This cookbook is a compilation of five generations of Kees family recipes. The first generation is my grandmother. Mollie Peterson married Edwin Andrew Kees on August 2, 1915. I have recollections of only two dishes she cooked, applesauce and mashed rutabagas. However, I do have a couple of her cookbooks, in which she made some notations. I’ve included all recipes noted or added to. And one or two that just looked like fun.
Mollie and Ed and two sons, Harvey Mathias and Lowell Edwin. Harvey married Anna Louise Demberger on April 12, 1947. After Harvey retired, they moved back to Anne’s hometown in southern Indiana. For many years, they lived on her father’s farm and maintained a sizeable garden. Much of Anne’s cooking included in-season fresh fruits and vegetables. Since we lived about eight hours from Anne and Harvey, I didn’t have a lot of opportunities to become first-handedly familiar with her favorite dishes. However, we did exchange recipes over the years, and after she passed away, Harvey gave me her favorite cookbooks. I’ve included here some of the recipes she had marked. The most copious notes concerned fine-tuning her apple butter recipe.
Lowell Married Margaret Elizabeth Kanz on August 15, 1948. They had three children, Robert Lowell, Victoria Ann (that’s me!), and Karen Kaye. I went through all my mother’s cookbooks that I could find. I have included many of the ones she marked. It was interesting discovering how both Anne and my mother cooked. They shared a favorite cookbook, The Joy of Cooking, although their editions were ten years apart. They both must have really liked green bean casseroles and chicken. You can watch the evolution of recipes from making homemade sauces to opening a can of cream of something soup.
The next generation is Bob, Karen, and me. I married David Lee Gosse on April 13, 1973. We had two children, Thomas David and Virginia Lee. Karen married Gary Edward Pierce on June 21, 1974. They had three children, Melissa Ann, Gregory Edward, and Brian Joseph. Bob contributed a couple of recipes. Karen and I had the fun of reviewing our own files. It was fun to see how our own cooking habits have changed over the years. You may recognize a recipe or two that we both got from our mother and adapted in our own ways.
The fourth generation is yours. Melissa Pierce married Leon Arthur Farrar on September 15, 2006. Their daughter is Alice Ruth. Ginny Gosse married Garrett Evan Ranieri Hughes on June 9, 2007. Their sons are Cole Emerson and Evan Mathias. Greg Pierce married Kelsey MacClarence Harden on May 19, 2012. Their daughter is Margaret Abigail. Brian married Jason Isaac Resendez October 3, 2015.
The fifth generation is Alice Farrar, Cole and Evan Hughes, and Maggie Pierce. They have all contributed recipes, too.
This is the on-line version of the hard copies you all have. Feel free to send me any recipes you’d like added to it.