Do you remember ‘The Recipe’ that the Baldwin sisters made on the Walton’s TV show?  Distilled to perfection in their own home, according to their papa’s recipe, the Baldwin sisters offered The Recipe as it was called, for all special occasions and sometimes just because. The Recipe always served to delight the menfolk and always dismayed the womenfolk. I dare say though that the ingredients for The Recipe were likely very specific and any deviation would have produced a different drink altogether.

This leads me to my theory that, in every dish or recipe, there are one or two ingredients that you must have to make it turn out right. If these ingredients are not present, then, well, the dish is simply not right and you have something else.

For example, it is my thinking that when you make vegetable soup from scratch, you must have cabbage and tomatoes to make it turn out right. Another example is chocolate chip cookies. In my estimation, the best tasting chocolate chip cookies (and those that bake up the best) use half shortening and half butter. Not all butter and not all shortening; half and half.

And while there are many variations on meatloaf ingredients, my simple requirement for the best tasting meatloaf is to pour a can of Campbell’s tomato soup, undiluted, on top of the meatloaf before baking it in the oven. As for the meat itself, my must have ingredients are Worcestershire sauce, grated carrots, and grated celery.  

Oh, and I cannot forget bread baking for which there are endless variations. My one requirement for this however is not an ingredient but rather a method. In my humble opinion, if you are going to take the time to make bread, do it by hand – no bread machines!

I have a friend with whom I was discussing some bread making techniques, specifically, instant yeast versus active dry yeast, and proofing of the dough. Come to find out that he never actually did any of this because he always used a bread machine. That Christmas, I made him a loaf of ‘real’ bread, made by hand, and included a note that said: No bread machines were harmed in the making of this bread.

This ‘theory’ of one or two special ingredients for a ‘correct’ recipe does not mean that I will not experiment or try new things. To the contrary! I am more than willing to try a variation on any recipe and do so regularly. Experimentation, particularly with seemingly non-related ingredients, has led to some fantastic new edible delights.

When making a recipe for the first time however, I make it exactly as written just to see how it is going to turn out. Then comes the taste-test. Sometimes the recipe is spot on, no changes necessary, and a real keeper that I can add to my recipe box. Sometimes the recipe is good but ends up even better after varying a few ingredients or seasonings. And sometimes, there are not-so-good recipes or ones that do not turn out right now matter how well you followed the directions. In such cases the garbage can comes in handy.

So why all this talk about recipes? It occurs to me that recipes are metaphors for life experiences. Whether you use someone else’s recipe or create your own, there is an endless variety of dishes and experiences in life! Perhaps your life’s recipe has you adding more or less salt, using different herbs, seasonings, or ingredients; it’s all ‘to taste’ anyway, your taste.  So, whether you follow a recipe word for word, or chose to improvise, remember that there is a recipe, somewhere, for everything. You get to chose your own recipe(s)!

Recipes – a delicious thought process for life. Bonne Appetit!

Good day!

Melinda Grohol

April 21, 2023

Note: *** Related reading material on the subject of ‘recipes for life’ is an outstanding book titled “Follow the Recipe” Poems About Imagination, Celebration, & Cake by Marilyn Singer, wonderfully illustrated by Marjorie Priceman.