Wow, Superbowl 54, here we come! With attention focused on the scoreboard and the commercials, there’s really no need to stress out over elaborate and expensive food for friends, family, or party guests. Instead serve a simple yet hearty supper of soups and sandwiches.
Instead of hot dogs, hamburgers or pizza, I’ve dug out some favorite recipes (from my family recipe cookbook, of course) and found some comfort foods that will fill up your team without stretching your budget!
One of the fabulous benefits of Matilda’s Fantastic Cookbook Software is that you can add photos of your family members when making a family cookbook. With a little forethought, Thanksgiving can be the ideal time to capture those missing family photos!
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I have a few recipes for homemade drinkable gifts in a special section of my family cookbook. Whenever I need an idea for a quick gift, this “Homemade Drinkable Gifts” section of my family cookbook always inspires me with the perfect solution.
Even if I don’t have all the ingredients, I can easily shop for the missing items since most recipes are made with standard measurements and readily-available package sizes.Continue reading
Why not make a custom family cookbook using cookbook software as a great vacation souvenir? It’s a unique memento for every family member!
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Looking for refreshing ways to cool down on these hot August nights? Try my list of super-coolers!
“When in doubt, add parsley,” I said wryly observing my sandwich which had just been served served with the teeniest bit of parsley ever to adorn a plate.
I’m talking a bit of a leaf. It was so small it wouldn’t have been noticed except for the bright green color that broke up the stark white plate.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if every time you opened your family cookbook, you could time travel at will? What if you could turn a page in your family recipe book and travel back in time to see how life was in ages past? How about traveling forward in time?
Well in a sense, you can.Continue reading
“You gotta know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em.” Kenny Rogers used to sing this line in a great song about playing cards. That’s also true about calling your family cookbook done. You have to recognize when it’s time to stop adding recipes and go ahead and print.
But how can be sure your family recipe book is complete?
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In the scheme of things, you might think collecting and saving family recipes doesn’t matter much. But collecting your family’s special dishes in a personalised cookbook connects different generations and lets you get to know members of your tribe you’ll never meet.Continue reading
Once upon a time there was a good recipe software, and there was a bad recipe software.
The good recipe software was easy to use, had plenty of options, and left anyone entering data happy and fulfilled.
The good recipe software meant the users could quickly make a wonderful family cookbook filled with beloved recipes, family stories and photographs.
This recipe book became a family keepsake worthy of future generations.
We got a lovely note from Colette Surovy of Canada. 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 of the reunion. The final product was a family cookbook containing more than 100 pages!
No matter where you are in the Northern Hemisphere during the summer months, the hottest days can make you wish for a cold winter day again. Iced beverages and lighter meals are the order of the day, and cool summer salads that take the heat off in the kitchen fit the bill perfectly.Continue reading
Do you have a low calorie food section in your family cookbook? With so many choices in sugar substitutes available now, making baked goods with fewer calories, and many other low-sugar desserts, is so much easier.
Amongst my grandmother’s recipes that I copied into my family cookbook, I found a wonderful old family recipe for pie using apples, pecans and a meringue topping.
Below is a re-interpretation of my grandmother’s apple pecan pie recipe that includes cheesecake filling instead of meringue. This no-cook recipe, now called Easy Apple Pecan Cream Pie, also includes many convenience food shortcuts so you can create a delicious dessert in half the time my grandmother needed.Continue reading
I use spinach in recipes all the time. I have it raw in salads, stir-steam it with garlic and olive oil in the Italian tradition, mix it up in ratatouille, add it to soups, even use it instead of lettuce in sandwiches. But my all time favorite spinach recipe (which, of course, I added to my own family recipe cookbook) is for Spanakopita or Greek Spinach Pie.Continue reading
Why not use the picnic ideas in your family cookbook to inspire your brown bag lunches? When you think about it, you can enjoy the same kinds of food that make for a great picnic, in your workplace dining.
Taking a brown bag lunch to work can save you a bundle every week as well as making it easier to commune with your co-workers. Continue reading
I remember how odd I felt the first time I made Moroccan Chicken with cinnamon in it. My taste buds almost refused to allow me to include cinnamon in the dish, but I went with it. I was so amazed at how good it tasted! Since then, I like to surprise my family’s tastebuds by adding interesting spice combinations to almost every dish.
Over time I’ve developed a list of spice mixes that I keep inside my spice cupboard. (Based on recommendations from the American Spice Trade Association and other places, including my own observations).
Today I’m sharing my list of 15 condiment combinations so you too can bring new life to every recipe in your family cookbook!
Summer has arrived and with it my annual dilemma. Do indulge myself with sweet iced tea? Or stick to standard, unsweetened iced tea? I find both delightfully cooling on hot summer days and warm evenings.Continue reading
Some of my most treasured memories are of the times I spent with my grandfather. Especially the year when my Mom and I made him burgers and ‘Sunny Side Up’ cake on Father’s Day. These kind of memories really should have a place in our family cookbook. I want to record those smells or flavours that so strongly bring back my childhood.Continue reading
Do you have a dog biscuit recipe in your family cookbook? After the last dog food scare, I started making homemade dog treats for my dog. Not only are they easy to make once a week, they are very economical, and I know what my dog is eating!