I am always looking for ways I can tie anything that’s going on in my life to the written word. Leafing through a recipe file book that I was given as a shower gift, I saw that only a few recipes were actually written in the book.
Many of them were on various scraps of paper, and many contained endnotes that, in a few words, told so much about the person who created the recipe.
Of course, I’ll start with my mother. Everything starts with my mother.
She added this message to her pot roast recipe, printed carefully, as was her style, on an actual page of the recipe book.
“Patty, you can leave out the oregano. I know it upsets your tummy. Or you could just take a Tums.”
BBZ, my dearest friend for 40 years, was an inspirational cook who just created as she went along, with little need to write a recipe down, as she changed it every time she made it. You could literally hear her cello playing and yoga teachings in every bite.
She added this note to her egg casserole, written on one of my yellow pads.
“I think I used sour cream. It’s either a half cup or a whole. Also, it’s either 10 or 12 eggs, and you bake for an hour, or an hour and a half at around 325. If this doesn’t work, I’ll just come over and make it for you.”
Sharon, one of my first roommates in New York, was a real party girl. This was her response to my request for her chicken-a-go-go recipe.
“I only make this when I’m drunk, so I really don’t know the ingredients. It has mustard and ketchup and probably some spices and booze, of course. Just drink wine with it, and you’ll be fine.”
“Loisy,” as my daughter called her, blended her social work and cooking skills. She was a “to the oven born” baker, and her birthday cakes were works of art and taste. George, who loved to bake, was delighted when she made him a member of her exclusive chocolate club. When I requested her super-special chocolate cake recipe, she responded on a carefully typed 3×5 card signed, “From the collection of Lois K Broadnax.”
The card read: “Let George make it for you. You make poetry with words, he does it with flour.”
As for me, I know no one likes my black-eyed peas, so no need to write down the recipe.
Email patriciabunin@sbcglobal.net. Follow her on Patriciabunin.com