Cookbooks

I read cookbooks like they are novels. Over the years, as cooking has grown from a mommy-and-me activity to a personal hobby to a full-fledged passion of mine, my cookbook collection has also grown. I devour (no pun intended) each and every recipe as I read the cookbook front to back. And just like those "real" books that are your favorites and you read over and over, I have my favorite cookbooks--some because of the recipes they hold and some for the sheer sentimental value behind how I came to own them.

My mother, who pretends that she isn't a good cook but really is an AMAZING cook, gave me the "Friends" cookbook one Christmas. I love it because it has a personal message from her about me being not only her daughter, but her friend. Get it? The "Friends" cookbook? Not to mention the fact that I watched "Friends" religiously when it was still on and many of the recipes were mentioned in episodes.

I also have the cookbook that I purchased the weekend my husband and I got engaged. We stayed at the Aspen House Bed & Breakfast near Leland, Michigan. The owner of the B&B had written and published a lovely cookbook, and I was so excited to have such a special keepsake.

Both my mother and my mother-in-law have printed family cookbooks containing the beloved traditional recipes for dishes that are family favorites. These are the most-requested recipes that I no longer have to request! My mother-in-law first put together the Ryzak family cookbook when her daugther (my now sister-in-law) was about to get married. Then I later received my own copy at one of my bridal showers. The family cookbook that my mom printed was made especially for me for a Christmas gift. This cookbook contains not only recipes, but many anecdotal stories from my mother's childhood and my own childhood. She also included some ORIGINAL recipe cards hand-written by my grandmother...complete with ingredient smudges on them.

The latest addition to my cookbook collection is a VINTAGE cookbook! Copyright 1963. No longer in print. It is the orange cookbook pictured at the top of this post: The New Parents' Magazine Family Cookbook. So my mom (who gave it to me as--you guessed it--A GIFT) had to order it online, used copy and all. My favorite recipe in this book is on p. 94--"Basic Sugar Cookie." And here it is:

2 cups sifted flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter or margarine

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon milk

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.

2. Cream together butter and sugar; add egg and beat until smooth and fluffy. Stir in vanilla and milk.

3. Add flour mixture and blend thoroughly. (Here is where we would add the flour mixture little by little...sampling each blend as we went.)

4. Chill cookie dough until easy to handle. (Or until you are able to find the cookie cutters!)

5. Roll half of dough at a time. Roll out to 1/4-inch thickness on lightly floured board. Cut with cookie cutter.

6. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet and sprinkle with granulated sugar and cinnamon. (We NEVER did this step, and so never needed the last two ingredients mentioned above.)

7. Bake in hot oven (400 degrees) for 6 - 10 minutes. (We usually baked them in a little cooler oven...375 degrees.)

8. Remove cookies to wire racks to cool. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies (cut with 2 1/2 inch cutter).

THIS is recipe that helped me learn how to use a hand-mixer. This recipe also introduced to me the bliss behind licking the beaters...and how much TLC affects the outcome of what you cook. Once the cookies were baked, we always frosted them. YUM. The frosting consisted of powdered sugar, a dash of milk, a dash of vanilla extract, and sometimes a tablespoon of butter--no measurements, it was consistancy we were after. And if it was a really special occasion, I got to add colored sugar "salt" or sprinkles. For many Christmases, Santa always received at least three of these sugar cookies accompanied by a cold glass of milk. I always made sure to pick out the best-decorated ones for Santa.

I can't wait to make these sugar cookies with Drew this year. Sure, he will probably be sitting in his highchair with me in the kitchen, not knowing that he is making cookies (except for when I sneak him a taste of the dough--pre-raw egg, of course), but we will be together and we will be bonding, and they will be the best sugar cookies ever.