Who Says We Can’t Cook?
I recently came across this 1955 cookbook “Who Says We Can’t Cook” that was put together by the Women’s National Press Club. The members noted that the book was not a defense of their culinary talents but rather a fundraising venture to rent space for a clubhouse. A story by the journalists accompanied each set of recipes. Henrietta Poynter who was then editor of Congressional Quarterly contributed recipes for “Heavenly Hamburger” and “Cheese Wafers.” She explained:
“I learned to cook at about 14 when my mother went on a three-month speaking tour for suffrage and left me to keep house. Whatever I saved out of the budget was mine, so I specialized in recipes for making cheap cuts of meat delicious and managed, without starving the family, to indulge in new clothes, theatre tickets, and other things not covered by my allowance.”
Henrietta was married to Nelson Poynter, publisher of the then St. Petersburg Times. She served as a mentor to women’s page journalists Gloria Biggs and Anne Rowe.
