The family cookbook

I ended up using a different kitchen picture of me... This is later and unedited.  I have more pictures of me in the kitchen than anywhere else.  I'm sure that has a profound meaning but haven't decided what. Either that I'm in the kitchen too much or they're so glad I'm in the kitchen that they run and get a camera.

This is one of those projects you mean to do for years and years and don't.  And I wouldn't have unless my lovely daughter-in-law Vivian hadn't shown up for a wonderful visit and offered to help.  Not only with this project. but with hauling me all over town and giving my poor DH some chauffer relief.

This battered and beaten old cookbook has a history.  Thirty five years ago in 1984 I was running out to our camper and fell and had a compound fracture in my right forearm and elbow.  If you aren't familiar with a compound fracture it is when you look  down and your arm is hanging funny and a bone is sticking out.....not good.  Much surgery and months in casts left me with a partially  paralyzed right arm and hand.  I was not only unable to hold a pencil or paint brush I was unable to even hold a fork or toothbrush.  I had lost all potation and rotation movement of that hand.

This couldn't have come at a worst time.  I had just gotten a degree in graphic design and had been hired to the job of dreams. The therapy to stretch the span of muscles in that hand included months and months  of doing exercises with a pen.  Since I had to do it anyway I decided to write out favorite recipes for my kids.

Starting with large letters and persisting I eventually was able to regain most of the use of that hand.  I will never be able to play the piano (never a problem anyway) or type with that hand and the type and style  of brush work I can do is still limited by this long-ago injury but I have moved on over the years. The majority of art work in the cookbook was adapted from projects before I broke the arm.

But I was left with this cookbook for my kids and for several years I have been going to make copies for all my grandchildren.    First I thought I would add some recipes and update others.  But I knew if I expanded the project it would never get done.


So I scanned all the pages and resized them to be consistent and while I was scanning and resizing, Vivian was trimming the pages and putting them into albums. It took the better part of two days but we have enough pages for 6 books for grandchildren and two for other family members.  Without her help I would have never finished.   It is a big FINISH and it is now on a disc in each book in case it is wanted by great grandchildren in the future.

I also included copies of family recipes I did for my husband years ago... One of his grandmother mixing sour cream rolls .......

















and one of his grandmother and her recipe for paprikash

 Some of these recipes went back to the 50s and I was amazed how many I still use on a regular basis.  In fact one son just called last week for the pickled egg recipe.

















And my favorite of my teenage son who went on to be a gourmet cook.

I am on the mend now but since the first of the year I've had two root canals and a wicked spell of cold/flu.  I also got to go CA to visit dear Susie W and recuperate on her couch.. more on that later.