While I was making some cookies tonight (and eating waaaay too much dough), I starting thinking about following recipes.
There is something very calming to me about following a recipe. I think it is a control thing. You can measure and mix according to instructions, and it will come out as a finished product (and you can add your own flair here and there).
It is also a little connection to home and family. I can follow a recipe given to me by my ma, knowing that her ma, and the ma’s before her, have all made the same thing. Its like you can taste the love.
But when I was making cookies tonight, I thought about trying to make something without a recipe. Cookies sans recipe. I know the basic ingredients and mixing order, but it could be a total disaster. Or it could be awesome. And something I could pass down for years to come.