So many customers have been asking us for them, and they are finally here! We now carry cookbook binder kits in both half-page cookbook binder and full page cookbook binder sizes. Here’s the lowdown from our store:

Get everything you need to put together a family cookbook binder.

We start with a white 3-ring binder with “Recipes” printed elegantly on the front cover and spine. If you want to use a custom front and back cover (made by our software or on your own) simply slide it into the clear plastic cover protector.

We selected a white binder because it will go with any of our software templates, and we went with a 1.5″ spine, so it can hold literally hundreds of pages of recipes. The binder is slightly oversized, so it will protect the included 12 index tabs from harm. This blank binder is manufactured in the United States, and it has a rugged D-Ring. It feels solid and reliable.

Next we include our handy Kitchen Conversion Cheat Sheet. It converts cups to ounces, tells you how to cook a steak, measures spaghetti, and a hundred other handy tidbits you’ll want at your fingertips.

Our third clever idea was to include a label sheet of 80 different categories for your cookbook. Why should you lump all your cookies into “Desserts” just because a cookbook tells you to? Our software lets you categorize your recipes how you want, and with 80 different category labels, our binder does too! Just peel off the 12 categories you want to use and stick them right on to the tabs. Throw the rest of the labels away (or pick up some extra tabs and keep using them).

We could have made a more ornate binder, but then it would’ve been about us. Your family cookbook is for you, so we’re just giving you the basic tools you need to easily make the cookbook that reflects your cooking.

Good cookbooking!

Matilda

P.S. We also offer a half page cookbook binder with all these same goodies.

P.P.S. We also offer both half page cookbook page protectors and full page cookbook page protectors.

Each kit includes:

	1 white binder sized for 8 1/2 x 11″ (letter) paper with 12 tabbed page dividers.
	The Cookbook People’s Kitchen Conversion Cheat Sheet color information card, punched to include in your family cookbook.
	Set of 12 tabbed page dividers designed to help you easily organize your cookbook.
	Sheet of 80 high-quality printed cookbook category labels for use with tabbed dividers.

Included with my cookbook software is a wonderful heritage fruitcake recipe called Christmas Cake (English fruitcake) that has been in the family for generations. My cookbook software also comes with quite a few of my favorite recipes, but you have the option to keep them or not, as desired, for your own cookbook. (During the software’s development process we decided to include recipes to share so users could better visualize the end product they were making.) The family recipe for Christmas Cake takes time, but the end result is stunning.

My other favorite shortcut to holiday fruitcake is more of an American style - little tidbits made into bite size morsels with lots of flavor:

Fruitcake Bon-Bons

1 package date nut bread mix
1 cup Shredded coconut
1 cup Pitted dates, coarsely chopped
1 cup Walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup Pecans, coarsely chopped
1 cup Red and green candied cherries, coarsely chopped
Bourbon (if desired)

Prepare date nut bread mix according to package directions. Stir in all remaining ingredients, one at a time, until fruitcake bon-bon batter is mostly thick and stiff. If the fruitcake bon-bon batter is too thin, add more nuts or fruit. Spoon by teaspoons into festive holiday bonbon papers, and bake at 300 degrees for 15-20 minutes.  When done, the fruitcake bon-bons should be moist inside but dry outside. Lovely served with any hot beverage.

Enjoy!

Traditionally, we select the same day and time each week beginning November 1 until the week before December 25 as our “shopping” day.  We always try to visit a different store, mall, or shopping center for variety and to keep our gift spending under control. We like to see the holiday decorations, have lunch, and get in the holiday mood.

“Yes,” Ruth nodded. “I’m afraid it is all back to basics now with our economy what it is. Your cookbook software not only makes a great gift at a reasonable price, it also builds wonderful cookbook gifts for others, too. It’s a gift that can keep giving!”

I pondered at the wisdom of her comment (sometimes she is so smart). I asked her why she thought homemade family cookbooks created with our cookbook software could be a popular Christmas gift this year. She used all the fingers on her two hands (and then some) to explain it to me, and her reasons had nothing to do with the economy.

Ruth said that a family cookbook made with our cookbook software makes a great Christmas gift because it is a gift that is:

1.   From the Heart
2.   Personal
3.   Informative
4.   Useful
5.   A Lasting Keepsake
6.   Easy to Do
7.   Inexpensive
8.   Under Your Own Control
9.   Unique
10. Fascinating
11. Green (conserves gas and gift shopping time)
12. Printable at the last minute for unexpected guests
13. Creative
14. An Achievement

While I was thinking in terms of dollars and cents as usual, Ruth (always the more sensitive one) hit on the real importance of creating a family cookbook — the love of preserving a family‘s food traditions and history.

Then our thoughts dissolved to the less fortunate, whose families may not be so lucky to have any food to write recipes about, or shelter with kitchens to warm them. We decided to do without our shopping day lunches and donate the amount we would spend on them to the local food bank.  We also resolved to give an extra child’s gift to our local community toy collection drive.

Hmm, I wonder if the local soup kitchen could use a fundraising cookbook …there is still time to make one!

Likewise, “Grandma Harriet’s Blazingly Bold Riblets” is much more intriguing to family members perusing the family recipe cookbook than plain old “Spicy Spareribs.”

Basically, the family cookbook recipe titles should have three things in common:

1. Be descriptive as well as interesting

2. Attract attention and provide information

3. Have a connection to the author (it is okay to use the family member/author’s name in the family cookbook recipe title, if appropriate)

A descriptive title will make the particular family cookbook recipe easier to remember and to find later by anyone wanting to make the family recipe.  If you get stumped on a more creative name for a family recipe, don’t fret. You might request the help of family members; even have a friendly family competition to name a recipe for the family cookbook!

Some of our wonderful customers who use our Matilda’s Fantastic Cookbook Software to make their family cookbooks have even gone beyond creative family cookbook recipe titles to make their family cookbook unique. Using the “recipe type” field in the Recipe Template, they have sectioned all recipes by a family member’s name (instead of the more traditional “Appetizers, Main Dishes, or Desserts” section headings).  That is a very clever way to focus on favorite individual family recipes as well as celebrating the tastes of a specific family member.

Have you come up with more ways to personalize your family cookbook with our  family cookbook recipe software? We would love to hear about it.  Meanwhile, enjoy making your own family cookbook and being creative with your recipe titles.

Happy Cookbooking!

Matilda

Here are recipe ideas for five of my favorite hot comfort beverages. I keep ingredients for all of them in my pantry so they are easy to make, and easier still to add to your family cookbook. Just cut and paste them into your recipe template and feel free to tweak them to your own taste:

1. CHAI
This lovely Indian-inspired hot tea beverage is about the most comforting hot comfort beverage I know. It is creamy, spicy and very relaxing.
Key spice: Cardamom
Shortcuts: Chai spices, tea bags, evaporated milk

3 cups water
3 teaspoons loose black tea
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2-1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup sugar

Place water, tea and spices in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer a few minutes. Strain. Add milk and sugar, then return mixture to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Serves 4-6 (I like this a lot).

2. HOT CHOCOLATEFrom the halls of Montezuma comes this beautiful beverage kids to seniors adore. I like the depth of flavor the cinnamon adds.
Key spice: Cinnamon
Shortcut: Instant hot cocoa packets

1 cup milk (any type, including skim or soy)
1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon almond extract
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons sugar (or any sweetener you prefer)

Heat the milk and cocoa powder together in a saucepan on medium heat. Add the cinnamon, extracts and sugar, and whisk vigorously to blend the flavors and to create a foam on top. Serve garnished with whipped cream (or marshmallows if you must).

3. HOT EGGNOG
Sounds a bit crazy, but don’t worry, you won’t cook any eggs because you use egg white powder to thicken this hot comfort beverage.
Key spice: Nutmeg
Shortcut: Refrigerated or canned eggnog, thinned with milk and heated in microwave.

1 cup milk
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 Tablespoon sugar
¼ teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon egg white powder

Heat the milk and nutmeg in a saucepan till warm. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Whisk in the egg white powder till frothy. Sometimes I add rum flavoring or a bit of Rum before serving. Whipped cream is a nice touch, too.

4. HOT MULLED CIDER
This is a traditional autumn hot comfort beverage that is a wonderful way to share the spirit of cold winter nights. I sometimes fortify it with a little rum or brandy.
Key spice: Cloves
Shortcut: Instant hot cider packets
Variations: Pineapple, Orange, Cranberry, Lemonade

3 cups apple cider
3 tablespoons brown sugar or honey
2 lemons, juiced
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Lemon or orange peel

In a saucepan, bring apple cider to a boil. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar/honey, lemon juice and spices. Let steep for five minutes and strain into cups. Add lemon slice for garnish.

5. HOT LUCKY COFFEE
I love the taste of Irish Coffee, but I avoid the strong alcohol by stirring in some Irish Cream flavoring. This is a nice hot comfort beverage with cookies or sweet biscuits.
Key flavoring: Irish cream syrup
Shortcuts: Instant coffee
Good Variation: Butterscotch Coffee

1 cup hot coffee
1 Tablespoon Irish Cream coffee flavor syrup
Whipped cream

Prepare coffee as you like it and add 1 Tablespoon of Irish Cream coffee flavoring. Serve with whipped cream. Drink coffee through whipped cream.
I am sure you have your favorite hot comfort beverages, so be sure to include them in your family cookbook, along with any of these ideas.  (In 10 years won’t it be interesting to see how your family recipes change as tastes evolve due to different food products coming onto grocery store shelves almost daily?)

Keep warm and keep cookbooking!

Matilda

Nowadays, most people use a very sharp knife to cut through the fibrous artichoke leaves to remove the thorny leaf tips. Personally, I like to peel off any scruffy outer leaves from the artichoke, and then snip off the remaining artichoke leaf tips with my kitchen shears. (I find that I have better control and won’t slice my fingers in case I have a senior moment.)

Here are two quick, simple, tasty (QST) artichoke recipes (most) anyone will like:

1. STEAMED ARTICHOKES & QST LEAF DIP
My favorite way to eat an artichoke is steamed. Honestly, they aren’t much of a stomach filler. Just a “green” taste, really, and fun for party conversation. Although lots of people eat the steamed artichoke leaves dipped in melted butter, my version of a leaf dip is richer and a good excuse to eat something more satisfying.

Here’s How:
Steam trimmed artichokes until the heart is soft (when you can easily stick a fork into the bottom and feel no resistance). The cooking time will vary, depending on the size of the artichoke. Drain and set aside to cool. Serve artichokes on a salad plate (or small bowl) with Leaf Dip, as follows, on the side.

Leaf Dip:
Use about ½ cup of mayonnaise for every artichoke serving. For each serving, add garlic powder, ground oregano (or ground marjoram), lemon juice, and salt to taste.  Add enough of the garlic and oregano until you are scared you’ve added too much. Mix well. The dip should have a green tint to it. Let it sit and mellow while the artichokes cook. Serve in small dipping dishes with the artichoke. (Great for other vegetables, too.)

2. QST ARTICHOKE PASTA SALAD
This artichoke recipe is so easy, I shouldn’t even include it here. But we all need some quick, simple and tasty (QST) recipes once in awhile. I like this dish because pasta salad is usually so bland, and this “recipe” has a bright piquant flavor thanks to marinated artichoke hearts.

Make your favorite pasta salad recipe, using bow tie pasta, some capers, black olives and chopped roasted red pepper for color. Take a whole jar of marinated artichoke hearts (any size) and puree them in the blender. Pour over the pasta salad and toss. Instantly better, no matter how much dressing you had in it previously. (This is a great quick, simple, tasty sauce (QST) substitute for pesto or red tomato sauces, too.)

Try my QST artichoke recipe ideas next time you want to do an artichoke dish. If you like them, I wouldn’t mind if you want to add them to your family cookbook using the recipe template provided in our cookbook software.  Check out more artichoke recipes via your favorite search engine on the Internet.

I made sure the candle used to light my frightening Frankenstein-faced pumpkin did not singe or smoke, so the insides would be perfect for my soon-to-be Thanksgiving pumpkin pies. Proudly I scrubbed and cut up the massive carved pumpkin, and boiled it in a huge pot till it was soft and tender.  Then, after cooling a long while, I mashed up the cooked pumpkin. And mashed, and mashed. (By hand, mind you, as this was before Cuisinart food processors were invented.)

When I was done I had pumpkin squish all over the countertops, on the floor and on many dish towels. And, I had enough mashed pumpkin to make about eight pies, way more than I needed (or wanted at this juncture in the project).

Undaunted, I searched my cookbook library and found enough pumpkin pie recipes to create a delectable-sounding pumpkin pie filling concoction of my own. I even researched the handwritten recipes of family members stored in their recipe boxes (we didn’t have cookbook software back then, either. Heck, computers were only used by big companies and filled whole air-conditioned rooms!).  After determining the best pumpkin pie filling recipe and writing down my own version, my pumpkin pie making proceeded.

I made the pumpkin pie filling and used lots of spices to enhance the flavor of the pumpkin. It smelled so good as I poured the pumpkin pie filling into the pie shells to be frozen and baked later in the month. (I did cheat, as I recall, by buying ready-made frozen pie crusts.)

What a bounty of pumpkin pies I would share with my friends and family at Thanksgiving!  At the appropriate time, I baked the Thanksgiving pumpkin pies and served them to guests with a generous dollop of fresh whipped cream.

One taste and I knew all the effort to make these Thanksgiving pumpkin pies was NOT worth the trouble. They tasted no better, no fresher, no more homemade “homey” than any standard pumpkin pie in the freezer case!

At that moment, I changed my old-fashioned, frugal thinking, labor-intensive ways. I became a modern cook by taking shortcuts that in the end don’t really matter (a concept called semi-homemade today).  Since then I have used canned pumpkin (an absolutely wonderful product) to make Thanksgiving pumpkin pies and use pumpkin pie recipes stored in my cookbook software template.

Or, even simpler, I buy a ready made pie from the bakery (not those flavorless frozen custard pumpkin pie rip-offs by Mrs. you know who). That always gives me extra time to lick whipped cream off the beater and add a new recipe to my family cookbook!

Although the collective cookbook was published a mere 31 years ago, some of the ideas must have come from still farther back in time. Yet, the basic helpful wisdom of the cookbook’s contributors, long gone by now, still reaches out across the decades to anyone who cares to be the best baker possible.

You might find these baking tips and techniques as fascinating and amusing as I did.

Baking Tips & Techniques

1. Creaming butter and sugar: A little hot milk added will aid in the creaming process.

2. After using the oven, leave the door open until the oven is cool so that moisture will not condense and rust the metal.

3. To decorate a cake without a decorator, cut an envelope from one of the top corners to the middle of the bottom of the envelope. Cut a little piece off the corner.

4. An apple cut in half and placed in the cake box will keep the cake fresh several days longer.

5. When making a cake, always add 2 tablespoons of boiling water to the butter and sugar mixture. This makes a fine textured cake.

6. Do not grease the sides of cake pans. How would you like to climb a greased pole?

7. To cut a fresh cake, use a wet knife.

8. Do not discard rinds of grapefruit, oranges, or lemons. Grate the rinds first, put in a tightly-covered glass jar, and store in the refrigerator. Makes an excellent flavoring for cakes, frostings, and such.

9. When you do not want to heat your oven for a shortcake, make a short biscuit dough with a little sugar added to a thin batter and bake in a waffle iron.

10. A good, quick frosting is made by boiling a small potato, mashing it, and adding powdered sugar and vanilla.

11. To keep crisp cookies crisp, and soft cookies soft, place only one kind in a cookie jar.

12. Any cake will be greatly improved if a teaspoon of lemon juice is added to the butter and sugar. This makes a cake very light and shorter. Fresh milk makes cakes close-grained and more solid.

13. For a nice decoration on white frosting, shave colored gum-drops very thin and stick on. They will curl like little roses.

14. Baking pans:  For best results use correct size pan. The time and oven temperature should be adjusted to the type of pan being used. For shortening-type cakes, bake cup cakes at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes; layer cakes at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes; and loaf cakes at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

2008 Family Cookbook Making Hint: Ask family members for similar old baking tips and techniques and incorporate them into your own family cookbook. Use the “Recipe” tab in my cookbook software, select the field called “Choose this recipe’s type,” then select “Tips” from the drop down menu. You could create a whole section of tips about all kinds of cooking techniques that would add more family flavor to your cookbook.

Happy Cookbooking!

Matilda

It used to be that everyone canned the bounty from their gardens and fruit trees, making jams, jellies, and preserves in huge quantities. That was just what you did (and you liked doing it). Now you can hardly meet anyone who knows the difference between a boiling water bath and a sitz bath. Once in awhile I will make some refrigerator jam (the kind that doesn’t require boiled jars), but like most folks these days, I usually comparison shop for the best buy at the supermarket, and hope my choices are good.

For variety, I often try different brands of jams, jellies, and preserves to see if any are distinctive. According to How Stuff Works.com, jams, jellies and preserves are all made from fruit mixed with sugar and pectin. The form of the fruit is what makes the difference:

Jam - The fruit is from fruit pulp or crushed fruit.

Jelly - The fruit is in the form of fruit juice.

Preserves - The fruit is from chunks of fruit with sweet syrup.

The great thing about making your own family cookbook is that you don’t have to follow any pattern set by anyone else, even the tried-and-true cookbook rules.  It is all your own creation, and you can include whatever recipes you prefer.

If you are a jam maker, then by all means, add those family recipes to your cookbook in your “Jams, Jellies & Preserves” section. It is easy with the recipe template in our do-it-yourself cookbook software. Just click “choose this recipe’s type” and you can create a new section or category, and type in or cut-and-paste any family recipes.

P.S.  I have a Concord grape vine that is trying to make raisins because I keep forgetting to pick the fruit. If I don’t go out there soon, I won’t get a single whole grape or raisin,  and certainly won’t make any jams, jellies or preserves. Oh well, I really only grow them for the birds.

What a perfect time to work on your do-it-yourself family cookbook!  Nothing else of consequence will be on television, or on the internet, to distract you. Why not take this opportunity to devote time to your important cookbook-making project (especially if you plan to gift your cookbook to friends and family for the holidays).

To help you spend more time using our cookbook recipe software, here are some simple Election Night menu ideas:

Election Night Snacks
These crisp no brainers get on the table fast and fill hungry stomachs quickly, so don’t refill the bowls until after dinner.  Think about Chips & Salsa, Popcorn, Pretzels or crackers & hummus dip, or Vegetables & ranch dressing.

Election Night Entrées
You’ll want something hearty and flavorful, as well as easy so you don’t have to spend loads of devoted time preparing (thus freeing your time for cookbook-making). Consider Chicken and Noodles, Hamburgers/Hot Dogs, Lasagna, Macaroni and Cheese, or Vegetarian Pizza (all winners available in your local supermarket).

Election Night Desserts
A great standby dessert on Election Night is apple pie or ice cream, but how about something lighter on your stomach, such as the favored cookie recipes of our contending First Lady candidates. As published by separate websites, here are links to both Cindy McCain’s favorite Oatmeal Scotchies and Michelle Obama’s favorite shortbread cookie recipes, as well as a link to the favorite cookie recipes of several former U.S. Presidents. When made up ahead, any of the cookie recipes are easy and delicious, and time saving.

Happy voting, cookie and cookbook making!

Matilda