One day recently I wanted to do some Saturday baking for the family. My husband requested a certain recipe. Sure. No Problem. I'll have it done in a jiffy..... um...... when I find the recipe!!
Yes, I have gotten to a sad state where now it takes me a good deal of time just to find the recipe. That is not good. And it is not time-efficient. Nor is it neat or practical or organized. It drives my neat-freak wanna-be dream totally crazy!
Let me introduce you to a few of my 'friends'.
This is my recipe cupboard with my smaller books. You know ... the trusty Edmonds, and all those Aunt Daisy and Women's Institute and the Girls Rally cookbooks that you collect over the years.
And this is my large cookbook cupboard. The crockpot books, the Taste of Home books and all those other ones that don't fit in with the shorter books.
But what about all those loose recipes. What have I done with them?
Thirteen years ago, just before I got married, I found a lovely little box at Smith and Caughey's in Auckland. Perfect for my recipe collection. So many nights thereafter I sat and wrote out all the important recipes in my life.
That served me well until my actual wedding when I was given a beautful handmade recipe box by some friends....
and inside the box were recipes submitted by all my friends and family. What a treasure!
As you can see it is jam-packed now with other recipes I've collected over the years, and written on random bits of paper.
But there are special recipes in there from special people. Like this recipe from a dear elderly friend in America who I haven't seen for 17 years.
and this special recipe of a childhood favourite from my Nana (who has since passed away), with a special, cheeky message for her soon-to-be grandson-in-law who was raised a gentleman.
Then I succumbed to the beauty of this recipe box at one of my favourite home-organzation stores, kikki-k. Unfortunately, it has a total of 2 recipes in it, beautifully and meticulously written out by me - but I'm too scared to do more in case I ruin the pretty look of it.
But I just wasn't finding my recipes still - so I tried a different approach and bought a photograph album, and inserted recipe cards into the plastic sleeves. This actually worked really well for quite awhile, until the album started to fall apart from over-use.
Desperate means calls for desperate measures. I no longer wish to waste 1/2 an hour on a precious Saturday morning hunting for recipes. So I have adopted a modern, trendy, extremely convenient way of storing my recipes. It's my new thing - it's working so far - and it's pretty - and it doesn't take up any room in the pantry or my cupboards. And my husband especially likes it because it doesn't cost him a thing!
I've had this in my side-bar for a few weeks, but today I am officially launching my cooking/recipe blog, which is really just a new kind-of recipe box for me.
And to celebrate I'm going to give away one of these marvelous menu-planners from kikki-k. It is a favourite thing of mine to use in the kitchen and in planning the meals for my family and saves me heaps on impulse buying at the grocery store.
Just leave a comment here. I'll leave the giveaway open until Friday, August 6.
7 comments :
Have you seen a kikki K the planning book - that is on my list for xmas. So I can flick back & see what we had previous weeks - as aI loose my weekly menu plan once done.
I love menu planners. Did you know I have a recipe blog - I started it nearly a year ago now. (it's here: http://recipesfromclara.blogspot.com/ )
I'll definitely have to keep an eye on your recipe blog - I hope you'll be posting some New Zealand recipes on there!! :)
One thing I do is to write the recipe and page number of favorites on front cover of cook book. Or I keep a page of recipes with cookbook name and page. The trick is that it really has to be one I made and the family likes and not one that looks good. A spreadsheet on your computer could keep them straight for you.
Ginny E
awesome! my recipe books hardly get touched - if I can't find what I'm looking for within a few minutes then I turn to the internet so I'll be sure to check out your recipe blog.
A great giveaway! I love your recipe boxes too - precious memories attached.
What a cool idea - I know Leanne has had a recipe blog for a while. I've got all manner of print outs, books, and scraps of paper floating around my kitchen....may need to look at doing something similar.
Now I need to find one of these kikki K shops in Auckland. Am feeling quite left out with you & Leanne raving about them! :-)
I missed the giveaway!! What recipe did Margie give you? We went to see them in their new quarters at a retirement center last week -- beautiful place and good for them though the adjustment is hard. i should send you their new address -- I know they'd love to hear from you.
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