My mother’s recipes are the BANE of my existence.
I love my mother, and God bless her and keep her — but OMG, let God take that pen away from her when she’s writing down recipes!
Why? Because this woman has her own shorthand that consists of leaving out titles, instructions, temps…everything!
Case in point: My grandmother made amazing rolls, huge, fluffy — but oddly sweet. Later in life I found the the original recipe from my Grandma for her rolls — they were called “Dinner Rolls” at the time. BUT I also had been given a copy of my mom’s recipe for “Grandma’s World Famous Sweet Rolls” (so basically her mom’s amazing huge, fluffy…you get the idea…rolls). These recipes do not match! *head desk* I mean, mostly they match, but Grandma’s CLEARLY says to double the sugar ONLY if you are making Cinnamon Rolls (that makes sense). My mom’s just includes the extra sugar.
Now, I know what you’re saying — it is likely that as my Grandmother went through her life she changed and perfected the recipe, but made it so often she didn’t bother changing the printed recipe. Then she handed down the updated recipe to her girls. You are likely right, you lovely, smart reader of mine — but riddle me this.
I’ve got a recipe for pumpkin bread, and at the bottom it says Vanilla Pudding — and I’m all like, oh, my mom had alternatives for the coconut cream she suggests you put into the pumpkin bread…then it says ½ cup brn sugar ½ cup white sugar…again, alternatives? THEN IT SAYS 1 tsp baking soda — then you flip it over and there is a whole other recipe.
WHAT EVEN IS THIS? ARE WE PLAYING CHICKEN WITH RECIPES NOW?
And if you think that is bad, my Aunt Jan (I ADORE YOU AUNT JAN) is worse. She will say: add 5-6 cups of flour…I used 7 for kneading. BUT nowhere in the recipe is there an instruction to knead — or proof this bread. I get it, she’s a Master Cook, she doesn’t need that instruction and neither would her sister. BUT I’m a librarian and I learn by reading. And if it isn’t in there, I may not do it, just because no one reminded me that “you knead bread, lady”.
So, ya’ll I come from a long line of people who just can’t write a recipe to save their lives…and the other night I was making the Chicken Couch recipe my mom had given to me. And I told my friend to shred the chicken. Nowhere in this recipe does it say to shred the chicken — my mom always shredded it, I knew it needed shredding, so I just did it out of instinct. Then looked at the recipe that I had written down for all of you — I left out shredding as well.
Oh well, at least I’m keeping up the tradition. 😀
