A while back I stood at the counter, cooking with my daughter Madison. It was my parents’ 60th anniversary, and we had much cooking to do. While over-stirring a bowl, Maddy accidentally spilled a little sauce on the pages of my cookbook.
“Uh-oh,” she said. “It spilt over top.”
“Not to worry.” I smiled.
Grabbing a damp cloth from the counter, I dabbed the corner of the book doing my best to keep the pages looking new.
Regardless of our efforts to keep the pages clean, stains have found a way of marking them up and time has found a way of wearing them out. The book was a gift from one husband to his young bride created by the work of his hands some twenty-two years ago. I’ve cherished that gift all this time, hoping that one day I’d pass it down to one of my children who would cherish it as much as I have.
What was once a hardcover book with blank pages is now filled with scribbles and scratches of days gone by. Every page holds a recipe, and every recipe a memory of people I’ve laughed with, cooked with, and broken bread with over the years.
Wiping away the sauce, I thought about the fact that this stain, like the others, would remain there a lifetime. The book will never be new again, the worn pages will never be white, but every stain and every scribble reminds us of moments spent cooking with family and friends.
Failing to remove it all, I looked over at Maddy to say, “One day this book will be yours, Hon. And when you look at these pages, you’ll be reminded of these times we shared in the kitchen together—just you and I.”
Those stains are precious to us, much like the passages I underline in God’s Word. Every scratch and every scribble reminds me of days that I’ve spent with the Lord. Sifting through the pages I glean wisdom, measuring my life against the truth of His word, and pouring out my heart I come to Him seeking grace for the broken soul that I am. Wiping away the tears, I’m reminded that this stain on my soul is made new by the shedding of blood by His son. The book will never be new again, the worn pages will never be white, but every scratch and every scribble reminds me of moments I’ve supped with the Lord—just He and I.
I’ll close by sharing our favorite Mother/Daughter Recipe. Hope you enjoy!
Beef Stroganoff
Coating for Beef:
½ c flour
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
Cut 1½ pounds of round steak into bite size pieces, and then roll them in coating mix until each piece is well covered.
Brown the beef with ¼ cup of margarine in a large skillet.
Add the following ingredients:
Approximately 2 cups of fresh mushrooms
or one can of drained mushrooms
½ cup of chopped onion
1 small clove garlic
Add the above ingredients to the beef, and brown lightly.
Stir in 1 can of beef consomme.
Cook covered on medium heat for 1 hour, stirring often. After a while, add water if needed to keep the mixture from burning.
Stir in 1 cup of sour cream.
Serve over 3 cups of cooked broad egg noodles.
Garnish lightly with parsley flakes.
You are loved by an almighty God,
Darlene, Time-Warp Wife
In participation with:
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{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
I love this story!!
~Kristi
love this! Making memories in the kitchen with my daughter is a favorite thing. Not being perfect and reacting with peace and compassion helps her feel like she doesn’t have to be perfect either. ♥
Beautifully written Darlene.
Welcome Darlene!!! SOOOO excited to see you here!! And this looks SO yummy!!! Thanks for the recipe – you know I love recipes
!!!
Love ya,
Courtney
When my oldest was a toddler, I caught him scribbling on the inside cover of my Bible. I didn’t scold him as I gently removed the pen and Bible from his little hands because I knew I’d be old(er) some day, open my Bible, see those scribbles, and miss those bygone days.
What a lovely story. Sounds like a yummy recipe, too. I memorize scripture and have a large stack of index cards on which the verses are written. They are smudged, dog-eared and the edges are softened. Their shabbiness reminds me of all the times I have flipped through them, hungry for God’s word.
Darlene, what a beautiful post, sweet story, and amazing recipe! Thank you!!! You have a true gift my friend…love, Janelle
What a precious memory-in-the-making!! Great job, mom!!! Your precious daughter will truly have a keepsake, but one that is filled with wonderful times with you!!
Okay Darlene, I finally have a recipe for the real deal. Thank you. I am so glad you are back to blogging. I have subscribed to your new blog and I am following you on Twitter. Looking forward to reconnecting with you.
Lovely post!
Blessings,
Kristiana
After reading this precious post my face is now “stained” with tears! It is such a blessing to be building these same types of memories with my daughter who is already turning out to be a fabulous little homemaker at the age of 9. She talks to me of her dreams of having her own home to take care of as we are working in the kitchen together. I cherish every moment with her! Thank you for this inspiring post!
Darlene,
I love your story of cooking with your daughter. THOSE are the best memories. My cook books have stains on our favorite pages…LOL…that’s how we know they were our favorites! I would love to hear more about the recipe book that your husband gave you. It sounds wonderful!!!
And BTW…I love Beef Stroganoff!
Building Home with Him,
Mary Joy
What a great perspective!!
I once read a quote regarding our Bibles that said, “If your Bible is in good condition, you’re probably not.”
So true, because if we are spending time in the Word, the wear will show.
Kristy, thank you!
Kelly, that’s so true. My mom was a bit of a perfectionist and since I wasn’t that great of a cook I found it frustrating to learn from her. What I like to do with Madison is I’ll let her pick what she wants to make and I’ll let her experiment. She’s been cooking a lot of dinners for us since she was 12. Some days she’ll choose to make taco dip for dinner, and I’ll bite my lip and encourage her to go make it. The boys love it, and it’s healthier than cold cereal, so bless her little heart for trying. We also have bought her some of her very own kitchen appliances like a food processor so that she feels like the kitchen is her place as well as mine.
Thank you, Becky!!
Courtney, I think that you’re a bit like me. We don’t rock out in the kitchen like Janelle, but we love to try. Did I just insult you? LOL!!
You know I love you!!!!
Ladyscott that is incredibly sweet!!! I just gave my highschool Bible to my son, and I love that he can see all of my scratches and scribbles from days gone by. I look at some of them myself and think it’s pretty cool. Precious memories passed back and forth….
Janelle, if you saw my kitchen, you’d say that I need a true gift of a housekeeper. LOL!! My food never looks cool like yours does. But I love the time spent in the kitchen with all of my kids. It’s a great bonding place, isn’t it?
“I live in an antbed” Thank you! Appreciate your encouragement.
Ginger, so good to reconnect with you too. I’ve forgotten so many of the URLs I used to love. Now I can click through and visit you again. I praise God for the blessing of your fellowship!
Susan, that’s so beautiful. What a treasure to one day hand down. I love recipe cards! Aren’t they just the coolest little things. But then again, I’m a paper fanatic.
Kristiana, thank you.
Veronica, you daughter sounds so much like Maddy. She just loves homemaking, and I’m so thankful to God that He continues to put that zeal in her heart. Even after dinner is all said and done she’ll often come and ask me, Mom, do you want me to make you anything? And today on the way home from the hospital she said in the car. “Mom, I’ll make dinner tonight. You just relax and answer your email.” What a treasure God has given me.
Mary Joy, my husband is a book binder. And so in our first year of marriage he bought a stack of papers and made blank books for me, my sister, her friend and my mom. Each one is gold stamped with our names on them. Mine says, “Darlene’s Favorite Recipes.”
It’s really interesting to thumb through them and see the different stages of my life in the order of the pages that they were written. The beef stroganoff recipe was given to me by a neighbour who’s little house was about 36 inches away from ours. We used to cook together, and that was one of the recipes she gave me.
Christin, I love it!! So true. My daughter carries hers everywhere she goes, and today she dropped it in the snow on our way out of the hospital. A little moisture on the corner of the pages is yet another reminder of days spent at the hospital with Grampa.
This was a wonderful read! As soon as she hears me rustling around in the kitchen, my 2 year old comes running, saying, “I help mama.” We pull up a chair, and make wonderful things! Yes, it takes me longer, and sometimes I don’t know if we added quite the right amount of something, but having her helping makes me so happy. We waited 6 years for a child, and I think that makes the times we spend together melt my heart even more!
Amy, that’s so cute!!! My nine year old boy wants to help us too. I let him tenderize meat a lot. It’s so cute how he’s hammering the beef. LOL
Waiting six years for a child will for sure bring you to the realization of how precious your gift is. I had six years between my oldest son (19) and my daughter (13) with five miscarriages in beetween. I didn’t know if I would ever be able to carry another baby, but then she came along and survived. I’m not surprised, she’s determined when she needs to be.
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