Over the past year, I’ve taken a break from blogging in order to write a cookbook for my family. In the book, I compile many of the recipes from my grandparents and write about our family’s culinary history. I’m so proud of the way the book turned out!
I wanted to write a cookbook for our family to preserve our cherished family recipes, and so everyone would have a copy of our favorite recipes. Whenever I was away at school, and wanted to make a family recipe, I’d have to call up my mom to give me the recipe. I had a few family recipes written in a blank spiral recipe book, but I enjoyed using original recipe cards that were written in my Nana’s or aunt’s handwriting. A cookbook with scanned recipe cards gave all of us access to those original recipes without having to further divide the original collections. It also gave me the opportunity to share special family stories and photos with the whole family. I’m so glad I took on this project, and I’m proud of this new family heirloom that I created!
This was a wonderfully rewarding project, and I encourage you to write a family cookbook of your own! Here’s some tips for writing your own family cookbook:
It will take a lot longer to write than you think! I recommend taking at least a year to compile and write the book. This allows you to take photos of dishes at particular holidays throughout the year as you make them, and time to allow family members to locate and contribute their recipes. I spent over two years to write the book, taking photos and collecting recipes over time, testing some of the recipes, and then taking about six months of concentrated writing and editing.
Continue reading “Writing the Drake Family Cookbook”
The Family History Librarian 