The Book of Love - What is Your Love Language?

 

 

The word tablespoon is worn off my Mother's measuring spoons; this is another indicator of how much my Mother cooks. This love language of hers is shared homemade generosity and measured in heaps.

The tattered loved-worn cookbook is filled with tried and true recipes stuffed with sweet mementos, marriage announcements, prayer cards, thank-you notes, Valentine's poems that she penned to my Father, and newspaper clippings of this or that about the family. The cookbook diary and the recipes of our lives are mixed in between the pages that whip up memories of what we have done in the days and years past and what we dined on throughout our lives.

Opening the cookbook, I can smell the aroma of childhood birthday cakes and fried chicken picnics by the creek; I can see the hand that turned sorrow into joy and taste the events that have marked our days. We have the ingredients to make a feast with our lives and the choice to substitute spice for that which is bitter. I grew up on second-helpings of home cooking, believing every bite was good.

Photo: My Mother's 1950s cookbook.

 

Comments

[ali]

Corey, the photo isn't coming in for me.

[Jeanne]

How beautiful

[Kathie B]

Ali, the photo isn't showing on my computer, either.

My 1960s edition of the "Fannie Farmer" cookbook contains lots of recipes clipped from newspapers.

It also has slips of paper with handwritten recipes. In fact, just the other day I found the recipe for Bread Pudding that my dad wrote out and mailed to me in 1993. I managed to retain my composure, but scanned and saved it onto my computer.

[Diane Belforte Lewis]

oh thats beautiful!

[Kathie B]

Thanks for getting the cookbook photo online, Corey!

[Martina]

So beautiful! Cousin has his mother’s (Favorite Aunty) cookbook with her notations. One cookie recipe jokingly says never make this again. Cousin said the cookies were so delicious that everyone kept asking Aunty to make them.

[TracyH]

I have that cookbook given as a wedding present 45 years ago from both my grandma and my mom. (apparently they didn’t compare notes before party) lol. I just recently received original cookbook from my mom who moved into an assisted living and sold her home. Time passes so fast.

[RebeccaNYC]

I love this. One of my treasured possessions is a cookbook my mother assembled for me after I asked her for some of her recipes. She hand wrote all my favorites and wrote me a beautiful note about what it was like to be my mother. Cookbooks are special.

[Marilyn Marcus]

What a beautiful love-worn cookbook! The BEST Valentine. I love this.
And I can smell my mom's chicken pieces frying in her heavy iron skillet. And taste those hand made egg noodles made by my grandmother for her chicken and noodles.
xoxo

[Marilyn Marcus]

Thank you for those memories, Corey

[Susan in Zurich]

I have this cookbook back "home" in Chicago.

What a treasure your mom is, Corey, in every way ❤️

[ChicagoSheila]

My mom also had a Betty Crocker cookbook filled with an assortment of cards, newspaper clippings, etc. She had the basics down, but for the most part was not a cook. When she passed away a few years ago, the six of us were going through the house, dividing up the "treasures." My daughter had stated that I should get the cookbook for her. There was no argument among my siblings. My brother said, "Go ahead and take it. Tell her it doesn't work."

[Kathy]

Lovely post, Corey! My Mom has the same cookbook. Sweet memories…💕

[Lil]

Hi. And I have the same cookbook passed down from my mom!

[Karen K]

Delicious memories.

[marilyn]

What a treasure!