Grandmaw's handwritten recipes

I told you a couple of weeks ago on social media that I had an announcement to make and if you hadn't already guessed what it was, its that I am writing a cookbook to go along with this blog! I know I told several of you and I've made small mentions of it, but it is officially in the works. From the beginning, I knew I wanted to turn this blog into a book someday. I just didn't know what kind of book. Just like this blog came out of some of you telling me that I should write, the book idea turned into a cookbook because so many friends and family have told me that I should write a cookbook. It may just turn out to be something that I self-publish and give to family and friends, but it would be great if it turned out to be something more. I plan on it being more and I am moving in that direction. I will need your help though. I need your support by spreading the word of this blog and my social media pages. It would greatly help me find a publisher if I have a strong following to show them. The growth of this project has been slow, but purposely so. I want it to be something that people want to read and that it grows organically. I could purchase apps or use services that go out and find me followers. That would certainly make my social media presence grow, but will they know who The Appalachian Tale is? Personally, I follow what I see pages or people that I like. I figure if they like something, I will too. Or, I will search for topics that interest me. One of my favorite topics is Appalachia! I search out and follow pages, blogs, podcasts, etc. that feature or focus on Appalachian living. These are kindred spirits that have ended up following me too. Its helped me build a little community for myself of like-minded people like The Blind Pig & the Acorn and Appalachian Mountain Roots. If you like me, you will love them! I learn so much from them and look forward to their posts. So, please share my posts and pages with people you think will like it, and then ask them to share it too. Again, I want this to be for people who are interested and engaged. I know I have been distracted and have not written as much, but I am getting back to it and you will see much more. I want to share this journey with you, especially if I am asking you to help me. I need to come up with some type of reward for helping me! I will certainly give mention to several people in the cookbook. Just your engagement so far has helped me. So, from here on out, some of my posts will be about the cookbook, more recipe testing and I also want your feedback. Let me know what you think about a recipe, tell me if you've tried it and how it turned out. Ask me questions and ask them about anything. I am pretty much an open book myself! So with all that in mind, here is a post about the cookbook.Last week I got to spend some time with Aunt Alice and Uncle Andy. Alice is dad's sister and they live just outside Atlanta, GA. I asked her ahead of coming if she had any of grandmaw's recipes or cookbooks, that I am working on writing a cookbook. She immediately responded that one of my grandmaw's recipes was on the front of the fridge. As soon as I got there, I took a pic of it. I just couldn't wait to see it. I hadn't seen her handwriting in a long time. It was as familiar to me as she was. When I saw it, I could see her face and hear her voice. She always called me Jim, whereas my family always called me Jimmy. Only she and a couple of other very close people call me Jim and I like it that way. So when I saw it, I could literally hear her say "Jim, here's a recipe for your cookbook." Aunt Alice calls me Jim too.

Grandmaw Edge had the best smile and laugh, and she did both all the time. By the way, I have the bowl just to the left, between the mug and the salt shaker. It matches the pattern on the mug!

I loved being around grandmaw. She had a great sense of humor and the best laugh. I remember one time that we got her to laugh just by laughing ourselves, over nothing. We all ended up in tears and couldn't breathe because we were laughing so hard over nothing at all. I think a good laugh is like a good cry. You feel so good afterward and recharged. She was genuinely interested in you and you could have the best conversations with her. One time while visiting them, I got myself in trouble for something. As punishment, I had to stay at the house with grandmaw while everyone else got to go somewhere. I don't remember what it was that I did, but I remember that afternoon with her, and it was great! She made us lunch and we sat on the screen porch and talked. It was probably the first time that I got some alone time with her, which is rare in a big family. I don't know why she was being punished and had to stay with me, but I think she enjoyed it as much as I did. I couldn't for the life of me tell you what I missed out on. I hope everybody had a good time doing whatever it was they did, but I doubt they enjoyed being gone as much as I enjoyed them being gone. I was probably 5 or 6 when that happened and I didn't get some alone time with her again until I stayed with them for a few weeks the summer I turned 12.After Alice showed me the recipe on the fridge, she pulled out her recipe box. I went through the whole thing and ended up taking pictures of nearly 70 recipes. I only remember her making us a couple of the things I found, so I have more recipes to find. I am hoping someone in the family has more. Some of the meals I remember the most included pot roast and gravy and mashed potatoes. She always fixed us a big breakfast, so the smell of bacon always makes me think of being there too. She probably just knew how to make those things, so I will never find her recipe for those.The first recipe I've made so far is her Three Way Shortbread. I am not sure why it's called Three Way though. The recipe only has two ways on it. So, I figure that I am destined to come up with the third way, which I think will help me feel more connected to the whole project. It's like decades ago she left so one of us could finish it. So far I've only made the first method, which is basic shortbread. It was so good too. Some things don't need to be complicated with layers and layers of flavors.Here is her basic recipe:

Shortbread

Ingredients:1 1/4 cup plain flour3 tablespoons sugar4 tablespoons butterDirections:For shortbread wedged, mix flour and sugar, add butter and mix until crumbly. Form into a ball and knead until smooth. Roll dough into an 8 inch circle. Cut dough into 12 or 16 wedges. Do not separate. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes. While warm, recut wedges. Remove from pan.

I cut it into 16 wedges, which made them the perfect size.

Tender and sweet

So I did as instructed. After cutting them the second time, I did let them cool on the pan until they firmed up. I probably should have left them in a minute or two longer to crisp up a little more. They were done all the way through, but I like them a little crisp.For the second method, she made Thumbprint cookies. What do you think I should add for the third way?