To be a non-cook perusing a neatly organized, highly styled cookbook with sleek food photos is one thing. To be a non-cook staring at over 400 faded handwritten recipes strewn all over the floor is another. This is where neighbours’ I found myself this past September – stuck within a pile of recipes. A very daunting task lay before me. Forget about thumbing through a book under the “appetizer” category, searching for Impossible the perfect dish to serve FRIDAY-FOOD-FRENZY to guests. Forget about oogling at a picture of the most mouth-watering barbecue ribs cooking on the grill. I had to somehow create structure and organization to Mom’s recipe cornucopia before I could even begin building this blog. And, all without pictures as a guide!!!
Before – Mom's cheap nfl jerseys recipes strewn everywhere!
The intimidation was overwhelming. Can you imagine what it’s like to try to decipher and print out all of these recipes for the first time, without any working culinary terminology?
The first recipe I picked out of the pile said “Clafoutis.” The first thought that came to mind was a new coral-themed nail color from Essie. Then I found a pie crust recipe of Mom’s that said, “roll line prick.” I honestly think I reread that line 3-4 times. Surely, whatever it really meant, it sounded like a better porn title than cooking directive. As I sorted further and further through the recipe pile I began to sweat realizing the sheer magnitude of this project. At first, actually cooking the recipes seemed out of the realm of possibility. Now, even “decoding” the recipes was going to be a hurdle. What’s “Spaetzle?” Sounds like you could combine that with cornstarch to make an awesome paper mache mixture in art class. “Parboil,” sounds like a species of the gerbil family. The best, “Mun Keum.” I figured I was reading cheap nfl jerseys the writing wrong. Maybe the recipe really said “munchkins” and the wear and cheap mlb jerseys tear over time faded out the letters? When I actually got Seattle Seahawks Jerseys to the computer and hesitantly typed in the words exactly as they existed on the page, a Sri-lanken food site popped up! On inre Mom’s Chicken-Velvet recipe, she indicates for serving size: “5-6 Chinese” or “2-3 Americans.” Really? Am I reading this correctly?
After – all recipes compiled in one binder!
The recipe conversion/assembly/printing process was the rudest awakening for me. Not only did I not know the basics—like the difference between T and t – but I was also confronted with translating what seemed to me, the most obscure recipes. Because of this experience, I feel I should create my own disclaimer label for MyJudytheFoodie with that states the following:
1. The recipes contained herein (sounds very legal, right) were drafted in the late 1960’s through the late 1990’s. Therefore, they are not the healthiest by our modern-day standards. However, my goal is to stay as authentic to Mom (and our taste buds) as possible. At first pass for each recipe, there will be no ingredient substitutions! So, bring on that pint of sour cream and the Kahlua from Judy’s Brownies!
2. Because all of the recipes needed to be converted from handwriting to typeface, I guarantee some ingredients could have gotten lost in my translation. That’s what makes everything interesting, right? Feel free to write in and tell me where to make the adjustments after you’ve tried out the recipe. Tell me it tastes like cement and maybe I need to tweak the cornstarch amount from 1C to 1t!!!
3. Not all of these recipes will have been beta-tested prior to posting! That’s where you (and your family) come wholesale mlb jerseys in. Sample them with your kids, husbands, friends, pets and give me your brutally honest feedback.
My 5-year old beta tester using the "thumbs up" rating system!
There, now we’re all on the same “terms.”
Speak Your Mind