Good day. I am a bookaholic. Not in recovery, thank you very much.

That said, I should explain. I love the smell of old paper. And the iconic covers of older publications. I have also been known to buy old magazines simply because of the cover image. One of my weaknesses is cookbooks, particularly older editions passed down through the generations of my family. I have a really old one that talks about using scalded milk, or that refers to a pinch of salt. It even has little stories about the origin of the names of the towns in that part of the country. Fascinating reading while you wait for the butter to melt or the sauce to come to a galloping boil.

Here are some tidbits about recipes I learned during my recent research binge:

• The first recorded cookbook is on four clay tablets from around 1700 BC in Ancient Mesopotamia.
• For the next 3,000 years or so, recipes were stored on whatever was at hand, such as papyrus, leather, and paper.
• Once the printing press came on the scene, collections of recipes were often compiled for kings and royalty to use as bragging rights. Servants, too poor to purchase these items for their own cooking, instead prepared them into delicious meals for the rich.
• In the 15^th century, publishers sought to increase the audience for cookbooks. With public literacy increasing, cookbooks became less of a luxury.
• In the 17^th century, women’s roles changed, with gentlewomen of landed gentry getting more involved in household matters. Recipe books appear that include information on cooking, brewing, baking, producing butter and cheese, making wine, dyeing textiles, and management of medicines.
• By the 18^th century, with more folks congregating in towns, the recipes also needed tweaking. Coal replaced wood as fuel, meaning many recipes needed adjustments.
• In America, one of the first truly American cookbooks was published in 1896—The Fannie Farmer Cookbook. Fannie’s cookbook popularized the modern recipe format which we use today.

Nowadays, I tend to ask my cell phone assistant for a recipe rather than look up a book, but it’s still fun to leaf through and recall the fabulous meals of my childhood or early years of marriage when I actually enjoyed cooking. Now, I stick to the tried and true recipes—but occasionally, I like to venture into unknown territory with a new recipe.

In my book Recipe for Disaster, the title recipe isn’t about food, but about the basis of a friendship—and maybe something more. In a situation where lying would be easiest, both my heroine and my hero must choose which path to take.

Favor: For a recipe booklet of dishes you can cook in a Dutch oven, cast iron skillet, or pie iron, please go here: www.DonnaSchlachter.com/freebies and download the booklet.

Giveaway: Leave a comment to enter a random drawing to win an ebook copy of Recipe for Disaster.