At Freedom's Table: More Than 200 Years of Receipts and Remembrances from Military Wives [Paperback]

Carolyn Quick Tillery (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2002

Now in paperback, At Freedom’s Table is a tribute to the unique contributions of American military wives to the morale of their families and the well-being of the nation. Featuring recipes, anecdotes, and vintage photographs, it recreates the scenes and foods that recount the commitments and sacrifices that military wives have given the nation for more than two hundred years. Presented in a menu format, At Freedom’s Table is divided into six large sections: Teas and Coffees; Buffets, Brunches, and Lunches; A Taste of Home: Dinner Family Style; Alfresco Dining Over There: An International Affair; and Home for the Holidays and Other Celebrations. Each chapter includes a story that relates to the recipes that follow, placing them in a historical context. Some chapters recreate recipes from a specific event, such as "A Colonial Thanksgiving" and "Christmas in the Confederate White House," both of which describe holidays celebrated under wartime conditions. Other recipes are of the international foods that military families have learned to enjoy from such places as Morocco, Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Japan, and Korea. The women whose stories are told and whose recipes are shared in At Freedom’s Table are truly remarkable. They courageously balanced the responsibilities of maintaining home and hearth, raising a family, managing family businesses, and supporting a war effort. In addition, they found time to extend themselves in friendship and hospitality to one another and to women in the places where they were stationed, earning them a well-deserved reputation that continues to this day.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Even history buffs will find something to like about this collection of recipes and remembrances from military spouses. -- St. Petersburg Times - Aug. 14, 2002 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

CAROLYN QUICK TILLERY is a wife, mother, attorney, researcher, and cookbook writer. Her lifelong love of cooking led her to write her first book, The African-American Heritage Cookbook, which contains history, recipes, and remembrances from her alma mater, Tuskegee Institute, now known as Tuskegee University. She and her husband—a career air force officer—and daughter live at Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Cumberland House Publishing (June 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581823193
• ISBN-13: 978-1581823196
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,961,306 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Carolyn Quick Tillery
It was about a decade ago that Carolyn Quick Tillery married two of her passions - history and food - to create a "pick up and go" career for herself. In 1994, she decided to write a book about the history of her alma mater, Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. And from the beginning, she decided to fold in food stories and recipes. Tillery was influenced by food and a powerful oral tradition as a child. A year and a half after beginning, Tillery published The African-American Heritage Cookbook acclaimed for its lively storytelling and Sweet Potato Soup, Mom's Devilish Catfish Stew, Smothered Yard Bird and more than 200 other recipes, rich in flavor and tradition. This was soon followed by the Military Wives Cookbook, which offers readers rare and fascinating tidbits of U.S. history from the perspective of America's military wives while framing nearly 50 sets of recipes with quotes, stories and vintage photographs, in such chapters as "An Independence Tea Party," "Yankee Doodle Pot Roast Dinner," "A Colonial Thanksgiving" and "Christmas in the Confederate White House." Martha Washington, Libbie Custer and Jefferson Davis' wife, Varina, are among the women who share their stories.
A former judicial law clerk, prosecuting attorney and United States Air Force Officer, Ms. Tillery currently manages the United States Central Command Personal & Family Readiness Program, which prepares military families for all phases of deployment and provides them with information to enhance the quality of their lives. She is the author of "A Taste of Freedom," "The African-American History Cookbook" and "Southern Homecoming Traditions," which was a finalist for the prestigious NAACP Image Award.
Southern Homecoming Traditions, the fourth installment in Tillery's African-American Heritage Cookbook series is similar in tone and style: each is really two books in one, a collection of regional recipes as well as a detailed examination of a particular facet of African-American history. Her most recent book is a celebration of the five historic black colleges and one university that comprise the Atlanta University Center: Morehouse, Spelman, and Morris Brown Colleges, Morehouse School of Medicine, Interdenominational Theological Center, and Clark-Atlanta University. Author Carolyn Quick Tillery uses the evocative power of food to take us back to the institutions where so many great African-American leaders were educated, and the region where so many great dishes were created.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Read as Good as the Recipes, but TheStar's Belong to Them, February 6, 2002

By 

carolyn tillery (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: At Freedom's Table: More Than 200 Years of Receipts and Remembrances from Military Wives (Hardcover)

The read is as good as the recipes! This narrative cookbook features the comfort foods we all have come to love and enjoy. Now as always, soldier's letters home almost always contained a line or two about a favorite meal. The women who prepared these meals were often women of exceptional courage and strength.

I am exceptionally proud of the women profiled in this narrative cookbook. They made tremendous contributions to our country and are role models for every generation. Not only did they design and make flags that defined us as a nation, many like Margaret Cochran Corbin stepped up to the artillery to defend it. When her husband fell by her side during a British Hessian attack on Fort Washington, she took his place at the cannon. Her 'her'oic action was noted by a resolution of Congress in 1779

Others, like Sarah Borginis accompanied their husbands and enlisted as cooks. When General Zachary Taylor took most of his troops from Fort Brown to the Rio Grande, the undermanned fort was attacked by Santa Anna's forces. Sarah was issued a gun and it is said that while dodging cannon and musket fire she never missed striking a target or preparing a meal. Upon his return, General Taylor breveted her to Colonel. After the war Sarah opened a hotel in El Paso, which became a favorite of the 49er's heading to the California gold fields.

These are only two of the many featured women,who captivated me with their timeless stories, words of wisdom and advice that is as relevant now as it was then. I do not have space to tell you of Deborah Champion who outdistanced Paul Revere in her midnight ride, or Prudence Wright, Charity Adams and others whose service and sacrifice contributed to the greatness of our nation.

...The star's belong to these truly heroic women.

Thanks so much to all of you who stop me to say you love the book. It was truly a labor of love. Air Force bred and wed, (brat and wife) a life of military service is all I have ever known. And without exception, it has been a wonderful experience. The pride I have in the history and heritage of military wives led me to write this book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for cookbook collectors, April 18, 2003

By 

E. Suter "erindipity" (D'Iberville, MS) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: At Freedom's Table: More Than 200 Years of Receipts and Remembrances from Military Wives (Hardcover)

More than the recipes, I love the history in this book. I learned so much from it. The recipes were great, but I really thought they took a back seat to the letters and stories listed. So many of the things I read I want to take back with me to my next family support group meeting. I am particularly interested in the section Ms. Tillery wrote about the Military Wives Table Setting. I have looked all over for more information on it and hope to find something soon.

Thank you for taking the time to record our history as so much of the women attached to military endured has been forgotten and overlooked.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just a Cook Book, December 12, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: At Freedom's Table: More Than 200 Years of Receipts and Remembrances from Military Wives (Hardcover)

This is one of the most interesting and moving books I have read in a long time. This book is not just for great recipes but for inspiration of mind and soul. It will touch your heart as well as your appitite. A great gift for a loved one as well as yourself. This is a book not to miss.