In celebration of one hundred years of service, the Fort Worth Public Library went above and beyond sharing, sorting, and storing books and actually made one of its own. Though Cooking With the Original Search Engine was published in 2001, many of its recipes were passed down for generations before they reached library employees, and ultimately, were compiled in this book.
Texas cooks can take comfort in the fact that the Beef and Bean Goulash will warm the soul on a cold Panhandle night and that the recipe for Texas Brownies is truly a Lone Star State original—made solely from jalapeños, cheddar cheese, and eggs.
With a plain yet informative format, Cooking With the Original Search Engine sometimes mirrors another library reference source—a dictionary. Each chapter begins with a definition of its title, such as “Dessert” defined as “A confection, such as soufflé, served as the final course of a meal.” While you won’t find a recipe for a soufflé, this chapter does contain a listing for a dessert with Tex-Mex flair—Peach Tortillas.
There are no food photographs, but the beginning of each section features a picture of an early twentieth-century library. Additional library history is sprinkled throughout the book’s vertical columns.
Cooking With the Original Search Engine offers Texas chefs a plethora of homegrown recipes such as those for Hot Orange Juice Nog, Southwestern Barbecue Pasta Salad, Creamy Date Dressing, Spaghettilicious, Chocolate Banana Bread, and Potato Fudge. Contributors to the book may have shelves full of cookbooks at their fingertips, but many say their best recipes come from family—and now readers have access to those too.
