A Stevens, Tomes, and Nash Family History
From the circa-1920s Kitchen of Ada Nash Stevens

There is a brittle little book sitting among my family papers and photos, containing the many recipes of Ada Helen Stevens. It is filled with her scribbles and notes, and was clearly an invaluable tool for her to manage her household. I have transcribed her many recipes here, mainly for your amusement.
Transcription notes:
All abbreviations, spellings, punctuation, and capitalizations were kept identical to the original handwriting. The misspellings are not my own! I swear. Because the book was well-used over several decades some text is smudged or scribbled out, and pieces of pages are torn out. As a result, any missing or illegible text is noted with brackets and a question mark.
​
The primary contributor to this book, and its steward for many decades, was Ada Nash Stevens. The earliest dated entry in the book is from 1918, when a running chicken/egg count was recorded in the back of the book for a period of several months. There is a newspaper article referencing the new release of the 1921 silent movie, The Sky Pilot, on the reverse side of a clipped recipe for “Tamale Pie.” More than one recipe has notes in the margin indicating the 1925 prices of ingredients. Additions were made to the book as late as 1963, when a dated Plum Pudding recipe was hand-written on white paper and tucked into the book. There was also a Certo jams and jellies recipe booklet from 1961 placed inside the book.
In addition to food recipes, there are entries for medical remedies and household concoctions. There are also the aforementioned chicken egg/slaughter counts listed in the last couple pages of the book. One page in the center of the book is a tally of what appears to be expenses paid—including costs for things such as lumber, cement, and payment to various people. The inside of the front and back covers are littered with many numerical additions; no context is provided for these figures, and there are no words are written among them—except for one phrase: “Ada used 200”.
For the sake of this transcription, only hand-written or hand-typed recipes are being included here. Recipe booklets or clippings from newspapers and magazines have been omitted, but can be viewed in scanned copies of the book.
DISCLAIMER: Recipes and/or ingredients below may not be safe for use, handling, or consumption. If you're hungry or in need of cleaner or medicine, please consult a modern professional, for pete's sake.
The entire recipe collection below is ©2018, Katie Schumm--do not reproduce or publish without express permission.

Grandma Ada's Recipe Book
War Cake
1 lb raisons
2 cups Brown Sugar
2 “ boiling water
2 heaping table spoons Butter
½ tsp. cinnimon
allspice & 1 tes nutmeg
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 table spoon Cocoa
boil for 5 minutes when cool
add, heaping teaspoon
B soda disolved in a
little hot water
Chocolate Cake
2 sq chocolate
1 cup sugar
1 “ sour milk
3 table sp butter
1 2/3 cup flour
1 egg
1 teaspoon Soda
Mix ch. ½ of sugar
butter & milk & let he[?, page torn]
then add well beaten [?]
& rest of sugar & [?]
& put in tins & ba [?—bake?]
Tarts
1 cup currents ✘
1 “ B sugar
1 egg
1 tsp Vinella
butter size eggs
1 tablespoon milk
pinch of salt
[end of recipe]
Brandy Smaps
1 lb flour
1 “ sugar
12 oz butter
1 pt mollases
1 oz ginger
Fruit Cake
[?] lbs raisons
1 “ currants
[?] “ mixed peel
1 “ Butter
[?] eggs.
¼ lb. [?] nuts.
2 teaspoons nut megs
2 “ sinniman
4 “ Backing powder
[?] quarts Flour
bake slowly till done.
[1 lb sugar is written sideways on right-hand side of page]
Spanish Bun
3 eggs save whites of two iceing
½ cup butter
1 “ sugar
¾ “ sour milk
1 tablespoon cinniman
1 teaspoon cream Tartor
1 “ “ Soda
Iceing ½ cup iceing sug[?]
whites of two eggs.
Fruit Cake
1 lb Raisons
1 “ currents
1 “ B Sugar
½ “ butter
6 eggs
[?] nut meg
[?] tea spoon [?]
[?] “ “ b[?]
½ lbs flour
[?] bake until [?]
[?] on slo[?]
Goo[?]
Rocks
1 cup sugar
2/3 “ Butter
1 ½ “ flour
1 “ chopped raisons
½ “ “ currants
1 “ “ nuts
2 eggs
1 tsp cloves & cinniman
1 “ Soda dissolved
in hot water
more flour if necessary
Drop in greased pan
Lemon Butter
6 eggs
¼ lb butter
½ lb sugar
4 lemons rind
of two lemons grated
method
butter and sugar
juice four lemons
and grated rind of
two beat eggs
and mix alltogether
put in double
boiler and cook
till thick. bottle
and use as spread
for bread or sandwich
also as filling for
tarts.
Lobster Cocktail
1 can Lobster
2 lemons juce
1 tablespoon sugar
2 “ “ Worcestershire sauce
6 “ “ catchup
Dash of Tabasco salt & pepper
Carrot Pudding
salt One cup grated carrots, 1 cup grated
potatoes, 2 large apples grated, 1 cup
of sugar, 1 cup of raisins, 1 cup of cur-
rants. 1 ½ cups suet, 1 ½ cups flour, 1
teaspoon baking soda. Steam three hours.
Cheap pound Cake
or
White fruit Cake
*[Original recipe was written before 1925, and Ada came back later to add a column of 1925 costs for all of the ingredients]
cost 1925*
25 5 eggs
5 1 cup g sugar
1 tsp B powder
5 pieces peel
8 1 orange 1 lemon
17 ½ citren
35 ½ lbs almons
1 tsp vanilla
5 2 cups flour
23 ½ lb butter
15 cherries
19 pine apple
Bran Muffins
1 egg
1 cup sour milk
½ “ B Sugar
¾ teaspoon soda
1 handfull bran
enough flour to make
a good batter
[Right-hand sidebar has additional pencil-written notes horizontally scrawled that read:
¼ cherries
white raisons]
Kisses
3 eggs [crossed out]
5 tablespoons sugar [crossed out]
1 eggs beat stiff
2 teaspoon icing sugar
little coconut beat all
into egg white greace tin
drop little from spoon
this makes about 18.
Aunt Sarah Nash’s Plum Pudding
✓ 3 cups Raison
3 cup suet
✓ 3 “ Brown Sugar
✓ 3 “ currants
Salt to taste
✓ 1 cup mixed peel
✓ 3 “ Bread crumbs
5 eggs
4 cups flour
½ cup lemon ext milk
3 teaspoons lemon ext
2 teaspoons spices
brandy
1 sespoon B powder
Orange Marmolade
To every lb Fruit add
[?] quart of cold water
[?] let stand over night
[?]en boil till the peel [?]
[?]ansparent put [?]
[?] till next day: then i[?]
[?]gain & to each lb [?]
[?] sug[?]
5 hour bread
1 pint milk or milk &
water
2 teaspoon butter
2 “ “ Sugar
½ “ salt
1 Yeast Cake
6 cups flour
Scald milk, put in a
mixing bowl with butter
sugar salt to cool to
luke warm reserving ¼
cup to mix with yeast
cake when luke warm
Add 2 cups flour to milk
Then the yeast mixed with
Milk & beat batter till very
Smooth. Cover the bowl
With clean towl & [?]
In a warm place for 1 hour
Then add flour to make a
Soft dough turn on well floured
Bord & make into loves &
Let rise 1 ½ hours bake 45 or 50 minu[?]
Ginger cookies
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 table spoon Soda
1 “ “ ginger
1 cup Black strap
flour to thicken grease
pan & brush water over
tops of cookies before
baking
Date Oatmeal Cookies
¾ cup Butter
1 ½ “ G Sugar
2 “ oat meal
2 “ flour
1 egg
1 tsp soda
Sour milk to roll thin
Dressing for cookies
1 lbs dates
½ cup G Sugar
1 “ water cook then spread
Pepper sauce
1 doz red peppers
1 “ sweet “
1 “ med sized onions
3 pints vinegar
2 cups white sugar
2 tablespoon salt
Scald peppers 12 minutes
again 15 min
chop mix cook 15 min
Chill a Sauce
30 tomatoes
10 onions
16 table spoons G Sugar
3 “ “ salt
1 pt vinegar
3 green peppers
1 tea spoon cinniman
1 nutmeg
boil 1 ½ hours.
Spiced green tomatoes
peel 1 p[?] small green tom
drop in boiling salted water for 10
minutes lift out with a fork
& stick cloves in each. Cover
with syrup & put in crock
for one week
syrup 8 cups B sugar
5 ½ “ Vinegar
Drain of syrup & put tomatoes
in bottles with a few sticks
of cinniman in each boil
syrup till thick & pour over
tomatoes & seal.
Boston Cream drink
3 pints g sugar
3 " Boiling water
stir till disolved
2 oz tartaric Acid.
2 eggs whites beaten stiff
put all together & bottle
To Make Drink
1/4 glass syrup partly fill
with water then add a
little flavoring & a pinch
of soda
Salid Dressing
1 teaspoonful mustard
4 " " " sugar
1 " " " flour
1 " " " Butter
1/2 " " " Salt
1/2 " " " pepper
1/2 cup full Milk
1/2 " " Vinegar
1 egg
Mix mustard Sugar
Flour sale pepper
and melted Butter
add milk & the beatten egg
place over fire add vinegar slowly, stirring
constantly untill dressing
[beg]ins to thicken remove
[fro]m fire & beat two minutes
[...] thick add a little
[...]
Divinity Fudge
4 cups g Sugar
1-1/3 " water
1-1/3 " Corn Syrup.
2 eggs whites only beaten
10 [ ] wall nuts.
Puree of Split Pea
Flavor the stock with a
salt pork. When all ready
add some Vegetable all
kinds cut fine
Cook about three hours
then put through cieve.
& thicken with flour
season with pepper
​
Sponge Cake
Seperate 4 eggs
beat Yolks thick add
1/2 cup Sugar & Continue
beating beat whites
stiff & beat into first
mixture add
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 cup potato flour &
sift into first Mixtur
Bake in a moderate oven
about 30 minutes
Bread
1 qt warm water
3 “ flour
2 table spoon sugar
1 “ “ salt
2 Fleshman Y C.
Mix hard & let rise 1 ½
hour make into loves
& let stand ½ hour
& bake.
Nut Bread
4 cups flour
1 “ chop nuts
1 “ w sugar
1 “ sweet milk
1 “ dates
1 teas salt
4 “ B powder
let stand 20 minutes
in tins & bake slow
1 hour.
Drop cakes
2 eggs
1 cup B Sugar
1 “ Butter
½ “ Sour milk
1 “ chop raison
2 “ oatmeal
2 “ flour
1 teaspoon Soda
drop from spoon
Christmas Cake
(M[...]'s recipe.)
cost 1925
35 ½ lb. blanched almonds.
53 3 Lbs.Raisons
53 3 lbs.Currants
46 1 Lb.Butter
15 1 lb.brown sugar (This is not enough sugar, try 1 1/2lbs.
1 Tablespoon cloves
5 1 “ cinnamon
5 Small nutmeg
12 2 Oz.orge.peel
2 Oz.Lemon “
17 2 Oz.Citron”
5 1 Cup molasses
½ Teaspoonful soda
3 The juice of 1 lemon
10 “ “ “ 2 oranges
½ 10 1 ¼ lbs.flour (This is not
enough flour try 1 ½ lbs.
3.24
Take half of the flour and all the soda and
sprinkle over fruits and peels. Mix the other ingredients with the above.
Bake 3 ½ hours in slow oven.
flour
thread
Dr. Chase.