To mark the 30th anniversary of “Colorado Cache,” we asked readers to send us stories of their much-loved, well-used copies. The “survivor” award (a box of cookbooks) goes to Shirl Mabary, a middle-school counselor whose family — and cookbook — survived a house fire in 1995. “I had three little boys, and I was single,” she says. “You can’t imagine not even having a toothpick to your name. The fire burned through the ceiling just inches above the cookbooks but somehow, some way, it didn’t burn.”
Winning entry
Shirl Mabary, Centennial
Favorite recipe: Oatmeal Cookies
I received my copy of “Colorado Cache” in May of 1981, right before I moved from Iowa to Colorado. At the time, I was extension home economist of Grundy County for Iowa State University. I treasured the gift as it was my first Colorado cookbook. I was anxious to introduce my sons to some new dishes and widen their culinary experiences. When my house burned. I lost many treasured possessions, but my “Colorado Cache” came through without being destroyed. It was yellowed and suffered some water damage, but it survived.
The Artichoke Dip was a favorite of our Briarwood Circle social gatherings. Many of our Briarwood Circle friends have passed on or moved. So only the memories remain. The recipes we prepared for those special times remain precious.
Other recipes I prepared frequently include the Sour Dough Beef Dip, the Fruit Slush, Mandarin Salad, Vinaigrette Dressing, Chicken Alfredo, Lemon Bread and Bronco Bread for brunches. My sons are grown up now, but they still ask me to bake the Oatmeal Cookies. That page of my Colorado Cache is especially well-used.
Carolyn Niedringhaus, Greenwood Village
Favorite recipe: Baked German Pancake
My husband, Jim, told me he married me because I could cook. In order for our marriage to flourish, I bought “Colorado Cache.”
Our family favorite is the Sunday morning Baked German Pancake. Our 1-year-old grandson, Mason, was introduced to that German pancake this year. His mother, Brooke, was watching (to see) if Mason didn’t eat all of it. Nothing remained, much to Brooke’s disappointment.
Like photos, cookbooks are memories of the wonderful times shared with family and friends, laughing with our mouths full. My 59th birthday this month is being celebrated at our home with our children and grandchildren. I will make the Tacoritos and the Mexican Spoon Bread.
Kathy Rickertsen, Morrison
Favorite recipe: Mandarin Salad
Cooking has been enjoyable to me for many years and even at times is a therapy for me. I bought my “Colorado Cache” cookbook shortly after moving to Colorado in January 1982.
Hands down, the recipe I have made over and over again is the Mandarin Salad. Over the years I’ve altered it a bit. Some years ago I stopped using the iceberg lettuce but just always use romaine lettuce. After tossing the dressing with the lettuce and dishing it up on individual salad plates, I “place” the sugared almonds and mandarin oranges on top. This has made for a very pretty and attractive salad (and we certainly know we eat with our eyes!). I found that if I don’t place the toppings, they tend to sink to the bottom of the salad bowl.
When “Creme de Colorado” came out, I bought it but never felt as at home with it as I have with “Colorado Cache” — it feels more like my “friend.”
Ellen Grabau, Boulder
Favorite recipe: Mandarin Salad
I have used different kinds of vinegar in the recipe (balsamic, rice or red wine). I have included other fruits, as well as mandarin oranges, like strawberries raspberries and blueberries. My family enjoys many of the recipes in “Colorado Cache,” but this salad remains my favorite.
Judy Schwartz, Denver
Favorite recipe: Bronco Bread
When I left Denver in 1997 to become a Peace Corps volunteer, my daughter Dana came home from Los Angeles to claim the things she wanted from the house we were selling. She took my “Colorado Cache” and while I was away, she often wrote to tell me of the recipes she had used.
Soon I began to see a pattern: She was not only making the dishes we had cooked together, she was also making every recipe that had anything to do with Colorado. She made Colorado Camper Trout, Bronco Bread, Colorado Casserole, Colorado Granola and Denver Chocolate Sheet Cake. Cooking from “Colorado Cache” was only one of the ways she showed that she missed me during those two years.
Nancy Sipkin, Golden
Favorite recipe: French Breakfast Muffins
I am an amateur cookbook collector and by far this is my favorite cookbook. I make these muffins every Christmas morning, but this last year, I decided I was going to bake something different. As we were opening our gifts, my 19-year-old son asked “Where are the muffins you always make?” Oh, boy! Being the mom I am, I got up, headed to the kitchen and whipped up a dozen.
Malinda Ringo, Applewood
Favorite recipe: Spaghetti Pie
Spaghetti Pie is our son Riley’s favorite dish and has been for as long as I can remember. I have cooked it for him on his birthdays, graduations, potlucks and when he comes home to visit. About seven years ago he started a “Culinary Sunday” dinner club with his friends, and that is what he made when the theme was a favorite dish. I always make an extra to put in the freezer. For those watching calories, fat-free sour cream and turkey Italian sausage substitute well.
Julie Schamberger Horowitz, Boulder
Favorite recipe: Mandarin Salad
I inherited my “Colorado Cache” from my 96-year-old grandmother when she passed away two years ago. She was a fabulous cook, and great homemade food is part of her legacy.
Our family has lived in Colorado for decades — my grandmother was born in Leadville in 1910 (she even sold bread to an aging Baby Doe Tabor at the bakery where she worked).
One of the favorites dishes was, and still is, the Mandarin Salad. It is a wonderful blend of sweet, sour and crunchy. It has been a part of family dinners and gatherings since I was a kid.
I treasure my “Cache” cookbook, complete with my grandmother’s handwritten notes on the pages. My 6-year-old recently added his own touch by cutting through the cover.
