Repurposing Old Recipe Cards

What to do with old recipe cards? The handwritten ones passed down that include odd ingredients like lard and curd? At my house, it was the Booze Cake that I didn't necessarily like, but the handwriting was Grandma's and I couldn't bear to toss it out, even in my most obsessive/compulsive organizational mode.

Here's what I did:

Looking up at the ceiling between our great room and kitchen

Not too long ago, I stumbled upon a few boxes of old recipe cards, some from my mom, my grandmother, and my great-grandmother.


After making color copies of them, I used an adhesive spray glue to attach them to the inside of my kitchen walkway. Wallpaper glue did not do the trick so Elmer's took over. Over the top of this, I used a paintbrush to slap on a little Mod Podge topcoat.



Every day, as I walk through this entryway, I think of all of the other women in my family who cooked in their own kitchens for their own families. Does it matter if I make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for my family for dinner, or Real Gil's favorite steaks? Perhaps my work is not earth-shattering, but it is part of the legacy I leave. This kitchen work is part of the prepared tasks God has put before me today (Ephesians 2:10). I figure that Jesus himself made breakfast for the disciples so it's not above me. And someone had to make that boy's lunch of fish and bread so Jesus could perform a miracle!

Whether God uses my food for miracles or just to teach me to put someone else's needs ahead of my own, I step willingly into the kitchen. But it's always easier when you stop to smile at other generations' meticulous writing, and serving, and ultimately, their legacy.

Resting,
Karen