An Apple A Day – It’s not what you think.

One of my all-time favorite book-turned-movie is Julie & Julia by Julie Powell. The premise is simple: Julie is pushing thirty, living in a rundown apartment in Queens, working a dead-end secretarial job, and feeling completely stuck.

Now, I’m well past thirty and closing in on sixty. I used to be a secretary in what feels like another lifetime, and these days I work part-time. I don’t live in a rundown apartment in Queens—I live in a house in the country. But every now and then, I know exactly what Julie meant about feeling stuck.

To unstick herself, Julie cooked every recipe in Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Then my sweet daughter decided to cook her way through the New York Times‘ 50 Most Popular Recipes of All Time (So Far) list. I was ridiculously impressed by her dedication (and maybe just a little jealous).

Naturally, I started wondering if I needed my own ridiculous cooking challenge. I live with a lifelong vegetarian, so tackling Julia Child wasn’t exactly practical. But then I remembered another cookbook sitting quietly on my shelf.

Enter An Apple A Day Cookbook. It’s kind of a genius name: “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” and this cookbook was published in 1967 (the year I was born); the cover proudly proclaims it to be “Vegetarian Cookery by Doctors’ Wives”, by the Loma Linda University School of Medicine. Yes, that Loma Linda—the place famous for healthy living, vegetarian diets, and people who seem determined to live to be 100. Which makes some of the recipes in this cookbook all the more fascinating. Let’s just say the definition of “healthy” has evolved a bit over the last sixty years. There is an impressive amount of mayonnaise, gelatin, margarine, and processed cheese making regular appearances throughout these pages. Apparently, in 1967, if it contained vegetables, it qualified as health food.

Every recipe is credited to a doctor’s wife, and in true 1967 fashion, the wives apparently didn’t have first names of their own. For example, Italian Style Cheese-Noodle Casserole comes courtesy of Mrs. Robert Van Dorn. As someone who is 100% Italian, I can confidently say that not once in my childhood did a casserole appear on our dinner table. Also, “Van Dorn” doesn’t exactly scream Tuscany. But I digress. The cookbook is divided into sections for beverages, appetizers, salads, vegetables, breads, entrées, desserts, and more. My plan is to make one recipe from each section every week.

Now, before you think this sounds charming and wholesome, let me remind you that this cookbook was published in 1967. Which means Week One includes a recipe called Spring Salad Ring, featuring the unforgettable combination of lemon Jell-O, cucumbers, cream cheese, and mayonnaise.

Pray for me.

There are a few things I already know will be a challenge, but I’m going to give it the old college try.

First, actually sticking with this every week.

Second, following the recipes exactly as written. Anyone who knows me knows that recipes are more…suggestions than instructions. “A little more garlic” has never hurt anyone.

Third, making it all the way through the book.

I haven’t written on this blog since my sister died, and this project couldn’t be more different from the things I’ve been writing about. Maybe that’s exactly why it feels right. Sometimes the only way to move forward is to do something completely unexpected. As the saying goes, “Things don’t change unless things change.”

So let’s see where this little adventure takes me, and I hope by proxy, you.

I hope you’ll stick around and follow along as I work my way through An Apple A Day with the series called “Apple Day (I’m still workshopping the project name, so if inspiration strikes, I’m taking suggestions)

We’ll kick things off next week with this ambitious—and slightly alarming—menu:

Beverage
Tomato Mist — courtesy of Mrs. Warren W. Bacon

Salad
Spring Salad Ring — courtesy of Mrs. Paul Shearer

Entrée
Cheese Grits — courtesy of Mrs. Forrest Leffingwell

Vegetable
Stuffed Artichokes — courtesy of Mrs. Donovan Hare

Bread
Blueberry Muffins — courtesy of Mrs. Alfred N. Boyd

Dessert
Caramel Custard — courtesy of Mrs. Wellesley Magan

There’s also an entire section called Foreign, which feels delightfully mysterious. I may tack those recipes onto the end of the entrée list. I’m sure I’ll finish some sections long before others, and I’m almost certainly going to have to buy a Jell-O mold sooner rather than later, which is not something I ever imagined saying out loud.

This should be interesting.

Or horrifying.

Possibly both.

Either way, I hope you’ll come along for the ride.