A flat lay featuring a vintage basil recipe card surrounded by fresh basil leaves.

The Recipes Lost Project

Recipes Lost exists to preserve those recipes and the memories behind them. To collect them before they disappear. To honor the generations who cooked before us — and keep their stories alive.

Why Recipes Lost?

recipes!

While thrifting over ten years ago, I came across a donated notebook filled with handwritten recipes and newspaper clippings. It was clearly loved, used, and added to over time — and yet, it had been given away.

It made me sad to think that no one in that family felt it was worth keeping. That moment stayed with me and sparked a bigger question: how many meaningful recipes are sitting in homes everywhere, passed down from parents and grandparents, but never shared — and eventually forgotten?

That experience inspired me to ask people everywhere to share the recipes that came before them, so they can be preserved and passed on before they’re lost.

Hi! I’m Jenn von Ebers

I’m Jenn — a lifelong foodie who learned to cook while growing up alongside my dad after he became a chef. Those early experiences in the kitchen shaped my love of food, creativity, and the joy of sharing meals. My dad has since passed, but I know he would be proud of the way cooking continues to connect me to others and keep his influence alive.

Through Recipes Lost, my hope is to inspire younger generations to step into the kitchen, discover the stories behind the recipes, and experience the connection that comes from cooking and sharing food.

I’m 57, married, and the mom of three adult kids, living in the northern suburbs of Illinois. You can follow along on Instagram @jenncooks.

bio

Do you have a recipe worth preserving?

I’m collecting cherished recipes—especially those passed down from parents, grandparents, and loved ones of older generations—along with the stories behind them.

If you have a handwritten card, a well-worn cookbook page, or a recipe that lives on through memory, I’d love to help keep it alive.

Share your recipe and story with us at recipeslostproject@gmail.com

Read More

Recent Posts

  • Slumgulion – My Mom’s Recipe

    Slumgulion – My Mom’s Recipe

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    Jenn

    One of my favorite childhood meals! My mom worked full time – my dad worked from home and did a lot of the weeknight cooking, but this recipe my mom made I looked forward to every time she made it! We called it Slumgulion – other people may call it…

  • Margaret’s Simple Pie Crust Recipe

    Margaret’s Simple Pie Crust Recipe

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    Jenn

    I was lucky to have the nicest mother-in-law ever, Margaret. She’s been gone many years, but when she was alive, she loved me so much and always took care of me. When I first started dating my husband, I would pop over to her house (unannounced!), and she always welcomed…