Tuesday, June 30, 2009

WFMW-Recipe Organization

I love trying new recipes! And why not? I love eating. I love cooking (when I'm not ridiculously busy). The rest of the M house loves to try new food and thinks that Mommy is a pretty decent cook. I love going online to get inspired, or to borrow other people's fabulous ideas for tasty treats. There's just one problem-I could never keep track of my recipes!

I tried hard to be organized. I really, really did. It's just that sometimes (most times) I got busy. So instead of writing my recipes down in an organized manner I had a tendency to scribble them on, oh I don't know, the back of a receipt. Or-true story-the cardboard insert from light bulb packaging (until recently, that was the home of my Quiche Florentine recipe). You know, whatever was handy.

In a real pinch I have been known to schlep all the way upstairs (to where Franken-puter the desk top lives), re-google a favorite recipe, re-write it on yet another piece of scrap paper, and then immediately lose it after I complete the meal.

This is not an effective way to be spending my time.

Someday, when the kids are older, I want to create an actual recipe book for each of them with all of our favorite family recipes and pictures of them cooking with me-you know, something for them to take with them when they leave the nest and have little birds of their own to feed. For now though, that's not really a practical solution. I am still in the process of collecting said "favorite recipes" and two of the three kids are far too little to cook yet.

Still, I desperately needed some organization. So I ran to Freddy's (Fred Meyer, or Kroger if you don't live in the Pacific Northwest) to see what they've got and I find THE PERFECT SOLUTION!
(Sorry for the blurry pictures, it's hard to stay stable taking a picture one handed!)

How fantastic is that? They are lined index cards, hole punched at the top and kept together with little metal clip rings. The index cards have colored edges in four different colors (which I have organized into breakfast, lunch, dinner, and sides/snacks/baked goods) and are protected by a perfect little blue plastic cards on the front and back. It is small enough to be portable (unlike Frank), big enough not to get lost, and easy to organize. Now when I look up recipes I just pull out my little note cards and write the recipe directly on them.

Voila! Magic organization.

And it only cost $2!

This definitely works for me! If you'd like to get more Works for Me Wednesday ideas check out We Are THAT Family....happy Wednesday everyone!

10 comments:

Jerri at Simply Sweet Home said...

Great idea. Thanks for sharing!

Jen said...

What a fantastic idea!! I have recipe cards..and a recipe binder to put them in but never take the time to do so..I always have scrap recipes that I lose.. This sounds like a perfect solution and then when i DO take the time to add them to my binder I'll have them all handy! Thanks for the tip!!!

Kristen said...

That is a great find. You can also glue those miscellaneous receipts with recipes written on them right into that, too and they will all be in one place!

"Intentionally Katie" said...

What a great idea!!!

Julie Bagamary said...

I like this! Maybe I could make my own version since I've never seen them in the stores here.

Jenny said...

Great idea. I write too messy to do this though.

I use a binder to put recipes in. Most of them are from magazines, so they fit right into a sheet protector.

Anonymous said...

That's an AWESOME idea! I've got so many recipes right now they are lying kind of all over the place.

Bossy Betty said...

OK, I really don't mean to sound like an idiot, but sometimes I can't find your latest posts on your new layout. Can you help someone like me? Am I beyond help?

Mommy Moment said...

neat idea!!!

I just wanted to stop by to say Thank-you for commenting on my UBP10 post!

I'm glad you like the cheescake!

I was overwhelmed by all the lovely people who came and left such kind comments!

It was because of YOU that my party was such a success!

Jody
@mommymomentblog

Mama Hen said...

Hey there! I just found your blog and became follower 210! Yahoo! I wish I could be much more organized. It is hard to find the time to get to the organized point I woulld like to. Great idea with the index cards! Visit me at Mama's Little Chick.

www.mamaslittlechick.com

Mama Hen