By Katie Ruffing, Archives Services Intern
My name is Katie Ruffing (she/her), and I’m an Archives Intern at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. Although I started in mid-September, I have already had the opportunity to work on the Historical Pittsburgh Collection, which highlights groups, individuals, and organizations that are distinctly Pittsburgh. While the processing of this collection is still underway, I have already encountered an abundance of exciting material that any yinzer would enjoy. From this collection, I have pulled out a fall recipe from the KDKA-TV program Kay’s Kitchen, hosted by Kay Neumann.
KDKA-TV: Kay’s Kitchen
About Kay’s Kitchen
Kay’s Kitchen began on December 4th, 1950 and was the second live show to be hosted in Pittsburgh. The show ran for a total of six years with host Kay Neumann at the helm. Kay Neumann, born in Milwaukee, received her undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota in Foods in Business. She received her master’s degree from Columbia University and also took night classes in journalism. Her studies ultimately paid off with Kay being selected to host Kay’s Kitchen by the Ketchum, MacLeod and Grove advertising agency.
In the Historical Pittsburgh collection, there is over a whole box of recipes from Kay’s Kitchen spanning from 1954 until the end of the show in November of 1956. Within the collection, there are several seasonal recipes, which is why I have chosen the Jack-O’-Lantern Cookie as it’s a fun twist on traditional fall flavors.
Jack-O’-Lantern Cookies
This recipe was set to be published on Wednesday, October 19, 1955, in Kay’s Kitchen. I found this recipe to be great for anyone who likes a molasses cookie with a more cake-like texture. I would also recommend possibly adding a cream cheese frosting as I think it would complement the other elements in the cookie!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 cups of sifted all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt (I used salted butter and opted to omit the salt)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- ¾ cup soft shortening
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup molasses
- 1 cup of rolled oats (quick or old-fashioned, uncooked)
Instructions:
Mix together pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg; set aside.
Sift together flour, salt, and baking soda into a bowl. Add brown sugar, shortening, egg, and molasses; stir until smooth. Blend in rolled oats. Chill dough if necessary to make rolling easier. Roll out on lightly floured board to ⅛-inch thickness. Cut into circles using a 2-½-inch cutter. Place half the circles on ungreased cookie sheets and place a teaspoon of the pumpkin mixture on each, spreading filling lightly in the center of the cookie. Cut jack-o’-lantern faces in other half of the circles and lay these over pumpkin filling, sealing edges. From scrapes cut pumpkin stems and seal to tops of cookies. Bake in a moderately hot oven (375 degrees F.) for 12-15 minutes.
