The Spirit of Seventy-Six!

In honor of the 250th birthday of the Declaration of Independence, all recipes through July 4, 2026 will be from Centennial and Bicentennial cookbooks and the 1796 first American cookbook. Enjoy this look at the (gastronomic) spirit of ’76 as we head into the sestercentennial!

I’ve also published a Sestercentennial Cookery with recipes and photos.

Sweet Michigan Coleslaw: Mary Houtz’s Cole Slaw, from the 1976 Benton Harbor—St. Joseph Bicentennial Cookbook.; seventies; 1970s; recipe; America’s Bicentennial; coleslaw; Benton Harbor, Michigan

I was never a huge fan of coleslaw until I had sweet coleslaw. That is, without mayonnaise. Afterward, I found I could enjoy any coleslaw, although I still by far prefer this variety. This happens a lot to me; there is a flavor I don’t enjoy, until I happen upon a variation that is wonderful. Then previous dishes I hadn’t liked suddenly become enjoyable, too. It’s as if I need something Good to hang a flavor on before I can enjoy it regularly.

Drop in again soon for another vintage recipe! I’ll have a different recipe every Sunday afternoon throughout the year. Keep an eye on this page or subscribe to the RSS feed for further details. You can also browse past featured Club recipes as well as some of the vintage promotional cookbooks I’ve used as sources. And I collect many of these recipes in A Traveling Man’s Cookery Book.

Recipe blogging:

Originals:

Inspirations:

Archives:

Perhaps no ingredient is as important as curiosity. — Samin Nosrat (Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat•)