Just like Mama used to make...

I have always considered myself to be a pretty decent cook.  I love trying new recipes and, once I master them, seeing how I can make them my own. 

Some recipes are sacred, however.  I think most people would agree that there's just something about your mother's home cooking that cannot be altered or touched--it's almost like messing with history, somehow.  I began asking my mother for recipe after recipe (over the phone, as I am currently living four hours away from my childhood home.).  The requests might go something similar to this:

Mom, I'm having people over on Saturday, can I have your chili recipe?

Or this....

Mom, I forget what kind of spice you put in your chili

OR, this!

Mom, how many pounds of meat should I put in the chili recipe you gave me?  I didn't write it down.

I think eventually my mother got sick of giving me the same recipe over and over again...so she decided to do something about it.

That same year, I bought my mother a gift card to Barnes and Noble.  She has always had a penchant for books, and I thought that this would give her a chance to pick one or two out that she would love and enjoy reading...instead, she used it to buy two journals, one for my brother and one for me, and proceeded to write down every recipe in her arsenal.  She also included every recipe my grandmothers, great aunts and even some of her sisters had that had become staples in our family. 

It's something I'll treasure for the rest of my life--and something I know she put SO much work into.  It's one of the best gifts I've ever received.  My favorite part?  It's in her own handwriting, and will stay with me until I pass it to my own children one day.  "Your grandmother wrote this for me."  What a special heirloom to pass down.

I have finally taken a risk and delved into the world of my  mother's cooking.  It's not Julie and Julia; it's better!