Recipe book?

I guess in 2012 it is less important to hold onto things such as a recipe book or box the way that our mothers or grandmothers did. When we need a recipe for anything in the world, we are 30seconds away from finding 20 different variations of it, one vegan, one gluten free, one made with only the finest ingrediants flown in from France, etc etc etc on your lap tops or smart phones.

We could even find out what Rachael Ray thinks of it or read the reviews of the last 25 people who visited the website! Amazeballs!
All this said, I stillthink that there is something special about those little boxes or books of best-kept secrets that ALL of our grandmas had, tucked away somewhere in thier kitchens. My gram knew most of those hand-written, concoctions by heart. She raised five hungry kids, she could probably double and triple the recipes in her sleep!

She gave her well worn, metal recipe box to my mom when I was in high school. She was only cooking for one at that point and wanted to pass it on. I loved  looking at the cards where she had written her own mother's recipes onto before she got married, so that she could prepare them for her new husband, and eventually her family. I love that she has chocolate finger prints on some of them, and made little notes in the margins, and has recipes clipped from magazines and newspapers!

My mom also started a similar box just before she married my dad. Hers is a little less worn, a little less used. ha ha...I love my mom, don't get me wrong...she is just not quite the cook that my Gram is :)

When I was 16 or so, I started to write some of my favorite recipes down in a little notebook. I wrote down in the margin which grandma or friend or magazine I had gotten it from. As I grew older and moved into my own home, I started to use this book, despite my access to the internet and it's millions of recipes. These recipes were tried and true! I KNEW these were good, no guess work involved!! I even have recipes in there from my ex-boyfriend's grandma that were Ah-Mazing!

Well...the book is gone, and I suspect it got left in Chicago (super sad face.) I know that I can probably find all of the recipes online, and just print them out, or bookmark them on my computer in case I ever need to find them again...but to tell you the truth, it will never be the same! I'll never be able to browse the pages of my book when I need to bring a dessert to a church potluck and see my chocolate thumb prints and say "YES!! This one was delicious," without a doubt in my mind again.

I've started a new book, and I've started re-copying some of my Gram's recipes from her box...but if anyone has some awesome recipes that they don't mind sharing, PLEASE send them my way ;)