User Recipes

That apple pie recipe is the soul of her collection. Massoth still pulls that card out every Thanksgiving, even though she knows all the ingredients and the baking method by heart. Reading her mother’s recipe in her original writing helps Massoth feel close to her mother once more. “I have to laugh at the vague instructions, such as ‘quite a bit of nutmeg,’” she says. “If she had not shown me how to make the pie, I would have no idea how much ‘quite a bit’ meant. Of course, no matter what the format of her recipe I use, my pie will never be quite as good as hers.” So instead let’s make some simple Massoth “orange stuff.”Aunt Agnes’ Famous Orange StuffServes 12Ingredients1 (3-ounce) orange Jell-O packet1 pint orange sherbet1 small can crushed pineapple1 small can mandarin orangesDissolve orange Jell-O in 1 cup of boiling water. Stir in 1 pint of orange sherbet with a fork. Add 1 small can each of crushed pineapple and mandarin oranges, drained. Refrigerate until jelled.

Family recipes. I can’t think of many gifts as meaningful as treasured family recipes made into a book or gathered in a box. As a twist, you could make this a group gift by collecting a recipe or two from each member of your family and creating your own cookbook to distribute to the whole clan.