Recipes from Cook's Corner in the Tyrone Daily Herald

Peg Hurd worked for the Tyrone (Pa.) Daily Herald¹ from 1972 to 1992 and wrote this of her two decades there in her September 26, 1992, farewell column: "Since I arrived in the Herald newsroom in 1972 (a wide-eyed kid of 45), I have worked with four publishers and five editors. I have learned to type, to use a computer, to avoid adjectives and to be objective in my reporting. I have also had fun."

One of the things that must have been fun for Hurd was putting together the "Cook's Corner" food column.

I came across some of those newspaper clippings in a bag filled with recipes that I picked up at a flea market in northcentral Pennsylvania last year.

In one 1984 "Cook's Corner," Hurd wrote: "Penn State football fans are in a quandry. When Paterno and Company move kick-off time to noon, what do you serve at the tailgate picnic? If you want to make it to your seat 80 rows up before the Blue Band leaves the field, it means you better have the table set up and be munching your lunch before 10:30 a.m."

That column provided recipes for Impossible Quiche, Coleslaw With Fruit, Spicy Raisin Coffeecake, Coconut Cake Doughnuts and Poppy Seed Muffins.

The "Cook's Corner" clipping pictured with today's post also mentions Joe Paterno. On October 17, 1984, Hurd wrote: "WPSX-TV recently published its second annual edition of 'Joe Paterno's TV Quarterbacks Tailgating Cookbook,'² and since this is definitely the season for it, we have chosen some of the recipes contributed to the book by veteran Penn State tailgaters."

Here's the Tailgate Bean Soup recipe:

Ingredients

• 2 ounces each: large limas, small limas, yellow split peas, green split peas, kidney beans, barley, lentils, navy beans, black-eyed peas, small red beans
• 2 or 3 ham hocks or ham bone
• 1 can tomatoes (blended in a blender)
• 1 pod red pepper (optional)
• juice of one lemon
• salt and pepper to taste

Wash beans thoroughly and place in a large kettle. Cover with water, add 2 Tblsp. salt and cook overnight.³ In the morning, drain well and add 2 quarts water and ham hocks. Bring to boil; simmer slowly 2½ to 3 hours. Add onion, tomatoes, pepper, lemon, salt and pepper. Simmer another ½ hour or longer if desired. The soup can be made ahead of time and frozen. Before the game, be sure the soup is hot. Place in thermos jug and take to tailgate. It is especially good at late season games when the weather is likely to be cold.

Footnote
1. Tyrone is a small borough in Blair County, Pennsylvania. It has a notable historic district and is the birthplace of Fred Waring -- "The Man Who Taught America How to Sing." It's not clear, by the way, whether the Tyrone Daily Herald is still in business.

2. At right, see what the cover of "Joe Paterno's TV Quarterbacks Tailgating Cookbook" looks like, according to Amazon.com's product page.
3. Maybe I'm just dim, but it would be nice to know what temperature to cook them overnight.