I received email notification from HP that my laptop had been repaired and shipped from the service center in La Vergne, TN, on Tuesday, Jan. 20. It was delivered by FedEx the next day. Oh Happy Day! I was disappointed that the problem developed and I didn't think my call to HP was as smooth as it could have been, but I am really pleased with the actual service.
I use gray winter days as opportunities to work through "gray areas" in my life where better organization is needed. Last year I agonized over my old dolls and finally came to some conclusions for their storage. This year I'm thinking about recipes.
I like recipes and I don't cook without them. Besides my collection of recipe boxes and cookbooks, with the advent of the computer and online research, recipes abound! We can (and I do) find recipes for anything. But how should I file those recipes? Is the recipe card file now outdated? Should we use online recipe files or recipe programs? Is it practical to cook straight off a computer screen?
I was considering some sort of computerized recipe program for the laptop. That way I would have my recipes with me in town or at the farm or even when we travel. Looking for information on such a program, I "googled" this question and was surprised with the result. I learned that others are also struggling with the need for a better system, and the blog I read seemed to suggest that the most practical method is to print the recipe and then file it in a looseleaf notebook. Responders cautioned about the dangers of getting a computer too close to the food prep process.
So -- how are you filing your recipes these days? Are you still using a card file or have you adopted a system better suited to the times?
8 comments:
I have more recipes than I will ever use but still enjoy looking for them. At Betty Crocker you can put them in your own "recipe box" and also at Pillsbury. Many from online I copy and paste into my email for printing out later. I then put them in my trusty old recipe box.
Kathy,
Your old recipes could also be scanned and then put into whatever computer program you wanted.
This is an interesting problem, Kathy. I often get recipes from the Internet, then print them out for the kitchen, then they get tucked into the cookbook shelf in the kitchen, where they become sloppy and also difficult to find. A binder seems like a good solution, but as an IT guy, it seems like there should be a better technology-based solution. Maybe this is a business opportunity for someone! Do you have any ideas about what a computer-based solution would look like?
Kathy, you have me thinking about food and your recipes, and I hope this is not wrong forum to ask for your recipes for:
Crockpot Doves in Sour Cream
Meatloaf
Stuffed Peppers
Hi All! Deb sent a link via email listing several recipe programs -- some free. One program on the list I have experienced -- Cook'n. Mike paid $40.00 for it as a gift to me Christmas 2005. We both thought it was clunky, "homespun," not worth the money. And somehow it disappeared from our computer -- probably in the great computer crash of summer 2008. No big loss. Since it didn't meet my need, I hadn't put many of my recipes on it. And now I need something online or on the laptop. I'll send you that link, Murray -- and anyone who would like it.
I do the same thing you described -- print recipe out, take to kitchen, try recipe (or not), file in with cookbooks in sloppy disarray. Eventually something like pride kicks in and I straighten the shelf, likely tossing many of the recipes out of sheer frustration.
But -- I have many old recipes and I like to try new things, too. It does seem like some sort of computer system would provide the best file. Exactly what it looks like, I'm not sure. And while Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, and some others provide recipe boxes, do these work for one's personal file?
Sure -- unless you're in a super big hurry, I'll post those recipes. Deb has asked for the family praline recipe as well. KW
How about also the fresh green bean, yellow mustard and onion side dish you used to make during the summer? I've tried to duplicate this but can't get it close to right.
No the Betty Crocker and Pillsbury sites only lets you add recipes found there. I'd try downloading some of those free programs. If they don't look right they can always be deleted.
Ours are mostly in card files or books. Not very techy. I agree that you shouldn't work directly off your laptop. A hamburger would be very hard to turn on your keyboard. Cleaning is hard, too.
I think the printing, trying, and filing in a binder is a good idea. If the recipe isn't to your liking, it can always be recycled or used as fire starter.
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