Birthing a book takes a long time. At least for me. And in the case of my upcoming book, it took years. And years!

I am happy to report that I am in the midst of the publisher’s edits for my memoir, Cold War in the Hot Kitchen. It is scheduled to be released by The Wakefield Press, Australia, in April 2024. Our family setup was more complicated than most, and in that web of relatives my head was spinning with the very different role models set by the three women who lived in our house in Melbourne, Australia, in my early childhood: my mother, her sister, and my paternal grandmother.

It all happened a long time ago. Roles for women have greatly expanded. Yet I believe that the messages society sends to girls are still confused, and their life journey can be full of potholes unique to our gender.

As time goes on, I look forward to sharing with you some of the research I did, some of the stories I uncovered, and some of the recipes of that period. The food I remember was in fact delicious. These recipes are being rediscovered. After all, retro is back!

You can read about it on my revamped, updated website https://www.margaretannspence.com. In the meantime, since Cold War in the Hot Kitchen is about childhood, I’ll share an iconic Australian children’s birthday party appetizer. It is called Fairy Bread. Take sandwich bread slices, smear them with butter, and then load the top with rainbow sprinkles. We used to call these colorful dots “hundreds and thousands.” Use a generous hand when sprinkling. The kids will love them!