Anyhoo, it was raining and cold today, not at all like the 80 degrees it was on Tuesday. No worries, because we are through the worst of winter and the crocus are already blooming in my flower bed. Feeling the urge to purge, I took on the recipe box and binder where I have a ton of recipes stored. I actually have two boxes, one for cakes and desserts, and the other for dinners and side dishes. I have collected recipes forever, but have rarely actually used most of them. You know how it looks so yummy in the magazine photo, but then after it's clipped to a 2x3 size it loses it's appeal? And then ten years go by and Pinterest appears and who needs to cut out recipes, much less buy a magazine? That's how my recipe box looks. The binder holds full page printouts of recipes that I likely have made but can't remember, and a lot more pages torn from those magazines. Don't tell anyone, but I most likely ripped them out from the waiting room at the doctor's office.
Going through the recipes, I found several that I will never part with, because they came from my mom's limited collection of recipes. A few are in her handwriting, and those I treasure even more. But since I found out that the majority of her recipes were right off the product box, as in Quaker Oatmeal and the "Vanishing Oatmeal Cookies" recipe under the lid, I consider each recipe in a different way. Those recipes were tried and tested and successful. Those are the ones with smudges and drips, well used in her kitchen too.
In the recipe binder is another treasure, a handwritten booklet of family favorites from my mother-in-law. She made this booklet before I came into the family, but it has served me well many times. I haven't made all of the recipes, but naturally Mark has his favorites that get more use. The one for turkey and dressing is covered with my own notes and additions that I have learned in the past few years of hosting Thanksgiving dinner, thankfully with my mother-in-law's help! It will be fun to pass it on to Erica someday.
I weeded out recipes that I never will try, and some that have crazy ingredients (think crushed gingersnaps) that I must not have noticed when I first read it. I tossed the duplicates (five for Swedish meatballs!) , and compared similar ones for the best choice (yes, I mean healthiest) and fewest steps. Face it, even if you like to cook, the extra steps can kill your desire to make something. I found that I have a lot of dessert recipes, and that's the way it should be!
So I came away with a lot less than I started with. I rarely even pull out the recipe binder anymore as it is. Even I have to admit that searching the internet for a recipe is more fun now. I like to compare similar ones that I find and experiment at combining them (usually for the best). Pinterest has easily become my go-to for new ideas. But that leads me to my next chore... now I have to organize the (hundreds) of bookmarks of recipes and all those pins on my board!
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