Preservative Therapy

The thing about loving to eat and bouncing around from eating plan to eating plan is that I have experienced some exceptional recipes that have become favorites. Some favorites have had to go by the wayside because they had unhealthy ingredients...mainly artificial sweeteners...but the majority have stood the test of time and diet strategies. The problem is, they were scattered in various places from recipe books, accordion files, and personalized binders. When a craving hit, I had to go in search of the desired recipe and hope I didn't lose it before it made it's way back to it's resting place.

No more! This week I decided to fulfill one of those nagging items on my "one day when I have nothing to do AND the energy to do something" list. Every woman has one.

I've actually attempted this before but my efforts were either too tedious or did not produce the desired result of aesthetic appeal and convenience. Mixed in with those recipes are reminders of pathetic stabs at this endeavor in the past.

I started at Wal-Mart looking for the perfect scrapbook album. (This I decided would be more counter-top pleasing than a binder and more hands-on than a computer database). I needed the right size too. I settled on a 8" x 8", top-loading, post bound scrapbook and picked up some refills.

Next began the copying of the recipes which I believe is legal since I own the original books and I am not distributing or selling the copies to others. Personal use. Just in case anyone's sense of copyright violation is buzzing!

One recipe book after another I have been leafing through to find those friends that I search for so often. I am not shy about writing in my books or stating my opinion of the recipe so it's easy to spot the candidates. "Excellent", "Mmmm..", "Yummy", "Delicious". These are the words I am looking for. I avoid the ones that say "Terrible", "Disgusting", "Never make this again", "Not my style" or even a bland "Good". There are some I wasn't sure about so I put them in but be sure that if I try that creation and it is not special, it will be eliminated immediately.

Using the reduce size function on the copier and a paper cutter, I was able to get the recipes to my desired specifications so they slipped easily into the album page protectors. Even though I am not finished, I have the book divided into sections (Breakfasts, Snacks, Dinners, Desserts....etc) and I have even made little cover pages for each section via MS Word & clipart.

It is amazing therapy to get fed up and just do one of those things on that mental list. I have enjoyed the process greatly. Beyond the practical benefit of having my favorite recipes handy and ready to add to or delete from easily, I am envisioning a coveted collection of recipes that my children and their future families will want for their own. I wish my mom had done the same. She had some amazing recipes when we were growing up that have long since been lost but we all try in vain to reproduce. Sometimes we get it close but none of our concoctions is exactly "it". I have been on that same precipice and hope this project will solve the problem.

I'm not done but am getting closer than ever to being able to finally scratch this item off my list and that makes me feel very relieved indeed. Now if I could only get to those photos....