Something interesting happened to me the other day. It was completely unexpected and it definitely threw me for a loop.
It started just like any other day. I sat down at the kitchen island, I mean my home office, and got myself ready to get into writing mode.
Welcome to my office! That’s me of course. Well the back of me anyway. I’m in my typical attire; sweater, workout pants, and flip-flops. As always, I have a cup of coffee right at my fingertips. This is me almost every single day. Attractive, right?!
The number one item on my agenda that day was to get my post written for my Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad recipe. It’s a salad my family has been making for years. In my mind, I was thinking it was maybe 5 or 6 years tops that this recipe had been making its presence at our gatherings.
It was only until I really started thinking about things that I realized 5 years was more like over 20!
Well, spoiler alert! I sort of had a little bit of a meltdown after I realized how much time had passed. It was pretty intense. It’s definitely not what you would expect to see when clicking on a recipe for Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad, but you know me, I always like to keep my readers on their toes…
As I was writing that trainwreck of a post, I started thinking about family recipes and which ones I loved the most. I started reminiscing and really thinking about those dishes that had stood the test of time. The recipes that brought me back to my childhood or to a particular place. My “Food” Memories.
I started asking myself:
- What are my own favorite recipes?
- What are my family’s favorite recipes?
- Do I have the recipes for these dishes?
- Can I even make our family favorites?
It was at that moment that I realized I needed to find a way to organize all these thoughts into one place. You know me, Miss Organizing Queen and all. I had a problem and I needed a solution.
Why is it important to know your family’s favorite recipes?
Family recipes are like the heartbeat of a family. Through food we make connections, memories and pass down traditions. Recipes are our little treasures that get transferred from generation to generation. If we don’t take the time to preserve them, we risk the chance of them becoming extinct!
It’s our job, those of us in this generation, to not only carry on the traditions of our family but to contribute to them as well.
How can you do this?
Start by printing out “Our Family’s Favorite Recipe” printable from my resource library so you have a place to record your information.
Gather your family and start filling it out together. Everyone in the family should be included in the process. Write down the name of the family member in the first column, followed by the name of their favorite recipe in the second. The third column is a place to put the recipe. In this column, you can put the actual recipe or just a reminder of exactly where you can find it so it’s easily accessible.
What happens if you don’t know one of you or your family’s favorite recipes?
Find it! Ask family members if they have it. Watch someone make it and write down the recipe on your own. Take pictures or videos! It is 2018 for goodness sakes. At all costs, get those recipes. Preserve those memories!
You want your own children to be able to look back as adults and have their own “food” memories. I for one know that I want Zach to come home from college or after Vet School (high hopes here!), and have that one meal he wants me to make for him. The meal that makes him go back to when he was just a little boy with nothing to worry about other than what superhero he was going to pretend to be that day.
And what is my ultimate dream? That one day all these traditions and recipes get passed down to him so they can continue on for years and years to come.
Why is it important to know your family’s favorite recipes? Family is everything. As crazy or dysfunctional as a family can be at times, family is what makes us who we are. Continue to make the past generations proud and enjoy making some new food traditions that you can pass on to the new ones!
DOWNLOAD YOUR COPY OF “OUR FAMILY’S FAVORITE RECIPES” AND START PRESERVING YOUR FAMILY TRADITIONS TODAY!
Sharlene Habermeyer says
I love this idea of preserving treasured family recipes! When I finally got around to talking to my grandmothers about getting their recipes, they could not remember most of them. Nothing was written down–it was all in their heads! So, we are sadly without those recipes. When my sons got married, I presented them with a 3-ring binder of all the recipes I had made while they were at home. I included a little history about each recipe so they would be more meaningful to them. Glad to say–all my sons and their wives use the recipe book often. Thank you for sharing this Tiffany–it is such an important activity to do. It will affect many generations, too!
lakelifestateofmind@gmail.com says
What an unbelievable gift to give your daughters-in-law! I will have to “borrow” that idea from you in the future for Zach’s future wife. A couple of months ago I made Sunday gravy with my mother-in-law and took a ton of pictures throughout the process. The goal is to hopefully be able to make my husband Patrick’s family recipe. I haven’t tried it on my own yet but I’m determined to get it right! <3