The Family Recipe Box

Ann and Kay over at Mason-Dixon Knitting are holding a contest involving Recipe Boxes and the possibilities they contain.


Where we come from, the Recipe Box (insert spiritual sound here) holds the family heritage much like the Family Bible we brought from the Southern States in the mid-1900's.


Enough suspense, I present the Hartman Family Recipe Box (insert spiritual sound here):

...I did not promise it would be pretty. Totally utilitarian, I know. The inside, you ask?

Wait for it....

My husband's Grandmother and Mother operated family restaurants in the Midwest. They compiled these recipes (many of which call for 40 eggs and 16 cups of sugar) for use at large family gatherings as well as in their restaurants.

Q. What sort of recipe did it take to raise a family and run a restaurant in the Midwest during the mid-1900's?

A. The same type it takes today! Hubs says it looks like a recipe for Kahlua. I am skeptical, but any booze you can brew up at home seems worthwhile.

A well-loved recipe was likely made after the consumption of above:

Any recipe that has been on fire (literally) and survived to collect so many smudges/ingredients MUST be good.

In tribute:

Mary B. Hartman (Stevens) May 27, 1913 - April, 1969

and

Helen M. Heckathorn (Hartman) June 17, 1934 - Aug. 30, 2002