Recipes. For quick breads yes. For meats stews puddings the recipe is what's on hand or what is on sale at the market. Knowing your spices and cooking techniques ya can turn the page on most anything found in a kitchen. When it comes to baking powders, flour, baking sodas and extracts, best to have your spoons and cups ready!
Off the top of my head,
Pumperknickel:
4 cups white flour
3 cups rye flour
3 packages of yeast
sugar
salt
backstrap molasses
Proof yeast in warm beer/apple juice/water with a tablespoon of sugar and at least a tsp of salt.
To white flour add enough water to form a moderately thick batter. Add yeast, the rye flour and enough of the backstrap to form a dark looking, molasses smelling, hunk of dough. Knead till smooth and elastic. Cover let rise till doubled. Punch down, knead slightly form two separate balls cover let rise, each on a baking sheet which has a thin bed of cornmeal on it. (pizza pans are good for this). Place in a hot oven for 30 to 45 minutes or until you think it is done. Tap it sound hollow? Have some butter ready!
Meanwhile while you are waiting for the first rise, (about an hour and a half) you can start up some rogan josh by cutting up some leg of lamb ...(ya have to have some curry for that intense bread
While the curry is simmering and the dough is rising grab the tin of lard and some apples for ya need to bring americana back into the picture with a big ole apple pie.
Remember to have some bacon wrapped scallops on the grill for those that must have an appetizer b‘fo dinner. Or some bacon wrapped venison or boiled shrimp or …
Here is something that
appeared 
on the table one evening...
