Because…
…All those delicious old recipes that were passed down and for some of us, left in a box somewhere. I found some. I re-created some. I even begged for some. And completely made up one based on a random (possibly false) memory of something that I thought somebody might have made for me once.
Of those that I have gathered, some were grannie’s recipe, sometimes mom’s, Betty Crocker’s® or the recipe of my best friend’s aunt.
Recently, I found myself following familiar recipes in a new place, with different humidity levels, using a different kind of oven and sometimes, different spices or ingredients because the old ones aren’t available any longer (perhaps they were removed from the market in the seventies like “amaranth dye” AKA Red Dye #2).
Some recipes I won’t even try because well, there was a time, in junior high school, I told a friend that I was bringing cookies to a party she was having. She asked me, “is it your mom’s sugar cookies?” I said no, but before I could say what I was planning, she said “oh, thank God! Your mom’s sugar cookies are awful!” (It’s ok to laugh, they were.) Some recipes are simply too embarrassing to attempt fixin’ up.
So, my mom wasn’t a famous baker or cook (or chef), but what she did well; we requested even after we were grown and gone. Like most of us, she had a few signature dishes that she nailed almost every time, and a select few that were soooo good and perfect every time, and then there were those few dishes that were simply unfortunate for all of us (we still had to clean our plates back then).
For me, I can tell you that whenever I decide to move outside my select dishes, trying to get fancy or experiment… well, let’s just say my grown kids are afraid to come for dinner on the days when I’m making something new; chances are, they won’t go away full (and definitely not satisfied). Don’t worry though, none of those recipes will end up here!
The oldies but goodies you’ll find here are usually sweet, some are salty, and some, only available in “season”. You may find snacks that almost nobody has heard of, or they may have been known by a different name or even known only as a local treat. At times, there will only be one item available and sometimes many.
There is one constant here; none of these timeless treats could be listed as “organic”, “plant-based”, or “vegan”. Lazy Eight treats and snacks will probably will not be nut, milk, egg, whey, wheat… (well, you know the list) free; BUT they will be delicious, full of sugar… or salt… or butter… just like mom (or grandma, or daddy or aunt Sylvia) made them.
Invite someone special to share. Sit a while, put your feet up and enjoy a taste of the good ol’ days!