Martha Dixon’s Copper Kettle Cookbook
Long before Martha Stewart hit the airwaves with her signature catchphrase, “And that’s a good thing,” nine years before Julia Child appeared on public TV in 1963, and before Galloping Gourmet hit US TV in 1969, cookbook author Martha Dixon was the trusted source for home cooks, at least in Michigan.
Let’s take a look at a program widely known to Michigan folks from the 1950s to the 1970s. If you were within the viewing area of the WJIM-TV station, you were likely tuning in to “Martha Dixon’s The Copper Kettle.” Her show became the source material for her two beloved cookbooks, one of which is a part of my curated cookbook collection.
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Martha Dixon Cookbooks
Martha Dixon’s Copper Kettle Cook Book (1963) by Martha Dixon
Martha Dixon’s Cook Book: 20th Anniversary Edition (1983) by Martha Dixon
WJIM-TV, Channel 6
Glamorous or simple, the success of your meal or party depends upon the dessert you serve. One well-known French chef said, “Last impressions linger with the guests.”
Martha Dixon’s Copper Kettle Cookbook (1963), Page 286.
Station owner Harold F. Gross was apprehensive about the whole TV business. He wasn’t so sure about TV at the time. So, he covered his bases. He had the new station designed as a motel. If things with TV went south, he could easily convert the space into something more profitable. Yes, it even had a pool.
WJIM-TV was the new kid on the block. Signing on May 1, 1950, the station was named for station owner Harold F. Gross’ son, Jim (isn’t that cute?). Some say that station was won during a game of cards gone right. If that story is true, it makes sense you would want to tread carefully. But the station took off. Known as WLNS-TV since 1984, it is the second-oldest broadcasting station outside of Detroit, Michiguide shared.
New Station, New Programming, New Host(s)
Local tradition and taste peculiarity determine the character of many homemade breads. New England has its steamed Boston brown and its crusty spider corn bread, made in an old-fashioned frying pan. The South has its batter bread. The “Tall Corn Belt” smacks its lips over fresh corn bread (and many sections recall pioneer days with hoe cakes, no longer baked on the blade of a hoe). But the entire nation of homemakers unites in making the palate-proved favorite, old-fashioned white bread.
Martha Dixon’s Copper Kettle Cook Book (1963), Page 238.
Lansing, Michigan local TV station WJIM Channel 6, now WLMS, began broadcasting “Martha’s Dixon’s Copper Kettle” in 1953. Winifred Breithaupt Olds was the first host, her obituary shared. Olds hosted the program until 1955.
However, a different article from The State Journal in Lansing, Michigan, dated Sunday, September 20, 1953, announced the first air date of “The Copper Kettle” show as the following Monday. That’s not all.
The State Journal article revealed the new kitchens in the WJIM-TV studio made just for the show. How fancy — and a clever way to generate a little excitement. The article also shares the name of a different host. Wait, what?
Former Lansing, Michigan native and 1943 graduate of the School of Home Economics of Michigan State College, Anita Lincoln was going to “be showing tested recipes, preparing meals, and practicing her culinary arts for the television audiences each day,” according to the paper.
Anita Lincoln became the head dietician at the University of Baltimore until broadcasting caught her eye, and she changed directions. Lincoln headed to Chicago, Illinois, to join the home economist staff at a food company there. The newspaper even lists the physical address for Anita’s parents, “Mr. and Mrs. W.C. Lincoln.”
So, was Anita Lincoln the first host of “The Copper Kettle,” or did something happen? Did she change her mind about relocation, thus making Winifred Olds the first host? Or did Winifred Olds replace Anita Lincoln? Does anyone know the answer?
As for Winifred Olds, first host or not, she was an important part of growing the show and getting it off the ground.
Olds performed in over 40 local productions between 1942 and 2012 in addition to over a dozen directorial and production team credits. She also hosted the cooking show “The Copper Kettle” on WILX-TV from 1953-’56.
In 2005, Olds won a Lifetime Achievement Pulsar Award, and in 2010 she received the Robert Busby Award for “Overall Contributions to Theater and Community.” Her final performance was in Starlight Dinner Theatre’s “Steel Magnolias” last year.“
She was a master of entrances and exits,” said her longtime friend Linda Granger, who directed her in “Magnolias.” “She just had this presence that made you pay attention to her. Sometimes when she appeared in a doorway, she’d have to wait for the applause to die before she could deliver her first line. It was magical.”
Her dramatic entrances were not confined to the stage. Dick MacLachlan shared a story about a trip Olds took to New York with some friends who found themselves cornered by a giant (hands held three feet apart) cockroach.
Olds burst into the room, dispatched the beast with a heavy boot and chided the women for being scared with an “Oh, for God’s sake.”
Allan I. Ross, Encomium, CityPulse, June 26, 2013
Winifred Olds sounds like one fun lady. Doesn’t she just look like someone you’d want to be pals with? But Olds was moving out of the Lansing area to Detroit, Michigan. Someone needed to fill her place — and fast.
Meet Madeline Ver Planck: The Long-Time “Martha Dixon”
There’s no better bargain than vegetables. Their bright colors add appeal to the meal, plus the flavor-fresh goodness. They are easy and fun to fix. Use your imagination and add extra touches, such as toasted almonds, crisp croutons, lemon butter, or a dramatic swoop of sour cream.
Martha Dixon’s Copper Kettle Cookbook (1963), Page 176.
Madeline Ver Planck was familiar with “The Copper Kettle” as a guest. As food and service supervisor in hotel and restaurant management at the Kellogg Center at Michigan State University, Winifred Olds invited Ver Planck to appear as her guest on the show.
From what I can tell, the Kellogg Center holds State Room Restaurant, with fine casual dining. The timeline fits, as the restaurant opened Sept. 17, 1951. If Ver Planck held a position there, it was an impressive achievement.
The Kellogg Center was the “first laboratory for hotel management,” and the first Kellogg Center for Continuing Education. There are eleven such sites today, according to the Kellogg Center and Hotel Conference Center website.
Ver Planck shared that months after her guest appearance, someone she called “Finch” had reached out to her to take Winfred Old’s place. I later discovered the same reference in her cookbook. Ver Planck meant Vice President of WJIM-TV, Howard K. Finch.
An Experienced Dietician
Although Ver Planck was just 33 at the time, the Kellogg Center wasn’t her only resume point. Ver Planck was a dietician at The Homestead Resort in Glen Arbor, Michigan. You may know the lakefront venue as a fancy-pants family resort or romantic getaway, named “the best US beach” (and plenty more) by several noteworthy names.
That wasn’t always the case, as the Glen Arbor Sun points out. Back in the day, you could get a room at The Homestead for $5 a night. Then, however, it was a winter camp for boys, while in the summer it was more for “resorters,” according to The Homestead website.
Ver Planck next worked at Cat Key Club Hotel in Cat Cay, Bahamas — a private island, located 50 nautical miles from Miami. She called it “that fabulous spot” in her cookbook. At least, I assume she means Cat Cay and not South Cat Cay. Either way, Ver Planck served as the dietician, though I can’t find that specific hotel. The closest I get is Cat Cay Yacht Club.
Becoming Martha Dixon of “The Copper Kettle”
A well-prepared sauce or gravy adds richness and the finishing touch to meat, fish, poultry, and vegetables. To be perfect, it must be smooth, glossy, and distinctive in flavor.
The Martha Dixon Copper Kettle Cook Book (1963), Page 158.
Was Martha Dixon the alter ego, stage name, or TV station branding of Madeline Ver Planck? I’m not sure if the show began as “Martha Dixon’s” or changed. Her first TV hosting gig, “The Copper Kettle,” was to be a 30-minute program. Instead, it became a full 60-minute program, Madeline Ver Planck’s obit noted, entertaining and informing the Central Michigan audience for 25 years.
“The Copper Kettle” was different from other shows in the area. Unlike those TV programs with a focus on fashion, “The Copper Kettle” was “interested in everything that a homemaker wants to know about,” an interview with Ver Planck shared. Guests included area chefs, people from various clubs and organizations, local news, fashion, and Martha Dixon’s on-camera cooking.
“Serving quality food is a rewarding experience,” said John Gilbert of Gilbert Chocolate Company in Jackson, Michigan. High school-aged Ver Planck took the statement to heart. It was something she never forgot, and included his quote and its impact on her in her cookbook’s intro.
John Gilbert, self-made Michigan millionaire, certainly understood the power of feeding others. While there’s plenty to read about this interesting man and his chocolate business, I thought you might enjoy the info below to understand why his simple statement mattered.
During World War II, the U.S. government placed orders for about 300,000 pounds of Gilbert’s Chocolates that were shipped throughout the world to members of the Army, Navy and Marines. The chocolates, called “Caballeros,” were in ornamental metal boxes that looked like treasure chests.
Leanne Smith, Peek Through Time: Candyman John O. Gilbert Left a Sweet Legacy, MLive, January 21, 2019
While Ver Planck may have seemed like a good fit to host the show given her interest in food service, her experience, and the fact that she’d even appeared on it already as a guest and was familiar with the format, she wasn’t involved in broadcasting.
Ver Planck wasn’t sure if she wanted the position. She already had a job. In fact, she had already planned a month-long vacation. She kept her vacation plans and used the time to think the offer over. During Ver Planck’s vacation, she realized the fun she had with her two sons and wanted that to continue.
If Ver Planck agreed to appear on “The Copper Kettle,” then the afternoons would be her own, and give her more time with her family. Ver Planck accepted the offer. But her job didn’t end when the cameras stopped rolling. Ver Planck supervised the catering there, sold advertising, and gave tours of the station.
As Ver Planck said in “The State Journal” article (1961) I referenced above, “It’s a job without a time clock. I know what I have to do.”
How much free afternoon time do you think she actually had as her show grew in popularity? Between sales and tours and the rest, how much of her afternoon was eaten up by the work that had to get done? She became a very busy lady.
When Ver Planck wasn’t working on the show or spending time with her family, she had plenty of other outside interests. Collecting recipes was one of her hobbies (sounds familiar, right?). Receiving fan mail with favorite recipes tucked inside must have been fun, though answering all those letters would have been another time-consuming effort.
I wonder if Ver Planck had binders or envelopes full of recipes? How much fun would it be to go through, read, and test those recipes? In her spare time, she also enjoyed horseback riding and reading poetry or biographies.
Subscribers to “The Copper Kettle” appear to have received recipes each week to coincide with the weekly broadcast, according to Capital Area District Libraries Local History Online section. If you have these recipes, the library needs them from certain years, such as 1975, to fill in the blanks.
Interestingly enough, in a 1961 article, Ver Planck mentioned she had featured two recipe booklets on the show and had received 2,500 requests for them “so far.” It’s safe to say that Central Michigan trusted “Martha Dixon’s Copper Kettle.”
The recipe subscriber mailings continued even after the show ended. Until 1983, subscribers received a special holiday recipe list. After that point, “The Copper Kettle Cookbook 20th Anniversary Edition” became available and the freebies ended.
Madeline Ver Planck passed away July 9, 2009, but her tried-and-true recipes remain. “The Copper Kettle Cook Book” is still considered a “must-have.” A Michigan bakery owner hosted a Martha Dixon Day back in 2012.
My mommy owned Martha’s cookbook, and I remember as a child, staring at it wanting to eat all the beautiful food pictured on the cover, especially the desserts. My mommy was honored to be on Martha’s show as she demonstrated cookie baking, and still talks about the experience with proud fondness.
Martha Dixon’s sweet disposition, easy expertise in the kitchen, and her lovely smile made her a dear mentor to me and many others. In retrospect, I think given her cooking and media talents, I am sure she would have been a contender for a national show today; a well deserved feat for such an admirable woman.
Linda Hundt, Memories of Martha…, Sweetie-licious Bakery Café, February 6, 2012
Martha Dixon’s Cookbooks
My sincere wish to everyone who uses my Copper Kettle Cook Book is: “Bon appétit!”
Martha Dixon, Preface: Martha Dixon’s Copper Kettle Cook Book (December 1963),Page 10.
Madeline Ver Planck Creator Profile
- Cookbook Titles: Martha Dixon’s Copper Kettle Cook Book (1963) and Martha Dixon’s Cook Book: 20th Anniversary Edition (1983) by Martha Dixon
- Niche: Anyone can cook
- Vibe: Warm and knowledgeable
I have a copy of Martha Dixon’s Copper Kettle (thanks, Mom). It is a wonderful read and obviously well-loved, with spatters and stains on so many pages. I love that. This vintage cookbook measures roughly 6″ x 9″ x 1 1/2″ and weighs in at roughly a pound and a half. It has 480 pages.
The “Cookability” Level: Beginner+. Although the recipes are simple and most of them are scratch-made, this 1960s cookbook can be vague regarding what size of pot, pan, or pie plate to use (mostly because sizing options were different then). Instructions often say the oven temperature and how long to bake or cook something, but it won’t always provide clues to know when it’s done.
Pantry Accessibility: This is 1960s cooking. It is easy to find the items required to make the recipes in this vintage cookbook. If you have the basics, you are a step ahead. To put it in perspective, here is her note on Key Lime Pie (Page 309): “This unusual recipe originated in the Florida Keys.” We hardly consider Key Lime Pie unusual. You’ll be able to find what you need easily.
Tool Requirements: You won’t need any specialized tools or gadgets that I can see. Okay, you may need a fluted mold or ring mold, since these are 1960s recipes, and salad molds were all the rage. A souffle dish is also a necessity to make her souffle recipe (or use a dish with straight sides). But if you own basic cookware and bakeware, you should mostly be good to go with the majority of recipes.
Cookbook Usability: Some terms or processes may be a little outdated, such as scalding milk before use. Some recipes may say to pour the ingredients into a casserole dish, but no size is listed. That vagueness may be a little tricky for beginning cooks. If you can figure it out or skip over those minor issues, you’ve got a solid cookbook of surprisingly wonderful recipes.
Image-to-Recipe Ratio: This vintage cookbook doesn’t include images, but it is interspersed throughout with illustrations by Ilse Eerdmans Weidenaar. After a little digging, all I could find was the obituary for Reynold H. Weidenaar (her ex-husband, an artist), which mentioned that Eerdmans Weidenaar was an accomplished painter. Her family published the cookbook. I’d love to see more of Eerdmans Weidenaar’s works. Her illustrations are excellent.
My copy has a messed-up index, likely due to a printing error, as every two pages after a two-page spread are missing. For example, my index listings jump from Seafood to Stuffed Orange (with a pair of blank pages between), but the page numbers are intact on the printed pages in my December 1963 second printing copy.
Who is “Martha Dixon’s Copper Kettle Cook Book” for?
- People who want largely homemade recipes and don’t require images
- People who love vintage recipes and charming vintage cookbooks
- People interested in recipes with a story or introduction
Inside “The Copper Kettle Cookbook”
There are more opinions given on the subject of salad-making than on any other gastronomical feat; therefore, be creative, imaginative, and express your own individuality in salad-making.
THe Martha Dixon Copper Kettle Cook BOok (1963), Page 48.
Cookbook readers will enjoy reading through this one. My “Copper Kettle” cookbook is fun to read because Ver Planck offers a sentence or two, or a big paragraph, about each recipe. Ver Planck doesn’t always offer commentary, but with plenty of recipes including text, you get a little story or a note about who gave her the recipe or background on where a dish came from.
The chapters inside “The Copper Kettle” cookbook include:
- Appetizers
- Soups
- Salads and Their Dressings
- Poultry, Game, and Fish
- Meats
- Sauces for Meats, Fowl, Fish, Vegetables
- Relishes and Fruits to Accompany Meat and Fowl
- Vegetables
- Rice, Noodles, and Dumplings
- Eggs and Cheese
- Casseroles and One-Dish Meals
- Sandwiches
- Stuffing for Fowl
- Breads
- Quick Breads
- Biscuits and Rolls
- Doughnuts, Coffee Cakes, and Muffins
- Pancakes
- Desserts
- Ice Cream Desserts
- Fruit Desserts
- Pies
- Sauces for Desserts
- Country House Desserts
- Cakes and Frostings
- Candies and Confectioneries
- Cookies
- Sugar ‘n’ Spice Contest Recipes
One of my favorite finds includes her recipe for Shrimp Sarapico from Columbia Restaurant in Tampa, Florida. Columbia Restaurant is Florida’s oldest restaurant and the world’s largest Spanish restaurant. How cool to have a bit of that in an unexpected place, such as the pages of a Michigan-based TV show.
Every time I pick up this cookbook, I am upset that I keep somehow forgetting how good these recipes are. De Luxe Chocolate Peppermint Cream Pie, Golden Candy Caramels, Country House Pancakes (the best she’d ever eaten), and Win Schuler’s Homemade Bread are on my “make this” list. Honestly, this cookbook holds a lot that I should make. Desserts, entrees, breads, cookies — for the most part, except for a crab-heavy section, these are generally recipes I’d enjoy.
People still bake and reference Martha Dixon cookbooks today:
- “At 6 News, we want to help you with some ideas which include both healthy meals and some sweet treats. We also have tips on how to make classics like a sandwich just a little bit more healthy. Here are some delicious summer recipes to try from Martha Dixon’s (Former 6 Newscaster) cookbook from many moons ago,” Channel 6 shared.
- “Weekend holiday baking with the 1963 Martha Dixon Copper Kettle cookbook.🥧🍪🎅🏼My mom always made the white fruitcake recipe from it. She remembers seeing Martha make it on her television show. Mama gave me my own autographed copy when I got married in 1986, and I have been making it every year since. One Christmas, our grade school church choir from Trinity United Methodist on the west side sang on her television show.🎄Anyone else out there remember Martha Dixon?” a Facebook Post shared.
- “This [Peach Pie] recipe is taken from the 1963 Martha Dixon Cookbook. She was a local Lansing, Michigan TV personality whom my mother loved. Her cookbook was re-released in 1984, and my mom bought me a new copy for a bridal shower gift. It is now vintage with splashes and stains, the way a cookbook should be,” this blog shared.
- “I saw someone else post about this cookbook a few days ago. Tonight I’m cooking from the Martha Dixon Copper Kettle cookbook I’ve used for over two decades. She had a cooking show on our local WJIM TV 📺, and I remember my mom watching it at noon when I walked home from Delta Center school for lunch. The “Utterly Deadly Southern Pecan Pie” page is spattered with love. 🥧 💕 Happy Thanksgiving, everyone,” a Facebook Post shared. 🦃
