Organize Your Recipes

I love to share a good recipe. For me that is one with a limited number of ingredients, quick to fix and good to taste. If it is low calorie, that is a bonus. One of my good friends doesn’t care how long it takes to cook a recipe. She enjoys the process of combining the ingredients and putting the meal together. Another friend says, if you can't grill it, then isn’t interested. We are also different in the ways we chose to organize our recipes and cookbooks,

There are several methods that work, so pick the one that best suits your style:

Digital Program
There are several programs for organizing recipes on your computer. They offer a selection of categories and search functions for easy access. Some programs allow you to publish your own cookbook. Check out www.cookbookpeople.com and www.cookbooksoftware.com. Some online websites, such as www.recipezaar.com, allow you to enter your own recipes, access other recipes and keep them all together in your account.

Three-Ring Binder
Use magnetic photo sheets or plastic sleeves to protect and store recipes. This works for clipped recipes of various sizes and protects the recipes while being used in the kitchen. Use page dividers with labels to separate the recipes into categories. Some suggestions are appetizers (further divide into meat, fish, vegetable, cheese, other), main dish (further divide into beef, pork, poultry, vegetarian), desserts (further divide into pies, cakes, candy, cookies and bars, miscellaneous). The binder(s) can also be stored on a shelf with your cookbooks.

Recipe Box
Recipe boxes are never big enough for me, but if you have less than thirty recipes that you use routinely, this is a good solution. For more recipes, use a long index cord file box from the hardware or stationery store. Consider laminating the recipe cards to protect them form food stains and moisture. Use index file dividers to separate them into the categories suggested above.

Accordion Folders
Use an accordion pocket folder for each major category of recipe (appetizer, main dish, desert, beverages, etc) and separate into categories within the folder. Label each folder and store them in a convenient spot.

Whatever method you use to store recipes, keep a file folder handy to tuck away new recipes you want to try. After you have tried the recipe, you can decide if it is worth keeping in your recipe filing system.


Beverly & Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.net

ORGANIZE YOUR BOOKS

We love books. They are the hardest things for us to get rid of. The main motivator for ridding ourselves of our beloved books is so that we can buy more. So we understand that maintaining orderly bookshelves can be a challenge. We just have to keep telling ourselves that we can have no more books than we have space to store them. That means sharing some of our treasures with others before we add new ones to our shelves.

Here are some hints to help you get your books organized.

Clear out all the books and put them in one large space. The floor works fine. As you take them from the shelves remove any papers and bookmarks. Separate the books into five piles: keep, recycle (some paperbacks and pamphlets), throw away, give away, and sell. Immediately take all the books you are not going to keep to their final resting-places. Another alternative is to plan a book swapping party with friends. If you do this remember to dispose of enough books, so that you have space on your shelves for those you will claim for yourself.

Group the “keep” books into categories that are meaningful for you. We like fiction, nonfiction, do it yourself, cooking, children’s, and resource books (like dictionary) as main divisions. We like to sort the books alphabetically within these groups. You may decide to just group alphabetically by title or by author. You could even use the Dewey Decimal system like the libraries do. The Dewey Decimal Numbers are usually listed in the front of the book with the publication information. If you want to digitally catalogue your books by tags, Dewey Decimal Numbers or Library of Congress Categories, take a look at the website Library Thing which allows you to enter 200 titles free of charge. You might also opt to keep books in spaces close to where they are used - repair instructions with the tools, craft books in the craft basket, cookbooks in the kitchen.

Once you have the books off the shelves and grouped as you like them, clean the shelves thoroughly. Replace the books in the categories you have selected, dusting them as you go. You may have to be flexible and place oversized or heavy books on a bottom shelf regardless of category. Nothing can ruin a reading session like a bump on the head from a heavy book on a high shelf.

If the shelves are long, break up the book display with decorative items or use bookends to stabilize groups of books. If books still will not stay upright, take a look at the Shelf Shark Organizer available at Home Depot or http://www.shelfshark.com/. These handy little devices keep books standing straight.

Once you have your shelves filled with the books you love, remember to dispose of a book every time you bring a new one home. If that is more than you can bear, get a library card. It is good for your pocketbook and good for the planet.

Have fun and stay organized.


Beverly & Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.net