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Cooking with Congress: Celebrating April Food Holidays

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We previously published a blog post inspired by the recipes in The Congressional Club Cook Book, recognizing the life of former Senator Margaret Chase Smith (and her food). We are back with more recipes, but this time we are giving a nod to food holidays.

Typically, in the United States, we associate April 15 with Tax Day. But did you know that date is also national glazed spiral ham day? This post, however, focuses on recipes that can be made to celebrate international carrot day, which fell on April 4.

Male food handler cleaning truck bed full of carrots with hose
First washing of carrots at vegetable packing plant. Elsa, Texas. Photograph. 1939. Russell Lee, photographer. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/fsa.8b37197

The first contributor to the cookbook is the wife of Senator Warren Magnuson, who represented Washington in the Senate from 1945-1981. Prior to his time in the Senate, he served in the House of Representatives from 1937-1943, representing Washington’s 1st congressional district, which includes Seattle and other cities in western Washington. Magnuson served on many committees during his time in Congress, including the Committees on Appropriations and Commerce, Science and Transportation. Several pieces of legislation bear his name, such as the Magnuson-Stevenson Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. His personal papers are held at the University of Washington Libraries.

Two recipes involving carrots with ingredients and instructions, taken from cookbook
The Congressional Club Cook Book. The Congressional Club. Published in 1970, pages 70 and 94. Photo by Anna Price.

The second recipe was submitted by the spouse of Representative John T. Myers, who served Indiana’s 7th congressional district from 1967-1997. While in Congress, Myers was active on the House Ethics and Appropriations Committees, and chaired the Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development. Several pieces of legislation that he sponsored or cosponsored became law, including the Mammography Quality Standards Act. Prior to his election to Congress, Myers served in the U.S. Army during World War II and later worked in banking. Some of his namesakes include the John T. Myers Locks and Dam and a technology center at Indiana State University. Myers’ wife contributed a few other recipes to the book as well, including one for chicken loaf and another dilly bread.

If you know of other food holidays worth celebrating, please share them in the comments!

Comments

  1. The Congressional Cookbook is one of my favorite cookbooks! From the artichoke nibbles to the French butter coffee cake, the recipes are quick, delicious, use ordinary ingredients,and it is fun to see which Congress-person submitted your favorite. Thanks for bringing this book to light!

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