For years the Michigan Consolidated Gas Company sent recipes to customers. Along with your monthly bill, you’d get a new recipe from the Home Services Department. Most years you would also receive a cookbook with holiday recipes. These recipe cards went on to become family favorites all over the state of Michigan.
The Home Services Department was a crucial propaganda machine for Michigan Consolidated Gas Company. They answered phone calls from clients, hosted food demonstrations, club and card parties, and more. This article from the October 13 edition of the Detroit Free Press gives you a peak into the department and how it promoted gas – and good food.
Home Service Solves These Kitchen Problems
Sunday, October 13, 1963, Page 145.
Detroit Free Press
(Note: This edition of the Free Press celebrated the newly opened Michigan Consolidated Gas Company in downtown Detroit. What follows is an OCR-translation, and a little cleanup on my behalf.)
When you walk into the kitchen of the Home Service Department at Michigan Consolidated Gas Company, you get a pretty quick idea of what food means to the girls who work there. It’s not only good to eat but pretty enough to make a picture!
On one wall there is a charming “picture” which, on examination, turns out to be made of jelly beans, noodles, cookies, dog biscuits, dried lima beans, dried yellow peas, macaroni, candy-striped peppermints and gum drops. Go look at it, next time you’re there. It’s delightful.
Peggy Lewis, director of the department, has an undying enthusiasm for food in any form, as long as it is tasty and attractive. A graduate of Michigan State University, Peggy has been associated with Michigan Consolidated since 1950. She frankly admits that the two things she loves most are cooking and entertaining. And when you can say that, after an eight-hour day of doing exactly that, it must be love!
The day we dropped by, five of the Home Ec girls were testing recipes. In fact, they were devoting a week to testing. There were Peggy and Ruth Stewart, from the Detroit office; Diane Cook, from Ann Arbor; Eleanor Roberts, from Grand Rapids, and Karen Claybeusch, from Mt. Pleasant. Actually, Peggy has a staff of six in Detroit. And there are five home economists in Grand Rapids. They are all very busy people. In fact, Home Service departments in all service areas have very full schedules.
From January to July for instance, the Detroit office alone handled 10,809 phone calls from housewives asking information and made 720 home calls to show owners of new gas appliances how to use and care for them. It distributed 131,879 recipes, gave food demonstrations attended by 1,604 women, handled club programs attended by 2,400, put on food demonstrations for card parties totaling 4,418 women and took care of miscellaneous meetings with an attendance of 1,286.
Along with the demonstrations at club programs and card parties, the Home Service Department also puts on school demonstrations for home economics classes and shows slide films. Its films include “Man in the Kitchen,” “Cook’s Tour of Europe” (which takes you on a picturesque tour of seven countries besides discussing the food specialties of each), “Menu Magic,” and “Hallmark of Entertaining” (a panorama of the seasons, featuring gay holiday settings, menus and unusual party food.)
During November and December, the department presents “Fun and Fanciful Foods” gaily wrapped for Christmas giving, for which recipes are given to each attending. During the week devoted to the test recipes, when the picture below was taken, the home economists were concentrating on family meals full time. They were testing apple-raisin turnovers and buttermilk-bran muffins and maple-glazed ham and peach cobbler and double cornbread and brown-sugared acorn squash and French toast with spiced cherry jam and shrimp Creole and blueberry pancakes and shepherd’s pie and savory stuffed mushrooms and broiled grapefruit and honey-spicecake squares. Those girls can cook!
The Home Service Auditorium, where card parties and club meetings are held, seats 150. It is on the second floor of the new Michigan Consolidated Building at One Woodward Avenue Detroit. In the lobby outside, with its magnificent view of the river, are model kitchens that out-modern the most modern ideas you could dream of for a kitchen. Plus a utility room with a furnace discreetly hidden behind a louvered closet door! If you haven’t visited these kitchens or the Home Service Department, by all means do so.
(This was the caption for a photo) The Gas Company Home Service Girls make homemaker’s task a lot easier by devising better and quicker ways to do things. Testing recipes In Michigan Consolidated’s kitchens are Eleanor Roberts of Grand Rapids, Diane Cook of Ann Arbor, Ruth Stewart of Detroit and Karen Claybeusch of Mt Pleasant.
Gas Is Dependable
Each of the cards also had a marketing saying designed to help you, the consumer, understand that gas is a safe and easy thing to use – and potentially sell you additional products.
- 1 out of 5 families in Grand Rapids own Silent Gas Refrigerators.
- For top kitchen service – the Certified Performance Gas range.
- Gas is dependable.
- Instant Hot Water at all hours with an automatic Gas water heater.
- It freezes without noise – no moving parts in the silent Gas refrigerator.
- It is easy to roast a turkey in a modern Gas range.
- Make kitchen hours a pleasure with an Automatic CP Gas Range.
- Meal preparation is quick and easy with the CP Gas Range.
- Modernize with an automatic Gas heater – enjoy Instant Hot Water.
- No. 1 home convenience – the automatic Gas water heater.
- Only the silent Gas refrigerator has no machinery to wear out.
- Relax when cooking – relay on precision heat control of the CP Gas Range.
- Stays silent – lasts longer – the silent Gas refrigerator.
- The CP Gas range features automatic lighting and precision heat control.
- The magic flame that freezes, operates the silent Gas refrigerator.
- The new Freedom Gas Kitchen is an automatic Gas kitchen.
- The silent Gas refrigerator freezes with no moving parts.
- The top kitchen service – the new clock controlled CP Gas Range.
- Your dream come true – the new Freedom Gas Kitchen.
Home Services Department Recipes
Here is an ongoing list of the various Home Services Department Recipes from the Michigan Consolidated Gas Company that I’ve stumbled across. I’ll update this post as I get these typed, photographed, and posted live.
- 14 Baked Date Pudding with Rum Sauce
- 18 Vegetable Casserole
- 62 Ham Tetrazzini with Thin White Sauce
- 104 City Chicken Legs
- 124 Cucumber Jelly with Chicken Salad
- 136 Lime Chiffon Pie
- 208 Luncheon Casserole
- 268 Baked Chicken
- 381 Frozen Pear Salad
- 383 Strawberry Jam
- 396 Fresh Cherry Pie
- 418 Fresh Peach Pie
- 430 Eggs In Casserole
- 521 Baked Beans
- 525 Baked Cod Piquant
- 550 Rice Omelet with Chinese Sauce
- 552 Corn Chowder
- 562 Pecan Pie
- 569 Chicken Timbales with Mushroom Sauce
- 587 Steamed Plum Pudding
- 589 Carrot Pudding with Lemon Sauce
- 594 Butterhorn Rolls
- 596 Rhubarb Puffs
- 599 Tuna Loaf with Cucumber Sauce
- 602 Barbecued Sandwiches
- 640 Cherry Cookies
- 664 Individual Strawberry Custard Pies
- 651 Tossed Supper Salad
- 653 Strawberry Parfait
- 689 Stuffed Tomatoes Au Gratin
- 702 Sweet Milk Doughnuts
- 713 Roast Stuffed Turkey with Mushroom Stuffing
- 722 Sandies
- 723 Popcorn Balls (side 1)
- 723 Caramel Taffy Apples (side 2)
- 725 Christmas Cookie Wreaths
- 726 Molded Cream Cheese Salad
- 729 Meurbe Cookies
- 730 Dark Fruit Cake
- 731 Sand Tarts
- 734 Hungarian Coffee Cake from Refrigerator Yeast Dough
- 735 Apricot Whip and Custard Sauce Parfaits
- 750 Frosted Chocolate Cookies
- 762 Orange Meringue Cake
- 779 Strawberry Refrigerator Cake
- 779 Angel Food Cake
- 782 Fruit Filled Angel Food Cake
- 789 Popovers
- 780 Cherry Tarts
- 790 Swedish Tea Ring
- 791 Crusty Bread End Rolls
- 803 Strawberry Preserves
- 809 Buffet Supper Casserole
- 811 Strawberry and Pineapple Preservers
- 813 Chicken Rolls with Egg Sauce
- 820 Jellied Veal Loaf
- 823 Glazed Blueberry Tarts
- 858 Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
- 861 Butterscotch Drops (side 1)
- 861 French Chocolate Balls (side 2)
- 861 Chocolate Flake Candy (side 2)
- 862 Fruit Meringue Drops
- 863 Breakfast Wreaths with Confectioners’ Icing
- 864 Candy Minted Nuts (side 1)
- 864 Praline Walnuts (side 2)
- 864 Sugared Walnuts (side 2)
- 865 English Toffee Squares
- 866 Roast Stuffed Chicken with Cornbread Stuffing
- 867 Divinity
- 868 Pineapple Cookies
- 869 Almond Crescent Cookies
- 870 Cranberry-Apple Pie
- 871 Holiday Pie
- 873 Festive Fruit Salad with Cream Cheese Filling (side 1)
- 873 Fluffy Salad Dressing (side 2)
- 874 Hazelnut Macaroons
- 875 Quick Chocolate Cake with Nut Fudge Frosting
- 883 Frankfurter Cheese Spread (side 1)
- 883 Fireside Snacks (side 2)
- 885 Southern Style Corn
- 886 Fish Chowder
- 887 Beef A La Mode
- 888 Pineapple-Cheese Pie
- 889 Breaded Pork in Garlic Sauce
- 890 Cream Puffs with Cream Custard Filling
- 891 Lady Baltimore Cake with Seven Minute Frosting
- 892 Ham Puffs with Brown Mushroom Sauce
- 894 Chocolate Meringue Pie
- 895 Cheese Souffle
- 897 Egg Cutlets
- 900 Shoulder of Lamb with Sausage Stuffing and Currant Mint Sauce
- 901 California Salad
- 902 Chocolate Chip Marguerites
- 903 Pineapple Upside Down Cake
- 910 Mocha Cup Cakes with Mocha Frosting
- 911 Quick Coffee Cake with Two Topping Variations
- 912 Mushroom Capped Veal Cutlets
- 915 Carot Salad and Lemon Tang (side 1)
- 914 Strawberry Cream Roll
- 915 Tossed Pineapple and Cottage Cheese Salad (side 2)
- 916 Orange Tapioca Pudding
- 917 Individual Barbecued Meat Loaves
- 913 Asparagus Supreme
- 920 Snicksnacks
- 921 Old Fashioned Lettuce, Orange-Banana Salad
- 922 Corn Timbales with Creamed Dried Beef
- 923 Mushroom-Ham Open Sandwich
- 924 Asparagus with Lemonnaise
- 927 Spanish Cream
- 928 Spinach Alsatian
- 929 Orange Blossom Rings
- 930 Broiled Chicken with Fine Herbs
- 939 Fudge Ring with Mint-Pineapple Ice
- 969 Liver Patties
- 976 Molded Cranberry Salad (side 1)
- 976 Frozen Cranberry Relish (side 2)
- 977 Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie in a Graham Cracker Crust
- 979 Roast Turkey with Sage Stuffing
- 980 Pork Shoulder with Sauerkraut and Glazed Apple Rings
- 981 Parsley Turnips
- 982 Filled Cookies with Date or Raising Filling
- 1006 Corn Stuffed Pork Shoulder
- 1007 Cherry Chiffon Cake
- 1008 Corn Meal Yeast Rolls
- 1009 Bing Cherry Salad
- 1010 New England Boiled Dinner
- 1011 Cherry Kuchen
- 1012 Corn and Sausage Casserole
- 1013 Halibut Steak with Celery Horseradish Sauce
- 1014 Old Fashioned Doughnuts
- 1015 Easter Egg Salad
- 1016 Rolled Pork and Veal Roast (side 1)
- 1016 Fruit Fritters (side 2)
- 1017 Apricot-Pineapple Sponge
- 1018 Mocha Pie
- 1019 Curlicue Coffee Cake with Date or Raisin Filling
- 1021 Apple Crunch
- 1032 Creamed Ham and Asparagus
- 1032 Pastry Shells
- 1038 Five Decker Dinner
- 1043 Buttermilk Pan Rolls
- 1045 Glazed Cherry Cream Pie
- 1058 Tuna-Cheese Broil and Broiled Delight
- 1059 (4 vegetables) Green Beans with Mushrooms
- 1059 (4 vegetables) Savory Baked Tomatoes
- 1059 (4 vegetables) Savory Potato Fritters
- 1059 (4 vegetables) Honey Glazed Carrots
- 1060 Honey Twist from Refrigerator Yeast Dough
- 1061 Pecan Chocolate Crispies
- 1062 Pork Chop Garden Casserole
- 1067 Sour Cream Potato Soup
- 1072 Crusty Meat Pie
- 1073 Fall Fruit Salad with Celery Seed Fruit Salad Dressing
- 1438 Crusty Scalloped Corn
- 1449 Chocolate Angel Food Cake with Fluffy Chocolate Frosting
- 1482 Hurry Up Broiler Meal
- 1490 Dill Sweet Pickles
- 1492 Hamburger Bean Soup (side 1)
- 1492 Saturday Night Special Sandwiches (Side 2)
- 1498 Deep Dish Peach Pie
- 1591 Turkey Pompons (November 1954)
- 1592 Pumpkin Mince Pie (November 1954)
- 1593 Green Vegetable Trio (November 1954)
- 1594 Chocolate Delicacy (November 1954)
- 1595 Apple Torte (November 1954)
- 1596 Roast Turkey with Almond Celery Stuffing (November 1954)
- 1597 Spicy Applesauce Mold (November 1954)