How to Design a Family Cookbook

A family cookbook preserves secret recipes for many generations.

A family cookbook contains all the favorite -- and sometimes secret -- dishes your family has enjoyed at picnics, birthday parties, reunions and weddings. For your next big family gathering, design a cookbook filled with fun-loving recipes such as your grandmother's chocolate cake, your cousin's tangy pulled pork sandwiches or your own homemade spaghetti sauce. As you gather recipes, you piece together a one-of-a-kind family heirloom that future generations will truly cherish. Does this Spark an idea?

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Instructions

- 1
  
  Assign a theme to the cookbook to determine what kinds of recipes you want included. Your cookbook could include general recipes with everything from breakfast to dessert or it could include only slow cooker recipes. Examples of other themes include dessert, five ingredients or less, chocolate, vegetarian, picnic, barbecue and ethnic.
- 2
  
  Ask family members to submit recipes based on the cookbook's theme. Your close relatives can help you reach out to extended family so that the cookbook includes recipes from many households. As you talk with family members, ask that each household submit one or more of their favorite recipes. If desired, ask family members to include a short story -- perhaps even a humorous one -- describing the significance of the recipe. Also ask for a photograph of the dish or any other family pictures to include in the cookbook.
- 3
  
  Give households a deadline for turning in recipes and follow up if you do not receive them in time. Establishing a deadline gives you enough time to assemble and print the cookbooks, especially if you plan to pass them out at an upcoming family gathering or during a holiday. Making sure that every household submits a few recipes also ensures that everyone plays an important part in your project.
- 4
  
  Organize all recipes, pictures and stories. Credit each recipe to the person or household who submitted it. Place recipes in the order desired, such as alphabetical or by type of dish. Add photographs if you have them.
- 5
  
  Transfer all the recipes to a word processing or desktop publishing program and add pictures where appropriate. Give your cookbook a name such as "Smith Family Cookbook" or "Smith Family Secret Recipes."
- 6
  
  Ask family members how many copies of the cookbook they would like. Place your order with a local print shop and request a few extra copies to give as gifts at future events such as wedding showers.

Tips & Warnings

Instead of designing the cookbook yourself, place an order through a cookbook printing company such as "The Great Family Cookbook Project."
Create an introductory page that provides a brief family history or story describing the importance of the family cookbook.
Review all recipes before publishing to make sure no errors are present. Ask the print shop if you can review a draft before the cookbook goes to print.