It's an old synonym for "recipe" as well as a paper acknowledging that something's in hand
[DOC] [TLE] English proverbs - Wikiquote [PAR] "Do not take the drastic step of abolishing or discarding something in its .... That 
proverb, "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush," is of more ..... An old saying 
from the Anglo-Welsh border, where it was believed to be .... "Do not neglect to 
give people the praise they deserve, or to acknowledge the good things they do.