Our Cookbooks - Junior League of Tyler, Inc.

Ring Around the Rosie: A Collection of Children's Recipes

Cooking Through Rose-Colored Glasses

And Roses for the Table

The Junior League of Tyler proudly presents its newest "rose" to its membership, the citizens of Tyler, and all who enjoy cooking, eating or collecting cookbooks. Ring Around the Rosie is a collection of recipes that are children's favorites to partake in as well as cook. With over 150 recipes, half of them are "kid cook." The recipes are for anytime of the day as well as special holiday recipes and food craft recipes. The book also includes an ABCs of table manners throughout its delightful recipe pages. All proceeds from the sale of Ring Around the Rosie, as well as the proceeds from our other two cookbooks, will continue to benefit the community projects of the Junior League of Tyler, Inc. Ring Around the Rosie is sure to be a treasured favorite for any age chef!

A Tale of Two Cookbooks
by Sherry Dunn

"M & M," "A & E," "O.D.I.," "Y.F.I.," "Mistletoe," "P.E.," "P.E.E.," "L.O," "THE League," "And Roses," "Rosie." This is part of the secret language of the Junior League of Tyler. And as with all secret languages, you probably feel pretty insufficient when in the company of seasoned veterans who spout off these acronyms and nicknames concerning an organization about which you may know little, and might actually prefer it that way. Whether a new member to the Junior League, a mostly-community-based volunteer within the Junior League, or a citizen of a town with a huge Junior League presence, you need not feel alone in your seemingly inadequate grasp of what in the world these women using this language might be talking about! Be sure that there is likely no person alive in Tyler who can actually tell you everything about this crazy language of capital letters and one-word abbreviations.

But ask anyone who the heck "Rosie" is, and what this "And Roses" business is about, and most could tell you that cooking is involved. Translated from its raw Junior League-ese, "Rosie" is actually the 1975 published Cooking Through Rose-Colored Glasses, while "and Roses" is the 1997 published And Roses for the Table. Both are fine collections of recipes submitted by members of the Junior League of Tyler, and both represent what food is all about in the South.

Why two cookbooks in one Junior League? Simply put, each book has its own unique personality, and each actually has its own purpose. Remember 1975? That's back when women more traditionally "stayed home" and cooked, and there was no such thing as "a microwave in every home." The recipes reflect a time when the kitchen was not quite as efficient as it is now, and even worse, there weren't that many places to go out to eat if mom really didn't want to cook! So cook she did, whether she liked it or not. "Rosie" reflects that era in all its goodness and simplicity (or so it seems today as we cart kids to at least one extra curricular event per day per child, work mostly full-time either as income earners or volunteers or both, and try to juggle all other family concerns.) The recipes are tried and true, for every-day eating or for company (oh yes, back then people also had friends over to eat more instead of meeting at the chain restaurants on South Broadway) and are just downright good home cooking. "Rosie" is the kind of cookbook that gets tired from use, dog-earred, spilled-upon, and abused. And even in the new millennium, like a good friend, "Rosie" is always there to help for any occasion. Having completed an eighth printing of "Cooking Through Rose-Colored Glasses" in 1999, the Junior League has published almost 50,000 copies of a timeless treasure that is a valuable tool in any home.

Fast forward to 1997. Times they have a-changed. There is an abundance of eating establishments in Tyler, both "fast" and "sit-down." The women of the world (or at least America) do not "stay home" as they used to. They are active in the workplace and active in the community. If mothers, they seem to have greater demands on their time as children are more involved in out-of-the-neighborhood after-school and summer activities that have to be scheduled and coordinated. Of course, bicycles are not meant for children to actually ride places anymore, so moms all over Tyler get to take them to all of these activities. And while we may have microwaves, food processors, convection ovens and the like, let's face it, we really don't have the time (or the inclination, I fear) to do the cooking thing the way 1975 woman did. It's too easy to go out, take out, or order out...and the cost is generally worth justifying in all three events. Still, we need cookbooks, just as neanderthal mom or Shirley Partridge did. (Sorry, we can't include two of our favorite moms, Carol Brady who had Alice cook for her or Samantha Stephens who just wriggled her nose for dinner, because they were cheating!) But we need our cookbooks for something else. Enter "And Roses for the Table." This is not only a cookbook, it is a masterpiece. It is a true "coffee table" book, as well as an incredible cookbook. You just won't go to this cookbook as much at three o'clock in the afternoon when you start wondering what in the world you should fix for dinner (tacos would be a better answer in that case.) "And Roses" is a book for entertaining, a book for gracious, thoughtful eating, a book for those special meals that take time to plan for and prepare. The recipes, while not gourmet in that most awful takes-four-days-to-prepare-IF-you-can-even-find-the-ingredients-in-Tyler sense of the word, are more about special occasion and presentation. They are unique and they are delicious. And the most amazing thing about "And Roses" is that you really don't even have to cook to enjoy this book. The photography is stunning and the "roseology" is most interesting. Already in its second printing, over 17,000 copies have been produced, and book sellers throughout the country continue to order more.

So, why two cookbooks in one Junior League? Easy—like two children in one family, each is unique and special in its own right. And which one should you get? Well, could you pick between your children (except on any particular given day when one's really really bad and the other's good)? Nope. So the obvious answer is—BUY BOTH! They will both become endearing occupants of your kitchen, and without a doubt, you will be happy you did. Both books are for sale at the Junior League of Tyler office, 1919 South Donnybrook. "And Roses for the Table" costs $23.00, while "Cooking Through Rose-Colored Glasses" costs $18.50. And as always, the proceeds from the sale of these books benefit the projects of the Junior League of Tyler, Inc. Bon Appetit!