Two chain letters (via email but also apparently also via social media) have been circulating, as many of my friends have confirmed, in this time of quarantine. Why this is happening right now is anyone’s speculation, and speculate they have. In the past week or so, articles, features or columns about this phenomenon have appeared in the New York Times, The Washington Post, and on CNN to name only the more reputable sources.

I noticed this trend a little over a week ago, when my husband received the “recipe” chain email. Then I received the “uplifting poem/quote” one. Since then, I have been researching and writing an article for our Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage web site, which will appear just as soon as our beleaguered and over-worked editorial committee gets to it among all the other material they have been rapid-fire publishing in the past few weeks.

I did not respond to the poetry one, but I thought the recipe one would be fun and maybe I would actually get a few good new recipes. Unfortunately, I only received three recipes instead of the thousands I had imagined. (But they were good ones, thanks to those who sent them!)

I sent a recipe that I had recently tried, from Parade magazine, to the email first on the list as per instructions in the letter. It bounced back to me. Maybe it had a typo in it? Or that person changed their email without informing their friends? Or…?

So, my recipe was lost to the many who it would have been forwarded to. But, wait. I could share it with you, dear readers. And without any obligation to forward it to ANYONE unless you do have someone you truly want to share it with. Make sure you get their email correct, though.

Here’s a shot of the recipe as it appeared in the Parade magazine. I made it pretty much word for word, and I am on my second batch now. These are very versatile, as stated. Enjoy and keep safe!