Make a Cookbook

I use a 3 ring binder, and I print out the recipes and put them in page protectors in the binder. I have tabs with the recipes organized by appetizer, main dish, side dish, etc.

Low tech, but it works for me, and I can easily add to it when I come across something new.

When I did this project I did't use a site, I just did it myself, using my computer. It's pretty easy to do. Here's what I did.

I divided the recipe's into different sections, like appetizers, salads, soups, salads, main dishes, side dish,cookies, cake, other deserts, candies, etc. You ca make what ever sections or divisions you want, depending on the types of recipes you have.

I then neatly typed up each recipe, adding any notes I felt were needed, i.e. where the recipe can from (grandma, aunt susie, etc) and any changes you've make (less salt, more sugar, etc.) of if the recipe is only used at the holidays or at family reunions.

I then get some plastic page protectors and put the printed recipes in those. I then find a pretty notebook of some kind, mark it somehow as a cookbook of special recipes, and voila you are done! You can even get dividers of some kind to put in to mark your different sections. There are many ways to go on this and you ca make it look as fancy or plane as you want without the use of a website, and often times much cheaper.

My family cookbook is a simple 3 ring binder, with dividers tabbed "pasta, soup, sides, desserts" etc. I just typed and printed the recipes from my computer and added them to the binder. The front and back have clear pockets so I customized it by making two photo collages (pictures of my kids cooking and baking) onto a basic piece of scrapbook paper and stuck those in the pockets. Voila, instant cookbook!
I still (after twenty years) add family favorite recipes to the binder but now I usually print them directly from a website (usually through Pinterest or allrecipes.) Sometimes I make a personal note, too, like "Olivia LOVES this soup" or "Luke loves this, make double" :-)

I wonder if you could use Shutterfly and copy the recipes as pictures? That way they'd be in your Mom's handwriting which would make it even more special. Cool idea.

Are you making just one copy, or multiples for family members? There are publishers that specialize in this, especially for organizations (churches, synagogues, etc.) Cookbook Publishers in Lenexa KS is one that provides a template for you, but there would be a minimum number of copies. I have a cookbook from a non-profit organization that used a local vocational school's printing department - good experience for the students, reduced prices. However, it's not worth it to them to just do a few.

You could also talk to your local quick printer - they do small runs of different types of books with a comb binding, and that's adjustable to a thin book with a minimum number of pages. Working with a real printer also helps give you the free expertise of the staff who will make sure things are centered on the page and not running into the margin.

If you do on line, I know Apple has something you can use to create a hardcover book. Our son made one for my husband and me of all his high school memories, with photos and captions, and even a book jacket with a dedication on it. A neighbor of mine did the same thing with books for her husband's birthday, her son's bar mitzvah, etc. These were all done in single copies or just 3-4. Obviously it's more expensive to do a hardbound book than a paperback with a comb binding. It depends on your purpose - will you be giving these as gifts, or is it just to organize your own recipes?

For everyone's sake, please take the time to proofread and have someone else check your work. Another set of eyes is always important. And getting measurements and quantities wrong in a cookbook can be very unfortunate!

Creating copies to give to people? Perhaps look into Createspace. :-) My mother-in-law self-published a collection of family/location stories and sells it at craft shows and similar.

My mother has published a family cook book. She had it printed at Office Max.

SHe is on her second printing.

It sounds like you want something printed and bound. Staples or a local printer will have a good variety of binding options for you and covers.

I used a Microsoft template and typed them up individually and put them in 3 ring binders, each in a plastic sleeve. I gave my two oldest daughters one for Christmas a few years ago, and my 18 yr old daughter leaving for college asked for one as a gift for Christmas this year :) The nice thing about the binders is they can add to them with their own recipes over time. Looking at other responses, I kind of wish I would have done something more "professional" but I didn't even think of it at the time.

The one thing I did do was actually make each recipe at a time, writing down all the ingredients and measurements before putting it in the book. It took me over 6 months, but the reason I did it is because I actually didn't have any "recipes" prior to this - most of them were just in my head. I didn't measure anything, and if I was short an ingredient, I subbed something else. So when my girls would call me for a recipe, they would get extremely frustrated with me when I would say, "some of this, but if you don't have that, just use some of this other thing - no, probably less than 1 cup - no a 1/4 probably isn't enough . . ." I enlisted my now 18 yr old daughter (she was like 14 at the time) to help me each night write out the ingredients, measure everything I was using, etc. It was actually a fun project for her and I.

Good luck and if you do think of a really creative way of doing this, I would love to hear what you come up with (as well as other mom's ideas).