Beside a carefully printed recipe, my grandmother had written: use the bigger bowl. No story, no explanation. Just a piece of practical advice that must have followed an afternoon of washing the counter.
Other pages carry different instructions. Less sugar next time. Good with pears. Ask your sister about the pan. The book becomes a conversation when you read the handwriting.
I have started adding my own notes. Not corrections, exactly. More like little messages from one dinner to the next.