The Retro Recipe Box: Clippings, Notecards & Timeless Kitchen Favorites of the Twentieth Century

When a loved one passes away, after the tears are shed and the baked goods have all been delivered, families are usually left with something to remember the departed by. Maybe it’s antique furniture, jewelry, photo albums, or, if your family really planned ahead, a lake house purchased in 1927 for the price of a sandwich and a handshake. When my husband’s grandmother, Letitia, passed away, he inherited all the usual sentimental treasures, but tucked among them was the item that he really wanted : his grandmother’s recipe box.Within the overstuffed sections of the China-blue recipe organizer were faded magazine clippings, handwritten recipe cards, scraps of paper with ingredients hastily jotted down, forgotten grocery lists, and enough casserole recipes to feed their entire golf club. Some recipes had proper titles, others were simply labeled for their intended occasion, and one didn’t have a name at all (just ingredients with a heavy pour of confidence). It’s a grab bag from the past, a collection of recipes that don’t care about calories or delicate presentation.These recipes weren’t made for fancy restaurants or internet trends. Nothing in this cookbook is going to go “viral.” These are the classics. The good stuff.So, grab a plate, pour yourself a stiff cocktail, and enjoy a collection that took a lifetime to build.Caution: Side effects of these recipes may include second helpings and an insatiable craving for just one more bite. Read more