I keep this in a plastic bag, in a box, on a shelf. Flat, not standing. When I want to look something up, I hold my breath, afraid that the pages will finally crumble like one of the shortbread cookies who’s recipe is noted on the yellowed pages. I wish my father would pipe up on this post. I’m not at all sure that it was only my Grandmother’s notebook. It seems to be in her hand. But, through the years, I’ve been told stories about one recipe in particular. No one can make it right. It was a recipe that my great grandmother made. Seems that the measurements were hers alone. A cup, not being a standard measure as we think of a cup. Rather a cup from her kitchen. The cup that she used for measuring. A spoon , well… who knows. These are flavors lost in in time.
This recipe for Welsh Rabbit, I think of as a precursor to the days of fondue. It is delicious. As a child, I thought it had something to do with bunnies and well… you know. Bunnies? Go get some sourdough and lightly toast it. Then pour on the cheese sauce and serve with a salad and a glass of wine.
7 responses to “my grandmother’s recipe book”
Are you using an acid free bag and box? Because you want archival quality products to store something as precious as that book.
How cool. I posted my grandma’s box as well.
Very cool and yet scary every time you open up the bag. I agree with Carole. Also copying the recipes onto the computer or in your own hand to pass down.
Unfortunately, acid-free storage won’t prevent destruction unless the paper that’s being stored is also acid-free. The good news: scanning old documents is a great way to preserve the overall “feel” of the original. And the scanned images can be printed on acid-free paper.
Transcribing, as Manise suggested, is something I *wish* I had done before some of my family recipes disintegrated. And it sure makes it easy to share recipes when you can email ’em!
I was thinking “scan it”, too. I have my Grandmother’s prize white cake recipe. She made the most beautiful and yummy birthday cakes for me! The recipe, in her handwriting, is framed and on my kitchen wall. The paper was becoming fragile, and this has preserved it for me.
I’ve tasted that in a London pub, it was Welsh rarebit on the menu… Maybe someone from England could tell you more.
Greetings from a lurker – and a great admirer of your colours.
I have my Nana’s Famous Fudge recipe in my head. I just recently wrote it down and mislabelled it “diet meatloaf with fiber” in my recipe book! It’s a family secret and I am the only with the recipe. I say it’s b/c I was the only one who bothered to help her make it when she was alive. She sold the recipe to Hershey for $55k in 1954 and they could never make it work (it’s only made in 5lb batches— no scale-up).
What reminded me is that my Nana told me “4 cups of X” for the recipe and a “cup” was this old china teacup that she adored, but had a hairline fracture. It would leak water and she was afraid to put anything hot in it, but it sat just above the flour and sugar canisters and that is what “one cup” means. One very-special-Nana teacup. She didn’t leave a will, just a note, in it leaving me her pyrex pans, one broken teacup and a wooden spoon. I have a good little cry every time I make fudge. 🙂