Ah, those clever marketers. They are such magicians with the smoke-and-mirrors technique of downsized packaging. Citing higher costs for ingredients, manufacturing processes and fuel (and a concern for the environment, of course), food manufacturers have gradually downsized our food by repackaging it.

Yep, those downsized packaging pioneers have surely made us prisoners of Madison Avenue. Why, their downsizing trick has also made it nearly impossible to follow an old genuine family recipe in our family cookbooks. The new downsized packaging throws off the proportions in any old family recipe that calls for a “can” of something instead of the number of ounces, teaspoons, etc. Read the rest of this entry »

My dear friend Ruth asked me yesterday if it is the family cookbook writer’s responsibility to test every recipe before it goes into the family cookbook.

I pondered that question for a moment and neatly side-stepped the query (I thought) by replying: “It seems to me that all the tried and true family favorite recipes are already tested over generations, so it seems silly to test them again, don’t you think?”

Ruth persisted: “Well what about the old traditional recipes that nobody makes anymore, but still want to keep in the family cookbook just for old time’s sake. Isn’t there an obligation to see if the recipe still works with currently available ingredients and cooking techniques?”

She had a point. While I agreed in principle, I still disagreed for the following top 5 reasons not to test recipes before adding them to your family cookbook: Read the rest of this entry »

Wow, Superbowl 43, here we come!
When the Arizona Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers meet at Raymond James Stadium for the Superbowl in Tampa, Florida on Sunday, February 1, you can bet your sweet bippie there will be plenty of fans at home wearing Red & White or Black & Gold jerseys to cheer their favorite Superbowl team to victory.  (I put the details in here so those of you who haven’t a clue who is playing can at least know the basics.)

With more attention focused on the Superbowl scoreboard and the Superbowl commercials, there’s really no need to stress out over elaborate and expensive Superbowl food for friends, family, or party guests. Dig out those family recipes (from your family recipe cookbook, of course) and find some comfort foods that are easy and kind to your budget. (I have visions of melted Velveeta and diced Spam surfacing, but let’s be more optimistic that your family cookbook has some different and clever options.)

Around my house, instead of hot dogs, hamburgers or pizza, we plan to serve some hearty soups and sandwiches along with sliced vegetables and a homemade blue cheese dip.  Here are 2 easy Superbowl Soups and 2 easy Superbowl Sandwiches that will be on my Superbowl Supper table: Read the rest of this entry »

Occasionally, while browsing through old heirloom recipe books (mainly in those cookbook collector bookstores), I see some puzzling ingredient measurements that somehow have been lost over time to the modern family cook and modern family cookbooks.

Ingredient Measurements for Liquids
For most of us, the terms “gill” and “tumbler” for measuring liquid ingredients are most obscure, having been trained to use cups and ounces as our mainstay for measuring liquids. The other term I find odd is “scant;” not because it means “barely sufficient in amount or quantity,” but because the word was created to provide an explanation for why something measures less than an ordinary measurement! Here are some liquid measurements you’ll find in old heirloom recipe books: Read the rest of this entry »

If you are new to my website, please feel free to poke around and learn more about my Matilda’s Fantastic Cookbook Software. One of our most popular features is our group of friendly bulletin boards, located through the “Resources” link at the bottom of the web page (the footer for those who are web-inclined).

Click on Resources, and you’ll come upon a page called “Cookbook and Cooking Resources.”  Here there is a selection of links that provide additional information about Matilda’s Fantastic Cookbook Software and making a cookbook in general. Click on some of these links and explore at bit.

Mostly what I want to you to see is the link called “Our Bulletin Board.” By clicking on Our Bulletin Board you will open a page called The Cookbook People Forum.  Here you will find a treasure trove of information, ideas, tricks and questions others have posted regarding how they use our cookbook software. Read the rest of this entry »

Dig out the old Thermos® and join the crowd. Taking a brown bag lunch to work is now the smart thing to do. But, do ideas for brown bag lunches fit in a family cookbook? Why not? It’s time to think outside the lunchbox, and to think outside the traditional family recipe cookbook.

When you think about it, the same ideas used for picnic dining can be applied to workplace dining. (Think “Picnics & Bag Lunches” for your section heading). Not only do brown bag lunches make it easier to commune with co-workers, you can save a bundle every week just by taking your lunch to work. Read the rest of this entry »

A long-standing source of giggling for me has been my sister and spinach.
Yes, I know.  How could spinach be funny?

Well, consider this scenario: We were in a chain ‘pie-type’ restaurant for breakfast and she ordered a Florentine omelet.  (With “florentine” you know you are getting spinach, just like “veronique” means green seedless grapes are in the dish, right?)

The perfectly done 3-egg omelet came glistening to the table promising a heady blend of Swiss cheese, spinach, and mushrooms. Astonished at the presentation and taste, my sister said “Wow, they used fresh spinach.”  A few minutes later she said “Wow, they used fresh spinach.”  Half-way finished with her breakfast, she said “Wow, they used fresh spinach.”  (Well, maybe you had to be there…)

Now, whenever we see anything related to fresh spinach, we giggle “Wow, fresh spinach!” to one another, much to most eavesdroppers’ utter confusion. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s official.  The menu for the Inaugural Luncheon for the 44th President of the United States of America has been made available to the public.  Barack Obama’s inaugural first food as President will consist of three courses inspired by the tastes of Abraham Lincoln, whose birth 200 years ago inspired the inaugural’s theme: “A New Birth of Freedom.” 

I am so glad there is a luncheon! After the early hours, excitement of the swearing in and speech, and possibly little time for perhaps even a croissant and coffee, can you imagine how hungry President Obama would be if he had to wait until after the inaugural parade to nosh and reinforce at all the Inaugural Balls?  Somebody IS thinking in Washington, D.C.!

Let’s take a look at what is on Barack Obama’s inaugural first food luncheon menu that you could re-create yourself for an Inaugural Day Dinner at home (and, of course, include in your historic family recipe cookbook): Read the rest of this entry »

I remember how odd I felt the first time I made Moroccan Chicken with cinnamon in it. My taste buds almost refused to allow me to include cinnamon in the dish, but I acquiesced and was so amazed at how good the cinnamon and chicken combination was!
 
Since that time I keep a list of spices inside my spice cupboard that came from the American Spice Trade Association (and other places, including my own observations). The list is very handy for not only buying spices, but for making family cookbook recipes come to life and adding a twist of excitement to standard fare. Read the rest of this entry »

I did an experiment today.
I measured my sets of measuring spoons and measuring cups.
That’s right. In a fit of curiosity, I actually took the time to see the difference between the various measuring spoons, dry measuring cups, and liquid measuring cups that I own.

Some of them were wrong!
Teaspoon for teaspoon, I found that most of the measuring spoon sets were off a smidgen, except for the calibration-certified set that I used as the baseline for my experiment. Read the rest of this entry »

In my grandmother’s recipes that I copied into my family cookbook, I found a wonderful old family recipe for pie using apples, pecans and a meringue topping.

She would stew her apples with a warm combination of cinnamon and brown sugar, and fold in chopped pecans so the filling was nicely dotted with pecan pieces. Then, with a hand-held egg beater (not the electric kind), she would painstakingly beat the egg whites and sugar until they were smooth and beautifully glossy. Her mile-high meringue was legendary within the family circle. Read the rest of this entry »

Do you have a low calorie food section in your family cookbook? Many family members may have experimented with cutting calories or carbohydrates and sugar in their diets and have some fabulous recipes that might be worth including in the family cookbook.

With so many choices in sugar substitutes available now, making even baked goods with fewer calories, and many other low-sugar desserts, is so much easier.  It used to be that dieters and diabetics just had to avoid those foods altogether, but now with sugar substitutes, they have a choice. Read the rest of this entry »