I need to warn you in advance, this is a sad story. I have talked about my Aunt Lisa's Amish Blueberry Pie for years.It is the recipe on my cd-rom for cookbook creation. This pie was very special to me and it was one of my favorite treats when I visited. If you have heard the beginning of this story move to the next paragraph but I want to fill everyone one in. When I was teenager I went to my aunt and uncles farm in Northern Indiana every year. They lived in Amish country with horse and buggies passing the house during the day. I would plan my trip to match the county fair which we would visit every year. I loved going. We would also pick high bush blueberries at the farms in southern Michigan with our buckets around our necks. After we spent an afternoon picking Aunt Lisa would make my favorite pie.

Aunt Lisa's Amish Blueberry Pie used have of the blueberries for the sauce and the other half were raw. And fresh wipe cream always top the pieces of pie. You will not believe the horror I felt when I went into my cookbook and found the recipe. Then I went on-line there were recipes that were exactly a like. None mentioned that this was an original pie created by the Amish. It was in my Canadian Summer cookbook and I discovered that my secret recipe was not a secrete any more.

I want you to understand that when you share recipes at your reunions this year "that special recipe" may show up on line or in another cookbook. Nothing takes away from the wonderful taste from your youth but with the story it really makes the recipe keep its special status. The stories are important to keep the context but also to make that recipe even more special. Do you need a story with each recipe--probably not but if there is one keep in the cookbook. When writing your cookbook the stories do not need to pages of text but just a few paragraph to relate the story to your readers.

Just remember that you should be aware with communications these days that any recipe can become exposed not matter how special the recipe has been to you. Don't let that shock as it did me!