Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => The Mess Hall => Topic started by: K Frame on July 30, 2017, 07:57:54 AM
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In cleaning out Mom's various and assorted piles of crap over the last few months I came across a real treasure...
My Grandmother's hand written favorite recipes cookbook. I hadn't seen it for years, and I thought it had disappeared long ago.
It's a steno book that's just packed full of recipes that my grandmother collected, either from family or from things that she collected over the years.
And there are so many that I remember my grandmother making over the years... Shoofly cake, her cherry cake, and possibly the most important one of all... her drop dumplings, which she boiled in the sauerkraut.
Those dumplings were a staple of New Year's dinner at her house when I was growing up. My brother and I would have dumpling eating contests.
Grandma died in January 1980, so I've not had them in almost 40 years.
I'm slowly transcribing it over to a Word document, standardizing how the measures are displayed, the steps, etc.
Of all of the things that I've found since my Mom died, this one makes me the happiest.
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You found a gem, Mike. Good plan to save it as you are. My grandmother gave each of us a copy of her recipes, but didn't include her German potato salad recipe. That pass breaks my heart.
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I've got a similar collection of recipes from a favorite aunt.
She'd make notes as to who liked it or what changes she made to it to suit herself.
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It's always amazing what a good family recipe can do. Luckily I know the ones important to me by memory, I'd probably about cry without those.
Still need to get the rest from my cousin, who I found out apparently ended up with the recipe book.
Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
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A good source of family recipes is a local church's Ladies' Cookbook. It's usually a compilation of favorite family recipes. I have two or three squirreled away from different churches in my home town. No shortage of family-friendly goodness therein.
Garage and estate sales can be your friend.
Brad
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Sandy has been compiling recipes for at least 30 years in a big loose leaf notebook. Occasionally, she will take the originals and have a bunch of copies made, and then buy more loose leaf notebooks and page protectors, and make more books to give away. Only family and close friends get one, and they've become a treasured gift. There are not only all her recipes, but canning recipes as well, some handed down for several generations.
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While my niece took Dad's giant aluminum stewpot, I got his recipe book. Well, Betty Crocker's that he used to learn how to cook with after his first wife walked out on him leaving him with three very young boys to feed. (Including one still in diapers.) So there are some really good ones in there. Along with the ones I wrote down from him in the last few years of his life.
Good eats.
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On the other side of the thread title... most of my family would be far too stringy and/or gamey.
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Ya'll got me thinking. I should start writing down recipes for some of my own concoctions. Kids may want them someday. Paper or digital?
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My aunt went through my great aunts recipe box and made copies of a bunch of it which she than gave out one Christmas. It's mostly Christmas cookies and other favored family treats (like cheese balls!) The nice part was that she did it on a copier so we all have these cards that are in Aunt Elizabeth's handwriting which makes them even more special.
I need to ask if my paternal aunt still has grandma's recipe box and see if she'll do the same.
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Ya'll got me thinking. I should start writing down recipes for some of my own concoctions. Kids may want them someday. Paper or digital?
Digital printed to paper.