"Project: Organization" Day 6-Kitchen (Recipes)

Ok, are you sick of the kitchen yet? We're almost done, I promise! Today we're starting a drawing, so make sure you read it all.

Do you use recipes? If you're like me, you can't live without them! I believe recipes were created for a reason-so I don't have to remember it. Right? If we write it down, we don't have to memorize it. That's my philosophy at least. So an organized recipe book is essential for me because I use it daily.

I've tried many different ways-keeping all the cookbooks, having a recipe box, etc. I don't have room for a ton of recipe books and I could never remember which book had what recipe. So I threw out that idea. I had recipe cards at one time. However, I spilled on them, or lost them. So I gave that up.

About 4 years ago a friend of mine (thanks Jenn) showed me her recipe book. I've been hooked ever since! I guarantee that it's worth your time to do this, if you use recipes frequently. You won't be able to get this done in one day (unless you don't have many recipes), but it's something you can do while you're watching tv (if you have a laptop). Here is what you'll need:

1-3 ring binder (get a big one-I think mine is a 2"-and buy the Heavy duty version)

15 page dividers with pockets (the pockets are a must) You'll want to invest the money and get the plastic versions or laminate them and cut a slit where the pocket is.

A box of sheet protectors (at least 50 if you have quite a collection of recipes)

The categories I have are:

Appetizers and Snacks

Drinks

Breakfast

Soups

Salads

Fruits & Vegetables

Rice, Beand & Potatoes

Pasta

Beef

Chicken

Pork

Breads

Cookies and Candies

Cakes and Pies

Desserts

Start a Word document and type up your favorite recipes. Then print them out and put in the sheet protectors, behind the appropriate tab. Depending on the size of the recipe, I have 2-3 per page. If you don't have time to type your recipes and you have them on the cards, you can easily tape a couple cards to a piece of paper, and slide that in a protector. I'm messy when I cook so the sheet protectors are a must for me.

The pockets are for you to put any recipes in that you want to try. So if your friend emails you a chicken recipe, print it out and put it in the pocket on the "chicken" divider. If you like it, you can easily move it behind the divider into a sheet protector. If you don't like it, throw it out!

Another thing that I do (and some of you may cringe), but I mark up my cook books (the ones that I still have to try out recipes). If I like the recipe, I put a star by it's title. If I don't like it, I put an "X" through it with a pencil. This helps me keep track of which recipes I have tried. Then when I have time, I will type up the recipes with "stars".

One of my New Year's resolutions is to try a new recipe every two weeks. I bought a slow cooker magazine this week and Gordon already has about 30 recipes tagged, ready for me to cook them.

Other benefits to typing up your recipes: when your friends ask you for the recipe, or you are in an online recipe swap, you already have it ready to email. Second, if you're on vacation (with your laptop), you have your recipes with you! Great for the holidays! (Just make sure that you actually have them on your laptop harddrive and not just on your backup external drive! lol)

Ok, so that's what we're doing today. I don't want to come to your homes and find a drawer like this:

 
Free up that drawer-no more recipes in a drawer! If you have a baker's stand, you can keep your book there. Or, purchase a little metal easel from the craft store and keep your book on there, in the corner of your kitchen counter. If you design a nice cover for it, it can be decorative and functional. Use the easel to display the book when you're cooking from it, so you don't have it laying down getting dirty. And if you do splatter on it, a moist rag will do the trick for wiping off the pages! 

And to help you get excited, here's a contest. Post your favorite recipe on this page (one that I don't already have! lol) and in one week, I'll do a drawing with everyone's name that has posted. I'll enter your name into the drawing for every recipe you post. So if you post 10 recipes, I'm putting your name in 10 times! (But I want good recipes-ones you love-not ones you're just copying off the internet!)

And what is the prize?!?!?!?!? My cookbook! (Well, not the one I use, but an exact duplicate!) Many of you have asked me for my recipes so here's your chance to get it all, in a binder, already organized. So post away! I'm looking for great recipes!