Ruth came over the other day to see our lovely recipe box assortment that I was bragging about. “Crowing was more like it,” Ruth wisecracked as she turned over the recipe box we aptly named Chicken with Checkers to inspect its interior and exterior.

After her examination and seal of approval, Ruth said she really liked all the pretty recipe box designs, and as usual, came up with a wonderful suggestion.

“Why don’t you tell people what nice gifts these recipe boxes would make for wedding showers,” she said. “When my daughter got married, we struggled to find unique hostess gifts, and these recipe boxes would have been just perfect. With those matching recipe cards, and the recipe box design chosen thoughtfully for each person, well, it would make an impressive, well-liked gift.”

That Ruth! She sometimes can be brilliant. The idea of giving away a recipe box as a wedding shower gift can spark a whole bunch of other recipe and recipe box-related ideas:

- Exchanging recipes
- Giving packets of recipe cards as favors
- Playing “complete the recipe games”
- Making a mini-cookbook
- Hiding additional small gifts inside the unwrapped recipe box

I’m sure all the clever brides-to-be out there have even more creative ideas for incorporating a recipe box in their upcoming wedding festivities.  Let’s just hope they don’t get too distracted by all our pretty recipe box designs and forget to get dressed for the big day.

Happy Cookbooking,

Matilda

“1-2-3 is the basic recipe,” I said to Ruth, who was having a slight senior moment regarding how to cook rice.  “One cup rice and two cups of water makes three cups of food.”

“Oh yes,” Ruth said. “I was thinking 3 cups of water to one cup rice was how my mother used to make rice. It was always so moist and tender. I forgot the 1-2-3 rule.”

“Well, all I know is that one cup of rice can feed three people. I play The Rice Game quite a bit, and it is amazing how one cup of rice can swell up and make a difference for people in so many countries. It is one staple that truly has global reach.”

That little conversation got me thinking about all the rice in the world, and how odd it is that June brides of the past could waste such a precious food by having guests throw rice at weddings. (While I understand the custom, I much prefer the more recent rose petal tossing or bubble blowing activities at weddings instead of getting whacked in the eyes by errant grains of rice.)

To each her own, however, so here are some of the rice choices we have these days to eat or toss, as desired:

ARBORIO – An Italian rice with short, thick grains that are firm, creamy and chewy due to their high starch content. Arborio is mostly used in making risottos (an Italian rice specialty made by stirring hot stock into sautéed rice).

BASMATI - A fragrant, long-grained rice primarily from the fertile Punjab region (India/Pakistan) with a nutty flavor and aroma. It should be rinsed in cold water and soaked before cooking. Basmati is fabulous in any recipe, from starters to entrees and pilafs to puddings.

BROWN - Unpolished short or long-grain rice with only the husk removed so the high-fiber bran coating is still intact. It has a chewy texture that requires a longer cooking time than white rice. Brown rice is prized for its higher nutritional value and mild nutty flavor. It can be used in most recipes with great results.

CONVERTED (A.K.A. par-boiled) – White rice that has been steam treated before it is husked so it takes less time to cook and has more nutrients than white rice. It has a slightly beige color. The most famous brand is Uncle Ben’s. Converted rice is versatile enough for most recipes.

GLUTINOUS  - An Asian short-grained rice that becomes very clumpy and sticky when cooked. It is mostly used for sushi, molded salads, and various desserts, such as the Thai dessert dish “sweet sticky rice with mango.” Yum.

INSTANT (or quick cooking) – White rice that has been fully or partially cooked before being dehydrated and packaged so it cooks quickly (in about 5 minutes) when rehydrated. It is mainly a last-minute convenience food useful when waiting for traditional rice to cook won’t do.  That expediency makes it relatively expensive, and some say flavor and texture are sacrificed. Minute Rice is a well-known brand.    

WHITE – A common polished long-grain or short grain rice with the husk, bran, and germ removed to make the rice tender and fast-cooking, and to prevent spoilage. (Enriched white rice on the label means some of the nutrients have been restored.) White rice is great for a side dish or as a bed for sauces.

WILD - Not really a rice but a long-grain marsh grass with a nutty flavor and a chewy texture. It takes longer to cook and can be used in a wide variety of foods such as stuffing, casseroles, soups, salads, and desserts. Wild rice has also been used in breakfast cereals, and mixes for pancakes, muffins, and cookies.

To satisfy my curiosity (and to verify my memory), I did look up a basic white rice recipe for Ruth and forwarded it to her by email. Many other rice recipes call for more or less water, depending upon the variety of rice used. But for now, you can’t go wrong with this basic white rice recipe:

Basic White Rice Recipe

While this recipe isn’t unusual, it certainly can help Ruth in the future if she adds it to her family cookbook. After all, she might not remember 1-2-3 again, and, frankly, I might not either!

Happy cookbooking,

Matilda

One great way to cut costs and still have a wonderful personalized memento for guests and family members is to ask them to contribute recipes to compile in a wedding cookbook. The wedding cookbook can contain photos from the wedding, as well as any messages guests may write (perhaps during the reception) along with their recipe.

The idea is to create and distribute the wedding cookbook to guests after the happy event (to avoid any additional stress beforehand), perhaps along with thank you notes. You can also create an abbreviated version of the wedding cookbook to give guests at the reception (to encourage their participation), and then add all the recipes and redistribute later.

Here are some reasons to consider creating a wedding cookbook with Matilda’s Fantastic Cookbook Software:

- Takes only a few hours to produce.
- Choose from several themes, or add your own.
- Helps keep you within your budget.
- Last minute additions are no problem.
- They make great gifts!

So, to all you June brides (and all the other brides-to-be ‘year-round), happy wedding and happy wedding cookbooking!

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

Sarah Jones had the stressed out look of an engaged bride-to-be who suddenly feels like six months wasn’t nearly enough time to plan.

“I’m giving up on the wedding cookbook, Matilda. It just isn’t going to happen. There’s no way I’m getting it together with everything else going on.”

“Your mistake,” I replied, “is in trying to get your wedding cookbook done in time for your wedding.”

She stared at me like too many young people stare at too many old people. “You just don’t understand, Matilda. There’s so much to do.”

“So why not let your guests do some of the work?”

“What?”

“Have you sent out invitations yet?”

She sighed. “Not until next week.”

“Print up a card to go with your invitations. Just a business card size will do. On it, write (in the same style as your invite, if you like): ‘The Bride And Groom wish to make a Jefferson Family Wedding Cookbook after the wedding. Please write on the attached recipe card your own favorite recipe that you think they would enjoy. Also, please mention if you’d like a copy of the finished Jefferson Family Wedding Cookbook mailed to you as a memento.”

She stared at me for a moment. “Wow. What a great way to get everyone involved! I could put your cards out on the plates at the reception, and people could fill them out then too. It’d be a great way to get people talking to each other. My aunt will be sitting next to Jeff’s sister, and they could share casserole recipes.”

“And,” I continued, “a few months after the wedding, people would be getting a keepsake in the mail that they never got at a wedding before.”

She looked positively gleeful. “I’ll take photos from the disposable cameras at the wedding and use them to decorate pages! Maybe use a formal wedding pose for the front cover!”

Her eyes fell. “Oh god! The disposable cameras! I need to get them too!”

And just like that she marched away, mumbling about Kodak and Polaroid. I guess there’s only so time you can give a bride with just six months left to get ready.

Here’s a nice story from a customer about their own wedding cookbook. Just scroll down a bit.

If you are thinking about making a wedding cookbook, please look at my cookbook software.

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