via thepismire

It’s lunch time, and we’ve got food on the brain! Well, cookbooks to be more exact.

There are several certified foodies on the OOM team, and we got to talking about food memories from when we were kids at our last meeting. Not only is cooking with your kids a great way to spend time together, but following recipes is a perfect way to practice skills like math and reading comprehension too! There is something magical about reading instructions to sauté something until “golden brown” and then watching golden brown happen before your very eyes!

So, I asked my fellow OOMers to share the family cookbooks that they remember most from their childhoods. Read on to see what they said!

Lia’s mom is a cookbook collector, but also kept handwritten recipes in the kitchen. Lia and her sister have created a password protected cookbook blog with their favorite family recipes so that they can access them anywhere, any time!

Michael’s favorite cookbook as a kid was a mail-order from a cereal box called the Alpha-Bakery that had a recipe for each letter of the alphabet. He particularly loved a chocolate cake with vinegar in it (we’ll trust you on this one, Michael!).

Dante remembers a copy of The Joy of Cooking and some recipe cards in his house, but says that the real database lived in his grandfather’s mind. His grandfather was a cook at a Pittsburgh restaurant, and made the most delicious dishes for holidays and special events – but he kept all of the recipes in his head and never wrote them down!

 Megan’s family has two standbys: The Fanny Farmer Cookbook and Fanny Farmer Baking Book. The baking book always opens to the same pumpkin bread recipe because they use it so often, and the pages are sprinkled with cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice!

Anne’s family had the classic cookbook – the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook with the red-checkered cover. They also kept a tin with notecards of her grandmother’s recipes!

 Lauren’s mom taught her everything she knows about cooking (thanks, Mom! We love it when Lauren brings cupcakes to OOM meetings!) She was a big fan of Ina Gartner and Martha Stewart books.

Jess remembers church cookbooks that were passed down from her grandmother and great grandmother. The books were compiled from recipes submitted by members of the church, and Jess loved hearing her grandmother’s stories about the people who had contributed her favorite recipes.

Our awesome summer intern Catherine loved the Cooking with Mickey cookbook despite her mom’s dislike for the recipes in it, while our (equally awesome) intern Katia’s family shared traditional recipes like arroz con leche and empanadas from generation to generation.

Finally, my mom always had the Rosie’s Bakery Cookie Book and Baking Book on hand!

Which cookbooks are a staple in your home? And if you’re in search of great additions to your child’s collection, be sure to check out Pie and the Confectionately Yours series which are fun stories that include recipes throughout!