A Special Gift

There's something about a handwritten recipe.  I wrote about my grandmother's handwritten recipes in a seedtales blog, Bamboo Pickles, Family Recipes and Friendship and many readers contacted me to express love for handwritten recipes.   Perhaps it is a visceral connection to favorite foods or maybe, in today's digital world, we appreciate the time and effort it takes to write by hand, but for some reason, handwritten recipes become treasured talismans for a lot of us home cooks.

My grandmother gave me her collection of recipes before she died

My home really should be better organized by now; after all, I retired from my public school educator job over four years ago.  There is really no excuse for storing boxes that have remained unopened for years.  Recently, I entered Purge Mode and tossed, donated and sorted an area I neglected for too long.  It was there I discovered treasure. . . 

Handwritten Recipes, Including Vidalia Onion Pie

Not the kind of treasure most people would value, this envelope filled with recipes, many handwritten, enticed me to abandon my cleaning project and read.  When I unfolded a thin, yellowed sheet of paper, spotted with what looked to be cooking oil, I sighed.  It was my sister-in-law's prized Vidalia Onion Pie recipe and it was recorded in her handwriting.

Nan with Clark

Nancy Barlowe Ingram, Nan, to those who knew and loved her, was the mastermind behind hunting for pirate treasure at the coast, organizing Easter egg hunts and packing for hundreds of Sunday afternoon picnics at Price Park, in Blowing Rock.  A beloved kindergarten teacher, Nan knew how to make any activity fun and exciting and when she died, at age 43, her death left a void in our family gatherings.  Although Nan created many delicious dishes, her Vidalia Onion Pie was the family favorite and we always include it in the annual Thanksgiving celebration.  

When I saw the recipe, I immediately knew who should have it.  My son, Clark, frequently names Aunt Nancy's Vidalia Onion Pie as his favorite Thanksgiving dish and since he became the official host for a large gathering of friends and family for that holiday, it is only fitting he should own the recipe.  Encased in a shadowbox, in case he wants to hold it, the recipe is wrapped and lying beneath my Christmas tree.  By the time he reads this, Clark will have opened the gift and I know it will be one he loves.

My holiday wish for each reader is that you are able to share a special gift with someone.  Whether it is something you make with your own hands, purchase at a store or includes that most valuable commodity of time shared, I hope your gift is as precious to you as to the one who receives it.

Merry Christmas!