Country Kitchen:
Organizing Your Recipes into a Family Collection
By Mary Emma Allen
Instead of recipes tossed into a cardboard box as my mother did, even
though it brought back many memories when I found the container years
later, there are other more efficient ways to organize yours. One method
involves cataloguing your recipes along with the family memories
associated with them.
Get a loose leaf notebook and make dividers to separate the
sections. Start by collecting your recipes, then those from other family
members.
You can hand write them on sturdy paper or print them on your computer.
With the computer you can experiment with various types of script and
fonts.
But keep it readable.
On that page, or if there isn't space, use another page, write down
something about the recipe, family memories, occasions when it's used,
where you
obtained it, etc.
You may want to use some pictures...photos of family dining and/or
cooking, your own sketches, or clip art from your computer...to add
interest to
your family recipe collection.
This method of organizing your recipes can be as simple or as decorative
as you like. Try colored paper for the dividers, or even the recipe
pages. Some of the
scrapbooking techniques used for photo albums also can be applied to this
project.
By using a three-ring binder with loose leaf pages, you can add to the
collection whenever you want. You also can duplicate these recipe books
so that you
have a collection for other family members who enjoy memorabilia.
These recipe/memory books make lovely gifts for relatives.
What Recipes Do You Include?
The recipes you include depend on you. Do you want them simply from your
immediate family...current and/or recipes of the past. Do you want to
include extended family members or even friends?
Will this project encompass merely recipes or the stories that go along
with them and/or perhaps other family tidbits? Personally I find recipes
more interesting when I learn the stories accompanying them.
Families Contributing
If other family members to contribute,one person can type them into a
computer or recipe program so that the resulting book is standardized. My
daughter did this after I collected the recipes for the Allen/McCracken
Family Cookbook.
Or someone with very nice handwriting could write or print them in
script. However, this is very time consuming and tedious. Many computer
programs have nice script fonts which one can use if you want this
effect. However, make sure you don't get so fancy that it’s illegible and
people aren't sure about the ingredients and amounts.
A Family Recipe
BAKED TACO SALAD - Brown and drain 2 pounds ground beef. Add 1 chopped
onion, 2 eight-ounce cans tomato sauce, 1 tablespoon chili powder (leave
out if you want chili less salad or decrease the amount if you don't want
it so hot).
Break 12 hard taco cells apart and spread 6 of the shells on bottom of 9
x 13-inch baking pan. Spread meat mixture on top and add remaining 6
shells.
Combine 1 can cream of chicken soup and 1 soup can milk; pour over
shells. Top with shredded cheese, about 1/2 cup.
Bake covered, 30 minutes at 350 degrees F.
Serve with lettuce and tomatoes on top of each serving. Use taco sauce if
desired.
(C) 2003 Mary Emma Allen
About the Author
Mary Emma Allen has been writing her "Cooking Column" for newspapers
and online publications for 30 years and
has compiled a family cookbook. She’s currently compiling a
cookbook/story book,
"Tales From a Country Kitchen." Visit her web site for more cooking
articles. Contact her at me.allen@juno.com
