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cherish
♥
/ˈCHeriSH/
to hold dear
to protect and care for lovingly
♥
a friend lost her book of family recipes in the flood this past June
how heartbreaking that would be
mine are
{ thankfully }
high and dry in a recipe box with my mom and granny and grandma’s
neat handwriting
♥
if you’ve been here a while, you’ve read about June, Harriett and Nellie
many of those recipes have made it here to my blog
.. safe no matter what
♥
These are recipes I cherish, even though I don’t always make them.. they’ve forged memories and a
special place in my heart
♥
So.. in no particular order
I remember looking up at my gram’s long delicate fingers.. my own hands now a likeness of hers
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this cake was often perched on the arborite counter close to the wall phone that had a cord long enough to allow conversation while sneaking a wee bite (or two) of cake
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lovingly packaged in tins then carried north on the Greyhound “Milk Run” bus ride to share at Christmas long, long ago.jpg)
my own daughter’s sweet first contribution to carry on the legacy of family recipes
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a new favorite, shared with joy on my first day volunteering at the hospice
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♥
But our most cherished recipe..
has to be our family’s
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we’ve celebrated each and every birthday with this one
with every bite a memory made
♥
and now a new recipe to cherish..
from my friend Sharon was inspired to create a Cooks for the Cure cookbook in honor of her mother
each recipe is a tribute to a loved one
{ it’s a cookbook you can’t read without shedding a few tears }
tucked within these pages, my favorite Best Banana Muffin Recipe
the one I always make when I’m tired and need a little pick me up.. { like tonight }
the one I always make to give to anyone who needs a little pick me up.
These “Best Banana Muffins” were contributed by Marlene Wilson and she wrote..
“In memory of a very dear friend, Kelly Lockhart. We would always enjoy a cup of coffee with muffins and great conversations! Miss you Buddy!”
♥
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I love days of baking, muffin sharing and jotted notes..
I’m so blessed all of you are in my life.
♥
- 3 large ripe bananas
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1/3 cup butter, melted and cooled
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Mash bananas in a large mixing bowl. Add sugar and lightly beaten egg. Stir in melted, cooled butter. Measure in the flour, sprinkle over the baking powder, baking soda and salt, then stir in to mix by gently folding. Do not over mix or beat.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
♥
This blog is my third contribution to the Canadian Food Experience Project orchestrated by the talented
Valerie Lugonja of The Canadian Foodie
This months topic: My Cherished Canadian Recipe
If you are Canadian, I encourage you to join our group.. it’s a collective sharing of food and stories across Canada.
♥
Those little note cards in the photo remind me of a little craft I have been wanting to make since.. oh.. July!!
Please send out a little wish that I can find the time this weekend because if I manage to get it done.. I will share it with you then.
It’s a lovely way to share summer memories.. all through the year.
Family recipes are just the best Smidge. My book was also written around family and friends favourites. It’s such a treat having all the best in one book and being able to share it with so many more people.
Have a beautiful day. It would be wonderful to enjoy one of these fabulous banana muffins with you this afternoon while we have a chin-wag and a nice cuppa.
🙂 Mandy xo
“with every bite a memory made” ~ Ah, that IS family recipes, right there! And we all need a recipe to pick us and other up, lift our heads, bring comfort or hope.
Love this post, and am so sorry to hear of the recipe book lost in a flood. Much has been lost here in CO over the last couple of weeks, the flooding has been horendous. My heart goes out to so many families dealing with precious memories lost, they could use a batch of your muffins right now.
Family recipes and food memories are truly priceless. I just delivered my son to college (sniff) with a bag of baked goods…
I can’t imagine loosing something so sentimental. Thank goodness for the blog land/internet to store some of these wonderful recipes for you! I refer to my blog all the time for recipes I’ve made, and I don’t actually have a book of recipes! HA!
My goodness each one of these looks “the best”. I love banana recipes – always a great way of using up overripe fruit as well!
It’s always nice to see favourite recipes, thanks Barbara. It’s become very cold and very fall-like all of a sudden; these things seem to always sneak up on me. The muffins look like a perfect start to the morning with a steaming hot cup of java.
How hard to lose family recipes! Actually one of the reasons I started blogging was to have a convenient place to keep all the recipes I make most often. Anyway, great muffins! I love banana baked into anything, and these look sensational. Thanks.
Losing a book of family recipes is heartbreaking. Sending wish that you find the time this weekend to make your little craft.
Smidge, that’s exactly why I blog, to keep a record for my family and myself. It’s wonderful that you have your family recipes safe, and also backed up here on your blog! x
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What a lovely post Barbara! I love your cherished recipes, and the fact that you keep your family’s memory alive with them. I sure could use one of your pick-me up’s tonight!
It would be very hard to lose the handwritten recipes I have collected from my loved ones through the years. You’ve made me think of why I might like to make a few copies! Your photos are just beautiful, barb, and I think I’d like just a bit of that beautiful birthday cake! 🙂 I will be making those banana muffins just as soon as the temperatures drop a bit! i’m not baking much right now. I’ll be ready, though! ox
The muffins sound so tender–but the story is even more so!
xoxo
Love these family recipes that you share together with your lovely and very heart-warming stories.
these recipes are the best..and should be treasured and passed down from one generation to the next!
Love the banana muffins recipe that you shared..such comfort food!
How awful for your friend. My grandmother had many wonderful recipes and because we moved to Australia when I was 12, I wasn’t able to keep in contact and make sure her recipes were preserved before she died. I truly believe family recipes past down from generation to generation are the recipes of highest value xx
As I try very hard to keep my recipes and wish to pass down to my children, I cannot imagine losing the family recipes… So many people lose precious memories (I always worry about family album) due to natural disaster…it’s very sad. Your muffins look really delicious and I love those heart shape cookies! Your dishes and props are so lovely. I can imagine you have beautiful collections at your home. 🙂
I am always envious of those who have family recipes, especially in a book with handwritten notes. My grandmother and mother were never those to write things down, it was all in their heads. I don’t think my mother had a recipe from my grandmother! If she did, it was in her head and probably nothing true to the original! I lost my mother unexpectedly and when she was quite young, so I never got any of her recipes. I try to remember and create dishes from memory and change it till it tastes like hers.
So, yes, treasure those family recipe books!!
And beautiful, banana muffins too!
Nazneen
Well I can’t go past a recipe titled the best banana muffins. Yum! What a memory chest full of recipes you have.
What a nice tribute to a friend! I can smell those muffins filling the house with deliciousness!