Creating a Family Cookbook Project

We at FamilyCookbookProject.com want to wish you and your families a very Happy Thanksgiving! We are so very thankful for you, our customers, for using our cookbook software system to keep your family food treasures online and in your own printed cookbooks.

If you haven't printed yet and want your copies by Christmas, the ordering deadline is December 5th. Over the Thanksgiving weekend, make sure to print a few pages out and show your families to encourage them to enter those last few recipes.

Enjoy the weekend!

Chip Lowell and Bill Rice
FamilyCookbookProject.com Co-publishers

Posted by Chip Lowell at 08:38 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Family Cookbook Project has won both a Publishing Standard of Excellence and a Family Standard of Excellence in the Web Marketing Association’s 13th annual WebAward Competition for Web site development. The Family Cookbook Project creates personalized cookbooks for individuals, families, church groups and schools. This is the fifth consecutive year that Family Cookbook Project has been recognized for their Website excellence.

“The Great Family Cookbook Project is a website dedicated to helping families collect and preserve cherished recipes into a printed cookbook that can be passed down from one generation to the next,” says Chip Lowell, Co-Publisher and Technical Director of the Family Cookbook Project. “We are proud that our efforts have been recognized by the Web Marketing Association with this WebAward. We will continue to develop our site to help families, schools and church groups create both online and printed cookbooks that become treasured heirlooms.”

The Family Cookbook Project Website was started as a project in 2003 to help one family collect and organize a family cookbook. Overwhelming feedback from those who used the website led to its continued development and public launch. Currently, more than 12,400 groups have started family cookbooks using the website and have entered more than 267,000 individual recipes.

More than 2,000 sites from 45 countries were adjudicated in 96 industry categories during this year's WebAward competition. Entries were judged on design, copy writing, innovation, content, interactivity, navigation, and use of technology. The competition was judged by a team of independent Internet professionals representing a variety of relevant disciplines of Web site development. Judges included members of the media, advertising executives, site designers, creative directors, corporate marketing executives, content providers and webmasters.

The Family Cookbook Project is dedicated to helping individuals and families collect and preserve the time-honored recipes that are so important to our family traditions. The website at www.familycookbookproject.com provides step-by-step instructions and online tools to create a valuable family heirloom. Personalized cookbooks are also used by schools and church groups as important fundraisers. Groups looking to create cookbooks for fundraising efforts, can also check out www.cookbookfundraiser.com.

Posted by Bill at 11:40 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It's September and Back to School time. Time to get "everyone on the bus" and helping on The Best of the Family Cookbook Project Cookbook!

Well, Summer 2009 has come and gone. Hope you had a great one! Fall is coming officially on the 21st - but it's feeling like fall already with school back in session. So - time to get everyone busy adding and trying yummy recipes to your cookbook.

Believe it or not, the holiday season is almost upon us. Since family cookbooks make a wonderful gift, it’s no wonder why that is by far our busiest time of the year.

Thank you for using our state-of-the-art system to help create your family heirloom cookbook. We have valued your business and hope to continue to help you with your family or group cookbook.

Tips for Making a Holiday Deadline

In order to make sure you receive your cookbooks in time for sharing with your friends and family for the holidays, here are some tips from Family Cookbook Project.

Use the Reminder Tool to email contributors to enter in their best recipes so they can look forward to cookbook for the holidays.

Set a deadline so everyone knows when their recipes must be submitted by – and make sure you leave a few days for those contributors that will want to add a recipe or two after the deadline!

You do not have to wait until your recipe collection is completed to start working with the Publishing Tool. Pick a cover from our professionally designed assortment or design your own. Select your layout type face and dividers – just remember to click the save button and the system will remember your selection.

Don’t wait until the last minute. While our digital printing allows for some of the fastest turn-a-round times in the industry, printing is done on a first come first served basis. We are expecting and are prepared for a lot of editors to have their cookbooks printed in October and November. You don’t want to be the last in line – so place your order early!
Right now is the perfect time to get everyone involved - and print your book for the holidays!

Time to Reorder?

Need extra cookbooks for holiday gift giving? If you were planning to print more copies of that fabulous cookbook you created, now is the time to place that order!

Coming Soon to Family Cookbook Project

We are really excited here at Family Cookbook Project. Our site continues to help families, schools and churches bring people together to create wonderful cookbooks to share and treasure for years to come. To date we have editors have created more than 8,000 cookbooks with more than 49,000 contributors and nearly 200,000 recipes!

In the next week or so, we will be adding a "Facebook" type of email alert to help you get contributors involved. When someone adds a recipe into the system, all your contributors will get an email with the new recipe title, contributor name and a link to login and add a recipe. It won't be overwhelming - just one email per login session. Each of your contributors can also turn off notifications if they like, too. You as editor can also just turn off the whole feature from 'Edit Your Cookbook'

Featured recipe from the database

The Great Family Cookbook Project has a huge amount of public recipes in the system thanks to you! If you need a fun recipe idea that's not in your own cookbook, go to our home page and use the search function to see what's available - lots of good eats!

Here is a recipe we tried recently for a fun dinner side dish:

This recipe for Cheesy Squash Casserole, by Jayne Chapman, is from The Chapman Family Cookbook. Search for more great recipes here from over 200,000 in our family cookbooks!

Cheesy Squash Casserole Recipe
Contributor: Jayne Chapman

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Category: Vegetables and Vegetarian Dishes

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Ingredients: 4 lbs. yellow squash sliced
1 medium onion diced
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
2 cups cornflake crumbs
1/4 cup melted butter
1 (10 1/2 oz) can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 c. grated cheddar cheese

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Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook squash and onion in lightly salted boiling water until soft (about 20 minutes on medium). Drain and mash. Add all other ingredients but cheese and mix well. Put mixture into round baking dish and top with cheese. Bake 20 minutes or until cheese is hot and bubbly.

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Number Of Servings: 6-8
Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Editors Ideas - how to keep your contributors motivated

The holidays are coming. Remember, it may take a full 3 weeks to get your cookbooks at this time of year - so start today! When you do get together in the coming weeks, bring a printed recipe or two from your cookbook and hand them out. Let folks know that you plan to print the book soon - and get all their email addresses so you can add them to your book. Have fun!

Posted by Chip Lowell at 11:02 AM

Help us win recognition for www.FamilyCookbookProject.com and nominate our site simply by entering your email address below. You will then receive a single email. Click on the link and your nomination is counted!

Thanks for helping to make Family Cookbook Project a growing success. Don't forget to tell all of your friends to help out as well!

Posted by Bill at 08:43 AM

We often get people who are creating their personal cookbooks as a fundraiser or who would like to be able to sell extra copies to make money. Family Cookbook Project can now make this task much easier for you.

In January, we will be introducing a new Cookbook Marketing Kit that will give you everything you need to sell your cookbook in bookstores like Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Borders Books and many more. It includes:

* An ISBN number and barcode
* Listing your cookbook in BooksInPrint database
* Making your cookbook available for sale on Amazon.com
* Writing a press release to promote your cookbook to the media.

We are also working on a new Cookbook Showcase to highlight your cookbook online and gives visitors the opportunity to order cookbooks directly from you.

While this will not be available on FamilyCookbookProject.com until January, we are offering it to editors who are printing their cookbooks for the holidays. Send an email to bill@familycookbookproject.com for more information.

We are also working a number of other improvements for FamilyCookbookProject.com, including expanded audio help to explain how to use each of the editor’s tools. These will be introduced in the coming months to make Family Cookbook Project the easiest way to create a personal cookbook on the Internet.

Posted by Bill at 08:49 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Good luck to the Greater Seattle/Bellevue E-womenNetwork Cookbook Fundraiser. They have a goal to raise $6500 for the eWomenNetwork Foundation. To accomplish this, They need at least 300 recipes, which will be assembled into a spiral-bound cookbook with laminated covers. If we sell 500 cookbooks, we’ll meet our goal!

Guess what, this group choose www.cookbookfundraiser.com to help them collect the recipes, communicate with contributors and then print their fundraising cookbooks. My guess is that they are going to be a success.

Posted by Bill at 04:46 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Happy Independence Day, U.S.A.!

We hope you're doing well.

Thank you for using our state-of-the-art system to help create your family heirloom. We have valued your business and hope to continue to help you with your family or group cookbook.

It's 4th of July and family reunion time! If you are planning to have your family cookbook ready for your reunion, make sure to allow 2-3 weeks for printing and delivery. If you have a tight time crunch, let us know and we'll see what we can do to help.

If you don't plan to have your cookbook ready for summer - no problem! Right now is the perfect time to get everyone involved - and print your book for Thanksgiving and the holidays!

Featured recipe from the database
The Great Family Cookbook Project has surpassed 100,000 public recipes in the system thanks to you! If you need a fun recipe idea that's not in your own cookbook, go to our home page and use the search function to see what's available - lots of good eats!

Here is a recipe we tried recently for a fun appetizer:

This recipe for July 4th Blueberry Dessert, by Donna Field, is from The Field/Miller Family Cookbook Project. Search for more great recipes here from over 100,000 in our family cookbooks!

July 4th Blueberry Dessert Recipe

Contributor: Donna Field
Category: Desserts

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 c flour
1 stick oleo
1/2 c pecans

Mixture:
8 oz cream cheese
1 c powdered sugar
3/4 c cool whip
One can Comstock Blueberry Pie Filling

Directions:
Combine crust ingredients and press in buttered pan. Cook at 400º for 10 minutes. Cool.

Mixture: Combine softened cream cheese, powdered sugar and cool whip. (Use 1/2 for filling and 1/2 on top.) Add in can of blueberry pie filling. Mix all ingredients and fill crust. Put other half of mixture on top. Refrigerate.

Number Of Servings: 8-10
Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Editors Ideas - how to keep your contributors motivated

The holidays will be here before we know it. Remember, it may take a full 3 weeks to get your cookbooks at that time of year - so start today! When you do get together in the coming months, bring a printed recipe or two from your cookbook and hand them out. Let folks know that you plan to print the book in November or December - and get all their email addresses so you can add them to your book. Have fun!

Posted by Chip Lowell at 12:07 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Wow! Cookbook contributors in the FamilyCookbookProject.com have have now added over 100,000 recipes into family and fundraising cookbooks! That is just incredible. Actually, there are over 150,000 recipes in the system, but many folks choose to mark their recipes Private. But now, the internet has one of the highest numbers of recipes in any database available for searches on our recipe search page.

Want something fun for dinner? For a holiday? For a family reunion? Find something fun today!

Don't forget, you too can create your own family cookbook, bridal shower cookbook, wedding cookbook or family reunion cookbook - quickly and easily. Start right now and have yours ready in time for your family get together this summer.

Posted by Chip Lowell at 02:40 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I came across this website from Carrie J. Gamble called Grandmother's Cookbook which I think does a wonderful job of explaining why creating a family cookbook can be a wonderful, enriching experience.

Carrie explains:

For years I have wanted to launch this website for our cookbook, Grandmother's Cookbook. There had always been one thing or another to delay its creation. Recently in an unexpected turn of events I have been given a new determination to re-introduce Grandmother's Cookbook to the world. I am inspired once again to honor my grandmother and our family for its rich and interesting history.

At the age of 96 Elizabeth Rose von Hohen started a "new beginning." In September 2005 she moved into a nursing facility. In the process of helping her move, I have rediscovered our history. Vintage family photos, love letters sent from her husband, Erwin, in the early years of their marriage, letters from brothers written far from home as they served our country in World War II . . . these are just a few things that reminded me of things we should never forget. As I helped my grandmother go through her desk, we found remnates of the past in every drawer. Most everything in her desk had a "meaning" or sentimental attachment.

One particularly poignant find was a beautful postcard. The "Happy Easter" postcard of an angel holding pussy willows actually was used as a birth announcement of sorts. It was sent by Anna and Nicholas Griffaton to Anna's family back in Germany to announce the birth of their first child, Elizabeth Rosalia Griffaton, on April 1,1909. In German Anna writes, "we have a small angel like is on this card." This loving note was written by a daughter who missed her family dearly and was never to see them again.

In the moving process I was presented with another inspiration. I found a large box of letters which we received after Country Home magazine published a feature article about our book in their February 1994 issue. Of the thousands of letters my grandmother and I have received over the years, some got very personal. This box contained 50 such letters. I sat down and re-read each and every one of them. These letters amaze me! Some told of their similar family life growing up on a farm. Others said the article brought a tear to their eyes as it reminded them of their own treasured memories. Some told the story of how they met their husbands and described their own family traditions. The Country cooking style of comfort food recipes are a staple in many American homes that families just love. What made us feel so good was that every one said after reading the article they just knew they had to have a copy of Grandmother's Cookbook!

I think Carrie's Grandmother's Cookbook reminds us that a cookbook is more that just recipes. It tells the story of a family over time and helps future generations better appreciate those who have come before them. That is why the Family Cookbook Project works so hard to help families simplify the process of creating a family cookbook to preserve such memories.

Posted by Bill at 07:42 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The holidays are almost upon us and we would like to remind all of our Family Cookbook Project editors that if they are planning to give their family cookbook as gifts this year, they need to have their cookbooks finalized and order submitted and paid by Monday, December 3rd.

Posted by Bill at 02:53 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Family Cookbook Project has been recognized for the third year in a row by the Web Marketing Association’s 11th annual WebAward Competition for Web site development. The Family Cookbook Project creates personalized cookbooks for individuals, families, church groups and schools.

“The Great Family Cookbook Project is a website dedicated to helping families collect and preserve cherished recipes into a printed cookbook that can be passed down from one generation to the next,” says Chip Lowell, Technical Director of the Family Cookbook Project. “We are proud that our efforts have been recognized by the Web Marketing Association with this WebAward. We will continue to develop our site to help families, schools and church groups create both online and printed cookbooks that become treasured heirlooms.”

The Family Cookbook Project Website was started as a project in 2003 to help one family collect and organize a family cookbook. Overwhelming feedback from those who used the website led to its continued development and public launch. Currently, more than 4,400 groups have started family cookbooks using the website and have entered more than 112,000 individual recipes.

“Personalized cookbooks have been around since the 1950s, however the process of collecting and organizing recipes has always been a labor intensive project for the cookbook editor,” says Lowell. “Now it’s easy and cost effective to have your very own cookbook printed. The Family Cookbook Project website provides step by step instructions and tools to help cookbook editors invite others to participate and allow them to enter their favorite recipes directly into the online system. The editor then simply reviews and edits the recipes, selects printing options, and sends the cookbook to be printed. The finished printed cookbooks are then received by the editor in a few weeks time”.

More than 2,500 sites from 40 countries were adjudicated in 96 industry categories during this year's competition. Entries were judged on design, copy writing, innovation, content, interactivity, navigation, and use of technology. The competition was judged by a team of independent Internet professionals representing a variety of relevant disciplines of Web site development. Judges included members of the media, advertising executives, site designers, creative directors, corporate marketing executives, content providers and webmasters.

About the Web Marketing Association

Since 1997, the annual WebAward Competition is conducted by the Web Marketing Association, Inc. (www.WebMarketingAssociation.org), an independent organization founded with the purpose of evaluating and recognizing the standard of excellence on the World Wide Web. Its Web site is located at www.webaward.org. The Web Marketing Association also has established the Internet Advertising Competition (IAC Awards) and the Interactive Investor Relations Awards.

About the Family Cookbook Project

The Family Cookbook Project is dedicated to helping individuals and families collect and preserve the time-honored recipes that are so important to our family traditions. The website at www.familycookbookproject.com provides step-by-step instructions and online tools to create a valuable family heirloom. Personalized cookbooks are also used by schools and church groups as important fundraisers.

Posted by Bill at 10:26 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Family Cookbook Project (www.familycookbookproject.com) has been named the Best Family Website of 2006 by the Web Marketing Association’s tenth annual WebAward Competition for Web site development. The Family Cookbook Project creates personalized cookbooks for individuals, families, church groups and schools. This is the second consecutive year that Family Cookbook Project was selected for this prominent award.

“The Great Family Cookbook Project is a website dedicated to helping families collect and preserve cherished recipes into a printed cookbook that can be passed down from one generation to the next,” says Chip Lowell, Technical Director of the Family Cookbook Project. “We are proud that our efforts have been recognized by the Web Marketing Association with this WebAward. We will continue to develop our site to help families, schools and church groups create both online and printed cookbooks that become treasured heirlooms.”

The Family Cookbook Project Website was started as a project in 2003 to help one family collect and organize a family cookbook. Overwhelming feedback from those who used the website led to its continued development and public launch. Currently, more than 2,400 groups have started family cookbooks using the website and have entered more than 58,000 individual recipes.

“Personalized cookbooks have been around since the 1950s, however the process of collecting and organizing recipes has always been a labor intensive project for the cookbook editor,” says Lowell. “Now it’s easy and cost effective to have your very own cookbook printed. The Family Cookbook Project website provides step by step instructions and tools to help cookbook editors invite others to participate and allow them to enter their favorite recipes directly into the online system. The editor then simply reviews and edits the recipes, selects printing options, and sends the cookbook to be printed. The finished printed cookbooks are then received by the editor in a few weeks time”.

More than 2,300 sites from 35 countries were adjudicated in 96 industry categories during this year's competition. Entries were judged on design, copy writing, innovation, content, interactivity, navigation, and use of technology. The competition was judged by a team of independent Internet professionals representing a variety of relevant disciplines of Web site development. Judges included members of the media, advertising executives, site designers, creative directors, corporate marketing executives, content providers and webmasters.

About the Web Marketing Association

Since 1997, the annual WebAward Competition is conducted by the Web Marketing Association, Inc. (www.WebMarketingAssociation.org), an independent organization founded with the purpose of evaluating and recognizing the standard of excellence on the World Wide Web. Its Web site is located at www.webaward.org. The Web Marketing Association also has established the Internet Advertising Competition (IAC Awards) and the Interactive Investor Relations Awards.

About the Family Cookbook Project

The Family Cookbook Project is dedicated to helping individuals and families collect and preserve the time-honored recipes that are so important to our family traditions. The website at www.familycookbookproject.com provides step-by-step instructions and online tools to create a valuable family heirloom. Personalized cookbooks are also used by schools and church groups as important fundraisers.

Posted by Bill at 03:54 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)