Recipes are a mainstay in today’s society. In the past there were certain cooking recipes that were handed down from generation to generation, and oftentimes these very recipes encapsulated an aspect of family life that would not be forgotten – at times this was an Easter celebration, perhaps a special Christmas tradition, or maybe simply a memory, such as the baking bread in the kitchen that signed “home” to all who entered. In many ways today there is a movement to recapture this little piece of history.

Of course, over the years there have been new and improved recipes. No longer is the perfectly baked loaf of bread or succulent Thanksgiving turkey at the center of our memories, but it might now be the drink recipes for the Coconut liquor Aunt Martha has concocted, the healthy low fat recipes that characterize your sister’s cooking, or the crunchy chicken wings that are available at your favorite restaurant. Recipes may have shifted in focus, but they are still a major staple of today’s cooking landscape.

Naturally, not all recipes are created equal. What makes all recipes that remain in the mainstream consciousness – perhaps as free recipes on a website, or as your mother’s creations on recipe cards in your pantry – great are the three pieces of information that should be included in all recipes:

• A list of ingredients.


• Proper measures of ingredients.


• Handling instructions in a step by step mode.

While many recipes – especially free online recipes – have the first two covered, it is the third that gives most people ample trouble. Some recipes simply assume that a cook knows how to handle certain foods, while others underestimate the common sense of the cook. There is a fine line between writing step by step instructions that are so lengthy that they will scare away any newbie and instructions that appear to be so cryptic that a cook is frantically scouring the Internet for more info just to make sure that they are doing it right. For the perfect recipe – just as it is for the perfect meal – it is the balance that counts.

So go ahead and try your hand at your own recipes! You will love the idea of playing around with your favorite foods and maybe adding them to the stock of family recipes. You will enjoy experimenting with the different ingredients and making your very own concoctions. Make the time to do so with your child, she or he will thank you for this time together. Plan for a mess, and if the eggs hit the floor, laugh about and enjoy this memory!