Create A Cookbook Full of Recipes You Love

I have a whole shelf full of cookbooks. But one of my favorites is a cookbook I created myself. It’s a collection of recipes I’ve collected through the years.

I collected the recipes for my cookbook from magazines, online, and from friends. Every time I  find a recipe in a magazine I clip it out, and insert it in a page protector. Jennifer over at Declutter It does the same thing and explains creating your own cookbook in more detail.

I also have a Word file of recipes I’ve found online, that I may want to try. Every time I find an interesting recipe I copy and paste it into the word file. I have a folder called recipes, and a sub-folder for desserts, salads, main courses, breakfast, dips, and beverages. I just save the recipe in the appropriate folder.

If I try the recipe and I really like it, I’ll usually print out a copy and put it in my homemade cookbook. If I don’t like the recipe it gets deleted off my computer, never to be made again.

I also use my cookbook to store recipes given to me by friends. So I have quite a variety of recipes.

If I try a recipe I thought I’d like, and it’s not so good, I just take the page out of my book. I only have room in my personal cookbook for recipes I love.

I also have a card file full of recipes I’ve collected through the years. Some websites (like Food Network) allow you to format recipes to fit a 3×5, or 5×7 card.

I find a ton of recipes I’d like to try, and I’m always experimenting, so keeping my recipes organized is a challenge. I’d love to hear how everyone else stores their favorite recipes. How do you keep your recipes organized?