I was hanging a big clock in the dining room today, so naturally I abandoned all my tools and got engrossed in reading cookbooks instead. I thought I’d cull a few to make room for new acquisitions. Since my children are now old enough to pay rent and regret tattoos, I thought it might be time to clear the shelf of the Penny Whistle cookbooks, all geared toward kids’ appetites. I haven’t packed a lunch box in eons.

Then I opened up The Penny Whistle Traveling with Kids Book and found this:

Last born has always been a note-writer. As a child, she liked to leave sticky notes in places where they’d be found later. Even 18 years later. So I put all those Penny Whistle books — now temples of family memories — back on the shelf. My picky eaters ate only grilled cheese in those days and wouldn’t touch these sandwiches. But I love them anyway (and the sandwiches, too).

Roast Beef Wraps, adapted from The Penny Whistle Traveling with Kids Book, by Meredith Brokaw and Annie Gilbar, © 1995, published by Simon & Schuster, NY, NY.

In a small bowl, stir together 1/2 cup mayonnaise and a spoonful of prepared horseradish. Taste to check for heat. Add more mayo or horseradish as necessary. Spread a thin layer over one side of several flour tortillas, leaving a 1/2-inch border plain around the edges. Cover with slices of good roast beef, ripe tomatoes, and red onions. Add some finely chopped cucumber, and roll each tortilla up tightly. Fasten with toothpicks. (Remove toothpicks before serving.)

Also delicious from this cookbook, although no one else in my household thought so: Turkey and Cranberries on Pumpernickel. Spread softened cream cheese on one slice of pumpernickel bread. Cover with slices of turkey breast, then spread with a layer of cranberry sauce and top with another slice of pumpernickel bread. Heavenly year-round, not just after Thanksgiving!