As discussed in previous posts, Thanksgiving can be the perfect time to gather and record family memories, through sharing family stories and pictures. Another wonderful way to preserve family history is through family recipes. Try asking everyone to bring their favorite family recipes to Thanksgiving dinner. You could ask everyone to bring a favorite family Thanksgiving recipe, but really, Thanksgiving could just be the time to begin gathering any and all favorite family recipes. Recipes could be old--from parents, grandparents and further back--or recipes can be ones your family enjoys right now, as preserving family history for the future means preserving the present as well. Once you have the family recipes, you can copy and distribute them to all your family members. There also are many other great options, though, for creating a professional looking Heirloom Cookbook. In general, Heirloom Cookbooks include not only recipes. They also can include pictures, stories, family trees--whatever you have that would tell your family stories. Here are two sites that can help you get started: www.heritagecookbook.com and www.platefullofmemories.com. Following is a recipe for my mother-in-law's pie crust recipe, which she got from a friend, who inherited it from her mother. My husband and children insist that this is the best pie crust ever! For 2 crusts: 2 c sifted flour 4 heaping T Crisco 1/4 c orange juice pinch of salt Mix flour and Crisco in a bowl. Add orange juice and salt. Cut in half and refrigerate. Then flour a board, roll out, and use with your favorite filling. |





