Friday, May 13, 2011

Homemade Cookbook for a Daughter

Last year I searched for a cookbook for my daughter. She enjoys helping me cook and I thought that having her own cookbook would be a special motivation.

You all gave me many great suggestions for children's cookbooks. I also tried a cookbook from the library that we enjoyed.

But what I really wanted was our family's favorite recipes in a book. Not that I don't like to try new recipes myself, but when teaching my daughter to cook, I'd rather use the tried and true. How could I teach her to follow a recipe when I was constantly saying "instead of 'this', we will use 'that' and we will mix it 'this' way instead of 'their' way."


So for my daughter's birthday this spring, I took a half size three ring notebook that holds a half sheet of paper. Using photos of my daughter helping in the kitchen, I designed tabbed dividers for the various categories. I printed off some of our favorite recipes using a different color paper for each category. The recipes are kept in the pocket of the binder until my daughter uses the recipe. She then can place the recipe behind it's category.  It was a very easy but meaningful gift.


She loves her cookbook and asks often if she can make something from "her" cookbook. An added benefit was that it encouraged me to go through some of my recipes and find my favorite. I think I had over ten different recipes for biscuits. I find myself reaching for her cookbook just because it is better organized than my recipe stash. Some day I really need to organize my own recipe collection. I didn't put a lot of recipes in her book to start with to keep it from being overwhelming. I plan to add to it in the coming years.


I hope this little recipe book becomes a family heirloom. Since I saved on the computer all the recipes that I printed for her book, it should be simple to print off more copies for my younger daughter - or my sons.


I'd love to hear your ideas for recipe organization.

20 comments :

  1. What a wonderful gift. Great job!

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  2. This is adorable Gina! I love the personal touch the photos have on the covers! What a treasure :)

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  3. What a great idea Gina! I may have to do this for my 10 year old daughter! Love the idea! My own recipe collection is atrocious, but I do have all my favorite Christmas baking recipes on note cards that have been hole-punched at the top and secured with rings. That way I can just grab them and bake away. My day to day cooking is more off the top of my head.

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  4. That is lovely!! I think it would inspire anybody to cook if they had a picture of themself on the cover. Well done!

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  5. I absolutely love that idea. I think I will start compiling recipes for a cookbook for my daughter when she is older. This is a wonderful gift she will cherish and something she will be able to show her daughters.

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  6. what a wonderful idea! and how old is your daughter too? I'm curious as I'm just starting to teach my girl who is 5.

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  7. What a wonderful idea. I have bought each of my children the book "With Love From My Kitchen" A cook book that a person fills with there favorite recipes. My daughters do their own, I do one for my sons, to give to their wife when they get married. But I love this idea, so much more personal. For my self I have a 3 ring binder (8x10 size), using the plastic sleeves to protect the page.

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  8. Several years ago, a cousin was getting married and I decided to do a cookbook for his bride's shower... including a few faves from his mom for her. Well, the idea soon became my "standard" bridal shower gift. I use a standard size notebook (1") (with the clear pocket front so I can print a title sheet for the cover) and page sleeves for the printed recipes. Lately I've been wrapping it up in a kitchen towel with dish cloths and hot pads included.

    While I was at it, I printed a copy for myself. I've expanded to two 1" notebooks with all the additional recipes. I lOVE my recipe binders with page sleeves to protect the recipes!

    This was a great idea for your daughter to grow with, Gina ~ What a blessing for her to treasure!

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  9. Love, love, love this idea. You and I are alike in the sense that our original goal to blog was for our Daughter's sake. I am going to have to copy this idea of yours. Way to go!

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  10. I have been wanting to do this for my daughter. You have inspired me to actually get it done. Thanks for that. You did a great job !!!!

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  11. When our daughter left for the big city and college. I took a cute little photo album, and some lovely matching recipe cards and wrote out all of our family favorite recipes along with some very simple budget friendly ideas. That way she could have a little bit of home with her. Then I periodically send her new recipes to add to her book.

    And I, like you, recently made the time to sort all of my recipes. I was so tired of digging through the mess of it all!

    Here is a link~

    http://thissweetcountrylife.blogspot.com/2011/04/organizing-my-recipes.html


    Thanks for sharing Gina!

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  12. I love this and want to make one for our children! Great idea!

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  13. I made a recipe book similar to this years ago... for myself. :) I had too many loose cards and scraps of papers with recipes on them that others had shared with me, so I organized them in a full-sized 3-ring notebook with a clear cover pocket (to insert my favorite photo or design) and filled it with plastic sheet covers inside (to keep my messiness off the recipes) and added subject/category tabs for better organization.
    It has grown over the years and if my dietary needs or tastes change, I can simply remove any recipe from the sheet protector I do not wish to keep.
    This has been one of my favoite bridal shower gifts to the young women in my life, and I often include a few basic recipes inside for the bride-to-be. They have been well-received.

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  14. Oh my goodness - what a wonderful gift!! Thank you so much for sharing this idea. The pictures of your daughter are a sentimental touch. I want to do this for my children!!

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  15. Gina - such a beautiful idea - what a treasured gift it is sure to be to not only your daughter, but future grandchildren as well - the love behind this moved me deeply!! Thank you fo sharing this with us!!

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  16. I love this idea Gina. I am going to do this with both of my girls!

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  17. Very personal and special. I am sure it will be a keepsake!!

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  18. Several years ago my mom made cookbooks for all of us kids as a Christmas gift. I love it for several reasons and use it often. She took time to add little “memories” and “personal notes”, which were added to several recipe pages. The book was printed on computer paper and then placed in page protectors which are nice for keeping splatters from staining the pages. It was truly a gift that keeps giving.

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  19. This is a FANTASTIC idea! I am definitely going to try this for Adam. He loves to cook and pores over a children's cookbook, but everything in it is full of processed foods I rarely buy and Liam certainly can't eat. Oh, I just love this!

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  20. This is so cute! I made a cookbook as well, only christmas themed :) you can check it out here:
    http://love-as-we-know-it.blogspot.com/2011/12/christmas-cookbook.html

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