Preserving My Mom's Handwritten Recipes

My mom passed away when I was in high school, and it's only been a couple of years since my dad finally broke down and let me have her recipe files.  I don't remember her having any cookbooks, just handwritten pieces of paper where she scribbled recipes from other family members or neighbors.  One of my many projects is to sort and scan all the recipes and create a family cookbook.  I also need to get archival sleeves to protect the fragile pages.

Below are a few of my favorites.

This is a recipe for what I'll call "Croatian Dressing."  My brother Bob and I fight over it during the Christmas holidays.  I haven't tried making it myself but my dad and stepmom make it every Christmas.

You can never have too many meatball recipes.  This one is from an old family friend, Berniece Westermann, dated 1963.

The same holds true with Sloppy Joe recipes.  I am not sure who "Maxine" is , but I found another version of the recipe dated 1958 with the name Maxine Cox.  

But everything else pales in comparison to "Cherry Delight."  This was my grandfather, Floyd Robertson's favorite dessert and the one I remember most.  The recipe is dated 8/16/1958, when my mom was a young bride and I wasn't quite a year old.  This is also my all-time favorite dessert.

As you can tell, this recipe has seen a lot of use.

Looking through the old handwritten recipes is a way of connecting with my mom and grandmother, and remembering family friends and relatives who have passed away.  

I think I know what I'll be having for dessert tonight!