Mom's Recipe Binders | Cheese Strata

Image: Recipes Recommended/Lisa Schattenkirk

When my mother, Loralee, passed away, she left behind a bunch of binders full of handwritten recipes, as well as other food magazine and newspaper clippings. Although when I was young and not very interested in cooking beyond microwaving a Hot Pocket when I got home from school, I do have very fond memories of my mom cooking dinner for my family most nights. I appreciate the fact that she tried her hardest to not get stuck in the cycle of making the same meals over and over. Sometimes there were winners, and sometimes there were nights where Mom felt like trying out a new recipe from our local newspaper. Of course, there were the fads and bizarre entrées by today’s standards. But the effort she put in, without the oohs and ahhhs I would happily give today, was a lot more impressive than I gave her credit for; it was just every day for a high schooler like me. And I had no idea what kind of impact it would have on me, leading me eventually to culinary school.

Image: Recipes Recommended/Andrew Strauss

Don’t get me wrong, my mother was by no means a master chef. She did, however, have courage in the kitchen where most people don’t. She didn’t fear trying new ingredients and definitely didn’t shy away from serving them to me and my sister. My mother was also a pack rat when it came to recipes. This was a time when there was no internet and computers were barely more than word processors. So, she, along with what I imagine are a lot of people of the time who cooked for their families, kept all of her recipes collected in multiple three-ring binders. One I have actually came from Bon Appétit magazine. I like to think she mailed away for it, using proof of purchase, or she won it in some raffle at the PTA.

Image: Recipes Recommended/Lisa Schattenkirk

My father was a lawyer, and one thing you could always count on was to find a yellow legal pad in half the rooms in our house. Of the recipes I leafed through in the first couple of days of having my mom's binders, I ran across a recipe for Cheese Strata on a sheet of yellow legal pad paper. It’s not a recipe I have a strong nostalgic bond with, but rather her beautiful handwriting and the familial connection of the yellow paper I felt. I talked with my wife, Lisa, and she suggested that we make this one first as a recipe we recommend to you. Funny thing though, when I talked to my sister, she let me know it was her recipe and that my mom just really liked it. I think you will, too.

Image: Recipes Recommended/Andrew Strauss