I work at a bookstore in Minnesota and I met this woman.
And she is a wonder. An absolute dynamo, classy, straight out of the 50s housewife amazing, and I can only wish that I was the same. My signed copy of this book has a place of honor in my kitchen.
That aside, this cookbook is equally as awesome as she is. It covers all the basic Americana recipes that everyone grew up with- sticky buns, cinnamon rolls, tea rings, muffins, doughnuts, breads, cookies (SO GOOD!), pies and cakes. And she even goes international, tossing out a mean baklava recipe that I am dying to give a try.
Marjorie Johnson has won over 2000 State Fair ribbons over the course of the past 35 years. This woman is the genuine baking article. Martha might have a TV show, Betty Crocker might be hawking cake mix, but Marjorie Johnson is living, breathing proof that dedication to the craft and preserving home-baking traditions are really what American baking is all about.