.
◼ by Jessie Faulkner Tri-City WeeklyBarbecued meat loaves, slow-grilled tequila ribs, Thomas Jefferson's sweet potato biscuits and giant ginger cookies are just a few of the tempting treats in the recently published Humboldt Republican Women Federated's “Tantalizing Cuisine.”
The multi-chaptered cookbook is filled with “tried and true recipes,” cookbook committee member Lynda Pozel said. Among those are the Leon's Car Care Center's famous butter crunch cookies, the handiwork of Elaine Warmuth.
The 350 recipes included in the binder-style volume nearly all came from members or their families.
”We asked them for recipes they actually used,” Pozel said, “so it would be tested tried and true.”
At least one statewide candidate joined the mix with the addition of Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman's Craig's Chocolate Sauce, a topping touted as perfect for vanilla ice cream or drizzled over angel food cake.
The culinary guide splits the nine chapters -- with professional photographs of movers and shakers among North Coast Republican women.
Sally Arnot, perhaps best known for her unwavering support of the Humboldt Arts Council and the renovation of the now 10-year-old Morris Graves Museum of Art, raises a martini to the effort.
Arnot and most of those chosen to pose for chapter dividers don hats and display a sample of food from the following chapter. Arnot introduces “Appetizers & Beverages,” with what appears to be a sample of one of her contributions to the culinary category: “Sally's Martini.”
Those photographed for the chapter divisions were selected from a list of prominent women who've been active, Pozel said. The tally includes 2004 Republican of the Year Pat Barnum, 2009 Republican of the Year Joy Finley, former 2nd District Supervisor Johanna Rodoni and former Eureka City Councilwoman Cherie Arkley.
Hopkins Fine Portraiture took the chapter page photos as well as the back cover's image of the cookbook committee in Eureka's Sequoia Park. A historical photograph from Humboldt State University Library's Swanlund-Baker collection on the front cover shows turn-of-the-century residents on an outing in the same park.
Proceeds from sales of “Tantalizing Cuisine” will benefit several of the organization's ongoing efforts including purchasing books for public schools, supporting military families and a new scholarship program. Other public outreach includes collecting coupons for overseas military families, donation campaigns for local food banks, receptions for Republican candidates and monthly luncheons with guest speakers.
Each cookbook sells for $15 and is available from members. The organization also printed 24 collector copies, each signed by the women photographed for the divider sections, which are selling for $100.
For more information or to purchase a copy, call Lynda Pozel at 443-1283 or Kathy Rodriguez at 839-8105.
