Your Tasty Recipe: Worthy of Passing to Next Generation?

Happy 2018 to all. I read a friend’s blog this morning and smiled at her use of New Years’ Intentions. I like that. If an “intention” doesn’t work out, at least I haven’t failed at not meeting up to my “resolution.”

For my first intention of the new year, I intend to blog more with the goal of encouraging you to start writing your legacy. Every blog will end with a writing prompt that will help you to take off with your own memory. So, get a new journal out and start with January 1. By the end of the year, you will have a huge beginning for your memoir.

To begin the new year off right, I decided to clean out kitchen cupboards—those that are up high and I’ve forgotten what is stored in there. I first came across one of my father’s old cook books. Daddy, a chef by profession, wrote only ingredients of a recipe, never amounts. It all depended on the number of people he planned to serve. The thin black book is dated 1931-1933 with the Suburban Hotel, Summit, New Jersey. Daddy was a sauce cook there. Reading through Daddy’s handwriting, I came across the word Espagnole. Since the recipe also includes “pounded anchovies,” I assumed he misspelled Escargot. However, a quick Google search proved Daddy’s spelling to be correct. I found this explanation from thespruce.com:

This espagnole, or brown sauce recipe, is one of the five, classic mother sauces of French cuisine.                  It is made from simmering mirepoix, tomato puree, herbs, and beef stock.

Now to replicate Daddy’s recipe, I just need some mirepoix. Hmm…back to Google.

Needless to say, I’m done with cleaning cupboards today. I’ve decided to take a closer look at this gem. Why rush the cleaning? I have 365 days ahead of me to clean.

Prompt: What recipe from your long ago past would you like passed down from generation to generation. Why this one? Tell the story of who used this before you? Where were you when you experienced this for the first time? When was that? Remember: Have fun with your writing. Your loved ones don’t need perfection; they need your stories.