Introduction to the 1991edition

For as many years as I can remember, mom was collecting, sharing and organizing her recipes. At first, she kept them in a brown file box. When she went to work at the City School District, she entered a new phase and began to type and laminate them. After her retirement, she glued them into a black notebook by subject in alphabetical order. Later on when she had vision problems, I printed them out for her in large print. She wanted them all of course, so there are 3 copies of one of her favorites, clams casino.

She really was at her best, in my memory, when she was at work in the kitchen. That kitchen with the cabinets her Bill had remodeled for her with counters at her height. Those were happy times for our family and their memory is a tribute to her and an inspiration for us.

Putting this together as been a “labor of love” and mom would be glad that her recipes are circulating again. Be careful using them because they are old-fashioned, and no care is give to diet and nutrition. I think you can gain weight just by reading the cookie section. But that would be OK with her. After all, it couldn’t hurt you to try just a “smidgen”.

Dennis-November 1991