As I was working on a poem for this week’s post, I became immersed in searching through my old recipe boxes for my grandmother’s potato salad recipe. I don’t need it to make the salad (because I know it by heart) but rather for my post. As I spent the day reminiscing over the handwritten recipes, today’s poem bubbled up. I was also thinking about acrostic poems. Amy LV had written one at her blog, The Poem Farm. and in her wonderful Notebook Keeping videos, she’d talked about them. I also got to thinking about handwritten recipes shared between friends and family. When I was first married, I collected recipes for my own boxes- one for desserts and one for all the other categories. I treasure these small cards that not only hold a recipe, but also hold memories and a bit of each person who shared the recipe, through their unique style of handwriting. You can’t get any of that from recipes online. Here’s my tribute to handwritten recipe cards, a lost art.
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| My recipe boxes (I have my grandmother’s metal box, too but it’s not pictured here) |
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| My handwritten recipe cards |
Recipe
Recollections of memories from another time
Early days when directions were handwritten
Culinary delights, some ordinary, some extraordinary
Impressions of bygone days
Preserving handwriting of loved ones and friends
Engraved with stains- traces of the past to be treasured.
Here’s one of my recipes that I’ll share this week. It’s a favorite that my mother-in-law always made. I’d forgotten about it until I saw it this week. I am baking some as I write this! Remembering her through her recipe.
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| Recipe from my mother-in-law |
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| Pumpkin Cookies |
Oh what a treasure! I have a box of my grandmother's handwritten recipes... I love her notes that say "not that good" or "1/3 cup butter instead." It really is a peek into a person, isn't it? Thank you for preserving the stains in your poem, too. :)
ReplyDeleteLovely reminiscence, Amy. Those recipes in my foremothers' handwriting are treasures beyond the food they make. I also treasure the church cookbook from the church I grew up in. Many of the recipe contributors have passed on, but making their recipes keeps them alive in my heart.
ReplyDeleteI agree 100% about the value of handwritten recipes. I feel lucky to have some from my mother and aunt. Yum, pumpkin cookies!
ReplyDeleteWhat treasures you have, Amy. I have some that are the go-tos with certain dishes & I love the handwriting as much as the food. I'll keep your pumpkin cookie recipe. I have a favorite for pumpkin bread, but not cookies! Happy Cooking & Remembering!
ReplyDeleteCan I say that I love that you have one recipe box for desserts and one for everything else? That's my kind of recipes! I have a few handwritten recipes, but most of mine are in a cookbook my mom made. She typed up all the family favorites and put them in a photo album.Through the years I've copied and snipped recipes to add (most now shoved into the pocket dividers between sections). Those pumpkin cookies look delicious!
ReplyDeleteYour post is right up my alley! I, too, am a fan of recipe boxes and hand-written recipes. I hold onto any that my mother wrote, even though many are for meat dishes and I'm vegetarian.Your recipe boxes are fabulous and how wonderful that one is exclusively for desserts. I once had great fun writing a poem called "Ten Things I Found in My Recipe Box". (it's on my blog if you want to check it out) Enjoy your cookies!
ReplyDelete"Engraved with stains" is part of the charm, isn't it? I love seeing people's handwriting -- it makes them feel more present. Thanks, Amy.
ReplyDelete"Engraved with stains- traces of the past to be treasured."
ReplyDeleteThis line will stick with me. I have several handwritten recipe cards from my mother-in-law and grandma-in-law that are engraved with stains and lots and lots of love. Thank you!
"Engraved with stains". Such a warm, charming post.
ReplyDeleteYum - your poem, your 'engraved with stains' recipe cards and those delicious looking cookies. Did they taste as good as they looked? :)
ReplyDeleteI adore acrostics--your poem is delightful, Amy! The I and E lines are just especially wonderful...
ReplyDeleteYour poem is lovely. Yes, I get a lot of recipes off of the internet now, but I too, treasure my recipe cards. When I got married almost 25 years ago, my Mom had everyone who attended my shower bring a recipe card for one of their favorite dishes. They are such a treasure.
ReplyDeleteAmy, I love looking through recipes because they remind me of baking days with my Nonnie and Mother. (Engraved with stains- traces of the past to be treasured.) Your poem captures my feelings, too. Guess what, I have been baking with fresh pumpkin for decades. It started when my children were younger and I had multiple pumpkins. To this date, I still buy many pumpkins in the fall to puree when the season is over. I just took out the last of my frozen pumpkin to make fresh pumpkin and cranberry cookies. Yours look yummy!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much.
ReplyDeleteYes to the stains on recipe cards, reminders that a recipe is much loved! Your choice of the word 'engraved' lifts these stains from messy to treasured.
ReplyDelete