Preserve Your Family Recipes

Being one of three brothers, my mom used the kitchen as a place to keep her sons occupied when playing outside was not an option. To keep us out of mischief, she would turn a rainy day into a day of making snicker doodles, cakes, brownies, and pies. It was also a time where all three boys learned how to cooks meals; not just for a few people, but for large family gatherings.

Over the years I have called my mom to get recipes and the process of accumulating these recipes has been very slow.

My wife and I continued the tradition of cooking with our children and now that they are going out on their one, it’s interesting to see history repeating itself with requests for favorite recipes.

After watching a cable network craft show that encouraged viewers to create scrapbooks as gifts, my wife was inspired to create recipe scrapbooks for our children, but after some consideration, we decided to make 10 scrapbooks at one time. There were not just our kids to consider, but nephews, nieces and others who would be interested in acquiring many of our family recipes.

Over a five month period, my wife and I cooked each item, took photos of the completed dishes, and created the content for each set of pages that revolved around a recipe. We typed up each recipe on our home computer, making sure to include any special instructions and grocery lists. The recipes were printed on a wide variety of stationary and then glued to a page. We also scanned old family photos; printing them on our photo printer. My wife added borders and accents to each page making each recipe a special presentation.

When the project was completed, we invited everyone over for a family gathering and presented the scrapbooks. Needless to say there were some tears of happiness and amazement. We encouraged everyone to start making scrapbooks for their own children and to make it a family project until it was time for their kids to start their adult lives.

A closing thought...while a recipe’s ingredients and instructions are important, so is the cookware. Make sure you have the right pot, pan, and utensil to do the job right. For some very unique kitchen items order Lehman's Non-Electric Catalog from EZ-Request.com.

 

And for items to enhance your scrapbook, order the "Paper Wishes" Catalog!



And as always, all catalogs are free at EZ-Request.com.

Guys! Think Twice Before Giving Funny Gifts

All through school and into adulthood, I have enjoyed giving gag gifts to my buddies. Yet my dad gave me some sound advice when giving gifts to women (my mom, girlfriend—now my wife—daughters and even my sister.) He said women look at gift giving differently than men. Gifts given by and received by women revolve around their hearts. And it is our responsibility as men to value the tenderness that is unique to a woman’s heart.

As the years have gone by, I have seen how my dad’s advice was sound and wise. General occasions of gift giving are taken more seriously by women; and by nature women are more sensitive, and more likely, therefore, to be upset by someone’s clumsy attempt at being humorous. 

It is always best to be sincere in your attempt to recognize an important occasion. Always remember it is not about the gift itself, it’s about the thought that you put into picking a gift.  And here is the key. For her, it is your intention that turns a humbly wrapped trinket into precious treasure every time.