How to Create a Book of Your Favorite Recipes

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How to Create a Book of Your Favorite Recipes

Inspired by my friend Christine, I set out to organize all my clippings, index cards, web recipes, scribbled recipes on scraps of paper, etc. into a easy-to-use recipe book!

Felicia Gustin

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Step 1 of 23

My friend Christine has inspired me to organize my recipes! She has hers in binders so they're easy to find (she has them in categories) & easy to use(more manageable than recipes on scraps of paper).

Step 2 of 23

She saves clippings from newspapers and magazines of recipes she wants to keep.

Step 3 of 23

She includes recipes from family and friends. Pretty cool, huh?!

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In fact, she's accumulated so many recipes that she's filled several binders with her favorites. Yep, I AM inspired. Especially because. . .

Step 5 of 23

Confession: When I find a recipe I want to try or if I've come up with a recipe of my own that I want to remember, I put it in this basket. Later when I want to find it, I have to search in this mess!

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Then there's the box of my family recipes on index cards which, while kind of organized, is difficult to use because it's sooo stuffed with recipes. It's really hard to look for anything in here!

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Let's get organized! I got the paper, dividers & notebook at the office supply store. I was going to use plain paper but this paper with the border was on sale. I already had a hole puncher. And glue.

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I chose the lilac binder because it matches the tattoo on my leg! Lilacs were my late Mom's favorite (see my guide on how to deal with the passing of a loved one). But I digress! As I was saying. . .

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You can use binder paper (that already has holes punched) or you can punch your own.

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Like this.

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Use notebook dividers to organize recipes into sections, like appetizers, beverages, main dishes, desserts. Or you can break it down even more, like Chinese soups or Mexican desserts. It's up to you!

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To figure out MY categories (and everyone's will be different!), first I sort my recipes to see what I even had - like poultry, desserts, Italian recipes, etc.

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Then trim and cut out the recipes so they'll be easier to glue on your pages.

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Done cutting and ready to start pasting.

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I used a glue stick to glue my recipes onto the pages of my book.

Step 16 of 23

One page done and many more to go!

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If a recipe doesn't fit on the page, you can fold it like this, or . . .

Step 18 of 23

Or cut it to fit like I did with the recipe on the top right of this page.

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Sometimes a recipe will take up a whole page. Once your pages are done, put them into the binder.

Step 20 of 23

Make the labels for your dividers. I used the template provided in the package of dividers I bought and printed them out from my computer. But you can also hand write them.

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Labels in!

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Remember this is a work in progress. You'll constantly be adding recipes, pages & even categories. Even if you mostly look at recipes on a phone, pad or the web, this still comes in handy. Enjoy!

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P.S. A recipe book makes a wonderful gift! Get family & friends to email their favorites to you, print & glue into a binder as a bridal shower present, a birthday gift, or for any special occasion.

You're Done

Check out other guides by this author!

Felicia Gustin

Bay Area, California USA

I love to create! All kinds of things. Food, crafts, jewelry, art, photos, theater, events, history, social justice. My proudest creation is my daughter!

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Binder

Paper

Hole puncher

Notebook Dividers

Glue or glue stick

Recipes galore!

That's great Molly! So happy to hear you were inspired!

Felicia Gustin (author) 3 days ago

Great idea!! Im always noting things down on my iphone. been thinking of making a recipe book! I have been inspired!! Thank u

Molly Rahman 3 days ago

So glad you liked it, Phuong!

Felicia Gustin (author) last week

Great! Thanh you so much lol

Phuong Nguyen last week

Thanks Sowmya!

Felicia Gustin (author) last month

Love it...great idea

Sowmya Rasa last month

So glad you too love the idea, Amy! I used my book just tonight to cook dinner for a friend!

Felicia Gustin (author) 2 months ago

You can also laminate it!! Love your idea! I'm doing this.. I have then laminated, so now I just need to go to the next step.. This is great!

Amy Prim-prijatel 2 months ago

So happy to hear that, Erin!

Felicia Gustin (author) 2 months ago

You don't know how this has helped me. Thanks so much.

Erin D 2 months ago

Love the sheet protector idea!

Cynthia Harris 3 months ago

That's a great idea, Dr.! Most definitely will do this since we know how messy things can get while cooking.nthanks!

Felicia Gustin (author) 3 months ago

have you thought about using sheet protectors on the pages? They kept my notes in tact for about 6 + years. Good guide.

Tutorial Doctor 3 months ago

Thanks Carolyn, it's been fun cleaning things up! And thanks Megan for sharing that info!

Felicia Gustin (author) 3 months ago

We have a place over here called paperchase and you can actually buy recipe books from there to put your own in!

Megan L 3 months ago

Love it Felicia, thanks for sharing this great idea! I am a pathological collector of recipes and they are in a mess. 😮

Carolyn's Sugar Free Treats 3 months ago

Good luck with wedding gift, Cynthia, I'm sure she'll love it! And wow, Isabel, over 500 recipes - that's awesome! Great ideas Meg and Alyssa! So glad the guide is generating such useful tips!

Felicia Gustin (author) 3 months ago

Alyssa and Meg both great ideas! Isabel wow, I hope u get good use of that book.

Cynthia Harris 3 months ago

I did this as a gift for my sister a few years back and I invested in 3 hole punched plastic page protectors so that when she is using a recipe, none of the ingredients will stain or wet the pages! We just wipe them clean after!!!

Alyssa Rae 3 months ago

Add an alphabetic index to help find your favorites faster!

Meg M 3 months ago

for 10 months i worked at a boring quiet store.. so my hobbie was collecting all the recepies from any magazine newspaper panflet menun anywhere.. and tape it on blanck white 3 holes pages.. then a binder and whalllaaaa i have more than 500 so far.. still cut all i cross with.. love it..

Isabel 123 Cooking guide 3 months ago

Thanks Felicia you read my mind! I was just thinking this morning that I would like to make a recipe book for my nephew's bride to be as a wedding gift. She's honest when she says the only thing she knows how to make is reservations lol Thanks for putting my thoughts into action to give me the ideas I was looking for!

Cynthia Harris 3 months ago

Thanks Cécile! Keep checking out Snapguide and you're sure to accumulate lots more recipes!

Felicia Gustin (author) 3 months ago

Haha thats awesome!! I have only like 4 recipes or something but i keep collecting more! Goodluck with your book :) &thanks for sharing!!

Cécile Muller 3 months ago

Thanks! It's been a fun process and I even found some great recipes that I forgot I had! Will share those on Snapguide soon.

Felicia Gustin (author) 3 months ago

I LOVE IT!!

Cécile Muller 3 months ago

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Two words, Marina - holepuncher and binder! 😜

Felicia Gustin (author) 3 months ago

Also guilty! Lol

Jeannie Wilkibert 3 months ago

You should see the pile of computer-Internet printouts that grows on our kitchen table! My Mom gets a little over-zealous on allrecipes and JustaPinch.com then we have to go through and decide which ones we really think we'll actually try, then further sort those into categories.. it's a lovely mess :)

Marina Gonzales Piperidis 3 months ago

I knew I wasn't the only one! 😜

Felicia Gustin (author) 3 months ago