It’s family reunion time again here in the United States and Canada. I can already taste my mom’s peach cobbler. I can’t tell you how many times I called my mom and said, “mom, I just need your recipe for your homemade cake and ice cream.” It’s been a slow buildup of recipes over the years, but it relents every time I ask for another recipe.
Many of the recipes are actually from my grandmother, who passed them down before she passed away many years ago. You know, I can still remember baking oatmeal raisin cookies with my grandma even though it’s been almost 35 years since I last had that opportunity.
Now that I have a grown son and daughter, my wife and I, who love to cook, we really wanted to pass the recipes on to both of you as well. Many of these recipes that they grew up with and now that they have children of their own, they are just starting to request them. My wife also has a recipe book from her grandmother on her father’s side. It’s too old and tattered now to use regularly, so it’s time to restore and update it.
So many wonderful memories of cooking… so many more that I have lost to time.
I wish the idea of a recipe scrapbook had been around when I was just a kid.
Recipe scrapbooks can be given to brothers, daughters, cousins, children, or just about anyone. An 8.5×11 scrapbook works perfectly here in the US and Canada and can be printed on any standard printer. They’re big enough to hold a 3×5 index card, a couple of photos, and any recorded memories you create. You can also use an 8×8 scrapbook and bind the recipes in a square format.
I think it’s a great mix to combine your photos and recipes. Digital scrapbook templates are perfect for this. For example, combine a group family photo of your reunion at the beginning of the album with a signature page from everyone in the photo. This is a great way to start the album before the index page. If you have ordered recipes from all family members present, place a photo of the recipe submitter on that recipe page with the recipe on the opposite page. I like to put a photo and lined journal page for memories on the left with the recipe, instructions, and photo of the finished item or cooking fun on the right.
Here’s another great tip I learned from my wife’s sister… help your reader with a shopping list at the end of each recipe or on the back of the recipe cards you use. You might also consider placing the actual recipe on a scrapbook recipe book page and placing separate shopping lists in the back or at the end of each section.
Note: While using recipe cards is great so you can remove them and take them straight to the market… my personal experience has shown that cards do get lost from time to time. They also add volume to what is already a bulky cookbook scrapbook. I have found that having the list printed at the bottom of each page makes it easy to copy when needed and much easier to combine common ingredients for various dishes.
Another family recipe scrapbooking tip is to create a bit of history with your recipes. If you are adding recipes passed down from generation to generation or from a family member who is no longer living, you may want to have the photos on the left, the recipe on the right page, and a little more historical information about the author on a third page. page. with even more photos. Most scrapbooks are very expandable, especially digital scrapbooks, so there is room for many pages in one album.
If necessary, divide the family recipe scrapbook into volumes by type of food or sides of the family tree.
Almost every cookbook has a measurement chart and a conversion chart, so when making a recipe scrapbook, it’s a good idea to add this information to the index before or after.
Aside from family gatherings, recipe scrapbooks are the perfect gift for a new bride, especially if the recipe comes from your husband’s side of the family featuring his favorite dishes he grew up with.
Whether the family recipe scrapbook is for yourself, your family, or a new girlfriend struggling to cook for her new husband. The only ingredient that will make it worth its weight in gold are the memories you engrave safely inside.