Mom kept her clipped and hand-written recipes in this metal recipe box. She consulted it when she needed a recipe she didn’t make often enough to have it memorized. I think she switched to an older, wooden box because that’s where her handwritten recipes are now. The metal one just contained a few items that came from newspapers, magazines, food packages, or appliance inserts.

This box, though, is special to me because I remember it from as far back as I can recall. It was probably a bridal shower gift from a friend or family member.

You won’t be surprised, then, when I was excited to see it in the kitchen of the TV series, The Middle, that I binged on a while back. The show took place mostly in the kitchen, so the recipe box was featured in nearly every episode.

The recipe box was not the only item the Hecks had that we did. Their bedspread was the same one we had for years.