Who Put the Devil in Deviled Eggs?

Who pitted the first cherries and nestled them into pie crust?
Was a meatloaf sandwich the result of a late-night refrigerator run?
Does anyone really crave green bean casserole, complete with fried onions on top?

In this time of hyper-awareness of locality—when every roast chicken needs a pedigree of a free-range home and antibiotic-free past—it’s time to celebrate the very basics of American coo...