I have a fetish for cook books & have found copies of the ones my Mom used to use, the ones my Stepmother used to use & I still have my first cook book that was a gift & my first handwritten cookbook from when I took my home economics classes in grade school....the Elephant Ears, Watermelon Rind Pickles and Creamed Tuna on Toast are some of my first achievements..... My grandma & my Mom hardly ever wrote things down....they just made things.... i have been able to get the list of ingredients from my Mom for several of her best recipes, but trial & error on figuring out the amounts are endless.....but I'll figure them out, if it takes the rest of my life!!! I also READ cookbooks & highlight the ones I would like to try...I used to make X's on the ones I have tried.....some people make them on the ones they want to try.....