Saving them for later; perfectly fine excuses to postpone the New Year's diet for yet a few more days.

I am still savoring my last few Lebkuchen and Springerle cookies.  Lucky for me, those two varieties keep fresh in their tins for weeks into the New Year.  I take immense pleasure in dipping my Springerle into a hot cup of Chai tea, and the Lebkuchen – well, they are good anytime of day or night, especially with a tall glass of cold milk.  I am always amazed at how long the Lebkuchen stay fresh and flavorful.  My durable but dwindling supply of Springerle and Lebkuchen are a great excuse to postpone my New Year’s diet for just one more week.

Now that the holidays are over, I am grateful that my mother, father and I had the chance to catalog, digitize, and share her time-worn, dog-eared, file folder of recipes.  It has been likewise satisfying for me to talk to my mother and father about their holiday recollections and traditions.  How is it that looking at old recipes and eating favorite Christmas cookies can conjure up so many memories?

Speaking of recipes, I have learned during the past few months, while working on this blog, that recipes have really changed and evolved since the 1950s.  My mother still has her Gourmet cookbooks, even the very first one from 1956.  Flipping through it, you notice right away how short and tersely written the recipes are, and there are little drawings instead of photographs in the margins. As my mother explains to me, “Those recipes were for people who already knew how to cook, they were not for ingénues.”

The first Gourmet cookbook (1956 8th ed.) given to my mother by my father when they were newlyweds.

Below is the recipe my mother still uses for Lebkuchen, from the first Gourmet cookbook.  It is a bit intimidating.  There is no separate list of ingredients, and instructions are vague at best.  What is a very hot oven?  How do you scald honey?  Do you use a standing mixer?  How much icing should you make?  How long to bake the cookies?  By comparison, recipes today are totally user friendly, with detailed shopping lists, gorgeous photographs and step-by-step instructions.

A well-used copy of the Lebkuchen recipe in the first Gourmet cookbook.

My mother’s talent for and love of cooking that started in the 1950s obviously did not come from today’s Cooking Channel shows, an iPad app, or a high-price cooking tour of Rome or Paris.  Her skill is the product of trial and error, good old fashioned hard work, and an innate desire to make other people happy by serving them with her delicious food.   Without hesitation, however, Ruth credits the iconic Julia Child for inspiring her to cook, through her 1960s television show, The French Chef.   In turn, I am inspired by my mother, for her dual passions in the kitchen to try new things and to keep old traditions alive.