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This Cookbook is a collection of family recipes collected and passed down by four generations of women within my family. It was first started by my great grandmother, Ida George, when my mother asked her for some of her recipes as a wedding present. Ida lived in Oklahoma during the great depression and dust bowl. This led to many recipes and meals that were created out of the goods and materials they had available to them under those circumstances. They speak to my family’s strong southern roots and ability to make it through even the toughest times like during the great depression and dust bowl. These recipes, most handwritten, were recorded, collected and then compiled within the binder that my family keeps as our family cookbook. The most interesting thing about this book is the history you can see just by looking at its pages. First of all, my great-grandmother wrote all of these out by hand in cursive, something unlike any cookbook I’ve ever seen. This shows not only the time and effort she put in to document these recipes but the effort she put in remembering these recipes and committing them to heart. I think it’s also really interesting that all of the instructions for how to make these recipes are in her own words as sections of recipes labeled “grandma’s words of advice”. Although I never got to meet my great grandmother Ida, this cookbook allows me to gain a better understanding of her, how she lived, and the way in which she expressed her love through food.
Written By: Sally Whitehead
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