I was looking for some inspired funeral food the other day to take to a grieving family, and was struck by the lack of local information on the subject.  I realized that churches could provide a great service for their congregations and the community if they could include a section in their church fundraising cookbook that explains the local traditions of funeral food and funeral etiquette.

Of course, you’re thinking I’m thinking the church would use my Matilda’s Fantastic Cookbook Software to create such a cookbook with a funeral food chapter. Yes. However, my reasons are much more personal. At a time of loss, many people don’t know what funeral food to cook, when to cook it, and where to deliver whatever they’ve cooked. 

In a small community, everyone seems to pitch in and provide meals for the mourning family and the gathering after a funeral or memorial service. In an urban environment, where often the neighbors may be unknown, it is usually the close family and friends that provide the funeral food.

In general, local traditions rule. Funeral food should be easy to heat and eat, be somewhat portable, freezable, and disposable, and above all, provide comfort.  Following are some suggestions for funeral food that may be helpful the next time you need a funeral food idea:

COMFORT FUNERAL FOOD IDEAS

Mains – Baked ziti, barbecued meats in sauce, cheeses, chicken & rice, chicken pot pies, chicken skewers, chili, chowder, deli platter, finger sandwiches, lasagna, macaroni & cheese, meatballs and gravy, pot roast, quiche, roast chicken, sandwiches of tuna salad, ham salad & salmon salad, sliced meats (brisket, corned beef, ham, lamb, pastrami, roast beef, turkey), soups & stews, spaghetti, pizza, stuffed peppers, tuna casserole, tubs of KFC.

Snacks – Crackers, cheese & olives, granola bars, mixed nuts (shelled pecans, almonds, cashews), pickles, potato chips.

Sides – Bagged green salad with bottled dressings, cold salads (with 3 or more ingredients), cole slaw, cut-up fresh fruit (such as pineapple, melons) or whole fruit baskets (apples, oranges, bananas, grapes, nuts), funeral potatoes (hash browns, cheese, mushroom soup), green bean casserole, pasta salad, potato salad, raw veggie tray of red pepper strips, broccoli spears & carrots, steamed broccoli, stuffed mushrooms.

Breads – Baguette, brioche, cinnamon rolls, croissants, homemade bread with flavored butter, muffins, sandwich bread, rolls.

Desserts – Apple crisp, brownies, cakes & pies (already cut), cookies, chocolate candies, cupcakes, Jell-O, lemon squares, ice cream sandwiches, rice pudding, tarts, tubs of ice cream.

Beverages – Beer, bottled water, freshly ground coffee, Irish whiskey, juices, sparkling non-alcoholic drinks such as apple cider or Italian orange water, seltzers, soft drinks or 2-liter sodas, wine.

Some people prefer to not cook funeral food but want to help. Here are some ideas that can help a mourning family when given immediately:

PRACTICAL NON-FUNERAL FOOD IDEAS
- Bring disposable plates, napkins, forks, glasses and cups
- Clean the kitchen
- Buy groceries to restock the fridge and laundry room
- Bring freezer bags, plastic wrap, or single serving freezer containers for leftovers
- Hire a cleaning service for the family
- Bring paper towels, Kleenex, toilet paper
- Buy jars of mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard and hot sauce
- Bring plastic garbage bags and trash bags
- Run errands, make calls, answer the phone
- Buy a gift certificate to a local restaurant and a delivery menu

For most people, the tradition of funeral food is mostly about spending time with family and friends in a family reunion time of sadness. The making, giving, and eating of funeral food seems to be common in most cultures, although differences do exist. That is why a local cookbook explaining local funeral food traditions would be helpful, especially to newcomers in an area.  

Happy Cookbooking,

Matilda

With the popularity of Facebook and other social networking sites coming into the homes of everyday mainstream Americans, it stands to reason that social networking reunions with former classmates and workmates may suddenly become as popular as family reunions.

Such social networking reunions are not like the traditional, committee-run high school reunion that requires weekend reservations at some fancy hotel. Social networking reunions are more like backyard get-togethers around the barbecue with people you used to know well, have lost touch with, then reconnected with via a social networking website.

Experts tell us that social networking reunions are actually more genuine than the high school reunion because the participants are hand-picked by each other to rekindle their past relationships and contacts. That makes social networking reunions more “real” and powerful in some ways.

Groups of people that were separated by relocations, job changes, or family circumstances and who attend social networking reunions may even find new friends among their old contacts.

Hey, can you imagine how much fun it would be for attendees to have a cookbook made with Matilda’s Fantastic Cookbook Software after one of these social networking reunions?

Have everyone bring a recipe (or remember it on the spot) and make a cookbook with their addresses, photos, and stories after the social networking reunion.

A social networking reunion cookbook. Now, that’s an idea!

Happy cookbooking,

Matilda

Colette made a family cookbook for her family reunion using Matilda’s Fantastic Cookbook Software. She collected recipes from family members approximately four months in advance and had a wonderful response from her enthusiastic relatives.

The final product was a family cookbook containing more than 100 pages.  Instead of printing a multitude of copies at substantial expense, Colette printed one copy of the family cookbook.  This sample was used for display so everyone could see the beautiful family cookbook she created.  One lucky family member walked away with this printed copy of the family cookbook as a door prize given away at the catered family dinner on Saturday night.

Other family reunion activities included a family Tug-O-War, and a horseshoe tournament (with prize awarded). “Our mantra for the weekend was ‘If the kids are happy, then the adults are happy’!” Collette writes.

In addition to the action-oriented activities, the family held a raffle to win prizes/gift items donated by family members, such as:

- Photo albums
- Old photographs reproduced onto collector-style plates
- Family reunion aprons
- A family reunion art-quilt made by an aunt that included old family pictures on it

So, what about all the other relatives who were disappointed that they didn’t win the family cookbook door prize?  Colette made copies of the cookbook (in pdf format no doubt) and burned CDs for everyone. That way the family members could carry the memento easier while traveling, and they can print the family cookbook at their own expense later (if they so choose).

The CD label was customized with a wedding and 25th anniversary photo of Colette’s grandparents (which also appeared in the family cookbook, along with Colette’s collection of old family photos).

“Everyone was very happy to have them in their own family history records,” she writes. “Our family reunion was a huge success, and I was so pleased to have played a role in it.”

Colette, we are so very happy that Matilda’s Fantastic Cookbook Software helped make the family reunion a bit more special. Thanks for sharing some of your great ideas for family reunions with us.

Happy cookbooking,

Matilda

Sometimes your friends are your family.
Sometimes friends expand our dining horizons more than family members can — teaching us new ways to enjoy food, or broadening our exposure to exotic ingredients they’ve gleaned from traveling, networking or socializing with other friends.

I once introduced a friend to the wonders of jicama with lime and salted chile powder, and 25 years later he still remembers me for that as we reconnected on Facebook!

Sometimes we choose our friends from many different groups of unrelated people who touch us in some way:

- School chums
- Work friends
- Neighbors
- Fellow worshipers
- Members of local clubs or community groups
- Sports league participants
- Hobby enthusiasts

The list can go on and on.

The point being that even though friends are not related to you, they can be part of your family cookbook, and reflect whatever you determine your family to be.

Therefore, making a homemade family cookbook that includes recipes from friends (or includes only recipes from friends) is quite logical for those whose family ties are stronger for friends than blood relatives.

Hmm. Creating a family cookbook with recipes from friends. Just think what a great gift that could be!

(Because sometimes friends are better than family.)

Happy cookbooking,

Matilda

Some of our lovely “Matilda’s” users have asked questions in the past regarding printing their cookbooks at the neighborhood quick print shop or at one of the national chains instead of printing their cookbook at home.

Many of them would like to get printing quotes from several shops around town in order to get the best product at the best price.  We think this is a good idea, and often suggest a standard format for providing this information to the printer/counter person.

First of all, if you are asking several places to give you a “quote,” it is easier to provide identical information on a Request for Quotation form.  You can complete it on your home computer and print out as many copies as print shops you’ll be visiting. The basic Word format of the Request for Quotation can be changed easily and will save you from having to explain over and over again (and the printer will understand more clearly).

Therefore, when visiting copy shops it would be a good idea to have the following items available:

- A printed sample of your cookbook to show. You don’t need a printout of the whole cookbook; just the outside cover pages and a few inside pages will demonstrate nicely. They’ll get the idea from those samples.

- Provide the printer with your Request for Quotation form filled out as completely as possible.

What you are trying to do is make sure the print shop person knows all the specifications you want your cookbook to have, so that they do it right the first time. For more about copy shops, read this article:
Printing Your Cookbook at a Copy Shop

There are other options your copy shop counter person may also suggest, so keep track of these on the bottom of the form.  Some of them may be:

Cover protectors
You can ask to have clear plastic sheets added to the front and back covers. This will make the cookbooks more durable and less likely to get those inevitable butter (aka grease) stains

Paper Stock
Instead of glossy white paper, you can choose other paper to print your cookbook. Consider using plain white, cream or ivory, or even Hot Pink if you like. Just remember that these types of papers are more porous than the glossy paper and can stain easily.

Ink Color
Some printers have the ability to provide different ink colors to highlight the cookbook. If this is something you would like to do, remember that darker inks print best. Limit your ink choices to black, Navy, brown, or dark green. (Photos never look good in yellow or pink, especially food.)

Happy Cookbooking!

Matilda

The Collector Mom
She loves to keep stuff. Lots of stuff. Sometimes any old stuff. Hates to throw anything away, especially old recipe cards she keeps together with a stretched rubber band that could break at any moment. She’s the ideal gift Mom candidate for one of our great recipe boxes. Yeah, it would be new but we’ve got some great designs she will love.

The Tech Mom
From Star Trek movies to tweeting on Twitter, this Mom is connected to her friends and family through her cell, her email, her wi-fi, her website and MySpace and Facebook pages. She is a gift Mom candidate who could appreciate the streamlined beauty of our well organized cookbook software as a place to easily store and manage recipes.

The Scrapbooker Mom
Snipping away happily for new recipe ideas in magazines and newspapers is this gift Mom candidate’s favorite pastime. How about giving her a cool recipe binder to keep her old scrap recipe clippings from magazines and newspapers in one place?

The Social Mom
If everyone drifts to the kitchen and kitchen table in a house of many larger rooms, this “giving” gift Mom candidate would be a great (and grateful) recipient of a surprise family gathering to help her put together a family cookbook (using Matilda’s Fantastic Cookbook Software). Everyone rotates sitting down at the computer to enter their own favorite recipes, leaving Mom to chat and bake the chocolate chip mint cookies.

The Messy Mom
She’s the Mom with the eternal stain on her clothes, even though she uses gallons of stain remover but, sure enough, plops another stain in its place immediately upon wearing any garment. She really isn’t a slob; just a bit messy in her approach. Our suggestion for this gift Mom candidate would be a cookbook stand to help neaten the kitchen counters.

With all these gift Mom candidates out there, think of the possibilities our products present for helping them enjoy their special day.

Happy Mother’s Day,

Matilda

Not sure how to do it? Here are some tips to make the planning easier:

1. GUESS WHO
Estimate how many family members may attend the family reunion. Make phone calls to one person in each family group who could estimate attendance. Have them pass the word.

2. PLACE
Based on the potential number of attendees, decide if the event can be at a family member’s house, a local park, a convenient restaurant, or a social hall.  The location will depend on the budget, which will be determined by the number attending.

Longer family reunions may entail the rental of a condo, house, lodge or other venue. For example, I was on a cruise ship a few years ago and everywhere onboard were people wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with “I’m with Marge.”  We finally saw a little old lady with a t-shirt that said “I’m Marge.”  She had come into some money and invited 146 family members onboard for a last family reunion fling in her old age. Wow!

3. DATE & TIME
If you are the chief planner (guess what…if you plan the family reunion once, it’s your job forever), then go ahead and set a date and time that is most convenient for you.  It may be a special date to the family (such as a birthday, anniversary, or other special occasion), or an arbitrary date that becomes the annual family reunion date (e.g. the first Tuesday after the first Monday in the month of November in the even numbered years.) Not everyone will be able to make it on the day (or week) you decide. That’s all right; they’ll make it the next time after they hear how terrific the family union was.

4. FOOD & BEVERAGES
If the family reunion is to be a joint effort instead of a hosted event (by you or another family member), then the food and set-up chores can be divvied up among different family groups. Yeah, some family members will flake and not come on time, but they are relatives! Family reunions will bring you closer together and maybe they will arrive on time with the appetizer next time.

5. ACTIVITIES
The overall idea for having a family reunion is to have fun and catch up with relatives. Depending on the number of hours (or days) the family reunion extends, some fun activities may include games, singing, creating a family play, or doing crafts. Taking photos during a family reunion is a given, but make sure lots of planned photos are taken along with the candid shots. It is popular these days to have a theme for family reunions (e.g. camping, Texas BBQ, golf, community service) that taps into any common areas of interest.  Whatever the “theme,” good eating is also part of any family reunion. A rib or chili cook-off can also be a fun way to get the family involved.

6. KEEPSAKES
Some type of memento is always a great take-away for those attending the family reunion. We recommend putting together a family cookbook using Matilda’s Fantastic Cookbook Software. If you have a cooking contest, get all the recipes, enter them into the recipe template, print, and send them to every relative. You’ll have the foundation for a great family cookbook.  P.S. Use photographs taken at the family reunion to complete the family cookbook pages and biography section of the cookbook.

I have come to realize that the memories and fun family times gained from a family reunion are well worth the effort. Family reunions help build stronger family relationships and common interests, and also can help turn family strangers into real caring relatives.  What a concept!

Happy Family Reunion Cookbooking,

Matilda

Now that Thanksgiving is just over the river and through the woods, so to speak, let’s review some useful tips for taking those missing family photos for your family cookbook:

Planning Your Shots
Think about who will be attending the Thanksgiving family gathering and what type of photo would be appropriate for their recipe or bio page (assuming you are using Matilda’s Fantastic Cookbook Software). Thanksgiving provides a wonderful opportunity to capture images of family members in various poses. Candid shots typically net priceless personality photos; posed group shots can be fun and illustrate the family cookbook with wit and humor.

Some Thanksgiving Group Photo Ideas:
- All the family cooks together with pots & pans, spoons and aprons.
- Youngest and oldest cooks grabbing for the turkey leg.
- All the men with recipes in the family cookbook together with beverages in hand.
- Small children gathered around the turkey (raw and roasted).
- Pumpkin pie eaters holding whipped-cream laden spoons.
- The classic “here’s the turkey” shot is always fun to have.

Simple Backgrounds
Make sure the background for your family cookbook photo is somewhat neutral (not boring, just without a lot of distraction). For example, the front porch steps would identify the location better than, say, the wood siding on the house. A casual group photo on a sofa would be more interesting than in the busy Thanksgiving kitchen with the refrigerator in the background.

Using Flash
Whether indoors or outdoors, whenever possible, use your flash option to take the missing photos for your family cookbook. Indoors, stand about 12 feet away and make sure there are no mirrors, glossy walls or windows behind your subjects (these will reflect and put a glare in the photo that even Photoshop masters dislike fixing). Outdoors, try to avoid direct sun (especially high noon), or poses under trees (the leaves will cause a mottled shade on everyone’s face). If the day is shady, it will be almost perfect lighting!

Herding the Groups
If your family is anything like mine, good group photos for your family cookbook will not just happen. You will have to herd family members together and bulldog them into posing according to your plan for your family cookbook. Once they are posed, take several photos of the group, including ones at different angles of the same pose (if room size allows). When you are ready to shoot, have a funny comment ready to get relaxed smiles from everyone.

Hope these ideas help you capture some great photos for your family cookbook!  Happy cookbooking to all.

Matilda

How do you make your own family recipe book without any family members knowing about it?  Here are a few ideas that can help you make your secret family cookbook a reality (and end up being much easier than you may think):

1. Become the Family Spy!
Not the James Bond kind, of course (although dressing up like one of 007’s ladies might be a little fun). You’ll want to secretly target the relative whose dish you wish to include in your family recipe collection (made possible with easy to use recipe software templates). Get cozy with that person, and inquire casually about the recipe. Ask if there are any secret ingredients that make the dish special.  Finally, you’ll need to ask for the secret (or not so secret) recipe, or write it down on the spot using your trusty note pad and pen that you have stashed in your bag for such occasions.

2. Become Aunt Angie’s, Uncle Harry’s or Grandma’s NBF (New Best Friend)!
By identifying all recipes you want to include in the family cookbook, you’ll have a good outline of which relatives you will need to contact to carry out your secret mission. Ask them over for a friendly cup of tea or light lunch (or get invited to their place, which is even better for guaranteeing recipe accuracy). Find out if they need or want anything you can bring to them. Keep the relationship going for a few months, then gradually bow out gracefully (that’s assuming you really can’t stand the person, which does happen!).

3. Be an Opportunist!
Family gatherings present marvelous opportunities for collecting information for making a family cookbook in secret.  Some are noted below:

- Birthdays
- Weddings/Wedding showers
- Family reunions
- Graduations
- National Holidays (New Year’s, Fourth of July, Labor Day)
- Baby showers
- Thanksgiving
- Family dinners
- Religious Observances (Easter, Christmas, Yom Kippur, etc.)

4. Use a Great Recipe Software
Select a great recipe software to make your family recipe cookbook. If you do, you won’t be tempted to whine about how tedious your secret project is, thus making it not a secret anymore. We are partial to our own very intuitive recipe software (Matilda’s Fantastic Cookbook Software) because it is so easy to use (only 3 tabs, with automatic formatting), and you can make custom recipe cards for all those family recipes, too.

All of this deception will result in a delicious family cookbook that you can use as a surprise gift for all family members any time during the year. Most of our users like to use the chilly winter season to sit down and enter family recipes into the cookbook software’s recipe templates. It is much easier that quilting, in my opinion.  And in the end, you have a wonderful keepsake all family members can enjoy.

Happy cookbooking everyone!

Matilda

We’re hoping to get an interview or two with some newspapers on the subject of family reunions and family reunion cookbooks. I know a lot of our customers make cookbooks as a gift for their reunion. Why not help us out (and see your name in print!)

Either post in the comments or send me an email (info@cookbookpeople.com) about your family reunion:

How many people attended?

How many cookbooks did you make? How many recipes? How long did it take you to put it together?

Have you made a cookbook this year instead of a family reunion to cut down on gas spending?

What else did you do for your family reunion?

Just write whatever you’d like to say about it, and I’ll include what I can in our press release. (If you’d rather me not use your real name, let me know!)