On one of my internet surfing expeditions to spy on my competition (yes, I do that regularly), I was happy to see that my Matilda’s Fantastic Cookbook Software still leads the pack in helping you create a custom cookbook at home.
There are websites that coax you to enter all your family recipes online into a virtual custom cookbook world in cyberspace, all for free. Be sure to read the fine print of the “terms and conditions,” because you may be giving up ownership of your own family recipes.
There are websites that offer you hard-bound editions of your custom cookbook. After a three month wait for delivery, you may realize the recipes you originally selected are no longer desired, so you are stuck with that inflexible expensive-to-make custom cookbook volume on the bookshelf. Read the rest of this entry »
“Did you bring your cue-pawns?” Ruth asked as we ambled down the grocery aisle, stopping at the pancake syrup display.
“My what?” I asked, irritated that for the umpteenth time Ruth and I would have a conversation about how to correctly pronounce the word “coupon.”
“Coo – pohns,” I instructed her. There is no Q or Cue in coupons. It rhymes with poupon, as in Grey Poupon Mustard. Why can’t you remember that?” Read the rest of this entry »
How do you decide whether to use sour cream or cream cheese to top a baked potato? Well, I don’t decide. I use both to make my baked potato toppers. I make a basic baked potato topper recipe by beating together an 8 ounce package of regular cream cheese (that’s been softened), and an 8 ounce carton of dairy sour cream. All the lumps should be gone and the remaining mixture should be on the fluffy side.
Then, depending upon my mood or taste craving for the moment, I use the basic mixture to create several flavorful baked potato toppers. Baked potatoes are always great to eat, whether baked in traditional oven or microwave (a good summer alternative). Read the rest of this entry »
“Eeeeew!” I heard Ruth screech in my ear as we wandered around the party, tidbit plates in hand. “That guest over there is eating out of the dip dish. Look at him; he thinks the dip dish is his personal property.”
It was true. The gentleman (using the term rather loosely, mind you) was rapt in his own delight as he managed to consume a good portion of the onion dip with his rather large Ruffles potato chip. He plowed into the creamy dip over and over again, oblivious to the germs and pathogens he was possibly spreading. Oh the swine flu potential! Read the rest of this entry »
Although we generally think of Memorial Day as a wonderful three-day family weekend that kicks off the summer season of outdoor dining and sun-kissed activities, in reality, Memorial Day is not about the barbecue.
Memorial Day isn’t about whether the grill will be charcoal or propane; whether the meat will be hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken, or bratwurst, or steak. It isn’t about the potato salad, fruit salad, or even what dressing will be on the tossed salad. Or, even if dessert will be strawberry shortcake, apple pie, ice cream, or chocolate chip cookies. Read the rest of this entry »
Situation: Late for dinner / No hostess gift
You are going to be late for a dinner party this evening, and you forgot to pick up a hostess gift, too. What do you do?
Solution: Notify the hostess / Make a gift cookbook!
That’s right. Call your friends and sit down at the computer. In the time it takes your husband to remove his dirty yard work clothes, take a shower, shave and dress, you can make a fabulous hostess gift that is both personal and clever. Read the rest of this entry »
Recipe software, recipe book software, cookbook software, whatever you want to call it to make your own cookbook, the key to success is how tech easy it is to use. Although I’m the Granny Guru around here at The Cookbook People, some things do scrabble my brain, and one of them is “tech issues.”
Nothing is more frustrating that knowing you need to accomplish something with a software but don’t understand how to do it. Add a deadline, and waah! I can be in tears in no time. (I tend to always think the problem is me, not the software.) So when we created Matilda’s Fantastic Cookbook Software, we tried to take the “tech” out so anybody could use it. Read the rest of this entry »
Do you belong to a church or other organization that can benefit from fundraising activities? If so, you might want to consider creating a cookbook to sell to members of your local community.
With a powerful cookbook software, you can create a cookbook easily and quickly. Here are a few steps to get you started:
1. Ask via email or in a meeting who would like to contribute recipes and/or help with the cookbook production. We recommend Matilda’s Fantastic Cookbook Software as the key cookbook software for this purpose. Read the rest of this entry »
Have you noticed?
We have scrambled up our website a little bit.
2009 has been an exciting year for us. Nearly half-way through it, and here we are with a whole slew of new things to talk about! We have so many great new products to show you that we redesigned our website to make it easier for you to see all our new stuff.
In addition to our Matilda’s Fantastic Cookbook Software, we now offer binders, recipe cards, and advice you need to save your precious family recipes.
You can either mouse-over the tabs to get drop-down menus, or click on the tab to enter the section’s home page. Either way, you’ll be amazed at all the new information that we have added.
Here is a brief tour of the main tabs on our The Cookbook People home page: Read the rest of this entry »
Suppose you gave a party and nobody came.
You would be hurt, insulted, and ticked-off all at the same time. Your time and money would have been wasted when you were just trying to be friendly, sociable, and sharing.
You did include an “RSVP” on your invitation, but nobody replied. And you didn’t have time to chase everyone you invited to confirm their attendance. So you forged ahead creating the party, only to be stood up by everyone but the family. What happened?
INVITED GUESTS
Your invited guests probably didn’t realize “RSVP” meant they needed to let you know they would not be coming (due to the playoff games, obvious conflict, or some other obligation or event they would rather attend). Sometimes they don’t respond because they don’t want to commit to a schedule in case something better comes up, such as sailing on the lake, or a fast trip to Cancun. Maybe their poor behavior is just a lack of etiquette training. Read the rest of this entry »
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My favorite brunch is very easy to put together, and is perfect for a special occasion such as Mother’s Day. There are no crowds, no lines, no reservations to contend with, and no enormous check to divvy up among the kids. Dress up the table with flowers, real china and linens, play some piano or harp music in the background, and your Mom will think she’s having a 5-Star Mother’s Day brunch experience.
Here’s the menu and instructions for your 5-Star Mother’s Day brunch at home. It’s a great menu to include in your family cookbook. Feel free to improvise with your Mom’s favorite tastes, as desired: Read the rest of this entry »
We are not shy about toting our excellent wares around here at The Cookbook People. We’ve got some really terrific gifts for Mom on Mother’s Day (or any day). We’ve profiled a few gift Mom candidate types to give you some ideas as to which type of Mom would most like the recommended Mother’s Day gift item: Read the rest of this entry »
At least once a week I like to have a vegetarian dinner using fresh vegetables and fruits for the meal. One day last week I didn’t feel like running to the supermarket, so I decided to use some squash that I’d neglected in the fridge for a few days. It was still in good shape, so I grated it and made up some squash fritters. Here is the simple recipe, written down as I completed each step: Read the rest of this entry »
