I have finished assembling and have sent off my 2007 layout and photo books to Blurb for publishing. Gone are my days of 4x6 photo albums. Now I save my pictures and layouts by month and at the beginning of every January - get out the 12 folders and start putting them together. Each book is labeled by year so years from now, my ggkids will be able to know exactly what was going on and how old everyone was as they cruise any given book. It is truly a beautiful thing.
There are other things in our life that are also worth preserving, recipes. Cooking seems to be a lost art form these days. Church potlucks are full of deli chicken and salads. Store bought cookies still in their clear, plastic boxes with those floppy tops. We live in a world where taste is a rare commodity. I would get anything to stand in a line for 2 hours for out of this world pizza. The Food Channel tells me there are many such places but around here the tastiest pizza is at Pizza Hut - you get the picture.
Just in case, someone in my family wants to kick it up a notch, I have been thinking seriously that I need to get all those little pieces of paper I have saved over the years and get them in their own book. Last summer, DD had a brand-new Betty Crocker cookbook in the yard sale and I scooped that baby up before someone else did. Mine is covered with butter, chocolate and some unidentifiable stains. she taught me how to make gravy, cream sauces and pudding. There is nothing like hot chocolate pudding. My gkids have never had it. Keaton asked if I had any pudding the other night - he meant the portion-controlled plastic cups kind. We didn't have time to make the real stuff but the next time he is over, we will make time.
I think the recipes I have need their own Blurb cookbook so while I am waiting around for spring, think I will start working on this. Some of the charm of inheriting someone's recipe book, is to look back at their handwriting - it reminds you of the person and memories of the food that you associate with them. In my case, having the handwriting of a serial killer would make trying to recreate any recipe a nightmare. Maybe I put some pictures in it instead, so they can still experience the warm fuzzies.
Chocolate Pudding - I made it last night. Put in in the refrigerator to cool for a few minutes and filled up my bowl. You make it with cocoa and Hershey's now makes a dark chocolate cocoa. It is really dark, almost black and the taste would be worth waiting in line for 2 hours. Luckily, I don't have too. Sitting in the middle of the living room in a sea of recipes sounds like a small price to pay when you think about someone grabbing your recipe book on a cold, dark night and making chocolate pudding for the first time. I'd say it was well worth the time...
