It Started So Innocently

 There are three people during my youth who were responsible for the relationship I now have with the kitchen and food.  Those people are my Dad, my Aunt Penny, and Julia Child (via Public Television).

Growing up, my father seemed to get a lot of enjoyment from cooking. Although mother was also very good at regularly getting nourishment into 5 kids and a husband, it seemed my dad had more of a passion for it. 

Then Julia Child entered our home via Public Television and mother loved her. She never missed an episode and I didn't either. Although, at the time, I did not appreciate her Cheese Souflee and other French culinary delights, I did grow to love and appec iate them as I aged. There are certain recipes of mother's that have become staples and 'go-tos' in my kitchen.

In the summer of my 14^th year I spent a month with my Uncle Max and Aunt Penny in Richardson, Texas to lend them a helping hand with their new-born twins and their toddler.  I recall that I had the best time while I was there.  Aunt Penny made sure I had a good time even though I was technically there to work.

She introduced me to a neighbor girl who was about 3 years older than me.  I thought she was the coolest.  She had beautiful long dark hair and she introduced me to Iron Butterfly's In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida album which we played over and over and over. During that month Penny also introduced me to her Grandma Jordan’s pumpkin bread recipe.

She also bought me this.

My very own binder to collect recipes in.

 It came with cute little dividers. 



The original binder disintegrated years ago and was replaced with a new one but I kept the little dividers.

I didn't limit myself to recipes.  I clipped articles and tables that essentially taught me how to cook over the years.

I have been cutting recipes and articles out of magazines and newspapers ever since and now this is what I have amassed in the past 40-some years. 

Since the majority of my time on this earth has passed it became evident to me that I better get in gear if I’m ever going to experience these recipes.  I have decided that it's time to put these recipes to the test.  Test them, use them, or toss them. 

I also adore cookbooks.  I read them like novels and although I am pretty good about cooking from them, I’ll be more diligent in trying new recipes from these as well.

So, that is what I’ll be doing here.  I will attempt to cook my way through these recipes and get that box out of my pantry.  

That's the primary goal, but I am hoping it will simply provide a place for other recipes I try and recipes that will become regulars in the kitchen.

I am adding this note in 2015. It has surprised me at how many of these collected clippings and been thrown out with never a chance of being tried. So many of these recipes were saved before I even met Lovey. As I picked through them I found myself saying "Charles won't eat that" or "what made me think I would like this?".  Therefore, there are so few of these clippings that actually made their way to the rangetop.