Holiday this was given. This information is lost but I venture to guess a Christmas. The only written inscription is “With Love, For Marcia who wanted a loose-leaf recipe file!  I use T for tablespoon and t for teaspoon. Pat”

Grandma Barr had an International flair about her, and she loved to travel everywhere. This comes thru in her Norwegian inspired Meatballs, Bali inspired Chicken, Burma Road Beef Casserole, Hungarian Scalloped Potatoes & Ham, Chili Renos and French Dressing recipes, just reading these recipes makes me lick my lips with pure deliciousness and love. My grandmother was an amazing hostess and many of her recipes are those that can be easily doubled and served over a buffet for large gatherings.  This book has fifty-two of her recipes, forty of which were handwritten in the orange mushroom book she gifted my mother. The other twelve recipes had been shared with my maternal grandmother on other occasions.