When I was a young wife, we didn’t have a lot of money for any extras. We were both still in college and any money earned went on food, rent, school, and basic necessities. I loved (and still do love) cookbooks but we didn’t have the money to purchase any. And, the internet was not accessible at that point in time. In fact, it didn’t even exist. Any recipes were handed down from one person to the next, written down, maybe photocopied, etc. It was very (dare I say the word) – old-fashioned. So, I made homemade cookbooks.
So, one of the things that I did as a young wife, was start collecting recipes and I stored these in small notebooks I could get for very little money. I made my own cookbooks, in a sense. I have added to and taken away from these books over the years, but I still have them all. Four of them to be exact.
It’s easy to make your own cookbook. When I started, my full intention was to fill them with any recipes that looked tasty, interesting, budget friendly, or even had cooking tips. In hindsight, it would have been nice to have one book per food type (vegetables, meats, breads, homesteading ideas, etc.). I know where my favorite recipes are in each book and pull them out frequently…even after all these years.
As you can tell by the stains on the pages, you can tell that I use these recipes often!
With the introduction of the internet, it’s so easy to find recipes online from thousands upon thousands of websites, including Pinterest. But you know what? Every time I pull out of my homemade cookbooks, I smile because it reminds me of where we came from, our beginnings as a married couple. I treasure these things and will pass them down to my children.
I still have many, many cookbooks, and while there are “go to” recipes that I have in each, over time I will cut down on those other cookbooks. I’ve already purged that pile many times. But these precious homemade versions will make the cut time and again.