The Story of the Cookbook

Can you believe it's June, which means it's finally wedding month?  We knew this time would fly, but this went at warp speed!

The showers are behind us, the plans are all complete, and now we're down to crunch time.  Just the little details still need to be tidied up, like the dress fittings, the shoes being dyed, the rehearsal dinner head count, and the final assembly of the cookbook.

For the past few years, once I recognized that Justin would not be a confirmed bachelor eating pizza for the rest of his life, I thought that a cookbook containing his favorite recipes would be a useful gift for him and his new bride.  As I labored over each recipe that Justin loves, I began to spend most of the time on the stories describing the history of how the recipes came to our family, whether his father's family or my own.  It was not enough for me to share the recipes with him; I felt that the reason he loves those recipes is where the real value lies.

I think the stories attached to anything in life are what make it special, whether it be a recipe, a piece of jewelry, or even a photograph.  Have you ever looked at an old family photo and even though you know the names of everyone in the photo it just hasn't impressed you all that much?  But it takes on an entirely new meaning for you when someone points out to you that this photo is of your grandfather Ed and, although he was gone before you were born, you are exactly like he was, you have his sense of humor, his integrity, his ability to solve any problem.  Now you have a connection with your grandfather that wasn't there before because you have a story about him.  You know him on a personal level.  It's the connection that you make with that person or object that makes it meaningful to you.  You can find thousands of good recipes in cookbooks and on the Internet today, but until you've got a story that makes it connected to you in some way, it'll remain just another good recipe.

The cookbook is filled with delicious recipes, but each recipe has its own story.  From the hot rolls which Justin rationed out to the rest of us so he could eat the most to the chocolate chip cookies that he wouldn't even try until well into his teens and has now requested I make as an "extra" for the wedding reception, each story is filled with anecdotes, but mostly is filled with love.

I hope that the finished product will convey the love that went into its making.  I hope that someday Justin will pass the cookbook along to his own children, and when he shares the story of the cookbook they will feel the love of their crazy grandmother who danced around the kitchen with her headphones on as she stirred and kneaded and baked while creating a family story.