<p>I have been thinking about making a cookbook of favorite family recipes for each of my children. I just googled “making recipe books” and there are a number of platforms, if that is the correct terminology, out there. I thought that I’d save myself some research and see if anyone here has any experience or advice or warnings regarding such a project. Thanks in advance. (I will admit I was initially thinking recipe cards tucked into photo album sleeves, but technology can be seductive.)</p>
<p>I’ve just finished my second cookbook. I compiled the first one about five years ago, and it was a hit with family and friends. I’m an artist, and I used some of my paintings as cover art and dividers between the sections (which also made it much more expensive to print.) I just typed it up using Word and had it photocopied and bound (coil binding) at a copy shop. Soon after I put that cookbook together, everyone in our immediate family became vegetarian. So this summer’s project was compiling a vegetarian version (with new paintings). I’m planning to sell both versions at my upcoming Open Studio Tour. One reason I used Word was because I had already typed a lot of my recipes in Word to share with others–it just seemed easier to keep going with a program I already knew. The cookbooks have been great to give as gifts, especially as our children and their friends reach adulthood and begin to live on their own.</p>
<p>I’ve done the same as shyparent – just typing up the recipes in Word and then printing them out. But I put each recipe in a protective sheet cover (those clear plastic ones) and assembled them in a 3-ring binder. (Similar to your recipe cards in the photo album idea!) It was definitely a low-cost option that way.</p>
<p>My sons appreciated the fact that they could just take out a single recipe when they needed it and could wipe off any spills easily. Also, we can add recipes in the future.</p>
<p>My mother typed up her recipes on Word and I put them on Google docs and shared with the entire family. We’ll never lose them again. And it’s a no cost option.</p>
<p>I’ve done this a couple of times–my favorite was a Girl Scout Cook Book. I type the recipes up in Word, set the paper size to 5 x 8 or so and print them out on large index cards. The Girl Scout Cook Book was decorated with Girl Scout items from the scrapbook department at Micheal’s and other stamps. I coil bound it (I have a Bind it All), but you could three-hole punch it and use rings to bind it. It was a big hit with the Service Unit Manager (end of year gift with recipes from all the troop leaders, etc).</p>
<p>Thanks for sharing your ideas and experiences. 3bm103, I think your idea might especially appeal to my techie, not very sentimental son.</p>
<p>I have used this company and my recipe books look very professional.
[Personalize</a> a Cookbook - Tastebook, the #1 Recipe Book](<a href=“http://www.tastebook.com/s/cookbooks]Personalize”>Do Cookbooks Need Nutrition Facts? | TASTE)</p>
<p>The technology aspect of this project sounds great…BUT… my mother still has recipes written by my grandmother (who died in 1967) on index cards. Just seeing her handwriting brings a lot of memories back—as well as the tasty food!
When I went to college my mom also wrote down a bunch of recipes for me on index cards----I will also keep those close to my heart.</p>
<p>So go for electronics—but be sure to throw a few special handwritten one’s in the bunch. It’s nice to have special pieces of my past on the shelf in the pantry!</p>
<p>How about scanning in the handwritten cards? Then you have both!</p>
<p>natmicstef – that website looks great! I might have a new project on my hands. ;)</p>
<p>I use a program called Accuchef. It is shareware that you can download and try for awhile. If you like it, you can pay the $20. I have put in all our family recipes and you can group them however you like. You can create an index and it creates pages. You can print one recipe or the whole book. The only thing I don’t like is that it doesn’t export very well. If someone wants a recipe emailed to them, I print it, scan it, and then email it. </p>
<p>I have about 150 recipes in my book. I made them for each of my sons so they would have them as they begin cooking for themselves. What I found touching and surprising is that several of the friends of my sons asked me if they could have a copy of the cookbook as well. They all said they have fond memories of meals at our house and want to be able to make some of those things themselves.</p>
<p>AllThisIsNewToMe–That’s what I was thinking! The handwritten ones are touching, and I’m glad I have a big collection of my mom’s and other relatives :)</p>
<p>I used Shutterfly to assemble a 20 page recipe book, which had family members treasured recipes along with photos, and gave it as college graduation gift to my d. She was very pleased.</p>
<p>Did you do a shutterfly photo book with scanned recipes?</p>
<p>I have seen a couple and my favorite was when someone did this as a christmas present. They took the family recipes, and then placed pics of family members on that page. I.E. Aunt Marie’s Key Lime pie…there was a pic of Aunt Marie and on some of the pages you knew the picture was because that was their favorite food. They then took it to Kinkos and had it bound. It really was a neat way to tie in family memories with the food. I also thought it was also a great way to pass down pictures of people who will someday be gone, but your kids will know where the recipe came from, or why you always made a certain meal when a family member came over to eat.</p>
<p>My intention is to do that this year. Now if I could find the time to get the slides from my younger yrs converted to pictures it will happen, however, I am a procrastinator, and that means, maybe I’ll do it next yr :(</p>
<p>OBTW that site does look great, wish I saw it a couple of months ago when I had to attend a pantry bridal shower. That would have been a great gift. Def. will do come the day my kids get engaged. (hopefully, not anytime soon ;))</p>
<p>Treetopleaf-didn’t scan recipes. Copied and pasted from Word Doc, if that answers the question. I already had them in doc file, so it was quite easy.</p>