Memento
First things first! Congratulations to Isabelle, the randomly chosen winner of the CSN Stores giveaway! Isabelle said, My favourite birthday dessert is flourless chocolate cake, preferably with a big dollop of whipped cream and some fresh berries. As far as I’m concerned, a cake isn’t…
First things first! Congratulations to Isabelle, the randomly chosen winner of the CSN Stores giveaway! Isabelle said, My favourite birthday dessert is flourless chocolate cake, preferably with a big dollop of whipped cream and some fresh berries. As far as I’m concerned, a cake isn’t a birthday cake until you add chocolate. Hear, hear! A girl after my own belly!
My blog-birthday celebration draws to a close today, and I want to thank you all, from the bottom of my heart, for being part of such a rewarding year. When I started Kitchen Confidante, I had no greater expectation than to transform my overstuffed black binder of curated recipes into something that was more a reflection of me, my day to day life stories, and my childhood memories. The outcome in this short time has truly exceeded that.
I discovered a new creative outlet, where I could write from the heart, find beauty through a lens, and preserve memories for my children. I realized that I love creating new recipes more than following them. I met and shared stories of people who find joy in making our world taste good. I picked fruit from orchards. I tasted time in a bottle. I challenged myself. I met a world of people who love food as much as I do, and even found new friends.
I wanted to preserve the first year into something a little more tangible. So, I turned to one of my favorite sites.
Long before I began to document my adventures in the kitchen in this space, I was using Tastebook to keep track of family favorites, my mother’s recipes, and new recipes that I loved. I liked being able to share this with my friends and family, and I also liked the flexibility of being able to choose which recipes I wanted to include in my new, more organized binder(s). Over time, I could switch recipes out or add new ones; my creations were adaptable and easy to alter.
So, I thought it would make sense to create a Tastebook as a memento of my first year of Kitchen Confidante. I am putting a few final touches on this Tastebook, but the compilation is very close to being completed. If you already use this site, you could add the recipes you may have tried and enjoyed last year to your own collections. Or, you could get your very own copy of the whole book.
For my last birthday treat, I wanted to host my own little giveaway. One randomly selected winner will receive a copy of my Tastebook.
* Disclaimer: I am currently not affiliated with Tastebook. This giveaway is personally sponsored by me – I hope you enjoy this little memento of my first year!
Here’s how to enter:
- Leave a comment on this post, and let me know, how do you organize your recipes?
- Entries/Comments accepted until 10 pm Pacific, Thursday, 10 February, 2011.
- One winner will be randomly selected and announced on 12 February, 2011.
- This contest is open to US and Canadian residents only, my apologies to my other international friends!
Thank you all, and here’s to another year of sharing taste and inspiration!
Comments
COOKBOOK
The book sounds wonderful Liren, congratulations…and congratulations on your Blog Birthday!
Thank you everyone! Love hearing all the different approaches to organizing – I’m so glad to know I’m not the only one with email folders and binders and cut outs!
hehe :D I’m bad at organising but I do star recipes in my google reader as to which ones I want to try out. I hope to win your book.It would be so cool to have a printed copy :)
Congratulations on a successful first year, the first of many to come, I’m sure. It’s been so wonderful getting to know you through your food, your writing, and your photography. I’m still hoping that one day I’ll get to meet you in person, too. :)
Well, I can’t miss out on the chance to win my very own KC Tastebook. What a beautiful way to catalogue recipes. Your beautiful photos will be showcased well here.
Me? My blog was my answer to an over-full binder full of recipes, a computer folder named “recipes” full of bookmarked pages and finally magazine cutouts. The number of organized recipes on the blog to those still waiting for attention is still very disproportionate but I’m working on it!
Congrats again on a delicious first year of blogging!
What a fantastic idea, the book looks wonderful and it’s such a personal and meaningful giveaway! I have too many places I keep my recipes. I have big binders where they are supposed to go , the I have folders where they get organized into categories before going into the binders, but most often the go in a pile or stuffed into books :-)
Congrats on the anniversary and your Tastebook looks fabulous. You’re so right in organising the recipes. Mine are all over the place and this year need to find the time to get them in order. Bits in word, on paper, scribbled on post-its, loose paper. Hm. No comment. Au travail!
Liren, I’m so glad you mentioned Tastebook. I’ve been looking for a way to organize family recipes and maybe make a cookbook out of them for gifts at Christmas. I’m going to check this out and see if it’s something I can use. And in response to the question: I don’t really have an organizational tool. I have a file in my email called Recipes that I send all my emailed recipes to. And then I have a pile of recipes torn out of magazines. Not a very good system.
Liren – loved this post! What a terrific wrap up to celebrating your blogs birthday. :-) I have long wanted to make a tastebook and would be honored to win yours. So glad that I can call you my friend! PS – Love the new hair-do!
So happy to know I have a friend in you, too, Lisa! And thank you – I’m enjoying the shorter hair!
What a great idea! And I would love to have all your delicious recipes in one book!
I have about 20 black binders with plastic sleeves…each is a separate category: brownies, cheesecakes, beef, chicken, appetizers, etc. I try to save tried and true recipes on my computer, as well.
PS…you have a fabulous writing style…and I need to check out Tastebook :)
Thank you, Liz! I really appreciate the compliment – I’m so pleased you enjoy reading :) And wow, what a system you’ve got going! I’m quite in awe!
My blog is definitely my recipe book these days, because I’ve had to start from scratch and figure out new ways of baking and cooking for my diabetes. But I think your Tastebook is such a wonderful idea!
About 10 years ago I took all of my mom’s handwritten, barely legible recipes (often handed down from her mom or grandma) and typed them up and put them into a 3-ring binder. Some barely qualify (“cook until done”), but others are classics (rhubarb cake).
To this day if I find a recipe I want to keep I type it and update the 3-ring binder (ok, it usually takes abotu 6 months, but eventually).
Happy happy birthday to you and here is to many more!!
lovely giveaway and picture
congratulations on the beautiful looking book
Hi Liren!
I saw your comment. It’s funny, I thought I was being soooooo creative by making those ube pancakes but I just googled it and there are already a few recipes out there, and it’s already on the Buttermilk Truck’s menu! (They are a breakfast food truck here in LA). Ah well, I tried.
No Way! Well, either way, ube pancakes are absolutely creative :) I’ll be trying it this weekend!
Congrats on your first year of blogging and the cupcakes are such a cute way to celebrate that. I organize my recipes on my computer. I have distinct files for all my online recipes and favs. I have a inspiration board for my newspaper clippings of recipes and my cookbooks have their fair share of tabs. It’s not much of a system but until I get a place of my own with my own kitchen, it’ll have to do.
I think its great that you’re creating a Tastebook. :)
Organize? Oh I wish. At the moment I have a folder for recipes I rip out of magazines, stock in post-it notes for my books, and my computer which has 6 sets of bookmarks just for food (but searching made easy) as well as virtual sticky notes on my desktop to help my keep track of the recipes I plan on tackling within a week or so. If anyone can simplify this – lol – let me know. :D
Well, I have several recipes on an online organizer, several in a Word document and many more written on scraps of paper stuck in cookbooks. And of course I now have several in my blog. I do have one recipe organizer that I stick some into — and have a written goal to spend 10 minutes each day working on it … but haven’t been able to check that off my list for the past 200+ days. At least. :)
And this looks so fun! I didn’t even know anything about Taste Book! Thanks for the introduction!
These cupcakes look delightful! That frosting would get all over me, but I wouldn’t care because it’d taste so freakin’ good! :-)
I usually just stuff pieces of paper in a book… no organization whatsoever. Then there’s the blog. That’s become my recipe book.
One of the reasons that I started blogging was to organize my recipes. I keep files of them in Word, and then categorize the files. At least , the recipes that I have saved on Word are organized. I still have a long way to go with the rest, but at least I have a start, I would love t have a copy of your book, it’s beautiful!
i have a separate email for my recipes. i email the links to that email and then sort them into folders :)
I would love to have your book! I currently organize my recipes in a hand written book.
Organization is something that I need to work on…ASAP! My sweet husband is working on my new website, and I’m looking forward to a new recipe index as well! I would love to have a copy of your book, so I hope that I’m the winner of this great giveaway. Thank you for sharing, my blogging friend! I’m sending you wishes for a happy and delicious week!