Recipes Then and Now

This week's theme on the Friday My Town Shoot Out blog is "Handwriting", and to fit that theme I actually searched a lot around the house! It's shocking how little actual handwriting is done nowadays besides the odd note or when you sign something.

Well, in the end I found my mom's recipes that she hand wrote in a notebook, collecting them from her own mom and people she knew. It's a small treasure trove of finds that still delight today. Since it's not in English you won't be able to understand, but I'll guide you through it.

click on the images for a bigger view 

There are many additions to the recipes on small colored papers. In the bottom left corner you can even see a recipe for a mango frapé.

On the backside of the notebook you can see some colorings that were probably made by me or my sister, while mom was cooking.

On this next image a recipe for "Cupavci" is included. They are a sort of cake squares dipped in a melted chocolate and then in shredded coconut.

Of course the traditional apple-pie recipe is included here as well.

And then I thought about how we actually find recipes today. Of course nowadays the internet is the biggest source. There are numerous sites, and even phones and iPads have apps for recipes. They have a different feel. Positive and negative. The biggest benefit of digital is that it's always there, you can convert measurements, discover dishes from all over the world, and even read peoples thoughts on them.

For example, I love Nigella Lawson's Quick Collection App for the iPad. It's so unique and full of valuable meals that are quickly put together but never sacrificing quality. And lots of beautiful photos too.

A good app is also the free Allrecipes App for iPad, that includes videos too. Books are still there, but even they are now e-books on a Kindle.

Handwriting has become some sort of lost art. Even while typing this, I'm fully aware that blogs are a modern and public version of our old diaries. Everything is changing and being updated. But there is something in browsing through an old notebook like this. You can feel the history behind it. Especially if it's your own.

Do you have old notebooks that you treasure? Are they about cooking or other memories? Have you ever considered updating them (typing them down, maybe even scanning)?

I think I might even snatch a recipe or two from this notebook and post it here.