Originally Posted by tranum

Speaking of detailed instructions - our daughter was a new Mom and asked me to watch the baby for a couple of hours at my house. She brought him along with 2 pages (front & back) of written instructions. I still have them someplace.

Originally Posted by Teddybear Lady

My mom is 84 and used to cook all the time. She would sometimes have me type up her recipes to give to her friends. She would list the ingredients by brand name and the size of her pans or bowls. I would get a kick out of typing them. One time she wanted me to type up her instructions for making her chicken and dressing. It took me three pages because she wanted every step written down just like she made it. haha
She has severe memory loss now and doesn't even know what a spatula is. I stay with her sometimes while my 86 year old daddy has to go run an errand. I only live 5 minutes down the road from them. We don't leave her alone now. She'll show me a box of Hamburger Helper and wants me to help her make it. She can't even understand the instructions on anything now. It's sad, but we've still got her.

Originally Posted by tranum

Speaking of detailed instructions - our daughter was a new Mom and asked me to watch the baby for a couple of hours at my house. She brought him along with 2 pages (front & back) of written instructions. I still have them someplace.

Originally Posted by Needles

My grandmother did, she put it on the wagon and took them to the porches and porch stoops. Old homes didn't have outside faucets, they were lucky to have inside faucets with running water. My grandma had a hand pump at an old sink in her kitchen, even after they put in running water. Grandpa used that to clean up after milking and chores. They had no indoor bathroom until 1956. So see, it's not surprising to me to hear that lingo was written in a cookbook under household hints. Farm life was 'different' than city life.

Originally Posted by Botanicat

Another thing I sometime see in old cookbooks is reference to a "slow oven" or "fast oven" instead of temperature for the woodturning stove. And sometimes there are ingredients by brand name that you have never heard of. For example: 1 cup of Spry (What is Spry?) I found out later it was a brand name for shortening. The one my husband loves is my answer to his question "how long should I cook this?" I say "until its done." My father was a cook in the army in WWII. I have his old army cookbook. Each recipe is for "100 men."

Originally Posted by tropit

My great, great aunt was born on a farm in N. Dakota Territory She had had enough of farm chores and brutal winters and moved west around 1900. She worked as a cook for wealthy families in Pasadena. I was fortunate enough to inherit her Boston School of Cooking cookbook. There is an advertising section in the back of the book where she wrote notes and put stars on the ads of products that she coveted s/a a gas burning range, washing machine and an electric butter churner. So sweet! She lived in the city the rest of her life, enjoyed every minute and never looked back.

~ C