Present Perfect: Family Cookbook

Recently I was having a conversation with a 

friend and fellow cookbook hoarder lover.  She

was getting new shelves for her new house so

she could store her vast cookbook collection. 

(At this point I must admit I have two large 

barrister's bookcases filled with cookbooks.)

I asked my friend if she actually looks in the

cookbooks anymore, she admitted she doesn't.

I asked because I don't either.  Even if I know

a perfect recipe is in a particular book, generally

I'll just find it online and pull it up on my kindle

in the kitchen.

That got me to thinking, what books would I

keep and what books would I let go of.  That is

when I spied a perfect present I received many

years ago.  When I was getting married, my aunts

and cousins made me a family cookbook.  It is filled

with their favorite recipes to help me in my new

married life.  I love to look through this little book

and remember those who wrote in it, it is especially

poignant as the years go by and some of the 

contributors are no longer with us, but their memory

lives on...

The funniest addition to the book came from

my Aunt Jane.  Aunt Jane always threw great

parties.  The photo above is of many of the

cousins at one of her parties.  We were always a 

theatrical family.  That's me, front row on the right.

Here is Aunt Jane's contribution:

These recipes all recorded are

to help you,

Mine is just a friendly word

or two,

Morton, Pepperidge Farm

or Sara Lee,

Put it all together and 

you have me!

Aunt Jane was ahead of her time.  Sandra

Lee of Semi Homemade Fame got a tv show

and book deals for what Aunt Jane had been

doing for years!  Put something on a pretty 

plate and serve it to happy people and who

cares if it was homemade!

This is one cookbook I will never get rid of.