by Connie Rae

Created on: August 28, 2009   Last Updated: January 01, 2010

I am a recipe junkie. I admit it. I buy cookbooks to read them, flag recipes I might want to try "someday," and arrange them attractively on bookshelves. When I read magazines, I rip out the pages with good looking recipes on them. Over the years my life became overwhelmed with recipes. I had to do something.

I bought one of those large plastic boxes that hold hanging file folders, and I bought hanging file folders, and file folders. (Costco, Sam's Club, WalMart are good resources) I proceeded to organize my magazine recipes in the following fashion.

1) I sorted my recipes into piles, designated, "Appetizers," "Beverages," "Breads," "Breakfast," "Cakes," "Candies," "Cookies," "Frostings," "Fruit," "Main Dishes Beef", "Main Dishes Chicken/Turkey", "Main Dishes Fish/Seafood," "Main Dishes Pork/Ham," "Main Dishes Chinese," "Main Dishes Italian", "Main Dishes Mexican," "Pickles/Preserves/Jams," "Pie," "Sandwiches," "Salads/Fruit," "Salads/Gelatin," "Salads/Vegeable," "Vegetables." You may have additional interests, and add, or subtract designations.

2) I labeled hanging file folders with each of the above designations and placed them in the large plastic box, and placed my sorted recipes in the correct file folder.

3) Within each hanging folder, I made further divisions, as I thought necessary, to make it easier to find a spefic recipe I might remember. For example, within the "Breads" hanging file folder, I might have file folders labeled, "Yeast Breads," "Quick Breads," "Muffins," Fruit Breads," etc.

4) In the front of this box I labeled a hanging file folder, "Recipes I Want To Try Soon." In this folder went recipes that I thought were especially appealing and I actually wanted to make (rather than just look at!).

5) Over the years, I put together a family cookbook, in a three ring binder, with the recipes we liked enough to make again and again. Each page has either the original recipe from the magazine, or the recipe recopied, or a recipe from a family member, or friend, with pictures, cartoons, and "notes," Each page is enclosed in a plastic page protector. I made copies of this family cookbook for each of my children when they married. We are now adding special recipes from their family favorites.

6) I am constantly saving magazines to look through the pages for recipes, tearing them out, and dropping them in a hanging file folder in the back of my large plastic box, labeled - "to sort and file."

7) Every once in awhile, when I am wanting to cook, or bake, something "new," and "extraordinary," I look through my large plastic box, and read through the recipes. Maybe I don't really want to cook, or bake, but somehow, I feel like I "have", after reading through my box, and I am satisfied!

I hope these ideas might help you find that recipe you know you have, "somewhere."

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