Keep on Stirring

Last year, I began to put together a digital scrapbook of family recipes with stories and photos behind each one. I initially envisioned maybe 20-30 pages, where each one could easily be printed, slipped in a plastic sleeve, and stored in a 3-ring binder. No big deal. This way, new favorites could easily be added as desired on an ongoing basis. The project turned out to be something much larger. With contributions and ongoing encouragement from family members who I just can't thank enough, our family cookbook ended up being a collection of 244 recipes!

I remember struggling to come up with a title. So one evening, I coerced Steve into participating in a brainstorming session with me. He's used to these types of requests since I use that technique quite often in my work, and he (willingly or not) plays the role of "naive observer." So we began:

• Stirring the Pot (This was actually suggested by my brother-in-law, Greg.)
• To Stir with Love (Do you remember the great movie To Sir with Love, starring Sidney Poitier?)
• Family Favorites

Very quickly, the brainstorming session turned into a brain-drizzle session because a basketball game that was playing on TV kept getting all of Steve's attention. I continued to nag: "Come on! Focus! Quantity over quality is what counts right now! Pay attention! Focus! etc. etc." He finally caved, then reached over to grab my paper with the rather short list of titles and said, "Here, gimme that to stir my memory."
"That's it!"
"What?"
"That's it! That's the title!"
"What are you talking about?"
"Stirring Memories! It's perfect! Thank you!"

My loving, naive observer comes through for me once again.

Since this is a bound collection, I plan to use this blog for new favorites as they surface. You may even see some of the old favorites that are already in the cookbook here, too, since I haven't tried all of them yet and certainly plan to. I also plan to use this blog to capture memories, meals, general tips, etc. from various parties or even just casual get-togethers that I host. Yes, I'm going to keep on stirring! :)