The theme of my
bridal shower was “Betty Crocker”. For
lunch we had chicken casserole, crescent rolls, perfection salad and party
punch (spiked of course!) all taken right out of my grandmother’s Betty Crocker’s Picture Cook Book from
1956. I remember passing around my
grandmother’s battered cookbook and laughing at the advice in the “special
helps” section. So dated! “If you feel tired, lay down on your floor for
3 to 5 minutes.” The book showed a
cartoon housewife, apron and all, snoozing on a linoleum floor. — My childless self was also very bemused by a
tip suggesting that if you are still tired and depressed after rest, exercise
and following a good diet, you should consider seeing a doctor. Well duh! Thanks Betty! Flash forward three
years and one toddler later: if I could, I would apologize to
Betty. The advice that once seemed so
obvious as to be laughable I now realize is practical and exactly what parents
want and need to hear. Until I was at
home with a three-month-old and knocked out with strep throat, I never would
have understood how, as a friend of mine puts it, going to the doctor is
like planning an expedition to Mars. Not
easy. Perhaps this is why Betty Crocker
has stood the test of time. She gets
that family life is hard, but a simple plate of Snicker doodles or Chocolate
Crinkle Cookies can make it a little easier.
Thinking back on my bridal shower,
I’ve come to see that cookbooks are about more than recipes – they are about
memories, emotions, and are ultimately a snap shot of our time. When I think about how I want my daughter to
remember our family’s table, I’m hoping it will be with a balance of fun and
liveliness and wholesomeness. Looking
through my cookbooks, these are the ones I’m hoping will have made an
impression – that she’ll open them up when she’s older and say, “Yes! This is the soup mom made when I was sad. . .
and I love this pasta!” Or better yet –
“Mom, can we make these brownies together?”
My Daughter’s Future Cookbook Collection:
Betty Crocker’s
Picture Cook Book
Home
Cooking: A Writer In The Kitchen by
Laurie Colwin
100 Recipes
Every Woman Should Know: Engagement
Chicken and 99 Other Fabulous Dishes to Get You Everything You Want in Life by
Cindi Leive and the Editors of Glamour
The Perfect
Recipe: Getting It Right Every Time by
Pam Anderson (The author also
blogs with her daughters at Three Many Cooks.)
Paula Balzer is the co-founder of the blog adhocmom.com, and the author of the how-to book Writing and Selling Your Memoir. For more on Paula, see our contributors list to the right. Contact her at paula@pbliterary.com.
