Monday, June 16, 2014

Cookbooks and Recipes Under Control

I think I've mentioned before, I tend to like LESS rather than MORE. Less stuff is easier to manage. It really is likely the key to my being organized. I was cooking and baking this weekend and found myself pulling out a cookbook. I saw my limited cookbook selection and realized you might like to see what I work with.


I own only five cookbooks. And I honestly, could get rid of two of them! Those two have only one or two recipes each that I like to use. Which I'm sure that makes you wonder why I would get rid of them. IF I get rid of them, I would copy the recipe and store it online. I have been using Evernote for several years to store only my recipes. They are all online, not on my computer specifically, so I should never lose them in a computer crash or a house fire. It's not a perfect system, but I have less clutter in my cupboard and I always know where to look for the random recipes that used to be on a piece of paper.

I own five cookbooks


There is still a little maintenance involved in this system. If I receive a recipe by email, or tear one out of a magazine or newspaper, I need to take the time to type the recipe into the Evernote system. Do I always remember or get to it right away? No. I'm not perfect.  I have not figured out a way to scan the recipe into Evernote yet, but that would be very helpful. The other good thing about having the recipes available on my computer is it takes just seconds to delete a recipe I never use or don't plan to make again. That means less clutter within my Evernote list of recipes. :)

The only disadvantage to having recipes online is that you have to bring your computer into the kitchen, which means you have to be careful about keeping ingredients off the computer! That is a challenge at times. So far I have not had any issue or concern about damaging my computer. If that happens at some point in the future, I may need to revise my system and start printing things out again! :)

How many cookbooks do you own? Do you store recipes online and what system do you use? Do you take time to declutter recipes you aren't using with some regularity?

I'm linking this post to A Bowl Full of Lemons today! If you are visiting from that site, stay awhile and see what other fun organizing projects I've been up to. I love comments, too. 






6 comments:

  1. I notice the Better Homes and Garden cookbook and hope you keep it for DD. I've kept my mom's from the 50's which included handwritten family favourites originally clipped from magazines or from friends. Huge difference in how we cook these days. I've retained 5 cookbooks each special to me.

    I think this isn't prime time to sell furniture. Father's day, gardening, outdoor activities, graduation, weddings and holiday travels takes money and focus

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  2. Yes, that Better Homes & Garden was purchased new for me by my mother. My first cookbook! I will always keep that one because it does have several recipes I use.

    This is furniture for a first apartment or dorm room, so sometime this summer it may be wanted. I think I will keep it up on site until just after school starts here.

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  3. Had to catch up on this blog. And had to let you know that I own several cookbooks, one being the BH&G given to me as a Christmas gift in 1989, five months before my wedding. And my aunt personalized it with such a sweet inscription. I also have my grandmother's cookbook from the 1940s - an anthology of recipes put together by farm women in some small Iowa town. :)

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  4. @laura, It's nice to have a cookbook passed on. Which town is that in Iowa...do you know?

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  5. I just did a quick cull through my cookbooks (deciding to part with one). My inherited cookbook is from 1949 and sponsored by Methodist Mr. and Mrs. Club from Schaller, Iowa. It has some very fun recipes like sour cream raisin pie and others that I am amused by! You near Schaller by chance?

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  6. Nice job, Laura! No not near Schaller, but that sour cream raisin pie does seem interesting.

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