Cheese Squares

If this is your first time to our blog, we are more than just recipes! Each of the recipes on our blog is a recreation from a cookbook published in 1951 in Santa Maria, California. We are not only recreating these recipes, but we are also revisiting the lives of each contributor and sharing their bios with you. You can read more about this project on our About page.

Bio: Roberta Wickenden

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In 1930, Roberta Wickenden married into a well-known pioneer family in the Santa Maria area. In my research on her, it frequently felt as though her story was lost behind that of her husband's family, but there was still plenty to find between the lines. Educated, sophisticated, and clearly very dedicated to her family, Roberta not only embraced her husband's heritage but was also influential in the shaping of the town through her support of the community during some turbulent time periods.

What stood out most was her work with the Red Cross during war time. She became a certified volunteer as a Home Nurse during World War II and a Welfare Aide during the Korean War, which allowed her to care for and support her immediate community on a higher level during these two uncertain periods in history. Outside of this, she also devoted her time to preserving the history of the area, beautifying the city, and supporting women's education through her work with various organizations. I imagine Roberta making these cheese squares as appetizers for dinner parties or committee meetings in support of her community work. I don't know if she entertained, of course, but considering the breadth of her community involvement I have no doubt that she was in a position to do so influentially.

Making this recipe is rough. It's extremely labor intensive: cutting the loaf of bread into small cubes, grating American Cheese, and then dredging and coating each individual cube one by one. The dredge is messy. Grating American Cheese is only possible if you freeze it first, though it's still not easy by any means. It's time consuming, and I can't imagine ever having enough time to make this recipe in a quantity appropriate for entertaining more than a couple of guests. The flavor of the final product, however, is pretty amazing. With a crunchy, cheesy crust and a soft center, the rich flavor evokes a nostalgia for diner grilled cheese. All that needs to be added is a sparkling wine pairing for extra fun.

You can find the recipe for Cheese Cubes below. Let us know what you think...

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Bio: Roberta Wickenden

Cheese Squares

Servings: 25 to 30 squares

Prep Time: 30 to 45 min

Cook Time: 15 to 20 min

Total Time: 45 min to 1 hr 15 min

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf of bread

• 1/2 lb butter, melted and slightly cooled

• 4 eggs

• 3 packages American Cheese, grated

  
  

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cut crust from bread and cut loaf into 1 1/2 inch cubes.

3. Beat eggs well and stir in melted butter.

4. Dip each bread cube into the egg mixture and roll in grated cheese.

5. Bake until cheese has melted and lightly toasted.

Notes:

1. I could not find American Cheese that was not sliced, so I used cubes of Velveeta. I know it's not quite the same thing, but it basically is.

2. Freeze your blocks of cheese first for easier grating.

3. I used a loaf of French bread, but you can use whatever bread you'd like. Sourdough would also make a good option.