Seasonal and year-round foods and recipes are a perennial favorite gift-exchange in my family. One year, an aunt took the idea further, specifically for her granddaughter’s wedding. She emailed or called everyone in the family and asked each us to send her one or two of our very favorite recipes. She took a bit of time (but only small expense) to put together a cookbook that she had specially bound for her granddaughter. She did not stop there, though. She had photocopies made for everyone who had contributed to the cookbook. While she did not have the photocopied versions specially bound, she had the copies printed onto 3-hole punched paper so that the recipients could simply secure the pages in a 3-ring binder and divide into sections however we choose. I thought that was a terrific idea — and decided to build on it.
Many of us who enjoy baking and cooking have participated in various types of recipe exchanges, both via letters and email. Having spoken with friends who have participated in these small pleasures, only a fraction of them actually saved the recipes. The recipes get lost, torn, thrown away by accident, or simply forgotten. When asked why, the most common answer was some variation of lack of a way to organize individual recipes in one place - be it in a book or a recipe box. Few people have the time to sit down and organize these types of things. With that in mind, I decided to do just that - and the result was not only a lot of fun, but much appreciated by the recipients of the gift of organized recipes from recipe exchanges and the like.
The following ideas are just a springboard for further creativity. Enjoy the process - because making and giving gifts are part of the joy of the idea, just as much as receiving gifts.
Recipe box or binder-style cookbook:
If you’ve ever seen recipe boxes sold in stores or online, then you know they’re extremely overpriced, and often are not as good as they could be. The card inserts for these boxes are usually too small, with not enough room for ingredient or cooking instructions. While 3×5 cards are nice, they are just too small for most recipes. Instead, use a larger box, made for 5×7 cards. These can be found in any office supply section of a grocery or discount store (and are a lot less expensive than what you’ll find in an office supply store). The boxes generally come with pre-packaged tab dividers. Packages of 5×7 cards are also inexpensive, and are frequently purchased for many different uses.
Standard-bound cookbooks are often expensive, which for certain types of cookbooks is fine. One of my favorite gifts ever, though, was one my dad gave me when I moved away from home - and I still use it to this very day. The old-fashioned red and white gingham-patterned Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook. The interesting point of that cookbook is that it is basically a 3-inch, 5-ring binder with very simple recipes for a variety of different dishes. I have added to that cookbook over the past couple of decades - to the point that it is overflowing. I have also taught both of my older children the basics of cooking from that book. As a gift, it is wonderful, and is the premise for the idea of creating a "Favorite Recipes" cookbook.
The main suggestion here is to get a plain white 5 X 7" box or 3-ring binder that you can decorate yourself, personalizing it to the recipient.
For example, if the recipient is a long-time friend from childhood, you can decorate it in memory-based themes based on his or her hobbies or favorite musicians, era-specific. If the recipient is a "manly" man, you can decorated with denim from old jeans or Docker slacks (washed, of course!) and miniaturized tools or fishing poles, or even actual tackle if he likes fishing. Many of the miniature decorations can be found in almost any craft store, in the scrapbooking department. If the recipient is a teenager, consider his or her favorite musicians, athletes, sports teams, or anything that you can imagine they might hang in their school locker. For a young chef-in-training, the possibilities are endless and loads of fun - from Lisa Frank to Twilight themes to any Disney or Warner Brothers theme. The possibilities are endless.
Scrapbook-style cookbook:
Scrapbooking is a fun hobby for many — in and of itself — but is not limited to memory creations. Scrapbooking material can be found in any Wal Mart, craft stores like Hobby Lobby or Michael’s, to people who sell Creative Memories products. A scrapbook cookbook, though, is a lot of work that is beyond worth in the final outcome. This type of creation is for any occasion, really - from the idea my aunt had as a wedding gift, to a moving-out gift, a housewarming gift, or occasion- and holiday-specific recipes.
I rarely, if ever, purchase scrapbook backing paper for pages. I use things like wrapping paper from gifts I’ve received - to include gift tissue paper and portions of gift bags, unusual greeting cards or images from magazines - and use those for theme-specific background. This type of cookbook, in my personal opinion, is very much like a proverbial "magic spell" book, and should be treated with that kind of respect.
The recipes:
For the recipes themselves, there are fun (and endless) ways to create the recipe cards - from hand-writing them, to typing and printing them out in batches (for multiple recipients). Another interesting idea I have seen is a magazine recipe collage, with recipes from various magazines like Good Housekeeping, Reader’s Digest, Better Homes & Gardens, among many others.
One suggestion for a 3-ring binder cookbook is to take the time to invest in plastic page covers. The main reason for this suggestion is that most people cook with the cookbook open, and the plastic is much easier to wipe off (or replace altogether) than having to retype a page. Most of us don’t use the glossy, heavy pages that are in standard cookbooks. In any case, plastic covers often come multipacked, and are really affordable.
In conclusion, the most important thing about this kind of gift is what you spend in time. These ideas, as noted, are a springboard from which to create your own ideas with personal touches. Any version of cookbook or recipe box you make is extremely inexpensive, but be aware that you will spend time on it - which is what makes this type of gift really unique and special.
