Donna Quixote

While a witty or heartfelt inscription was not found within this cookbook, a hand-written recipe was. That’s not too unique, is it? Well, no, but what is unique is the stationary it was written on – Lehman Brothers – and from the desk of a Mr. Al-Karim Ramji, financial advisor. How nice to remember that the folks who gave us the subprime mortgage crisis and ruined countless lives still enjoyed cooking a fine meal. Grrr.

Sure would be nice to know the story of how this recipe came to be inside of the cookbook!

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Julia Child, whom I’m sure cooked in the nude for her husband Paul (Can you picture it? Bon appétit!) once said, that “in France, cooking is a serious art form and a national sport.” I wonder what the French would make out of this series of gastronomical pleasures? As you can see pictured below, this book is part of a series of titillating nude-themed cookbooks. Think Chicken Soup for the Soul, but with less treacly aphorisms and more naughty bits and pieces.

One sure hopes that Nancy, on the occasion of her 40th, was really pleased and amused to receive this, and that she wasn’t some lonely aging spinster who her friends were simply trying to help. (Scheming – I’m sure Nancy is way better than that.)

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Not only is the title of this book fabulous, look at that cover! WOW. I’m sure we’ve all seen those Worst Album Covers collections, but I’m thinking if we find a few more covers like this, we’ll have to start a Worst Book Cover collection!

What’s great is that book is a faux cookbook that is supposed to appeal to Mormons. Here’s the official description –

“A Marvelous Work with Wonder Bread,” “Jesus-Fed-the-Multitudes Tuna Helper,” and “I Knead Thee Every Hour Rolls” are among the special heirloom recipes reluctantly shared by Sister Christensen in No Man Knows My Pastries. This faux cook book chronicles the special love affair Mormons have with lowbrow eating and provides easy, step-by-step directions for preparation of the likes of bologna mock chicken wings.

Darn it! Now I know we should’ve bought this book, it would’ve gone great with my temple garment! 🙂

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Well, of course we had to find a copy of Don Quixote with an inscription! This inscription goes back almost 60 years, and the cover is one of my favorite’s. David had the good fortune to find this copy at last year’s Southern Festival of Books in Nashville.
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