I’ve put about 20 hours into this goal so far. I’m tracking the time to see how long it takes to complete it. Once I start doing the research, I get really wrapped up in it, and don’t want to stop.

I’ve started doing phone interviews. 3 years ago

Actively working on this goal. 3 years ago

things that I’m trying out that I like will be recorded to go into this cookbook. 4 years ago

1. Biscuits
2. Boston Brown bread
3. Peanut butter cookies
4. Christmas fruitcake
5. Molasses cookies
6. Pavlova

Hmmm, still thinking of ideas…

Maybe I should make it a “work-in-progress” cookbook with the ability to keep adding to it as I think of recipes!!!!!!!!! 5 years ago

I’m going to make a sheet with checkboxes so that people can choose which recipes they want to include.

For example,

Desserts ( )
Appetizers ( )
Mains ( )

Etc. Then this gives people an idea of what they might want to include, and then they can include more if they want. 6 years ago

I read that you can organize recipes onto the backs of index cards, and then put them into a shoebox size box. This is something that I’m going to consider doing. 6 years ago

I can’t believe that I found the perfect paper for my cookbook! I was looking for a scrapbook, but found a little book that had pages for gluing in recipes, stories, and photos. I think that I’m going to photocopy the pages, and then send them in the mail for people to write down their recipes. 6 years ago

Maybe include a list of family traditions involving food and cooking or share a funny story or a happy occassion. 6 years ago

I haven’t thought of a theme for the cookbook, but I have decided that the contributors will be from the female relatives and family friends (or on behalf of them).

I guess that in some ways that means that it’s already getting a “female theme” however I don’t have a “theme” for the cookbook itself and the recipes.

I’ll think of something… 6 years ago

I think that it would be nice to have a family snapshot from each contributor or at least a photo of them in the kitchen (past, or present phtos). 6 years ago

I’m to have to find a standard paper size to use. Once I find the paper, I could include a template with suggestions. The edges of the paper could be decorated around the page, with the recipe in the centre. 6 years ago

Just posting this here so that I remember to do it.

Spreadsheet to manage:
-addresses and names of people
-replies
-recipes to be used
-other details 6 years ago

Maybe the cookbook could also be on a CD-Rom in additon to the paper version.

If someone is good at sketching they could draw pictures of the food.

Edited to add:
The CD-ROM could be used as an alternative to paper. (Send to people overseas). 6 years ago

Include an introduction, to tell why you started the cookbook, and the year it was made. (Make it about a paragraph).

Include a title for the cookbook… Need to think of it. (Maybe I’ll make more than one cookbook so would then need different titles).

Photo and biography for family members with special recipes.

Awards for recipes (cooking contests, baking contests etc. or a story about a contest)

newspaper clipping about the family,

a handwritten copy of the recipe 6 years ago

by category – appetizers, soups, salads, entrees and desserts

by individuals – grandparents, cousins, etc.

by oldest to youngest family member

by family – by family unit (Mom, Dad & kids) or branch of the family tree (Grandma, Grandpa and all of their descendants)

by holiday – Christmas, 4th of July, Thanksgiving 6 years ago

I’m going to ask for 1 or 2 favourite recipes, because people might not have time to look for 5. If they want they can offer more recipes.

Maybe I should laminate the pages so that the book is kitchen friendly. Alternatively, I could put the pages into clear plastic pages and then take them to Staples to have a cerlox binding or a coil binding with a cerlox machine. 6 years ago

Costco might be a good place to get the cookbooks printed. I just remembered that you can make photobooks there. Hmm, another thing to consider.

Maybe it won’t take as much time as I thought that it would.

Alternatively, could buy a display book with the plastic pages and put the cookbook inside of it. (Staples has these in 10 or 20 pages). 6 years ago

Another idea

Language for the cook book. Maybe have some translated. 6 years ago

Wow! I’m really on a roll tonight!!! I love being able to write down my ideas as they come to me and then save them for later.

1. Look at some online albums/ cookbook ideas (do some research)

2. Decide on a format for the cookbook- How is it going to be bound? Cheap and inexpensive or put a bit of money into it?

I’m probably going to go to my all-time favourite store for the binding (Staples), but sometimes Universities have nice binding too. You can get more expensive binding there (it’s the same place where people get their thesis bound).

3. How many Pages and Contributors

4. Addresses of the people I’m going to write to asking for recipes

5. Top 5 Recipes Choose what kind to request

6. Storyboard I want to have some questions to frame the kind of responses and then have a few open-ended questions to get a bit of a story from people

7. Photos At least one, at the very most 3 or 4 photos (only if people want to share them)

8. Deadlines I would like to get things organized so that it’s ready in time for Christmas

9. Post I should prepare Self-Addressed Envelopes so that it’s easy to get the replies back.

10. Assembling Take all of the information and assemble it into my book, make copies, and then distribute.

I think that this is just the project that I’ve been looking for! :-) 6 years ago

A family recipe book would be awesome for a wedding shower gift or a wedding gift. Or for someone who is leaving home for the first time (going off to College).

It would be cool to make the book, and include a basket with some of the ingredients.

I’m sooooo excited about the possiblities. This past Christmas, I bought a book on how to make nice baskets so there might be some ideas there.

This is a gift that I’d totally love to receive! :-) 6 years ago

Ok, I’ll put my family recipe ideas here so that I can remember to ask people for them when I get around to it.

1. Boston Brown Bread
2. Tomato Soup Bread
3. Biscuits
4. Portuguese Fruitcake
5. Mini-Cheese Cakes
6. Lamingtons
7. Cream Horns
8. Custard Cake
9. Macroni Salad (Auntie)
10. Cabbage Rolls
11. Hoi Goy (don’t know if it’s spelt correctly) Dim Sum
12. Mushrooms (and sauce)
13. Dumplings
14. Egg Tarts
15. Noodles
16. Bread
17. Special noodles, and mushrooms (call it black hair)
18. Pavlova
19. Mongolian Lamb
20. Humbugs (candies)
21. K’ Curry
22. Vegetarian meals
24. Passionfruit icing (story)

Hmm, looks like there’s already a lot of desserts making their way onto my list! LOL! 6 years ago

Just thought of these recipes and I enjoyed them when I was growing up. It was fun waiting for them to be made, because my Mom made them in soup cans. Must get the recipe for this! 6 years ago

I mentioned it to a close family friend last night, and he seemed interested in my project. I’m going to start planning it so that I have plenty of time to get things organized and have ready for Christmas time.

I think that I might ask people for 5 recipes. I think that 5 is a manageable number for people to look for or write down. I’d like to have a hand written submission from family so that it’s personalized.

Now, I need to decide if I want to choose the paper texture, size, etc. or just ask them to write it down. I think that I might like to pick out the paper so that it’s all uniform and keep some extras on hand in case some gets lost in the mail.

I was originally thinking of just asking for my Mom, Mother-in-law, Grandparents,cousins, and Aunts and other female relatives, but I’m not entirely sure.

Ultimately, the point of doing this project is so that I can have a little piece of family history recorded in an interesting way. I also think that people will be intrigued and want to be a part of it. I would like to make a copy for each family and save a copy for myself.

Desserts have always been popular in my family so I’m going to ask for a dessert recipe. Then a special occassion recipe (can be anything), a favourite dinner, a good cookie recipe, and I’m not sure what the fifth should be.

1. Desserts
2. Special Occassion
3. Favourite Dinner Dish
4. Good Cookie recipe
5. Maybe something that is ethnic/ part of our family heritage

Other possible ideas:
1. Something that you make/ made daily or frequently at least once a week (i.e. biscuits)
2. Something for special occassions
3. What did you eat growing up? (This might be different from generation to generation).

Hmm, I wonder if I’ll end up with the same recipes?

Then I would like a little story or a blurb of why the recipe is being included? Did something funny happen at a family gathering that made a particular dinner memorable? Was this something that you made everyday or just on special occassions?

The the third thing that I’d love to have, but might be asking for too much would be to get a photo of a special dinner, family celebration, to be included with the recipe submission.

Food has always been central to family gatherings so I’d like to record the kinds of things that we ate. It seems like some of these traditions have already started to disappear. 6 years ago

I’ve been thinking of ideas for a family cookbook. This is something that I’d love to have completed by October or November of this year. It should give me enough time to think of how I want to put things together, contact family members for recipes, give them time to respond, assemble the pieces, print it, and then deliver it to my family.

It’s going to be a Christmas present… I hope to get it done in time. I think that it’s going to be fun, and I hope to include a few family stories as well. 6 years ago