Then I flipped through and saw this was a well-used book, and I can't resist books with user notes (especially if the previous owner is a bit skeptical too).
You can imagine the smile on my face when I spotted Bar-B-Cue Chuck with notation:
I'm not sure what the cook's objection was, but I have to admire the honesty of "(not great)!"
Even better, though, are the sort of passive-aggressive notes on Chicken Lush:
The "O.K." is immediately contradicted by the "but too rich!" notation. The cook doesn't seem to think this is all that "O.K." I also love the highlight on "cooked." Is there a story behind that? Does some of the lack of enthusiasm come from biting into partially-cooked chicken because they didn't read the recipe closely? And if they don't particularly like this, why did they try to stop themselves from making the same mistake the next time? Maybe just find a different chicken recipe instead?
If it's summer and you're sick of zucchini, Baked Zucchini offers a pain enhancer:
I wonder if "Not good" is better or worse than "(not great)!" I also love that "greased" is underlined here! Once again, the notes suggest a mistake on the first try-- one not to be repeated the next time the cook makes this dish she didn't even like in the first place. Who is this persistent with bad recipes?
Everything so far seems to have fared better than Spanish Casserole, though.
That is straight-up "Bad" (with a double underline and no qualifier)! I can't quite imagine what taco sauce, enchilada sauce, cream of mushroom soup, and cream of chicken soup mixed together, dumped over hamburger, and topped with a bag of Doritos would taste like, but this makes it even clearer that I don't want to find out.
Not all of the notes were negative, though. Crunchy Carrot Casserole got an initially good reaction.
It's hard to see, but this originally said "Very Good" before the notation got blotted out with a black marker. My guess is that mom really liked this, but somebody else strenuously objected.
I did find some genuinely beloved recipes, though, and I'll leave you with one.
Twenty-Four Hour Dessert got rave reviews: "Good + Easy to make." The notes on making it suggest it may not be quite as easy as the note suggests: the cream cheese needs a while to soften, and the Cool Whip needs to defrost "over-nite," but it makes sense to put extra directions on a recipe one actually likes and plans to make again.
I adore cookbook notes-- especially ones with underlines and exclamation points and extra instructions. I hope they make you as happy as they make me, and if they don't, just look at the cute kids on the cover. Maybe you'll appreciate them more than I do and we'll all balance out.
For some reason this reminds me of 4-H project recipes. They are bad, and there is an emphasis on not forgetting or missing details that a new cook might miss. Granted, there were a few 4-H recipes that we would have been glad to have stick to the pan so we wouldn't have to eat them.
ReplyDeleteI just can't get over how disliking a recipe seems not to dissuade this person from making it again.
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