Tuesday 17 December 2013

The Big Red Book

I mentioned this the other week and people asked for more details. IMG_1236In 1999, I realised I had loads of clippings, postcards, and bits and pieces tucked inside recipe books and generally floating untidily round the kitchen. I found an old hardback A4 notebook and covered it with some leftover wrapping paper.

big red book1-001Ever since then, I have been sticking things in and using it for general purpose notes.

Some things are just purely sentimental – postcards from Liz and Steph. Other things are useful and referred to often. Some things are just there to make me smile.big red book2-001

“Feed a family of four for £21 a week” is a Shirley Goode article from 1983. I still use some of these recipes. I keep the recipe for Amish Funnel Cakes – but for the sake of my health, do not bake them! The bake-ahead for Christmas booklets have some useful ideas in.

Like PomPom and her craft project books, I will admit to keeping recipes I probably won’t ever make- but they inspire me, and give me something to read if I am bored. If things become out-of-date or irrelevant, I just stick new things over the top.

The Lists are particularly useful –

  • what did I give people for Christmas in years gone by [and what did they give me – write it down immediately and then send a thankyou note]
  • which hair colourant coloured the grey/made my head itch/worked well/looked awful
  • a typical week’s Wartime Rations [you never know!]
  • timetable and order of event’s for August Holiday Club Preparation – starting in March!

This cartoon came from one of the girls in 1992

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I cannot remember who sent me this one

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This is a sweet wrapper which came back from the States in 2002

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I shall post a couple of the useful recipes later!

6 comments:

  1. I love this. I have stuff everywhere. It's not too scary either - you know, everything numerical or ordered in colours of the rainbow like people do sometimes. That puts me off

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  2. I have a tatty green folder.
    Shouldn't the Quebec Fleur de Lys be blue though?!
    Jane x

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  3. It must bring back countless memories when you browse through.

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    1. It certainly does - past family gatherings, cooking experiments that actually worked well [and hair dyes that didn't!] ...

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  4. I thought I must be the only person who still had that magazine article from Shirley Goode from all those years ago!

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