I love those little cookbooks from churches and clubs. But what disappoints me the most is that as an outsider I have no clue who the people are. I would love to know why Regina’s toasty surprise made it into the cookbook. Was it because she’s the best cook in the county?
Adding a paragraph about the cook who submitted the recipe is time-consuming, but it makes the cookbook special to everyone who reads it. Family cookbooks often lack this information as well. So, if you’re thinking about writing a church or family cookbook, get help from CookbookPeople.com.
Company owners Ted and Erin Miller sells software that lets users print a cookbook from home, drastically cutting the cost of printing copies. Users simply type the information in the space that’s provided.
“We started this software business two years ago because we honestly believe in our slogan, ‘Food makes family.’ As families become more spread apart, there’s an increasing need for ways for us to share our traditions. What can bind better than the smells and tastes of our family recipes?” Ted Miller said.
“You can look on the Internet and find 10 million recipes for meatloaf. But none of them will taste quite like your own mom’s meatloaf. If your mom passes on without sharing that recipe, you are losing not just a cherished family member, but a cooking tradition that honors her.
“We are the only company out there who makes software that lets you easily create a professional-looking cookbook right from your computer. And we are the only company who sees the cookbook in its entirety, with covers, address book, birthday calendar and biography sections built-in,” he said.
Family gatherings at Thanksgiving and Christmas are an ideal time to pitch a cookbook. Bring a few copies of a short mock-up of your idea and let the relatives get a feel for how it will look when it is done. “They will be much more responsive in helping you out,” Miller said.
“Make your family cookbook a living, breathing document that gets added to regularly, not just by you but by everyone,” Miller said.
There are a number of things you can include to put the “family” in your family cookbook:
- Photos of events and family members. This will add interest even for those who hate cooking.
- A short family tree or bibliography. This is a great place to add a little history and a little humor.
- An address book. Everyone will love having one place that lists the entire family’s e-mails, addresses and phone numbers.
- A birthday calendar.
Matilda’s Fantastic Cookbook Software ($24.95), does all the organizing for you with a few clicks. “The point is to make it a family recipe book and a family year book. Will Great Uncle Larry really care about your new peanut brittle recipe? Probably not. But he will take a look at it if it’s got a photo of him at third base seats in Shea Stadium.
“As families continue to move farther apart, a family recipe book can be a great opportunity to share traditions and build new bonds. By including both the family and the recipes, you will be creating an heirloom and a tradition that everyone looks forward to,” Miller said. Go to www.cookbookpeople.com.
I made one of these for my family a few years ago. If this site existed at that time I didn’t know it though so I did everything myself. It was a HUGE hit. I collected a recipe, a favorite family story/memory and photos from everyone & laid it all out in “book” form. I put it all together into a binder – one copy per family. Like I said, everyone loved reading the stories & looking at old photos and now if you want to try Aunt Carol’s famous beer bread for a work party you have it on hand! I do like the idea of updating it occassionally though and this seems much easier than the way I had to assemble mine! Thanks for the idea/web address!
[...] Sharon Thompson, Food writer for the Lexington Herald-Reader, has written a delightful piece about us in her blog this morning–A Family Cookbook Can Be a Family Yearbook. [...]