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Olmstead Memorial Museum, 100 S. Depot Street/PO Box 411, Somonauk, IL (2026)

09/05/2026

🍽️❤️ THANK YOU FOR JOINING US FOR RECIPE WEEK #2 — SALAD WEEK!

What a fun five days it has been!

Over the past week, we’ve taken another little trip back in time through Vintage Salad Recipes from Somonauk Kitchens of the Past, sharing five recipes from local women whose names, recipes and memories are part of our community’s history.

From sweet Jell-O creations to a hearty macaroni salad — and even a recipe combining maraschino cherries and stuffed olives — this week certainly showed us how much the definition of a “salad” has changed over the years! 😄

We hope these old recipes brought back a few memories, reminded you of someone you knew, started a conversation around the dinner table, or maybe even inspired you to try one yourself.

❤️ A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who followed along, liked, commented and shared our posts. Every time you interact with or share something from the Olmstead Memorial Museum, you help us introduce another person to the history of Somonauk and the surrounding area.

And don't worry... we're not finished! 😊

👀 Keep watching our page!

We have more old recipes to uncover, more photographs and stories from Somonauk's past to share, upcoming events, new exhibits, museum happenings and plenty more surprises on the way.

And judging by some of these recipes, who knows what we'll find next! 😂

🏛️ COME VISIT YOUR LOCAL MUSEUM!

The Olmstead Memorial Museum is open most Sundays from 2:00–4:00 PM.

📍 116 S. Depot Street
Downtown Somonauk, Illinois

Admission is always FREE!

The Olmstead Memorial Museum is run, managed and preserved solely by volunteers. We are proud to continue preserving our community's history, but we need the community's help to keep moving forward.

❤️ HELP US “LIFT UP SOMONAUK!”

Please consider making a donation to our Olmstead Museum Building Fund and help support the continued expansion and improvement of your local museum.

Donations can be made online through our GoFundMe:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/OlmsteadMuseum

Donations can be made through the Mail by sending a check:

Checks can be made payable to:

Olmstead Museum Building Fund

and mailed to:

Olmstead Museum Building Fund
P.O. Box 411
Somonauk, IL 60552

Every donation — large or small — helps us preserve more history, improve our facilities, and make more of the museum's collection accessible to the community.

❤️ Thank you for following along, thank you for supporting the museum, and most importantly, thank you for helping us preserve Somonauk's history for generations to come!

And remember...

📖 Watch our page for the next Recipe Week, historical posts, events and happenings at the Olmstead Memorial Museum!

There's always more history to discover.

09/04/2026

🥗 RECIPE WEEK #2 — SALAD WEEK! 🥗

FRIDAY: COTTAGE CHEESE SALAD

We’ve made it to Day 5 — the final day of Salad Week!

Today’s recipe comes from the late Mary Dowd of Somonauk, Illinois. Her Cottage Cheese Salad is one of the older recipes being preserved and shared through the Olmstead Museum’s page.

And if you thought we had already seen the full range of vintage salads this week, Mary may have saved the most memorable one for last. 😄

Her recipe combines lemon Jell-O, pineapple, maraschino cherries, stuffed olives, cottage cheese, whipped cream and fresh lemon juice — all mixed together and set in a mold.

Yes, you read that correctly:

Maraschino cherries AND stuffed olives.

That is a combination that definitely belongs in the vintage recipe hall of fame!

🍒 MARY DOWD’S COTTAGE CHEESE SALAD

Ingredients:

1 small pkg. lemon Jello
1 small can crushed pineapple
1 small bottle maraschino cherries, sliced
1 small bottle stuffed olives, sliced
1 pt. cottage cheese
½ pt. whipping cream, whipped
2 or 3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Shake of salt

Directions:

Heat pineapple in sauce pan and dissolve Jello in it. Cool until slightly thickened.

Mix all ingredients, folding in whipped cream last. Put in mold and set.

One of the things we love most about sharing these old recipes is that we’re preserving more than food.

The people whose names appear alongside these recipes are no longer with us, but they were once our neighbors, friends and family members. Their recipes give us a little glimpse into their kitchens, their family tables and everyday life in our community.

By sharing Mary’s recipe again, we’re also sharing her name — and keeping a little piece of her story alive. 💙

🍒 Did you know Mary Dowd? Do you remember her cooking, her family, or perhaps even this recipe? We’d love for you to share your memories in the comments.

And for Mary’s recipe, we have to ask...

Would YOU try Mary’s Cottage Cheese Salad — stuffed olives, maraschino cherries and all?! 😄

❤️ And as we finish Recipe Week #2 — Salad Week, we have one more question for everyone:

Which of our five vintage salads would YOU most like to make?

🫐 Blueberry Salad — Laura Hash

🥗 Hearty Salami Salad — Sally Donahue

🍍 24 Hour Salad — Leona Grandgeorge

🍊 Orange Sherbert Salad — Jean Johnson

🍒 Cottage Cheese Salad — Mary Dowd

Some were sweet. Some were savory. And some definitely blurred the line between the two! 😄 But together, these five recipes gave us a wonderful glimpse into the kitchens and family tables of Somonauk's past.

These recipes are more than instructions for making food. They preserve names, families, traditions and memories from our community's past. That's why preserving something as simple as an old cookbook or handwritten recipe can be an important part of preserving local history.

📣 Please LIKE & SHARE our final recipe! And if you've enjoyed Recipe Week #2 — Salad Week, let us know in the comments.

Would you like us to dig into more old Somonauk recipes and do Recipe Week #3 in the future?

Thank you for joining the Olmstead Memorial Museum for five days of vintage salads — and five names from Somonauk's past! 💙

💙 Preserving Somonauk History Since 1921

📍 Marie Louise Olmstead Memorial Museum
116 S. Depot Street • Somonauk, Illinois
Open Sundays • 2:00–4:00 PM

09/03/2026

🥗 RECIPE WEEK #2 — SALAD WEEK! 🥗

THURSDAY: ORANGE SHERBERT SALAD

It’s Day 4 of Salad Week, and today we have another recipe — and another name — from Somonauk’s past!

Today’s recipe comes from the late Jean Johnson of Somonauk, Illinois. Her Orange Sherbert Salad is one of the older recipes being preserved and shared through the Olmstead Museum’s page.

And yes — “sherbert” is exactly how Jean’s recipe was written, so that’s how we’re sharing it! 💙

This is another classic example of the colorful Jell-O salads that once had a regular place at family dinners, church suppers, holiday tables and community potlucks. Orange Jell-O and orange sherbert form the base, with mandarin oranges, pineapple and bananas added to the mix.

And then Jean gives us a finishing suggestion that you don't see every day:

“You may top with whipped cream or mayonnaise, or some of each!” 😄

Now THAT is a vintage recipe!

🍊 JEAN JOHNSON’S ORANGE SHERBERT SALAD

Ingredients:

1 large pkg. orange Jello
2 cups boiling water
1 pint orange sherbert
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
1 can crushed pineapple (16 oz), drained
2 bananas, sliced

Directions:

Dissolve Jello in boiling water, add sherbert and stir until dissolved. Add the fruit and chill. You may top with whipped cream or mayonnaise, or some of each!

One of the things we love about these old recipes is that they preserve much more than what people ate. They preserve names, traditions and little pieces of everyday life in Somonauk.

The people whose names appear alongside these recipes are no longer with us, but they were once our neighbors, friends and family members. Their recipes give us a glimpse into their kitchens, their family tables and the gatherings they shared with others in our community.

By sharing Jean’s recipe again, we’re also sharing her name — and keeping a little piece of her story alive. 💙

🍊 Did you know Jean Johnson? Do you remember her cooking, her family, or perhaps even this recipe? We’d love for you to share your memories in the comments.

And we HAVE to ask this one...

Would YOU top Jean’s Orange Sherbert Salad with whipped cream, mayonnaise...or some of each?! 😄

Come back tomorrow for Day 5 — our final recipe of Salad Week and one more recipe — and one more name — from Somonauk’s past!

💙 Preserving Somonauk History Since 1921

📍 Marie Louise Olmstead Memorial Museum
116 S. Depot Street • Somonauk, Illinois
Open Sundays • 2:00–4:00 PM

09/02/2026

🥗 RECIPE WEEK #2 — SALAD WEEK! 🥗

WEDNESDAY: 24 HOUR SALAD

We’ve reached Day 3 of Salad Week, and today’s recipe is one that definitely takes us back in time!

Today’s recipe comes from the late Leona Grandgeorge of Somonauk, Illinois. Her 24 Hour Salad is one of the older recipes being preserved and shared through the Olmstead Museum’s page.

This is another wonderful example of what the word “salad” could mean generations ago! 😄

Leona’s recipe combines pineapple, marshmallows and slivered almonds with a homemade custard made from egg yolks, sugar and coffee cream. Whipped cream is folded in at the end, and the finished salad is garnished with maraschino cherries.

And the name says it all — 24 Hour Salad. This was the kind of dish you could prepare ahead of time and have ready for the next day’s family gathering, church supper, holiday meal or community get-together.

🍍 LEONA GRANDGEORGE’S 24 HOUR SALAD

Ingredients:

Yolks of 2 eggs
1 Tbsp. sugar
½ cup coffee cream
1 cup whipping cream
1 large can pineapple chunks
About 20 marshmallows
1 pkg. slivered almonds

Directions:

Heat coffee cream in double boiler, when hot add beaten egg yolks, sugar and salt. Set aside to cool while you cut up the pineapple and marshmallows. Add almonds. Stir in the cooled custard. Lastly add the whipped cream and garnish with maraschino cherries.

A little note from the old recipe: Salt and maraschino cherries are mentioned in Leona’s directions, but no amounts are given in the ingredient list. We’ve left the recipe just as it was written — one of those little quirks that makes old recipes so much fun to preserve!

These recipes are about much more than ingredients and instructions. The people whose names appear alongside them are no longer with us, but they were once part of the everyday life of Somonauk.

By sharing Leona’s recipe again, we’re sharing her name too — and preserving another little piece of Somonauk history. 💙

🍍 Did you know Leona Grandgeorge? Do you remember her cooking, her family, or perhaps even this recipe? We’d love for you to share your memories in the comments.

And today’s question...

Would YOU make Leona’s 24 Hour Salad today?

Come back tomorrow for Day 4 of Salad Week and another recipe — and another name — from Somonauk’s past!

💙 Preserving Somonauk History Since 1921

📍 Marie Louise Olmstead Memorial Museum
116 S. Depot Street • Somonauk, Illinois
Open Sundays • 2:00–4:00 PM

09/01/2026

🥗 RECIPE WEEK #2 — SALAD WEEK! 🥗

TUESDAY: HEARTY SALAMI SALAD

It’s Day 2 of Salad Week, and today we’re sharing another recipe — and another name — from Somonauk’s past.

Yesterday’s Blueberry Salad showed us the sweeter, Jell-O side of the vintage salad table. Today we’re moving on to something decidedly more hearty!

Today’s recipe comes from the late Sally Donahue of Somonauk, Illinois. Her Hearty Salami Salad is one of the older recipes being preserved and shared through the Olmstead Museum’s page.

Made with shell macaroni, salami, celery, radishes, green onions and pickles, then mixed with a creamy sour cream and mayonnaise dressing, this is the kind of make-ahead salad that would have been right at home at a family gathering, church supper, picnic or community potluck.

🥗 SALLY DONAHUE’S HEARTY SALAMI SALAD

Ingredients:

7 oz. pkg. sea shell macaroni, cooked, drained and chilled
1 pkg. 6 oz. salami
3 cups celery
1 cup sliced radishes
½ cup sliced green onions
½ cup chopped dill or sweet pickles
2 cups sour cream
½ cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
1 tsp. seasoned salt
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. celery seed

Directions:

Cut salami in small pieces. Combine meat and remaining ingredients with cooked macaroni. Mix well. Cover and chill overnight.

One of the things we love most about sharing these old recipes is that we’re preserving more than food.

The people whose names appear alongside these recipes are no longer with us, but they were once our neighbors, friends and family members. Their recipes give us a little glimpse into their kitchens, their family tables and everyday life in our community.

By sharing their recipes again, we’re also sharing their names — and keeping a little piece of their story alive. 💙

🥄 Did you know Sally Donahue? Do you remember her cooking, her family, or perhaps even this recipe? We’d love for you to share your memories in the comments.

And, of course, we have to ask...

Would YOU make Sally’s Hearty Salami Salad today? 😋

Come back tomorrow for Day 3 of Salad Week and another recipe — and another name — from Somonauk’s past.

💙 Preserving Somonauk History Since 1921

📍 Marie Louise Olmstead Memorial Museum
116 S. Depot Street • Somonauk, Illinois
Open Sundays • 2:00–4:00 PM

08/31/2026

🥗 RECIPE WEEK #2 — SALAD WEEK! 🥗

MONDAY: BLUEBERRY SALAD

We’re kicking off Recipe Week #2 — Salad Week with a recipe — and a name — from Somonauk’s past!

Today’s recipe comes from the late Laura Hash of Somonauk, Illinois. Her Blueberry Salad is one of the older recipes being preserved and shared through the Olmstead Museum’s page.

And if the words Blueberry Salad have you picturing a bowl of lettuce and blueberries...think again! 😄

This is a true vintage “salad” — the kind many of us remember seeing at family gatherings, church suppers and community potlucks. It combines lime Jell-O, cream cheese and whipped cream with a second layer of lemon Jell-O and blueberries.

🫐 LAURA HASH’S BLUEBERRY SALAD

First Layer:

1 pkg. lime Jell-O
1 cup hot water
3 oz. cream cheese
¼ cup cream
1 cup whipped cream or Dream Whip

Directions:

Dissolve lime Jell-O in hot water. Beat cheese and cream until smooth. Add to gelatin and beat. Chill until partly thickened, fold in whipped cream. Pour in mold and chill until firm.

Blueberry Layer:

15 oz. can blueberries, drained
Add water to the blueberry juice to make 1½ cups
Heat to boiling and add 1 pkg. lemon Jell-O
Chill until partly set
Fold in blueberries and pour over cheese mixture

Recipes like Laura’s are exactly why we enjoy doing Recipe Week. They preserve more than ingredients and instructions.

The people whose names appear alongside these recipes are no longer with us, but they were once our neighbors, friends and family members. Their recipes give us a little glimpse into their kitchens, their family tables and everyday life in our community.

By sharing their recipes again, we’re also sharing their names — and keeping a little piece of their story alive. 💙

🫐 Did you know Laura Hash? Do you remember her cooking, her family, or perhaps even this recipe? We’d love for you to share your memories in the comments.

And we have to ask...

Would YOU make Laura’s Blueberry Salad today?

Come back tomorrow for Day 2 of Salad Week and another recipe — and another name — from Somonauk’s past!

💙 Preserving Somonauk History Since 1921

📍 Marie Louise Olmstead Memorial Museum
116 S. Depot Street • Somonauk, Illinois
Open Sundays • 2:00–4:00 PM

08/23/2026

AS ANOTHER SCHOOL YEAR BEGINS…WE REMEMBER MR. WOOD

There is something about the beginning of a new school year that brings back memories. The smell of a freshly cleaned school hallway. New pencils and notebooks. Seeing friends again after a long summer. The nervous excitement of finding your classroom and meeting your teacher. And for generations of Somonauk students, there was another familiar part of going to school:
Mr. Wood.

Long before his name was written across the front of an elementary school, James R. “Jim” Wood was simply Mr. Wood — the principal who seemed to know everybody. He came to Somonauk in 1959 and spent nearly four decades serving the children and families of this community. For some, the memories are of Mr. Wood the principal. For others, it's Coach Wood. He spent many years coaching the Somonauk Bobcats, and his contributions to Somonauk athletics eventually earned him an induction into the Somonauk Athletics Hall of Fame in 2003. And his love for the Bobcats didn't end when his coaching days did. Long after his coaching days were over, Mr. Wood could still be seen in the stands, attending and watching Somonauk ball games.
Not because he was required to be there. Not because it was his job. But because he truly wanted to be there. He cared about the kids. He cared about the school. He cared about the community.
He WAS, a Bobcat.

Of course, working for the school district was a place to "earn a paycheck." But for Mr. Wood, it was never about the paycheck.
It was about coming to work each day and doing the very best he could for every student in a small town that had once given a young educator a chance. He understood something simple: if Somonauk succeeded, he succeeded.

And he became an influential part of making the Somonauk School District a gold standard of its time — a school system a small community could be enormously proud of.

Somonauk could have simply been a stop along the way.
A place to gain some experience. A stepping stone to a bigger job, at a bigger school, in a bigger community. But it wasn't. Mr. Wood didn't just work in Somonauk. He called Somonauk home. He moved here. He lived here. He stayed here.

The parents he met at school were his neighbors. The children whose names he learned were the children of his community. The ball games he attended were his hometown's ball games.
There wasn't a separate place where Mr. Wood's job ended and his community began. Somonauk was both.

Year after year.
Student after student.
Generation after generation.
Because sometimes success isn't about finding someplace bigger.
Sometimes it's about realizing you've already found someplace worth giving your best to....And like his heart, Somonauk was big enough.

And when we remember people who were part of our childhood, it usually isn't the dates or job titles that come back first.
It's the little things. The sound of their voice. The way they walked down the hallway. Something they always said. Or a tradition that, all these years later, can instantly take you back to being a kid again. Mr. Wood had many of those memorable traditions.
Like buying every student in the school a glass bottle of Coca-Cola and a Nestlé Crunch bar.

Think about how simple that sounds today — a bottle of Coke and a candy bar. But ask someone who was a Somonauk student back then, and chances are it's the kind of memory that can bring a smile to their face decades later. For a child, it was a special treat.
For Mr. Wood, it was another way of doing something special for his kids.

Those little memories may never appear in an official school record or history book. But they are history just the same. They are OUR history.

Mr. Wood retired from the Somonauk School District in 1997, closing a remarkable career that had begun in Somonauk nearly 40 years earlier. But Somonauk didn't simply say goodbye to Mr. Wood when he retired. His name became part of the community itself: JAMES R. WOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.

Think about that for a moment.
Every August, another group of little children walks through those doors for the first time. They learn to read there. They make their first school friends there. They meet teachers they may remember for the rest of their lives. They grow up. And above them is the name of a man who devoted so much of his own life to generations of Somonauk children who came before them.

Mr. Wood passed away in 2017 at the age of 84. But in a small town, some people never really leave us. They remain in our stories. They remain in our memories. And sometimes, if they made a big enough difference…their name remains above the schoolhouse door.

As another school year begins in Somonauk, the Olmstead Memorial Museum remembers James R. “Jim” Wood — principal, educator, coach, neighbor, and a familiar face to generations of Somonauk families. Mr. Wood retired in 1997, and when the Somonauk Class of 2027 walks across the stage next spring, it will mark 30 years since his retirement — and 10 years since his passing. The name James R. Wood remains just as much a part of Somonauk's schools today — a fitting legacy for a man who gave so much of his life to them.

To so many, though, he will always simply be…

Mr. Wood.

FOREVER A BOBCAT.

Please plan on visiting the Olmstead Memorial Museum located in downtown Somonauk on (most) Sundays from 2pm-4pm where many school yearbooks, Somonauk School items, and local athletic items are on display. Admission is always free. Come visit us and help us continue to remember, preserve and share the stories of the people who made Somonauk...Somonauk.

08/16/2026

🍰❤️ THANK YOU FOR JOINING US FOR OLD-FASHIONED SOMONAUK RECIPE WEEK!

What a fun five days it has been!

Over the past week, we’ve taken a little trip back in time through Dessert Recipes from Somonauk Kitchens of the Past, sharing recipes from local women whose recipes—and memories—are now part of our community’s history.

We hope these old recipes brought back a few memories, reminded you of someone you knew, or maybe even inspired you to get into the kitchen and make one yourself!

A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who followed along, liked, commented and shared our posts. Every time you interact with or share something from the Olmstead Memorial Museum, you help us introduce another person to the history of Somonauk and the surrounding area.

And don't worry... we're not finished! 😊

👀 Keep watching our page!

We have more old recipes to uncover, more photographs and stories from Somonauk's past to share, upcoming events, new exhibits, museum happenings and plenty more surprises on the way.

🏛️ COME VISIT YOUR LOCAL MUSEUM!

The Olmstead Memorial Museum is open most Sundays from 2:00–4:00 PM.

📍 116 S. Depot Street
Downtown Somonauk, Illinois

Admission is always FREE!

The Olmstead Memorial Museum is run, managed and preserved solely by volunteers. We are proud to continue preserving our community's history, but we need the community's help to keep moving forward.

❤️ HELP US “LIFT UP SOMONAUK!”

Please consider making a donation to our Olmstead Museum Building Fund and help support the continued expansion and improvement of your local museum.

Donate online through our GoFundMe at the provide link below: https://www.gofundme.com/f/OlmsteadMuseum

Donate to the Olmstead Museum Building Fund — Lift Up Somonauk
Prefer to donate by check?

Checks can be made payable to:
Olmstead Museum Building Fund

and mailed to:
Olmstead Museum Building Fund
P.O. Box 411
Somonauk, IL 60552

Every donation—large or small—helps us preserve more history, improve our facilities and make more of the museum's collection accessible to the community.

❤️ Thank you for following along, thank you for supporting the museum, and most importantly, thank you for helping us preserve Somonauk's history for generations to come!

And remember...

📖 Watch our page for the next exciting recipes, historical posts, events and happenings at the Olmstead Memorial Museum!

There's always more history to discover.

08/16/2026

☕🍰 OLD-FASHIONED RECIPE WEEK — DAY 5 OF 5!

Dessert Recipes from Somonauk Kitchens of the Past

We’ve reached the fifth and final day of the Olmstead Memorial Museum’s Old-Fashioned Recipe Week! We hope you’ve enjoyed looking back at some of the desserts that once came from Somonauk kitchens.

For our final recipe, we have:

SOUR CREAM NUT COFFEE CAKE

From the recipe of Genevieve “Gen” Grandgeorge

This sounds like the perfect old-fashioned coffee cake — a sour cream cake layered with brown sugar, white sugar and chopped nuts, then baked in an angel food cake pan. Add a hot cup of coffee, and we think this one would fit right in at a family gathering, church social, or around the kitchen table with neighbors and friends.

☕ Sour Cream Nut Coffee Cake

Ingredients:

½ cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
A bit of vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt

Nut & Sugar Mixture:

⅓ cup brown sugar
¼ cup white sugar
1 cup finely chopped nuts

Directions:

Cream ½ cup butter with 1 cup sugar. Beat in 2 eggs, one at a time.

Add the dry ingredients alternately with 1 cup sour cream and a bit of vanilla.

Butter an angel food cake pan. Pour in ½ of the batter and sprinkle with ½ of the nut and sugar mixture.

Pour the remaining batter over the top and sprinkle the rest of the mixture on top.

Bake at 325 degrees for 40–50 minutes, until a wire tester is dry when inserted and removed.

❤️ Now we want to hear from you!

Did you know or remember Genevieve “Gen” Grandgeorge? If you did, please share a memory of her or her family in the comments.

Have you ever made this coffee cake—or does your family have a similar recipe? And if someone decides to make Gen’s recipe, please post a picture in the comments! We’d love to see one of these old Somonauk recipes being made again.

❤️ And as we finish Old-Fashioned Recipe Week, we have one more question for everyone:

Which of our five desserts would YOU most like to make?

🍪 Grandma Stratton’s Molasses Cookies — Lila Cook Pratt
🥜 Chunky Peanut Butter Cookies — Ruth Gerlick
🍰 Frosted Creams — Bernice Menk
🍌 Oatmeal Banana Raisin Cookies — Dorothy Coultrip
☕ Sour Cream Nut Coffee Cake — Genevieve Grandgeorge

These recipes are more than instructions for making dessert. They preserve names, families, traditions and memories from our community’s past. That's why preserving something as simple as an old cookbook or handwritten recipe can be an important part of preserving local history.

📣 Please LIKE & SHARE our final recipe! And if you've enjoyed Old-Fashioned Recipe Week, let us know in the comments. Would you like us to dig into the museum's collection and do another recipe week in the future?

Thank you for joining the Olmstead Memorial Museum for five days of desserts from Somonauk kitchens of the past!

08/15/2026

🍌🍪 OLD-FASHIONED RECIPE WEEK — DAY 4 OF 5!

Dessert Recipes from Somonauk Kitchens of the Past

We’re back with Day 4 of the Olmstead Memorial Museum’s Old-Fashioned Recipe Week, and today’s recipe comes from Dorothy Coultrip!

Today’s dessert is:

OATMEAL BANANA RAISIN COOKIES

From the recipe of Dorothy Coultrip - Somonauk

Bananas, oatmeal, raisins and a little nutmeg come together in this old-fashioned cookie recipe. And like so many recipes from community cookbooks, it’s simple, straightforward, and sounds like something that could have come right out of Grandma’s kitchen!

🍌 Oatmeal Banana Raisin Cookies

Ingredients:

¾ cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup mashed banana
1½ cups flour
½ tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. nutmeg
1¾ cups oatmeal
½ cup chopped nuts
¾ cup raisins

Directions:

Cream sugar and shortening; add mashed banana and egg.

Add flour, soda, salt, nutmeg, oatmeal, nuts and raisins. Mix well.

Nuts are optional.

Bake at 350 degrees on a lightly greased cookie sheet for 12–15 minutes.

❤️ Now we want to hear from you!

Did you know or remember Dorothy Coultrip? If you did, please share a memory of Dorothy or her family in the comments.

Have you ever made Oatmeal Banana Raisin Cookies? Maybe your family had a similar recipe—or perhaps you still make them today!

🍌 And what do you think: raisins and nuts, raisins without nuts, or would you change the recipe altogether?

If anyone decides to make Dorothy’s cookies, please come back and show us how they turned out! Post a picture in the comments—we’d love to see someone bring one of these old recipes back to life.

These recipes are more than ingredients written on a page. They preserve a little piece of the people, families and everyday life that make up our community’s history.

📣 Please LIKE & SHARE today’s recipe! Your share might reach someone who remembers Dorothy, recognizes the recipe, or has another old local recipe or story to contribute.

Tomorrow is our fifth and final day of Old-Fashioned Recipe Week! Be sure to come back for one last dessert from a Somonauk kitchen of the past.

Olmstead Memorial Museum

09/05/2026

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