blank recipe book

I have a handful of family recipes that I want to collect into one place, and I thought this recipe book would be perfect. Each 2-pages spread has a place to write in ingredients and tools, directions, and meal category as well as a difficulty rating, prep time and cook time, and how many people it serves. In addition, each page has a place for notes, so if I find a new way to do something or a tool that works better, I can make note of it for next time.

Right now, I have a pile of old recipe cards, index cars, and printouts of family recipes. I have my grandmother’s meatballs with tomato gravy that she always served with her mashed potatoes. I have my stepfather’s family chocolate applesauce cake recipe that we had every Christmas when I was a kid. I have my aunt’s baked beans (best ones I’ve ever had). And my own chicken and noodles, that I’ve experimented with until I’ve gotten it pretty perfect.

Now I can just add all those recipes to this notebook and have all that history in one place, instead of having to dig through a pile of papers to find them. And while I could just add them to a notebook of my own, this recipe book is already set up for ingredients and directions, giving me an easy template to start with and helping my brain focus on the recipe and not get swept away by old memories.

This is also perfect for developing new recipes and storing recipes I want to try in the future. At the front of the book is a write-in index, so you can keep track of where you’re putting each recipe. And it comes with flags, so you can tag your favorite pages and keep your favorite recipes handy. There is an elastic that keeps the book closed or keeps your place as you work your way through the book. I love using this notebook, and it makes me happy to know that all my favorite family recipes will be together in one place and I can easily hand it off to another cook who can use all these recipes and notes for themselves.