Rosie the Riveter

Yesterday, I was proud to be a part of 778 women who dressed up like Rosie the Riveter to set a work world record as part of an effort to save the Ypsilanti bomber plant.  

Me and my friends Ellen and Laurie

While I was there, I saw the Norman Rockwell picture of Rosie the Riveter and I fell in love with it....

It was a play on Michaelangelo's Isaiah, and it depicted a very strong woman eating her bologna sandwich for lunch and resting her feet on Mein Kampf.   I read that food was a big part of the real life Rosies, many of which were at the event.   And why not?  Several years ago, I visited a shock absorber plant for work in the middle of Nebraska, and the plant employed many farmer's wives.   They put together a cookbook for their 35th anniversary of the plant, and many of the ladies had crock pots bubbling away at their work stations, making lunch to share.   They gave me a copy of their cookbook, which has plenty of hearty down home recipes in it, including copper penny carrots, which is a carrot salad dressed with a local favorite salad dressing that is simply called "Dorothy Lynch".   When you go to a restaurant in Nebraska and order a salad, they will ask you what kind of dressing you want ....they have the usual suspects like Italian, Ranch, etc., but they also have "Dorothy Lynch".    I had to try it and it is delicious!  It's like French dressing with a kick. I understand there really was a Dorothy Lynch. In the late 1940s, Dorothy and her husband ran the restaurant at the local Legion Club in St. Paul, Nebraska. s the Legion Club members were introduced to this delicious recipe, the legend of Dorothy Lynch began to grow and the dressing fast became a "must-have" favorite. Stories of local people bringing their own bottle or jug to town to have it filled with "that delicious Dorothy Lynch salad dressing" were quite common. It's now made commercially, but I've never seen it for sale here in Michigan.  

Don't be put off by the fact that it's got canned tomato soup in it, it is really good.

Dorothy Lynch Dressing

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup white sugar

1/2 cup vinegar

1 teaspoon dry mustard powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon celery seeds

1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Mix tomato soup, vegetable oil, sugar, vinegar, dry mustard, salt, celery seeds, black pepper, and garlic powder in a large jar with a lid and shake...serve immediately or refrigerate overnight for best flavor.  To make the carrot salad:

Copper Penny Salad

2 lbs carrots, peeled, cooked whole and cooled, then sliced thin into coins

1 small green pepper diced

2 medium sized onions, sliced thin

Mix vegetables together, and dress with Dorothy Lynch dressing.