I believe the subject of mud and what a very large part of my life it becomes during the months some people call "spring" has been well covered here. So, I was more than pleased when a reader, Jaime, suggested that I check out Mud Pies and Other Recipes by Marjorie Winslow. Do you know this book? Originally published in 1961, Mud Pies and Other Recipes is a cookbook for dolls and it is, in short, spectacular. The book is designed to be used by children doing backyard "cooking" for their dolls and stuffed animals (and perhaps imaginary friends), and the presumption here is that getting dirty is a good part of the fun. It is a perfect book for spring and summer, mud and lawns, weeds and wildflowers, rain puddles and leaky sprinklers. It is the sort of thing that makes the backyard feel like endless imagination again after months of winter cold.
Organized by individual courses, Mud Pies and Other Recipes includes recipes like Backyard Stew, Roast Rocks and Left-Handed Mud Loaf. Instant classics, I'm sure. The author also thoughtfully includes a set of sample menus and provides an introduction which is replete with such important tips as "Ovens are everywhere. You'll find them under bushes, in sandboxes and behind trees." I also like the helpful notation that utensils are really best created out of things that would otherwise be thrown in the trash. There is something so clever, unique and whimsical about the spirit of this book. It is both simple and genius, and it is completely enchanting.
I gave Mariam a copy of this book for her recent seventh birthday. I am happy to report that the cover already has mud on it.
