Family recipe box is a time capsule of memories passed down

When we moved my father into an independent living care facility, I was given custody of the family recipe box. There were so many things going on at the time. Making my dad comfortable, preparing our family home to be sold, and sifting through 56 years of memories (on a tight timeline) was exhausting and stressful. I put the recipe box in a safe place, promising myself that I would explore it another day. Last week (after it spent two years gathering dust), I finally took the time to go through what I can only describe as a family time capsule.

As I lifted the lid up, I was met with a hundred hand-written cards that immediately made me miss my mom. Her handwriting, which I have never thought about, made me realize how much I miss her. It felt like not only was I getting a piece of her back, card by card, but I was traveling back in time to my childhood.

The physical condition of the cards made me smile. The wine and tomato sauce stains on the lasagna recipe card almost made it impossible to read, but I was able to scrape off just enough to get the right measurements. Mom always let us pick out what we wanted for our birthday dinner — and the spaghetti sauce card (always my pick) reminded me of all my birthday celebrations over the years. I also remember the last birthday dinner she prepared spaghetti for me, a few short years before Alzheimer’s took her from us.

There are a lot of other things that stand out in the recipes. Jello was a popular side dish in our family. Green Jello with shredded carrot on top, orange Jello with canned mandarin oranges, red Jello with strawberries and cream cheese seemed to be a hit over the years.

Casseroles were a staple. I noticed a lot of recipes that included cream of mushroom soup, cream of celery soup, cream of chicken soup and Velveeta cheese. If I remember correctly, the recipes with crushed potato chips on top were the best.

Many recipes just listed ingredients, but did not mention specific measurements or directions. Some of the ingredients were unfamiliar to me like Oleo and lard. It took me awhile to understand that BP stood for black pepper. Some of the measurement terms were also confusing. A saucer of flour, a gill, and a knob of butter were often mentioned in some of my great-grandmother’s recipes.

I loved the notes on the cards, “Double this for church potluck,” “Do not make for Jim, he is allergic,” and “Made this last summer, wasn’t very good, but will try again.” Sharing recipe cards with friends must have been fun. Sifting through all of the cards, I was reminded of a lot of my mom’s friends who I have not thought about in years.

Exploring the recipes made me think about what I am leaving for my own kids. Will they even remember what my handwriting looks like? Will they get the same nostalgia looking at my saved recipes online? Will a recipe seem as cherished if you cannot touch the heirloom with your own hands? I am not sure. I do know that I am going to display my mom’s recipe box in my kitchen. It makes me feel like she is close by, and I think I will reach for her recipes more often. Who knows? I may add a few of my own.

Some of my mom’s recipes:

Orange Cake

Cake ingredients:

1 box yellow cake mix (dry)

1 package instant lemon pudding (dry)

1 cup orange juice

½ cup oil

4 eggs.

Glaze ingredients:

6 tablespoons orange juice

1 ½ cups powdered sugar.

Directions:

Nutty Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

4 cups cubed, cooked chicken

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup halved seedless green grapes

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

¾ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup sour cream

1 cup coarsely chopped cocktail type peanuts.

Tip: Serve on lettuce leaves.

Progressive Dinner Salad

Make the dressing the night before:

Dressing ingredients:

1 cup sour cream

6 tablespoons red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons milk

3 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

Mix all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Salad ingredients:

20-ounce frozen peas, thawed, patted dry

1 ½ cup sliced water chestnuts—rinsed and drained

½ cup think sliced green onions

12 slices bacon—cooked and crumbled

½ cup Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Interested in free nutrition education lessons from OSU Extension EFNEP? Contact Nancy Lyons at 937-244-9654 or lyons.489@osu.edu.