How about a photo of their favorite dish, blown up large enough to fit the cover?

Or perhaps a pix of the family gathered together at a meal; possibly a holiday meal.

Maybe call the whole thing Favorite Foods. Or Favorite Foods of the Smith Family. If the three are significantly different, name each one for the recipient. That is, Suzie's Favorite Foods, or something of that nature.

Just as an historical note, what you are doing has a long tradition behind it.

Before cookbooks were commonly available (starting in the early 19th century), it was each daughter's job to create a cookbook (a book of cookery, they were called) using her mother's book as a guide.

These were not helter skelter arrangements, but were arranged and indexed by type of dish. Each woman worked from both ends; one side was a book of cookery the other was a book of sweetmeats. Space was left in the middle for additions.

So, a daughter's first job was to rearrange things so that the additions were in their proper place. The whole book was then copied out, incorporating any notes and comments on the recipes. She, in turn, when she set up her own household, would make additions, corrections, and changes. And her daughters, in their own turn, repeated the process.

Three-ring binders would have been very helpful, back then. :>)

These books of cookery are an invaluable aid to food historians. Not only do they show us what was being eaten in the 16-18th centuries, they clearly show the progression in tastes, techniques, and availability of ingredients.

Oh, gardenlad, how neat! Do you know if any of these have been reproduced and are in print? Would love some titles if you know of any...

livvyandbella,

I like the photo idea. But, if that's not possible and you want to get really crafty, you could glue on beads or ribbon trims, etc. If you're making one for your grandson you could just do some kid stickers. You can also find some very elegant stickers these days at Hobby Lobby, etc... Maybe also wall paper? That sounds strange, but it might stick to the notebook... Are the notebooks plastic?

Sorry, just realized you said vinyl.

Had another idea. You could use a hole punch around the edge, spaced and inch or two apart. And string ribbon through the holes. You could also attach little bells to the ribbon so it jingles when they open it... they'd be able to remove it later if they wanted.

Trsinc, the only one I know of that has been reproduced and is still available is "Martha Washington's Book of Cookery".

The title is a bit misleading, however. Yes, it was Martha Washington's book. But, despite the implication when it was first reissued, not her cookbook. It was a family heirloom that came down to her. Authorities date it as having actually been written ca 1645. From my point of view, that actually makes it more valuable as a research tool.

It was never, to the best of my knowledge, reissued as a facimile copy, however. Which has both good and bad points.

As a general rule, if you research cookery and foodways of that period and see a credit that says "cookery manuscript" or words to that effect the recipe likely came from one of those personal cookbooks.

Now, if you're just interested in recipes and cookery techniques of the time, I can recommend several reissued titles of cookbooks and other reference materials. But few of the actual manuscripts have been reissued. You either have to buy them (incredibly expensive), or arrange to read museum-owned copies.

Such wonderful ideas, thank you. Hopefully the whole family will be home for Thanksgiving and I can get a picture.
I also loved reading the historical note, think I will put that include for them to read.
I have the only hand written recipe from my mother. And several of my friends are sending me their favorite recipe. I am also including several of my poems. I want them to have it all...before I no longer remember.

I think I'd cover it with fabric & use a fabric pen to personalize the front with photos interspersed of the family member whose recipe it was + anecdotes or who considered that recipe their favorite.

It could be Scotch-guarded or even have a clear cover over the fabric. It's a good idea to save those recipes & they'll be appreciated for years.

I have done dozens of cookbooks with my mother's recipes in them for our family. Some I have used photo albums that you can just slide the recipe into. I have also used three ring binders and used wallpaper on them. I also included a special photo of the person that I am giving it to with my mom on the first page inside. Here is a photo of the one in my kitchen just using wallpaper border.

Your kids will treasure your recipes and poems.

Barb, Your kids will love it. My mom did the same thing for me. She used a plain three ring binder and every recipe is hand written. Since the book is begining to fall apart, I'm now in the process of typing up every recipe. That alone is a laborous project so I can really appreciate all the love and work she put into hand writing everthing out. What a great idea that you have of including your poems. If you can put your recipes in a clear sheet, (you know one of those pages that students put their reports in)then your book will last much longer and make it easy to wipe up spills too. Once I'm done copying my mom's recipes I plan on putting them in a book and giving it to my brothers and sisters. Have fun with your project.

Gardenlad,

you wrote:

"Now, if you're just interested in recipes and cookery techniques of the time, I can recommend several reissued titles of cookbooks and other reference materials. But few of the actual manuscripts have been reissued. You either have to buy them (incredibly expensive), or arrange to read museum-owned copies"

I would love to hear about those reissued cookbooks, if you have time.

Thanks,
tr

Bessiedawg,
Your cookbook looks lovely. Now I can see it. I love the Border. How did you stick it to notebook?

MST,
YOur brothers and sisters will be thrilled.

I put little notes next to my friends recipes, saying how long I have known them. Most have been friends for 40 years.

Barb

Trsinc, I don't know which of these are still in print. But if they're not, you can find them, I'm sure, through used book dealers.

For starters, to really get an idea of what was eaten during the late 18th century, find a copy of Thomas Jefferson's Garden Book. Jefferson kept meticulous details of what he grew, how it performed, etc. It's been reissued several times by different publishers.

"The Virginia Housewife," Mary Randolph's 1824 classic, includes recipes from her days as a plantation manager in the late 1700s, as well as from experiences running a boarding house. A very popular book of its time, it went through 30 editions.

"The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy," is a British cookbook, authored by Hannah Glass, first published in 1745 and used extensively in the Colonies. Also reprinted a number of times, the 1794 edition is the one that's been most reprinted.

"American Cookery," published in 1796 by Amelia Simmons, is the first purely American cookbook.

There are also several collections you might look for. One of the best is "The Williamsburg Art of Cookery," which presents recipes from numerous 18th century sources, including both cookbooks and cookery manuscripts. First published in 1938, it was reissued in 1966, and has been in and out of print since.

"The Backcountry Housewife," is a publication of the Schiele Museum, written by Kay Moss & Kathryn Hoffman. It was published in 1985 and reissued in 1994---and possible again since then.

These should get you started.

Occurs to me that the titles I quoted are, by and large, Southern. And I don't know where you are. So here is an adapted recipe from the Northeast.

An old friend of mine, who is gone now, got this from his sister in law who had found a cookery manuscript in the attic of an old farmhouse they had bought in New Hampshire. As is typical of those recipes (or receipts, as they called them), quantities are rarely given. So she adapted it to modern cooking styles.

I wasn't into historic foodways at the time, so just took the recipe. Don't even know the SIL's name, unfortunately, let alone the name of the manuscript author.

Colonial Apple Cake

1/2 cup shortenting
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup chopped nuts
1 tsp cinnamon
6 applies, diced
1 cup raisins.

Cream shortening & sugar. Add eggs. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture, stirring well. Stir in apples and raisins.

Bake in a 9 x9 square baking dish at 350 for 35-50 minutes until center is done.

Note the long stretch of possible baking times. What she found is that this works differently depending on whether it's baked in a glass vs. metal baking dish. And the actual oven affects things, too. This cooks differently in a Dutch oven, for instance, then it does in our oven at home.

i have made such cookbooks
and the covers are vinyl
but they have clear see through ones
i made a cover page to use as the first page
and it shows through the cover
if you need any examples of photos
do contact me and i will send you some great photos

lindatn37932@comcast.net