Carrie Ives Saunders – Saginaw’s Own Cooking Expert - Part 1
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“Mrs. Carrie Ives Saunders, one of the best known lecturers in America upon the domestic art and home culture, died at the woman’s hospital here [Saginaw] Tuesday following a serious operation.”
-The Bay City Times Tribune, September 19, 1906.
An outline of the story of Carrie Ives Saunders’ High Art Baking Powder is presented in the Castle Museum’s Made in Saginaw exhibit. However, the full breadth of Saunders’ work and accomplishments is hard to grasp–she taught cooking, was the principal of a somewhat nebulous and obscure Saginaw Cooking School, author of a cookbook, produced and sold a variety of foods and lectured widely. The Detroit Free Press noted, “Those who know how to make good bread will have reasons to wonder why they have made so many mistakes and failures when the causes were so simple as explained by the lecturer.” Of course, she also perfected, manufactured, and marketed High Art Baking Powder–and we know our list is not complete.
At the time of her passing in 1906, The Saginaw Evening News proclaimed: “In the death of Mrs. Saunders the community at large loses a woman of high ideals and great strength of character and her death will be mourned by many. She was a very prominent lecturer on ‘Domestic Art and Home Culture’” (The Saginaw Evening News, September 18, 1906). Although we have not located any archival materials documenting her life–not even a portrait–numerous newspaper articles trace her lectures and career. While the last decade of her life is documented by a robust–almost exhausting–lecture and teaching schedule, sponsorships by newspapers and businesses (including Pillsbury Flour Mills), the details of her early life and education are obscure. Her obituary indicates she was born in “Peterboro, N.Y., October 8, 1854, and came to Saginaw in 1876, which has since been her home. She is survived by her only son, F.B. Saunders, of this city” (The Saginaw Evening News, September 18, 1906).
A recently discovered testimonial letter provides clues to early challenges. In the piece, she praises the care she received from Dr. Marion Hubbard–he advertised his use of electrical apparatus in his treatments. In the piece, after describing her fragile health prior to his care, she states, “That in the year 1881, after one of my children was born I was taken with a very severe pain in my knee.” In her letter, she chronicles a debilitating illness that left her in constant pain and required her to use canes or crutches when walking. She concludes by writing:
“Under the stimulating influence of good health I have invented the new High Art baking powder and am now introducing it to the ladies and trade of Saginaw and have to walk a great deal. Thanks to you for your successful treatment in my case. I can walk from one end of Saginaw to the other as well as when I was a girl; Mrs. C.W. SAUNDERS; P.S. – you can publish this letter if you wish, as it was by means of testimonial that I found a cure” (The [Saginaw] Evening News, July 9, 1892).
Her chronic health challenges were coupled with marital issues. Her marriage to Millard Fillmore Saunders-–sometimes known as Phillip Saunders–would end in divorce in 1897. The paper reported:
“Carrie Ives Saunders, through her attorneys, Hanchett & Hanchett, has petitioned for a divorce from Millard F. Saunders on the grounds of extreme cruelty. They were married in 1874 and lived together until 1893, their home being at 1611 Court Street. They had six children, only one of whom, a son 12 years of age is now living. Mrs. Saunders says that since 1891 her husband has not provided for the support of herself and child” (The Saginaw Evening News, June 12, 1897).
However, overcoming tragedy and societal constraints, she would become “one of the best known lecturers in America upon the domestic art and home culture.” And in 1897, the Still Stove Works, proclaimed:
“We can only speak in terms of the highest praise of the work of Mrs. Carrie Ives Saunders.” Going on to anoint her as “the best demonstrator and lecturer we have had in our employ. Her clear, distinct voice and charming personality as well as her evident knowledge of the ‘art of cooking,’ make her lectures very attractive and instructive.”*
And we have so much more to explore…
Next Week: Carrie Ives Saunders Perfects High Art Baking Powder and takes it to the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair
*Testimonial letter dated May 7, 1897. Published in The [Grand Rapids] Evening Press, April 6, 1898.
The Recipe: Carrie Ives Saunders’ Mushrooms in Chafing Dish
This recipe, published in The Evening Press on March 1, 1901, appeared in conjunction with a cooking school–a series of demonstrations and lectures given by Carrie Ives Saunders–sponsored by the newspaper. The preparation of this dish was likely demonstrated at Spring’s Department Store in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on February 27 of that year.
“CREAMED MUSHROOMS – Into the blazer pan put a piece of butter the size of egg, when melted add one cupful of sweet cream, a can of button mushrooms that been well drained; season with salt and pepper. Cover the dish and add when contents come to a boil one tablespoon of cornstarch stirred in a little sweet milk; cook two minutes. Turn a cupful of water into the hot water pan, place in the rim over the blazer; into this set the blazer and contents; keep hot while you serve. Can be served in bouche case or bread boxes, MRS CARRIE IVES SAUNDERS” Grand Rapids Evening News, March 1, 1901.”
CTK Interpretation:
Toast Cup
We interpret a breadbox as a shell created from a slice or a loaf of bread. Inspired and guided by online sources, we devised a simple method of manipulating and toasting a slice of bread.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Gather the following: tart or muffin tin with twelve openings, round biscuit or cookie cutter (choose size appropriate for tin. Bread round is to cover bottom of pan and extend up sides of opening), rolling pin, cutting board.
12 slices of dense sandwich bread. Not too thick and not too thin. We used Pepperidge Farm Sandwich Bread.
Method
Roll each slice of bread until nicely compressed. Using cutter, cut into disks and press each disk into a pan depression. Use fingers to flatten and form cup. Remember you want it to be smooth with even sides and not too many finger prints. And need we add, do not tear bread disk. If you tear it, start over. Reserve damaged piece and place with the other scraps and make bread pudding, bread crumbs or stuffing.
Place in oven and bake for 15 – 30 minutes until nicely browned. We contemplated brushing the surface of toast cups with melted butter before placing in oven, but were too timid–the CTK staff doesn’t like burned toast. However, do let us know if you try it. (Also, while the creamed mushrooms are intended to be prepared table-side with elegance and grace, do not let your guests see you form the toast cups–it is the type of hands-on craft–I mean cooking–project that needs to be performed in the privacy of a locked kitchen. Those of you who have an open concept floor plan are out of luck.)
Creamed Mushrooms
We used a double Boiler – not elegant, but it worked
1 8-oz can of mushrooms – very thoroughly drained
1 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons butter – that equals one egg-sized piece
Salt – to taste
Pepper to taste
1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 2+ tablespoons of milk
Method:
After placing water in lower section of double boiler or chafing dish, heat water and place upper pan over lower pan. Place butter in upper pan. When butter is melted, add mushrooms and cream. Season with salt and pepper and bring mixture to a boil. Then add milk and cornstarch mixture. Stir for two minutes and either transfer to chaffing dish or keep warm in double boiler.
Either serve by filling toast cups with mixture or allowing guests to serve themselves from chaffing dish and to fill their elegant, handcrafted toast cups.
CTK Notes:
The recipe is intended to be prepared table-side in a chafing dish. Although today, we think of using chafing dishes primarily as places to keep prepared foods warm, at the turn of the twentieth century, whole chapters of cookbooks were devoted to simple, but elegant dishes that could be prepared in one. In fact, Carrie Ives Saunders’ lecture series often included a session on using one–and advertised that it was a demonstration in which men would be interested.
”In the late 19th and early 20th century, the popularity of chafing dishes was at a near fever pitch.” This link will take you to the website from which this quote came.
