Cookbook Poem
Handed down recipes are treasures that we look forward to enjoying at every family gathering. My children’s grandmother made cole slaw for every occassion. When asked how much of this and that did she stir into the cabbage, she always responded with what seemed as vague answers. The truth is that she never measured any of the ingredients with measuring spoons or cups. MomMom measured with her eyes and her taste buds. The following poem, Grandma’s Recipes, always reminds me of her.
Grandma’s Recipes
This has always puzzled me, just how much is a pinch?
These recipes of dear Grandma’s surely are no cinch.
A “snip” of this, a “dab” of that, a “lump” of something else…
then “beat it for a little while”, or, “stir until it melts.”
I have to be a wizard to decipher what she meant
by all these strange proportions in her cookbook worn and bent.
How much nutmeg’s in the doughnuts? Grandma wouldn’t flinch
as she said, with twinkling eyes, “Oh, just about a pinch.”Â
There must have been in her wise head a measuring device
that told her just how much to use of sugar, salt, and spice.
Author: Unknown
While being with my Gram was always the best time because of the unspoken love, I’d watch her prepare foods (Italian) and she’d cup her hand to pour herbs and spices even separating egg whites from the yolks into it and add to whatever she was making. However, when I was first married I used measuring spoons but then 1 set wasn’t enough so I bought another and another until I remembered my hand and began using it to measure. I still have all the sets I’ve purchased over the years and some of them are so sweet that they decorate a small wall in my kitchen. The hand never fails me but I would caution that if you are new to the kitchen use the spoons until you are comfortable with your confidence as a cook and then the hand will be the best tool in your kitchen.
Yes, but deciphering those measurements and directions is half the fun!