Hand-Me-Down Recipes

Enjoying recipes that have been handed down is always special. There is something so wonderful about a taste of a dish that brings lots of memories with it. The recipe above is from my grandmother, "Nan". She was a very good cook who loved entertaining. This salad dressing is one of my favorites that I can still enjoy by just substituting agave for the honey. She always stuck a toothpick through the garlic clove so it wouldn't pour out of the fancy bottle (more like a decanter) that she stored the dressing in. I love that this recipe is in her own handwriting.

This one is from my mom, who just turned 81. It veganizes beautifully, with the usual nondairy subs. The family favorite filling was apricot and I've included that recipe in my upcoming cookbook. My mom is an incredible baker. One of my favorite childhood memories is the cookie trays my mom, sister and I made for everyone my dad worked with and all our neighbors and friends. We'd each pick 5 favorite recipes without overlapping, meaning 25 types of cookies for our family of 5. About 10 years ago, my mom made a cookbook for each of us with our family favorite cookie recipes, complete with personal notes. Obviously, it holds a special place in my heart, as well as on the bookshelf.


This recipe is in my handwriting and is from my days in Brownies, back in 2nd grade. It was from one of our 'projects' when we'd gather at someone's house and the mom had to have an activity for us. It's safe to say that this recipe has probably only been used once or twice, considering the fact that it contains nuts which I've only recently learned to like (a little). These sure were gooey.

Considering that 2 out of the 3 recipes here are still big hits with us, I may have to give those Congo Bars another go, just out of curiosity.

Any cool hand-me-down recipe cards in your recipe box?