Updates and Assorted Info

Hi everybody! I just wanted to give everyone the heads up on some upcoming changes, and give you a little insight into why I do some of the things that I do, here on Jam Handy!

Starting soon, I'm going to begin posting the name of the cook booklet that each recipe comes from, at the end of each recipe. I wish I'd thought to do this early on, but I guess it's better late than never.

Some of you are wondering why the recipes themselves sometimes aren't consistent in appearance. That's because I copy the recipes from the booklets exactly as they appear. This includes emphasized words, spelling and format. A couple of people have asked, so I just thought I'd explain. The spelling of some things have evolved over the years, so what we might spell today as "gelatin," "gelatine" may have been the norm at the time. Kind of like the word "cookie." Did you know it's original spelling was c-o-o-k-y? It's true. The cookie we know today is a product of mass production marketing.

I try to provide links to some terms or recipes that the author of the original recipe may have taken for granted that you and I already know the meaning of and/or how to make. For example, terms like "dragée" and "marjoram." Again, these terms were probably 'the norm' at the time, but may be somewhat elusive to today's generation of budding chefs. In addition, taking for granted that everyone knows what "Sea Foam Frosting" is or how to "scald milk" are just some of the items I try to provide links to, so that if you're not familiar with how to make these things, you can learn.

And, naturally, I always make an effort to provide hyperlinks to the key ingredient's web site, providing it is still in production. Re: Wesson Oil, Carnation Evaporated Milk, Bisquick, etc.