This past winter, my mother confided in me that her famous tomato jam, the one she always makes with meatloaf for big family gatherings (that don’t fall on a holiday with pre-ordained foods), wasn’t a family recipe at all.

She had gotten it from a magazine.

My mom was an avid reader of Martha Stewart Living Magazine back when Stewart was still the chief creative officer. I grew up with dozens of back issues shoved into the hutch in the living room, waiting to be pulled out when she suddenly needed inspiration. We forget this now, but there was once a true genius to cooking magazines that supplemented the typical cookbook. So often, cookbooks are organized by course or ingredients, so the chapters might read: Appetizers. Chicken. Beef. Pork. Seafood. Sides. Desserts. But food magazines

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