How To Make a Family Cook Book

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Why a Family Recipe Book?

A family recipe book is actually a collection of memories of our lives. Old family recipes will disappear with time if we do not make an effort to preserve them. Often our most powerful memories are those involving food - the comforting smell of cookies in the oven, memories of the family around the table at mealtime or trips to grandma's - and these happy memories should be preserved for future generations!

My sister, Betty Tate DeLorme, presented our family with a family cookbook in 1983. She had patiently typed every word on a Royal Manual Typewriter. In this day we have computers, and creating your own family cookbook is much faster - and easier!

You can make your own recipe book on your computer. Take it to the local print shop for printing and binding. There are also companies on line that specialize in producing your family cookbook - see the link list below.

Become your family's Betty Crocker! Ask your relatives to e-mail special family recipes to you. Your mailbox will quickly fill with everyone's favorite recipes and memories.

The most important thing is to do it! Make it fancy and professional. Or let it be a family project and let your children help create your cookbook and simply place the pages in 3 ring binders or folders. Let your family recipe cookbook reflect your own style.

Our family cookbook is well-loved by all of us. It is my hope that you will start creating your own today!

PS: Make some extra copies. Over 20 years later, we still ask Betty for reprints for wedding gifts and hostess gifts and special gifts for our friends.

PPS: For kid-friendly recipes, Click Here!

Write a Memorable Introduction to Your Family Recipe Collection Book 

The Tate Family Cookbook Introduction

Betty wrote a beautiful introduction to our cookbook! In fact, when our father died, this was read at his funeral -- a great description of our family -- and yes, there were giggles and snickers throughout the church as folks remembered with us! Thank you, Betty! This is indeed a treasure!

Hummingbirds and butterflies...beautiful flowers...the wide mouthed frog...Camp Cripple Creek...Turquoise eye shadow...gin rummy...the old blacktop table...Tab...Dancing....the Jockey Lot....killing golfs...the beach...First verse...Second Verse...Third verse...Fourth verse....Clemson vs Georgia and Georgia vs Clemson...Hand-me-downs and pass-arounds...the sock drawer...needlepoint and cross stitch...toddy time...Wild hog sausage...antiques, collectibles and stuff...dogs and cats and horses and birds and a bunny...Pendleton Presbyterian Church...swimming in "the pool"...Mac's Drive-In...SINGING, camp songs, Sunday School songs, old favorites. The Lanai...Miles and Crenshaws...Molly Brown...Coin disappearing up dad's coat sleeve...Miss Majorette...the Pig Roast...telling jokes. Let me see THE watch...Christmastime in old Pendleton...Cheerleading, baseball, studying, golf, gymnastics, horseback riding..."Miss Ethel"...Sweet Singing Bird...Get the waxed paper for the slide. Dishcloth chase...cherry Cokes at Evans'...moving...art...tailgating at Clemson...eating the picnic ten minutes out of Lafayette...my mug...bargain hunting...Anderson Hilton...relatives...trailers...weddings...Great food, and more great food (especially homemade vegetable soup and cornbread!)...loving and caring...


as recalled by Miss Home Ec

Include Memories in Your Family Cook Book Introduction 

I included Betty's introduction to give you a guideline for your introduction. Now it's your turn! Write something relevant to your family. I am very aware that some of the introduction shown here will not make sense to you. And that's the point. These are "our" family memories, "our" private jokes, "our" memories. And yet the list itself is a family treasure. A crazy, funny list of things that mean a lot to us. (For example, our dad referred to the hospital as "the Anderson Hilton" -- he spent much time there in his senior years.)

Your family has similar sayings and memories. Record those! This is the writing that makes your family recipe book unique! Your cookbook should make you smile, help you remember foods from your childhood, and be a treasure to pass on to your children and their children. Make it fun!

 

Recipe For A Cookbook: How To Write, Publish, And Promote Your Cookbook

Amazon Price: $14.95 (as of 11/08/2009) Buy Now

More family cookbook ideas on-line! 

Family Cookbooks - Preserve Those Treasured Recipes - Cooking/Organization Articles - Recipes Today
Family Cookbooks - Preserve Those Treasured Recipes - Cooking/Organization Articles - Recipes Today
Family Cookbook Software Prints Your Cookbook at Home.
Family cookbook software prints a cookbook at home using any of 27 different templates. Matilda's Fantastic Cookbook Software makes it easy for families, churches and fundraisers.
Download Free Trial of Cooks Palate
Download a free trial of Cooks Palate cookbook software. Cooks Palate cookbook software is for those interested in organizing recipes and creating cookbooks for home, school, fundraising, professional promotions and much more.
Why Make a Family Cookbook?
Creating an Heirloom: Writing Your Family's Cookbook is a helpful manual for your family for the creation of a family cookbook.
Cookbook Cuisine
Cookbook Blog by Gloria Chadwick. Gloria's book, Recipe for a Cookbook, is featured on this Squidoo lens.

Make Your Own Family Cookbook Workbook 

Click for more information from Amazon

Sample Recipe from the Tate Family Cookbook 

Beef-O-Roni

Better known as Ruby Rony: Nancy's special treat when she visited Aunt Ruby from Jacksonville State... Ruby Tate Day

1 pound ground beef
1 large onion chopped
Brown beef and onion in skillet, add salt and pepper to taste.

1 7 oz box macaroni (cook separately, not quite done)

Combine above in baking dish. Add some butter and one can cream of mushroom soup mixed with 1 cup of milk. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes.

Steps to Make a Family Cook Book

1. Gather Recipes
2. Add photos, clip art and personal notes
3. Produce on your word processing program.
4. Have copies made and bound.

You have a beautiful gift of memories for your family!

Creative Family Cookbook Ideas and thoughts! 

Have fun with your cookbook and make it unique!

Betty included clip art and quotes on almost every page. I strongly encourage you to make your book personal with pictures and quotes and notes. Find old photos of the family around the table, or grandma cooking dinner.

What would Betty Crocker do? At the end of our cookbook, our Betty has a small list of hints. It looks like this:

Cornbread -- use whatever suits you best, but there are those of us who insist the secret to crunchy cornbread is a bit of sugar in the mixture and the bacon drippings in the skillet or muffin tins.

Didge's Corn - Use white corn if at all possible. Cut down the ear through the middle of each kernel, then cut off the cob, and scrape the cob to get out the milk and remaining pulp. Add a little bit of oil and about 2 Tablespoons of flour and about 1/2 cup water. Cook in skillet, stirring often.

Mel's Goober Coke
How many years??? Nickel Cokes!
Mel Tate, Sr.
Take one package Lance, salted peanuts. Empty into one small bottle of Coke (after a couple of swallows have been taken.) Sip with great pleasure. Chew up peanuts 'til you make peanut butter.


Remember - A family cookbook is a great gift for all of your relatives at Christmastime!

 

Do you have a family cookbook yet? Why not? 

You can even make a family and friends cookbook

KarateKatGraphics wrote...

5 big * and featured lensrolled at squidoo.com/family-recipe-book. Love the info on including memories. Funny ones are the best! :)

ReplyPosted October 12, 2009

BevsPaper wrote...

Great idea! I've always loved the cookbooks made by the ladies of a church. This would be even better.

ReplyPosted October 11, 2009

GrowWear wrote...

Wonderful idea! And a great help for anyone who wants to write a family cook book. Great lens!

ReplyPosted October 06, 2009

GonnaFly wrote...

What a wonderful idea! Great idea for Christmas presents. Now, let me see. How many months until Christmas.....

ReplyPosted September 18, 2009

eccles1 wrote...

What a great idea thank you !!

ReplyPosted September 08, 2009

markharris wrote...

Terrific job on this lens, Joan. The family cookbook is a subject near and dear to me. It's so wonderful to preserve the family cooking tradition.

Here's a web site that makes it easy to collect your family recipes. And you can create a group just for your family, family members can join the group and collaborate with you on your family recipe collection from anywhere in the world. A great way to share.

Family Recipe Central - http://familyrecipecentral.com

ReplyPosted August 31, 2009

BlissNow wrote...

This is a masterpiece Joan! You have done a fantastic job and love the list of fun memory triggers Betty listed in her intro. 5*s!

ReplyPosted August 21, 2009

lwhitelaw wrote...

What a great family memory - our family is small and spread out accross the country and so it's not something that I have ever considered. But, I think it makes for a wonderful gift at Christmas time, for weddings or for birthdays.

ReplyPosted August 20, 2009

janices7 wrote...

Fantastic lens ..... love the tip about including personal notes with the various recipes. When I was in my late 20's, my best friend's Mom passed away suddenly of a heart attack. Her Mom was a great cook and she never got the chance to pass on many of the family favorites to her kids (including my friend). It was that lesson in life that got me up off my butt to make our family's recipe book. I got my Mom's tattered recipe box and all her dog-eared cookbooks from her. Then I typed up all the recipes and had the book printed. I gave all my brothers and sisters and even my Mom a copy for xmas. She was happy that she had all of her recipes in one easy to find place. And after going through the mess she called a recipe box, I know why:) I still use that book 15 years later.

ReplyPosted August 13, 2009

Sylvestermouse wrote...

What a great idea! An ingenious way to preserve family history too!

ReplyPosted August 11, 2009

JenOfChicago wrote...

I have always wanted to do this, and use one of those print on demand places like LuLu to make copies for Christmas gifts. Now is the time to get started on that!

ReplyPosted August 11, 2009

Sistalove wrote...

Love this idea! I am currently working on a lens for recipe's for people with allergies, but I had not thought of making a family one. Thansk! :)

ReplyPosted July 22, 2009

ElizabethJeanAllen wrote...

I'm still trying to talk my husband into doing this.
Thanks for sharing
Lizzy
(and thanks for inviting me to join RedGage. It's awesome!)

ReplyPosted July 20, 2009

Astrieanna wrote...

This is a great idea. I know what the first recipe in mine will be -- Cheese Potato Casserole -- it's taken my Dad ages to figure out how to cook it to perfection. =)

ReplyPosted June 06, 2009

CCB wrote...

I'm going to do this...someday
Great lens
CCB

ReplyPosted March 05, 2009

rms wrote...

Nice work! I've given you a roll onto my cookbook and recipe writing lenses.

ReplyPosted February 19, 2009

julcal wrote...

This is such a GREAT idea! I LOVE to cook and have thought about getting my recipes down in an organized book format. i sure wish my Grandma had done that! I can't even come close to cooking the way she did. A pinch of this, etc. Everything was by feel with her.

*****

ReplyPosted February 11, 2009

loveslife wrote...

I have been sort of working on a family cookbook for years without finishing it!!
You have inspired me to do just that! My daughters are anxiously waiting for it!
I've lost both my grandmothers but I managed to capture their famous family recipes before they left us, it really needs to be put to print! Thank you!!

ReplyPosted February 03, 2009

BigGirlBlue wrote...

It's funny but for the last year I've been thinking about putting all my usual recipes in a cookbook and printing it a LuLu or some where to have them all in one place.

ReplyPosted January 16, 2009

AndyPo wrote...

We don't have one, but it's a great idea. Thanks

ReplyPosted January 13, 2009

OhMe wrote...

Congratulations. This lens is now one of the top ten lenses in the South Carolina Group. Great Work

ReplyPosted January 03, 2009

ElizabethJeanAllen wrote...

Merry Christmas from the Totally Awesome Lenses Group.
Lizzy

ReplyPosted December 23, 2008

enslavedbyfaeries wrote...

This is something that every family can appreciate and should definitely put together as a treasured part of family history. I know that some of my family's most requested and loved recipes are the ones that have been passed down by several generations. Great idea and nicely done, -as always. :)

ReplyPosted December 20, 2008

wrote...

I want my husband to write a family cookbook, but he's resisting the idea.
Great lens
Bj

ReplyPosted December 10, 2008

dustytoes wrote...

I do not have a family cookbook, but you are inspiring me to get going and make one! My daughter just moved out and I know she would love one! Thanks for this super lens!

ReplyPosted November 15, 2008

Margo_Arrowsmith wrote...

What a great family you have!

ReplyPosted November 13, 2008

ElizabethJeanAllen wrote...

Welcome to the Totally Awesome Lenses Group.
Lizzy

ReplyPosted October 07, 2008

Jewelsofawe wrote...

Hmmm, I guess I sort of have a family cookbook.

ReplyPosted October 06, 2008

aj2008 wrote...

No, we don't have a family cook book - yet! I still have a recipe that was hand written by my Nana. Lovely lens and what a great family heirloom

ReplyPosted September 29, 2008

Lensmaster

Gloria Chadwick wrote

Hi Joan. Just coming over to say "hi" and to tell you that you've won an award. Come on over to Cookbook Cuisine to see what it is. Hint: It's not something you can put into a cookbook, but you can definitely use it in a cookbook. :)

Reply Posted September 21, 2008

teatree wrote...

A great lens! My mother recently wrote out all her favourite recipes in hardback books for myself and my sister, and they included all the Christmas sweets I remember from childhood.

You are right, these are family heirlooms, because so many family memories are bound up with food and celebrations involving food

ReplyPosted September 06, 2008

lemonsqueezy wrote...

Your beef-o-roni sounds delicious acutally. Great lens! Simple and fun! Thank you for sharing.

ReplyPosted September 04, 2008

EverythingMouse wrote...

What a lovely idea. I have so many recipes that I love and I know that my mother does too. We need to start this project!

ReplyPosted September 04, 2008

debnet wrote...

Another Great Lens Joan! I have some recipes gathered over the years from various family members, some not written down, just well remembered. Lensrolled to 'FAMILY HEIRLOOMS' 5 Tasty Stars for you!

ReplyPosted August 30, 2008

SewWithSarah wrote...

This is a fantastic idea!!! Thanks for the information - think I need to try putting one of these together as well. GREAT lens - five stars to you!

ReplyPosted August 29, 2008

Lensmaster

Gloria Chadwick wrote

Hi Joan,

Great article with lots of good information! Thanks so much for including my book and a link to Amazon. My website at http://www.recipeforacookbook.com offers information about writing and publishing cookbooks, including a list of cookbook-specific printers. My blog at http://cookbookcuisine.blogspot.com talks about cookbook writing. Would it be okay if I blogged about your article and included a link?

Thanks,

Gloria

Reply Posted August 28, 2008

tdove wrote...

Thanks for joining G Rated Lense Factory!

ReplyPosted August 26, 2008

a_willow wrote...

Haven't thought of that, although it's great idea!
Idea for 5*! :)

ReplyPosted August 22, 2008

Zarea wrote...

Great idea, I personally like recipes that are hand written by the person who gave them to you. I have several recipes from both of my grandmothers who are no longer living, and it makes me feel good to look at their handwriting when I am cooking their recipe!

ReplyPosted August 20, 2008

KimGiancaterino wrote...

I've been collecting my mother-in-law's recipes to do a scrapbook of her Italian specialties... hopefully by Christmas. It would be a perfect family gift. Thanks for sharing your ideas. Welcome to Culinary Favorites From A to Z.

ReplyPosted August 19, 2008

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Lensmaster Joan4, aka Joan Adams, has been a member since October 16 2007, has rated 3,637 lenses, favorited 3,736, and has created 183 lenses from scratch. Joan Adams donates their royalties to Squidoo Charity Fund. This member's top-ranked page is "Halloween Songs". See all my lenses

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Creating your family cookbook is a wonderful way to hold on to those family recipes -- not to count all the wonderful memories associated with them. (more)

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