A Priceless Recipe Book

Over the 4th of July week, I have been spending time with my parents in that same small town I grew up in, the town where my Grandma taught school, the place where the recipe collecting began.   Now a  "real blogger" would have brought her camera with her, knowing that there is always an opportunity to take a picture of something, but not me, nope, I needed to bring other stuff, like 5 pairs of shoes.  (I admittedly need to work on my priorities if I am going to be a serious blogger.)   Of course being away from home means I haven't been cooking, but it doesn't mean I can't continue to add to the stories  about my Grandma's recipe box.  In fact, not long after  I unpacked all those shoes and sat down in my mom's kitchen I spotted my mom's recipe box. (I think that that will be my next blog!) Or I should say "boxes".   Much to my surprise, as I was flipping through her recipes, I found she was carrying on with many of my Grandma's recipe box "habits" .  I found recipes written on adding machine tape, recipes cut from newspapers and magazines glued to recipe cards .   Oh and I also found out my mom has been holding out on me as she had several of my grandma's recipes in her recipe box!   Just when I thought my Grandma couldn't have any more recipes, I found out there are more!!!  I am going to have to quit my job and just blog about my Grandma's recipes.  My mom's system of collecting recipes has many facets, there are the "recipe boxes", the shoe boxes, the recipe books and the 3-ring binders.  As I was looking through her collection, I found what I feel is the best cookbook ever assembled. I would put it up against most any of today's cookbooks that sell for $30+ .  It's faded cover, is simple and sweet and "hand designed". It is bound by 2 "rings".   There are 59 recipes in this book, 53 of them are for pies, cakes, cookies and candies. The pages have been hand cut and the "type" is purple (the color you get when you use carbon paper, for anyone who can remember what that is and what it looks like).   It was "published" in 1970 for Christmas and was no doubt the best gift a mother or grandmother received that year.  These recipes were from my 4th grade class.  Actually, forget about the $30....this recipe book is priceless.