Cookbook a labor of love for ladies
Published 10:44 am Sunday, March 18, 2012
For the ladies of the Sacred Heart Altar Society, assembling a cookbook has been a labor of love.
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“We started meeting about it a year ago,” said committee chairperson, Peggy Montalbano. They are still in a flurry of last-minute organization.
Throughout the course of the past year, the ladies met weekly, devoting hour upon hour to the endeavor, soliciting recipes from everyone in the church. “It was like pulling teeth at first, trying to get them to submit their recipes,” said Montalbano with a laugh. “But after a while they came flooding in.” And flood in they did. The finished product, according to the publisher, weighs in at a whopping four-and-a-half pounds.
“The people at Jumbo Jack’s Cookbooks told us that this is the second largest cookbook they’ve ever published,” said Montalbano. “It’s as big as two, full-sized cookbooks.”
“This is a huge book,” she said. “There are over 1,300 recipes in 12 categories, with over one hundred pages of helpful hints and charts for things like cutting up a chicken — something less experienced cooks might not know how to do.”
One of the reasons for the robust size of the book is that many of the parishioners are second- and third-generation cooks of Sacred Heart’s founding congregation back in 1877.
“People have sent in recipes that belonged to their mothers and grandmothers,” explained committee member, Barbara Ragsdale. “Several of the recipes are from our Oktoberfest, some are from spaghetti dinners, and others are from the Bereavement Group.”
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The cookbook is called, “Sacred Heart Church Family Cookbook, Centennial Celebration, 1913-2013”, in honor of the placing of the church’s cornerstone in 1913, and the subsequent building of the majestic landmark familiar to so many here in Cullman.
“We are calling this the ‘Year of the Centennial Celebration’ and will be having some event each month of the year,” explained Montalbano. “Each organization in the church will be responsible for one of the events.”
There will also be lots of commemorative items on sale during the year.
“This has really been a group effort,” said Ragsdale. “Many of the congregation gave recipes in memory or in honor of their parents and grandparents, so some of them are really historic.”
The ladies made sure that there were some new recipes, too, and thoughtfully added instructions for both experienced cooks and novices who are just beginning to learn their way around a kitchen.
The cover art for the cookbook was done by local artist, John Sachs. His rendering of the present day church is a beautiful tribute to the 100-year-old center of worship.
Master Gardener Vanda Antaillia wrote a very detailed and informative section on the use of herbs. “She compiled all the various herbs and what they are best suited for, including a sub-section on Italian herbs,” said Ragsdale.
There are over 30 different vegetable recipes. “We had such a large selection of cakes, cookies and desserts that we had to balance it out with a section on fish and seafood,” she laughed. “We drooled when we were compiling those desserts,” she added.
Asked if they are now confident enough to go into the cookbook writing business, the ladies burst into laughter. “No!” someone cried out. “This one is good enough to last for a hundred years!”
“No, this work is for love of the church and the love of God and the Blessed Mother,” commented another.
“This is the first and the last,” commented someone else.
Montalbano contacted the Cattlemen’s Beef Association for fold-out color charts depicting the various cuts of beef and pork.
“The National Chicken Council also sent us 10-12 pages of literature about chickens, including safety guidelines for handling raw chickens,” she said.
They didn’t have time to test all 1,300 recipes, but they did try out a few on Father Patrick Egan, OSB.
“In the estimable words of Burt Reynolds, ‘They’ve been working semi-hard’,” he joked.
“Really, these ladies have done wonderful yeomen work for the parrish,” he complimented them. “A dear friend, Ann Phillips, with whom I served in the Navy, sent in some recipes. She is a world-class cook,” said Father Egan. “I’ve also sampled some of Peggy Montalbano’s cooking, which is fabulous.”
The price of the cookbook is $25. The ladies are taking pre-orders now. Only 1,000 copies have been ordered. It can be purchased at the church office and at Sacred Heart School. The ladies are expecting it to be delivered in about four to six weeks, just in time for Mother’s Day. For more information, visit their site on Facebook: www.facebook.com/sacredheartcookbook.