From the Heart, Through the Hand: Sharing Recipes
When I was a young bride, I received a Betty Crocker Cookbook and an empty wooden recipe box as gifts, ready to be filled with favorite recipes. Forty+ years later, my Betty book is well used (and I still refer to it for basic recipes) and my empty recipe box is stuffed with handwritten recipes that were shared with me over the years.
There’s something special that comes with sharing a recipe in a handwritten form. It’s not just the ingredients and instructions that get passed along, it reflects the pride of the cook and the stories, memories, and cultural significance attached to the dish.
These days I am more inclined to use my phone or computer to find a recipe, and I do enjoy finding a food blogger that shares their story and techniques connected to the recipe. But, the crisp, white sheet of paper that comes of out my printer doesn’t reflect that recipe’s history like a handwritten one.
Sharing The Gift of Food and Memories

A recipe from my dear life-long friend Betsy. I haven’t made this recipe in years, but will I ever remove it from my recipe box? Never!
When someone takes the time to handwrite a recipe and pass it along, it becomes a gift, not just in terms of food, but in terms of a shared experience and memory. And I treasure each one…from Betsy, Harriet, Marcia, Gwen and so many more.
Handwritten recipes that were shared connects us to past generations, moments, and loved ones. My mother is gone now, but I treasure the recipes she wrote in her unique handwriting, annotated with notes or corrections. I have a folder where she collected recipes torn from magazines and newspapers and many of them carry her notes or comments on the results – “very good – use red pepper for color”, “I added more rice and broth”. I treasure these annotations on a printed recipe as much as a handwritten recipe.
Handwritten recipes carry the personality and handwriting of the person who shared them. Whether it’s a grandmother’s hard-to-read cursive, a parent’s scribbled notes, or a friend’s annotations, it’s almost as if they’re present with you when you prepare the dish.
The creases, marks and stains on a handwritten recipe is a slice of its history, reflecting a moment in time when that dish was prepared and shared.

My mother Mary Ann followed my Grandma Psajdl around the kitchen when she was making Czech bread, writing down the ingredients and measurements, resulting in this treasured family heirloom.
Connecting Generations and Family History
A handwritten recipe is a bridge between generations. When you cook a dish from an older generation’s recipe, you’re not just following instructions—you’re participating in a long-standing tradition, creating a direct link to the past. My Czech Grandma Psajdl didn’t use recipes or measuring cups or spoons, she used “feel” and “pinches”, and leaned on her memories of making that recipe from the homeland. One time, my mother followed her mother-in-law around the kitchen when she was making Czech bread, writing down the ingredients and measurements to capture her recipe to help pass it down the flavors of the homeland to the next generations. I treasure that handwritten family heirloom… tattered, stained, and full of corrections and notes.
The Joy of Rediscovery
When I rifle through my over-stuffed recipe box and find an old favorite, I can also reflect on the time I made it to share with friends or family. Fun dinner parties with friends, family gatherings during holidays, or even dishes I have brought to grieving families, or new mothers to nourish them. Are there recipes in there that I haven’t made in years? Yes, but I will never discard them – I treasure them!
I’ve heard of people that “adopt” recipe boxes at estate sales and enjoy discovering the previous owner’s loved recipes, or those that were shared with them. I hope when I pass from this earth that my recipe box is thought of as a precious family heirloom and further generations will make something from it, continuing the circle of sharing.
But, for now, as temperatures dip below zero in Wisconsin, I’m going to spend some time going through my recipe box and look for some recipes that will warm me and fill me up…not just physically, but spiritually.
Therese Oldenburg ~ The best recipes are made with love and shared with joy. Eat well and share often!
This is a great idea! Thanks for sharing! Can’t wait to try these recipes!
A very nice article. I am copying recipes from Facebook pages and and I find them very good. Also I have a recipe box of Moms. I gave Cindy one. Love, Dad