Family Secrets

Pat’s post on Mille Fiori Favoriti about cookbooks and the passing down of family recipes (and the extent to which some people go to keep their recipes secret) reminded me of my family cookbook projects a few years ago.



My parents constantly received calls from me, my siblings, all our relatives, and many friends about various and sundry recipes, so I helped them create a family cookbook for them to give as Christmas gifts in 2001.



I won’t go into all the details involved in producing the recipe collection. The point is this was a project we did together. I cherish that memory.



My mother-in-law loved the project. In 2004, we gathered her family recipes to make books for her to give as gifts, too.



One day while visiting my husband’s family, my mother-in-law made potato chip dip that was the exact recipe as used by my dad. I asked her how she got my father’s recipe and she said, “I really think it’s mine.” I suspect this was one of those recipes shared around the military community since both our families were military.



The only thing I would change about either book is to use family photos instead of generic pictures.



Now that my parents are gone, it is a blessing to have these documented family recipes. I can’t call them anymore to ask, “How much was I supposed to put into this?” I wish I could.