A charming mid-century community cookbook from Saginaw, Michigan, created by the Queen of Angels Women’s Retreat League and filled with the practical, generous home cooking readers love in regional church cookbooks.
This is the kind of cookbook that captures a real kitchen culture: appetizers, molded salads, meats, poultry, pies, breads, sweet doughs, and household hints, all contributed by home cooks across Michigan communities.
Beyond the recipes, it offers a lovely snapshot of parish, retreat, and family life in the late 1960s. Photo-verified and full of lived-in charm, this is a wonderful copy for cooks, collectors, and lovers of Midwestern food history.
Quick Specs
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Item Type: Softcover community cookbook
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Size: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
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Material: Paper wraps
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Color: Cream cover with brown printing
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Origin or Maker: Queen of Angels Women’s Retreat League, Saginaw, Michigan
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Year or Era: 1968
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GENRE: Regional Cooking; Community Cookbook; Michigan Americana
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Language / Pages: English / 522 pages
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Identifiers: Third Printing September 1968; first printing December 1967; second printing January 1968
Edition & Features
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Edition/Printing: Third Printing, September 1968
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Illustrations/Maps/Plates: Photo of Queen of Angels Retreat on front matter
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Extras: Contributor-attributed recipes, household hints, handwritten gift inscription on front matter, handwritten carrot cake recipe on last blank page
Condition Grade: Good
Positives:
Complete text block with 522 pages present. Recipes and contents remain readable and usable. Cover design and spine title are still clear. A bright, substantial cookbook with strong browsing appeal for cooks and collectors. Includes a handwritten carrot cake recipe on the last blank page that adds real kitchen history and personality.
Issues / Wear:
Noticeable food stains and handling wear. Covers show rubbing, light soiling, creasing, and edge wear. Corners are bumped with small bends and wear at tips. Front cover curls upward. A stain is visible at the upper corner of the front matter and near the rear cover area. Interior pages show age toning and scattered marks from use. A bright plastic page marker is inserted into the text block and has left a visible gap in the pages where placed. Handwritten gift inscription on front matter.
- See all photos for detail—sold as pictured.
Condition Grade Key
Near Fine: minimal wear; clean.
Very Good: light wear; clean; minor flaws.
Good: noticeable wear.
Fair: heavy wear; complete but worn; priced accordingly.
Provenance & Notes
Published by the Queen of Angels Women’s Retreat League in Saginaw, Michigan, to support the lay retreat movement and materially assist Queen of Angels Retreat. The front matter includes a photo of Queen of Angels Retreat, 3400 S. Washington Rd., Saginaw, Michigan 48605.
A handwritten gift inscription is present on the front matter, and the last blank page includes a handwritten carrot cake recipe.
About the Author: Queen of Angels Women’s Retreat League
This cookbook was compiled by the Queen of Angels Women’s Retreat League, drawing together recipes from parish and community cooks across Michigan. Rather than a single-author cookbook, it reads like a shared kitchen archive, full of regional favorites, practical dishes, and the everyday food memory that makes community cookbooks so collectible.
A cookbook like this doesn’t just give recipes—it keeps somebody’s kitchen alive.
Shelf-worthy vintage finds you can trust. Find Your Story.
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Disclaimer
The vintage items I share with you have been previously owned and loved and may show some wear. Please use the pictures as a guide. While I do my best to capture colors accurately, your monitor or device screen may display colors slightly differently from the actual item.
Care & Handling: Handle with clean, dry hands. Store upright, out of direct sunlight, at about 68°F and 40–50% relative humidity. Avoid damp areas and extreme temperature swings. Please note: If you have any questions or need more photos, ask.
