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Create
a Family Heirloom Cookbook |
by:
ARA |
(ARA)
- Almost every family has a treasured recipe,
handed down through generations, that is
not only beloved because it’s delicious,
but because it evokes memories of favorite
family get-togethers.
A family heirloom recipe book is a wonderful
way to combine favorite dishes and family
folklore. According to Cheryl Wolf, a performance
artist and graphic design instructor at
The New England Institute of Art, "Family
recipes are a valuable resource for a family
history. I have built an entire performance
around my family's recipes and the stories
they evoke! "Breaking bread" together is
life-affirming. What better way to reach
back and bring personal history to the present?"
Wolf adds, “A family recipe is also a family
history, and can be a wonderful work of
folk art.” For example, she says, take the
opportunity to not only write down family
recipes for generations to come, but include
famous family stories (every family has
them), photos and memorabilia as well.
But how to turn family culinary gems into
actual recipes? Chef Peter Adams of the
Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago has a
few tips: “Start with a family letter, asking
everyone to send back one or more of their
‘specialties’ by a particular date. Ask
those who can to reply by email so you can
cut and paste recipes right into your final
document.”
If you have a relative who never writes
down recipes (it seems like all the best
recipes are never written down), but rather
cooks by "a dash of this, a little bit of
that,” consider having someone in your family
be the “helper,” and prepare the dish along
with them. Adams suggests the “helper” measure,
guesstimate, and generally keep track of
how the dish is prepared, including cooking
times and temperatures. The “helper” should
also be sure to ask about consistency, color,
texture and doneness. According to Adams,
“This last bit of information is always
the most important part of passing along
a recipe.” Once you have a written recipe,
prepare it again according to the directions,
and adjust the recipe as necessary to get
as close as possible to the original.
When you’re asking for recipes, provide
everyone with a similar format. For example,
ask family members to list the ingredients
to be used in order, together with the quantities.
Lay out the steps that are needed in order
to make the item, and always add little
comments about what to look for as the dish
is prepared, and when it is done. It can
be a lot of work, especially with recipes
that were never written down. But, says
Adams, ultimately it’s worth it because
you’ll be saving an important -- and delicious
bit of your family’s history.
Once you have the recipes, you’ll want to
create a look for your cookbook that reflects
your family. A simple way to do this, says
Meryl Epstein of The Art Institute of Phoenix,
is to include family mementos or old photos,
along with the recipes. A simple way to
share one-of-a-kind memorabilia is to take
them to a local copy center and make color
copies.
“You can use the color copies you make as
background, and print a recipe over the
photo, or have the recipe on one page, and
a photo on the facing page. You can also
create a collage using items such as blue
ribbons (won for a cooking), tickets stubs
or airplane tickets from a favorite trip
that produced a great recipe,” says Epstein.
For text, use simple fonts like Times Roman
or Arial so that they are easy to read for
all ages. Save decorative fonts for recipe
titles or chapter headings. Consider creating
a box -- with shading and borders -- for
the recipe itself so that there is enough
contrast between the recipe and any background
artwork you use.
Epstein suggests writing an introduction
about the cookbook, its organization and
how family responded to the project. Be
sure to date the book and have a table of
contents so family and friends can easily
find a favorite recipe. Here are a few of
her suggestions for organizing recipes:
* by category, for example, appetizers,
soups, salads, entrees and desserts
* by family, for example, grandmother, aunt
and uncle, or cousin recipes
* by holiday, for example, favorite dishes
for the 4th of July, Thanksgiving or Labor
Day
To keep recipes easy to read and clean,
consider putting them in plastic sleeves
(available in craft and office supply stores)
and then in 3-ring binders. Says Epstein,
“This way, you can add a new recipe every
year.”
Courtesy of ARA Content
About the author:
Courtesy of ARA Content
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