Recipe Binder Ideas

Here's an idea for those who want to use a binder AND their file box cards.

I love these binder clips so you can trade out the titles if want.

Organizing Recipes

Recipe Retrieval : Here is a system that has always worked for me:

1. Gather - all those recipes from magazines, friends, 3x5 recipe cards and ...

2. Sort and file in a "trial file" - a convenient place to stash "to try" recipes quickly.
I put a few files with key labels in an open file box in a handy spot(no lid or you'll just put the paper somewhere else just for a minute, right?)

3. Put your favorite recipes in a "tried and true recipes" binder.
I put my favs in a white 1 in. binder (any bigger and it becomes too big to handle), with a clear cover that I can slip a foodie photo into. (Martha Stewart magazine has the best food photography!)

or buy a funky binder like this one from Park St. Market

4. Label some tabbed dividers with whatever category makes sense to you:

breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert and snacks. My labels are: chicken, beef, pork, fish, ethnic, soups, sandwiches, vegetables (subdivided) grilling, make it FAST, and meal planning (more on this later) I also have a binder that is desserts only...wow that's scary. I glue the recipes and photo in and slip the page into a sheet protector...I should take a picture!

Best recipe book idea ever!

This is what can happen to our recipes over time!

But...I learned the best recipe saver idea from Penny in Rexburg, Idaho last week. She had lots great ideas and here is one of my favorite. My dilemma has always been: how do I make my recipes portable, share-able, accessible, reproduce-able, indestructible, etc, etc. My own recipe book, duplicated for family?? Well sort of.

The solution: Put all your recipes on a private blog, one that is just for you. Label each post by category: vegetables, chicken, cookies etc. Now you have a free searchable data base of all your recipes. It's portable, shareable (if you give out the link), accessible from wherever you are (your sister/daughter's house), indestructible because of the off site storage etc etc. No more "mom can you email me your recipe for..." "Just go to my recipes blog search the label......, honey."

This is easy, nothing fancy, no photos if you don't want them, just all your favorite recipes any time anywhere.... the coolest thing, right?