Let’s Dine: 120th Anniversary Edition!
Your favorite recipes and stories are needed for our new cookbook! Send in your submissions by May 31, 2023!
By Marina Furuta, photo by Ryan Kozu
Blaine Memorial United Methodist Church will release a 120th Anniversary Edition of “Let’s Dine!”, the latest in a series of cookbooks produced by Blaine Memorial over the past 70 years. This cookbook will commemorate the 120th Anniversary of Blaine Memorial, with a scheduled release of January 2024. We are seeking submissions for the 2024 cookbook and are calling on you to contribute!
During the pandemic, many of us turned to the kitchen for comfort as well as survival. Old recipe cards were pulled out of boxes and dusted off in an effort to seek comfort as we adapted to a new normal. This inspired “Let’s Dine 2020”, which combined the greatest hit recipes from the Blaine Memorial archives, as well as some new recipes from the congregation. Interwoven with these delectable dishes were historical memories, stories, and photos from the past century. It also showcased a timeline illustrating how Blaine Memorial has persevered through many generational hardships by connecting with family, friends, and food.
The cookbook inspired a new generation to create some of their favorites to eat as well as trying new recipes to share with friends and family. Many of the recipes also included personal stories or memories of why their dish was meaningful, bringing forth a feeling of nostalgia.
For the 120th Anniversary cookbook, we are calling on you to share your favorite recipes! This can be your go-to potluck dishes, your toban specialties, that dessert you bring to every sukiyaki and bazaar bake sale, the easy weeknight meal you keep in the freezer or even those special family recipes that you’ve never made but love! With each recipe, please share a story or memory (long or short!) and a photo if you would like to share one. Contributions will be accepted until May 31, 2023. Remember, you don’t have to share all your recipe secrets (but please feel free to share some)!
Let’s Dine 2020 sold out quickly, however more copies will be printed this Spring. If you are interested in purchasing a copy of Let’s Dine 2020: Quarantine Edition, the cost is $40 per book. Please send an email with your name, address, phone number and the quantity you wish to order to blaineumccookbook@gmail.com. Books can also be shipped directly to you for a flat $15 postage fee or picked up in the office. We look forward to receiving your submissions and thank you in advance!
Marina Furuta is a member of Blaine Memorial UMC.
