For nine decades, Our State has made its way into homes across North Carolina, the United States, and the world. To celebrate, every month this year, we’re paying tribute to the readers who inspire us, offering a taste of our earliest recipes, and revisiting old stories with new insights. Follow along to find out how our past has shaped our present.
photograph by Matt Hulsman
January 1978 • In 1978, Carol Dare published a recipe called Meatballs for the Microwave, which recommended microwaving raw beef for 15 to 17 minutes. Home cooks had been cooking in microwaves since the appliance’s first iteration, the Radarange, was patented in the 1940s. Few used it, as it was large and expensive, but by the mid-1970s, sales of microwaves surpassed those of gas ranges. While culinary innovations over the past 45 years are impressive, we still prefer a well-seasoned skillet for best results.
Yield: 4 servings.
1 pound 80/20 ground chuck
1 large egg
½ cup bread crumbs
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
1 green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 cup sour cream
½ cup chili sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Egg noodles, cooked and buttered
In a large bowl, mix together beef, egg, bread crumbs, paprika, salt, and pepper. Portion beef mixture into 12 meatballs. Add vegetable oil to a skillet over medium heat. Add meatballs and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove meatballs from skillet and set aside. Reserve oil and juices.
Add onion and bell pepper to skillet. Cook on medium heat until onion is translucent and pepper is tender.
Stir in sour cream, chili sauce, and brown sugar, and reduce heat to low. Add meatballs and cover. Continue cooking for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve over egg noodles.
— Recipe adapted by Lynn Wells
photograph by Matt Hulsman
July 1988 • Home economist Barbara Minter from the North Carolina Department of Agriculture provided three produce-filled recipes for this issue. Minter wrote “The Tar Heel Kitchen” section of the NCDA’s Agricultural Review, a publication focused on all things North Carolina agriculture. The cooking column specialized in seasonally inspired recipes, so it’s no surprise that Minter submitted a corn-and-okra recipe for a July issue.
Yield: 4 servings.
3 large ears of corn, husks and silks removed
1 beef bouillon cube
½ cup boiling water
2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 medium green bell pepper, cored and diced
8 to 10 fresh okra pods, sliced
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon white pepper
Cut kernels from corn cobs and scrape cobs with the back of the knife to remove corn pulp. Place corn and pulp in a mixing bowl.
Dissolve bouillon cube in boiling water to make beef broth and set aside.
In a large skillet, melt butter. Add onion and bell pepper to skillet; cook on medium heat until onion and pepper are translucent, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in corn kernels, pulp, and okra. Add beef broth, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
Cover skillet and simmer for 5 minutes.
— Recipe adapted by Lynn Wells
photograph by Matt Hulsman
May 9, 1953 • When the recipe for mayonnaise cake first came across Carol Dare’s desk — or kitchen table — she wasn’t too keen on a condiment-based dessert. “Mrs. Dennyce Atkins of High Point sent us this recipe, admitting that it sounded most unappetizing.” After giving the recipe a try, Dare shared her thoughts: “Thank you, Mrs. Atkins, for the easiest cake we’ve made in many a day and a perfectly delicious one.”
Yield: 12 servings.
Chocolate Cake
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
2 teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 cup water
Chocolate Frosting
6 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened milk chocolate
3 (14-ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare two 8-inch cake pans with cooking spray. Line pans with parchment paper circles to fit.
Using an electric hand mixer, mix the mayonnaise and sugar until sugar dissolves. Stir in vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa. On low speed, alternate adding dry ingredients and water to mayonnaise. Mix until well combined.
Pour an equal portion of batter into each cake pan.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let pans rest on a cooling rack for 15 minutes, then remove cake from pans. When cake is completely cool, spread frosting on top of bottom layer. Place second cake layer on top of first layer. Cover top of cake and sides with remaining frosting. Chill cake for 2 hours before slicing. Use any leftover icing for cookies or cupcakes.
For the frosting: Melt chocolate with milk and salt in heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook and stir until thickened, about 5 to 10 minutes. Icing should resemble pudding.
Remove from heat and stir in water. When cooled completely, stir in vanilla.
— Recipe adapted by Lynn Wells
North Carolina is known for many things, but nothing more important this week than the qualities of endurance, resilience, and hope.
By day, this adventure park in the Triad is a fall festival to die for. By night, the undead come alive for Halloween tricks. Welcome to one man’s vision of year-round merrymaking.
North Carolina’s border dances across the mountains as it traces four different states. Life here can be more remote, but good neighbors are never far away.
The Blue Ridge Parkway stands out among America’s national parks: Unfurling across six Appalachian mountain chains, it connects dozens of rural communities and binds together generations of families through shared memories.
