Aug 3, 2016 | Tasty Tuesday | 25 comments
I walked into her kitchen and saw it simmering on the stove – my mom’s homemade Sloppy Joes. My mouth watered, and memories came pouring back, bringing me right back to my child hood.
“Oh Mom, it’s been forever since I’ve had your homemade Sloppy Joes. I just love them.”
It’s amazing how one simple recipe can do that, isn’t it?
There’s something so special about the way family recipes create lasting memories. Typically, there are stories surrounding them, and yet often we don’t take the time to gather those recipes until it’s too late. Originally, this Sloppy Joe recipe came from my Aunt Lori, passed onto my mom and then served at so many of our family get togethers and birthdays.
Last year, I shared how I am slowly gathering up recipes because one of the heirloom treasures I want to pass on to each of our children when they leave the nest is aFamily Recipe Album, complete with handwritten Recipes for Joy. (I’ve attached a template for my Recipe for Joy cards, for those interested.)
When I saw my mom’s handwritten recipe cards this past Christmas, I began brainstorming ways I could use them to decorate in my kitchen. I love the drops of sauce, the fingerprints, the scratched out spots where she was figuring the math for extras – so many memories inclosed in those few lines.
I don’t have a full wall to dedicate for special family recipes like this, but for those who do, what a wonderful way to add a cherished bit of history and personality to a wall.
I love the fact that these are all handwritten. I have a few typed recipes that I am going to ask my mom to write out in her own writing, and it would be special to create a large collage.
This is my plan for decorating with recipes. I will probably just mat and frame a few small cards to spruce up under my cabinet. It will be a small area, but one that carries such sentimental memories and will be such a great conversation piece.
Recently, I began collecting just a few vintage kitchen tools. I love imagining living in more simpler times, but I haven’t been able to come up with a good way to display them.
Amy shared her friend’s wonderful idea of mixing a favorite recipe with vintage utensils for one adorable Shadow Box. I love that.
I’d love to hear if you have any neat ideas for using family recipes?
Do you have a specific recipe that every time you eat it or smell it or see it, you’re brought right back to a specific time or place?
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Lisaon January 21, 2013 at 11:33 pm
I love the idea of recipe decorations! 🙂 And it is too cool that I am first to linkup this week. Thanks so much for hosting.
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Jenon January 21, 2013 at 11:41 pm
YAY! 🙂 I’ve been so sporadic with the times I’ve been posting, so thanks for sticking with me. 🙂
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Chioneon January 21, 2013 at 11:39 pm
I saw this idea floating around on pinterest: take a .pdf of your recipes, have it printed on linen and turn it into tea towels. Something beautiful that you can use daily in the kitchen too!
http://blog.spoonflower.com/2012/07/turn-recipes-into-tea-towels.html
See Also10 Easy Recipes you could probably make while DrunkEasy Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Bites Recipe Card - Crunchy Creamy SweetOur All-Time Favorite Christmas Cookie Recipes to Bake This Holiday SeasonCream Wafer Sandwich Cookie Recipe - BEST Christmas CookieI’m thinking about doing this for my mother in law for Mothers Day.
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Jenon January 21, 2013 at 11:40 pm
LOVE THAT!! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
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Katon September 28, 2016 at 10:51 am
I did this as Christmas gifts for the family, using my aunt’s handwritten recipe for hummingbird cake. It was the Christmas after she passed away, and it was such a sentimental thing, everyone loved it. I will caution you though that I learned the hard way that there are a LOT more steps involved than the Pinterest link provides. I had to figure out a lot of it on my own. By the time I was finished I had Pinterangst. 😉
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Jenon September 28, 2016 at 4:48 pm
I bet it’s one of the most special gifts they’ve ever received. I’d love to see it. Do you have a photo? And now I’m nervous if it tons more time consuming than it looks. 🙂
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Joon January 21, 2013 at 11:41 pm
What a wonderful idea I think I am going to copy my grandmothers and frame it!
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Angieon January 22, 2013 at 12:40 am
These are such great ideas! Thanks for sharing!
And now….I’m curious about your mom’s recipe for sloppy joes! 😉
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Jenon January 22, 2013 at 7:13 am
Oh, it’s SO yummy and I will post it this week. 🙂
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Lauraon January 22, 2013 at 1:06 am
One of my top 3 wedding gifts was a framed copy of my great-grandma’s famous rolls recipe, in her handwriting! She died when I was 7, and I am the official family roll-maker now, so it was especially meaningful.
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Jenon January 22, 2013 at 7:13 am
Laura – I would LOVE to see that. Anyone you can snap a picture and send it my way? I’d love adding it to this post.
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sue@houseprettyon January 22, 2013 at 6:51 am
I LOVE that idea! Talk about unique artwork!
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Jamie at Prepared to Eaton January 22, 2013 at 8:37 am
I *love* this idea! Sometimes I bring the laptop into the kitchen to make a recipe, but then I get sad that I won’t be slopping a mess all over the recipe (well, I could, but that would be bad). 😉 My Grandma just passed a way a month ago, and she had boxes of amazing recipes (“receipts”) in her handwriting. Framing them for the kitchen would be a sweet gift to her children.
I’m linking up my hubby’s birthday cake today. It’s a Carrot Cheesecake Cake that I am having a lot of trouble not eating before we sing Happy Birthday to You. 🙂 Have a great week!
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April @ The 21st Century Housewifeon January 22, 2013 at 8:46 am
What wonderful ideas for preserving family recipes! There are so many family recipes that bring back memories, and that I have incorporated as part of family traditions with my husband and son. From ‘Meat Loaf Wellington’ to ‘Grandma’s Garlic Bread’ and ‘Auntie Margaret’s Spice Cake’ and more, family recipes are the backbone of my cooking and make me feel connected across the generations.
Thank you for hosting Tasty Tuesday. This week I’ve shared a frugal, quick and delicious One Pot Beef Noodle Supper.
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Angi@schneiderpeepson January 22, 2013 at 10:46 am
What a great idea! After my dad died my aunt sent me some photo copies of my granny’s recipe cards. It is so meaningful to me. I’ve been wanting to do something with them but wasn’t sure what do. I think I’ve just found the right idea.
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Cyndion January 22, 2013 at 7:59 pm
I framed a bunch of my Grandma’s hand written recipes a couple of years ago. They are so great because they are written on things like a pay stub from my Grandpa and a old phone bill. I treasure these!
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Jamie Rohrbaughon January 23, 2013 at 9:33 am
Wow, really cute idea about the recipe decorations! That would be a great way to get my go-to recipes off the side of the frig! Looks gorgeous! Thanks!
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CJ @ Morsels of Lifeon January 23, 2013 at 8:07 pm
What a great idea – functional decorations! 🙂
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Lynnon January 24, 2013 at 12:35 am
Woah!! i really don’t like your ‘pop-up ad’ !!
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Jenon January 24, 2013 at 8:01 am
What was it? I have them all block, but obviously not? Would love to find out so I can see where it’s coming from. Hopefully, it was just a fluke thing.
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Wendy Whippleon March 26, 2014 at 9:21 pm
This is a very clever idea, but I would caution you to use color copies of the recipes and not the originals. Originals should be treated like the heirlooms they are, scanned at high res. and kept in a safe place. If you do use the originals as art, be sure to use archival glass with UV protectant in it – it’s pricier, but your precious handwritten recipes won’t fade. 🙂
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Jenon March 26, 2014 at 10:49 pm
Yes, excellent suggestion. I completely agree.
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Emmaon September 3, 2016 at 5:19 am
Very sweet, and it not just used for recipe, personally I use it for to-do list. Extremely pleasant to look at!
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reneeon February 13, 2017 at 11:45 pm
My favorite frame in my home right now is a vintage photo of my grandmother with one of her recipes framed beside it and then one of my mother with her handwritten note framed next to it. So it’s a 4 plex frame and works perfectly for this. It reminds me of why I miss them both so much and some of what they represented to me in life.
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Jenon February 14, 2017 at 12:42 pm
Renee = what a special, special memory.
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