My grandmother was the most amazing cook, and during all the years we lived with my grandparents when I was a child, I don’t recall ever seeing her use a recipe in a family cookbook – she just knew how to fix everything! I have so many memories of her in the kitchen frying up perfectly seasoned chicken, baking golden, flaky biscuits, rolling out tender pie crust, and making the most awesome pumpkin and pecan pies you ever tasted.
When I married, the first recipes I asked for were Grandma’s pies, (pecan was always my favorite), and Grannie’s chicken ‘n dumplins. Grandma produced written recipes for the pies, which somehow always taste exactly like hers, but Mom and I had to make a pot of chicken ‘n dumplins so I could write down what she was using, how much, and what to do. I’m a rather exact person, so when she said “a scoop of…, but your hands are smaller than mine so you’ll need a little more” I had her scoop the correct amount and put it into a measuring cup for me!
A Family Cookbook Preserves the Past & Looks to the Future
A family cookbook is a perfect way to share special memories such as these along with favorite recipes that have been in your family for generations. Cookbook Publishers has helped thousands of families create their own cookbook, and we’re here to help you, too. We’ll show you how to use the personal pages for family history, stories, photos, or other information. Our Recipes Notes feature allows you to add anecdotes or other information with your recipes, making the book uniquely your own.
How do you get all the information together? Well, family reunions are a great place to start. Ask everyone who brings their
signature dish to also bring a copy of the recipe. We have recipe forms available to make this step easier. Gather all the grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts and uncles and have them share their stories and memories. Celebrate the wonderful cooks in your family by asking them to contribute their own family favorites. Include recipes handed down from older family members – if they’re like mine, they are becoming more fragile with each passing year. Preserve them now, along with your heritage, for years to come. Your family cookbook, a one-of-a-kind keepsake, will make a wonderful gift for holidays, family reunions, anniversaries, and welcome to new family members. They also make great wedding favors or gifts for new brides and grooms.
Remember those first recipes I collected? My daughters now make the same pumpkin and pecan pies for their families with rave reviews, although they haven’t tried making the chicken ‘n dumplins yet; that’s still up to me. Every time I pull out those recipes I’m reminded of the love that went into every dish set upon our table, and hope that my daughters and granddaughters feel the same. Happy Cooking!
Stephanie Jones, Lead Customer Service Specialist & Granddaughter
