Mother’s Day Recipes from My Mom
My mom died when I was 17. A super heavy reason to get obsessed with vintage community cookbooks, I know, but that’s my reason, so let me explain. She was an incredible cook, everyone fought over her bakes at the cake walk and her potluck dishes were legendary. All of the best memories of my childhood were in the kitchen. My mom’s kitchen is where I fell in love with cooking, so when she passed away, I cooked a lot as a form of therapy, I guess. A way to honor her memory, and feel close to her even after she was gone.
And I have been into vintage, since, well always. I’ve restored antique cast iron cookware, and resold vintage Pyrex and vintage clothing for a while now. So, thrifting and cooking is kind of my whole life. And, one of my favorite things to collect when I’m thrifting is vintage cookbooks. I love all of them. The quirky fun cookbooks, the interesting educational ones, the big glossy ones with beautiful photos - all of them, but my absolute favorites were the community cookbooks. The humble, spiral bound paperback ones with authentic home-cook recipes.
So, one day I was scanning the book section at my local thrift store when I came across a community cookbook from a group my mom was involved in. And I thought “no way, do you think?” And sure enough, of course there were tons of her recipes inside! Not just her recipes, but her words, her instructions, her sweet, patient way of over-explaining things, and her humble way of reassuring everyone how if she could make it, anyone could. All of it. I totally lost it right there in the thrift store.
See, there was a fire in my childhood home, and it was all lost. Her Joy of Cooking cookbook she used religiously, her Le Creuset, her KitchenAid mixer, her boxes of hand-written recipes. All gone. So, seeing her best, most iconic classic recipes preserved was more meaningful than I can put in words. And it just clicked for me.
Community cookbooks aren’t just cookbooks, they’re priceless treasures. These are real people sharing more than recipes, they are sharing memories. These are parents and grandparents sharing a piece of their kitchen, a peak into their lives, an authentic piece of their creativity. These people mattered to someone, and their cooking made someone happy. They may not always be the fanciest recipes, but they are real, and someone created them without the internet, without social media, just memories and creativity.
That’s amazing to me, and that day, seeing my mom’s recipes, opened my eyes to how much these humble little paperbacks really mean. So, yeah, my reason for loving vintage cookbooks is a little heavy, but they make me happy, and honored to celebrate these amazing cooks and their memory. So this Mother’s Day, I’m going to cook some of her classic recipes like the ones I found that day inside the community cookbook. They aren’t fancy, or complicated, they’re humble and simple, and just plain good, and I would love it if you would celebrate with me.
See, Mother’s Day has always been the absolute worst day for me, and while a lot of people see it as a fun, or cute, or cheesy but charming, for me it was just horrible. All those sappy commercials and adorable posts were just the worst! I would avoid social media for weeks, and leave the room when commercials came on. But, I’m determined to make it a celebration this year, even if it means eating my feelings a little bit. Especially since this will be my first Mother’s Day after finding out I’m going to be a Mom!
So, whether you’re lucky enough to have someone to hug this Mother’s Day, or if Mother’s Day is something you completely dread, I hope my Mom’s recipes can make your day a little warmer. Because sometimes pie is therapy, and even if you don’t have any positive kitchen memories, maybe you can make some new ones this year. So, follow me for some very personal vintage community cookbook recipes this week, and Happy Mother’s Day, if it is for you, and if not, join me for pie and pasta. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate my Mom’s memory than making people happy with her cooking again.
WANT TO COOK THE RECIPES IN THIS SERIES? SEE BELOW FOR LINKS!
KITCHENWARE USED IN THIS SERIES
VINTAGE PYREX
Amish Butterprint from the 1950’s
VINTAGE CAST IRON
Griswold Skillet from 1906
Other Recipes in this Series
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My Mom’s Chocolate Cream Pie
Simply perfect. My mom’s chocolate cream pie will always have my heart.
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My Mom’s Spanish Macaroni
A super simple comfort food my Mom made at least once a week.
