Leithead Family Cookbook

We visited my great-grandma Dicy (Leithead) Warner often before she passed away. She was always baking or canning. We were always helping in the kitchen. Her kitchen table, which my mom inherited when she died, has a bread pan bottom burned onto it – a very visual reminder!

My family also inherited this very well loved family cookbook. It was missing the front cover but I was put together by descendants of James Leithead.

You can download a full copy of my scan of the original with a few handwritten notes from Dicy. Unfortunately, it will take quite awhile to retype it so I have not yet. If you would like to retype and share, please let me know.

The Cookbook

Download the Cookbook as PDF

Though this cookbook is dedicated to Electa Harris, the editors would like to acknowledge and express thanks to the other descendants of James Leithead who submitted recipes.

And here is Dicy’s recipe for Pasties which I remember eating with her.

Pasties

Pasty Pastry

• 3 cups flour
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/4 cup shortening

Mix salt, flour, and shortening until mixture resembles small peas. Divide dough into six to eight equal parts. Roll like pie dough in round or oblong shape.

Pasty Filling

• 6-8 red potatoes
• 2 lbs. red meat
• 3 medium or 2 large onions

Use 1/3 lb. for each pasty. Peel and cube potatoes and onions. Add to meat. Salt and pepper to taste and add a pinch of parsley. Dab butter on each. Bring pastry up around meat filling. Seal. Bake at 375 degrees for one hour. Brush with milk once or twice during baking.

Contributors

At the back of the cookbook is a list of contributors, grouped by family. All contributors were decedents of Electa Belinda Leithead Harris, Ben Lomand Leithead, and Edith Mahala Leithead Averett.

Electa Belinda Leithead Harris

Edith Mahala Leithead Averett