| A keepsake is an object kept as a memento. It's something
that instantly summons the warm fuzzy feeling of a happy
memory: your baby's first shoes, Grandfather's gold watch, a
shell you found on the beach while on your honeymoon. Or a
cookbook.
When you think about it, many of your fondest memories are
related to food. The warm aromas of Nana's kitchen, Mom's
macaroni-and-cheese, everyday meals around the table, and all the
unique ways the family celebrates special occasions.
| Start with Recipes |
| Most people consider recipes as lists of ingredients and
instructions for preparing particular foods. But,
recipes are much more. Whether your family's tastes
run to hot dogs or caviar, your treasured recipes are the
stuff memories are made of, bringing back the sights,
tastes, and smells of everyday meals, special occasions,
and memorable outings. Pulling a loaf of
freshly-baked bread from the oven recalls childhood
lunches in a sunny kitchen. The recipe for a crispy
grilled fish captures the memories of annual trips to the
seashore. Frosting batches of Christmas cookies with
your children reminds you of your first baking lessons
(and spoon-licking) with Aunt Sophia. Record these
recipes and you create the most unique cookbook in your
kitchen. Add your memories and stories about the
recipes and you have a heritage keepsake that provides an
important connection between past and future generations. |
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| Add Your Memories |
| Your recipes produce foods that nourish, comfort, and
delight. Your stories about the recipes will do the
same. Write a few lines, a couple of paragraphs, or
a full page. Capture the special memories that
surface whenever you remake a favorite recipe. Write
about how you always laugh when you recall the time Aunt
Sophia burned the casserole and told you it was black
potato chips. Explain the origin of the family's
holiday fruitcake. Include the recipes and
traditions you remember from your childhood: the
entire family around the dinner table, Dad's Sunday
morning pancakes, or toasting marshmallows in the backyard
under the stars. Alongside Uncle Hugo's recipe for
the family's traditional Thanksgiving stuffing, record
your recollections of past holiday get-togethers, when the
extra leaf was put into the dining room table, the special
linen and china made rare appearances, and the soft light
of the "good" candles filled the room.
Don't worry that your not Stephen King; just write. |
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| Recipes + Memories = Tradition and Heritage |
| What happens to history when it is unrecorded? It
is lost. Think about it. Without written
records, we would be totally unaware of what's gone on
before us in the world. Treat your recipes in the
same way, because they are an irreplaceable part of your
family's history. Sometimes, we pass these recipes
and memories from one generation to the next by word of
mouth - a process that is well-meaning, but often loses
more and more detail with each successive
generation. When these family classics are not
recorded, our unique foods and related traditions grow
dimmer and dimmer with each generation until they are lost
altogether, simply because we failed to record them.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if every child inherited a
family cookbook, complete with generations of recipes,
histories, and stories from ancestors and relatives? |
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| Get your kids into the act. |
| A keepsake cookbook is a great family project, and
summer is a great time to get started. If you're
planning a family reunion, so much the better. Ask
everyone to contribute their favorite recipes and
thoughts, or add a section. Don't forget the kids!
Encourage them to talk or write about their favorite foods
and describe the preparation. Their answers are
often hilarious! Adorn the pages of your keepsake
cookbook with their drawings and doodles. While your
little ones are still little, keep a pad of paper handy
and make a collection of all the unusual and hilarious
things they say about food, eating, and family
mealtime. Write their observations down, along with
the particular recipe. As they grow, encourage
reading, writing, and organization skills. Then when
your kids go away to school or move out on their own, they
can take with them their own insights and recipes for
their favorite childhood foods. Your children will
thank you. Hopefully, you'll start a new family
tradition - one your children will enjoy, maintain, and
repeat with your grandchildren. |
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Recipe for a Keepsake Cookbook:
| Start with a generous
helping of your favorite recipes |
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Spice with memories,
anecdotes, and stories |
| Fold in photos, drawings,
or doodles |
| Pepper with dashes of
humor and nostalgia to taste |
| Combine all and blend
well |
| Serve up to yourself,
family, and friends. |
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