Blog — Cookbook Easel

Family recipes have been handed down from generation to generation for as long as families have existed.  The sights and smells of a home cooked meal can evoke feelings of comfort and belonging, not to mention, delicious to eat.  Meals bring families together.  It is often where traditions are born and rooted in the landscape of our lives.   A handwritten recipe, worn with use and often stained with the very ingredients described in its directions, are deemed priceless. 

These handwritten recipes, over time, however, will soon dissolve altogether.  In fact, handwriting, in general, is no longer taught in most schools.  The question then becomes, how do we best preserve such treasures?

In this photo, my husband’s grandmother “Baba” is teaching our then young daughters how to make the traditional Slovakian dish called Lokshe (Lokše).  Now with the wintering of her life, I want to preserve her recipes and pass on some of those traditions in a meaningful way to other family members.  What better way than with something in her own handwriting?

To get this I simply took a photo of her recipe, making sure it was in focus with all of it was in the photo and the rest was done in Stamp Out.  If the recipe is two-sided… take two photos.  Then, label the images with the name of the recipe or your name and we do the rest.

Now we have an endearing yet practical keepsake that reminds us daily of the love she shared with her cooking.  This Recipe Easel can hold cookbooks or tablets and one-day be passed onto the next generation to keep and eventually pass on as well.  Preserving, in the end, what one person took the time to hand write and share with others.

Michelle E. Black