The Family Cookbook Project

Category: FamilyCookbookProject.com

  • More Of What Users are Saying About FamilyCookbookProject.com

    During our recent survey of more than 2,000 cookbook editors, we asked them to please tell us in their own words about your experience creating a family cookbook with Familycookbookproject.com. Here are what some of them said:

    I love being able to share recipes easily between myself and other family members. In addition, I have accessed the cookbook many times from my phone when I am traveling or grocery shopping. I hope to print it one day for my children and grandchildren, but it is still a work in progress!

    I was so happy to find a site that I could create and print a family cookbook. My children are always wanting recipes and what a better way than to have it all in one place for them when they need it. The website is so easy to use. I am almost finished with Home with the Hamiltons cookbook and I can’t wait to see the end result! – Janet

    My mom has dementia and is quickly looking memories, I wanted to save as many memories as possible for me, my brothers and our kids. I also wanted to include recipes from family members that have already passed so they would not be forgotten. – Nancy, Hosiner family cookbook

    Loved the ease of adding new recipes. I also loved being able to search for recipes by either category or contributor. – Karah, Goetschius Family Cookbook

    Family Cookbook was a Godsend. We knew what we wanted and found them to be easy to work with. The end result is something we are still so proud of. We sold several hundred and are working on #2 due to the success of our first family cookbook. We have presold over 100 just by sending out an email. We are a family of good cooks and honestly, Family cookbook helped us every step of the way and will on #2! Thanks so much. – Cheryl,  Four Sisters Cookbook

    Such an amazing way for families to consolidate all their recipes no matter how far apart they are to create an heirloom for generations to come. Thanks Family Cookbook! – Katharine,  WhoDat Family Favorites

    I really enjoyed working on our first TOPS Chapter cookbook using Family Cookbook Project, It took much longer to collect recipes from the ladies than to edit the book. My next project is to collect my favorite family recipes to make a new cookbook for myself!

    Collecting family recipes and compiling them into a family cookbook has been a wonderful adventure and a fun trip down memory lane as I fondly remember amazing family dinners full of laughter and delicious food!

     

    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. This website has helped thousands of families and groups coordinate the creation of personalized cookbooks by 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. Start your own cookbook today at www.FamilyCookbookProject.com.

     

  • What Users are Saying About FamilyCookbookProject.com

    During our recent survey of more than 2,000 cookbook editors, we asked them to please tell us in their own words about your experience creating a family cookbook with Familycookbookproject.com. Here are what some of them said:

     

    It is a delight looking through The Matthews Family Cookbook Project. My Mom passed away recently and it always brings a smile to my face seeing her recipes in print.–Amy Spino

    It was a lot of work, but I had a great time putting it together. Didn’t advertise, just let locals know via FB. Was overwhelmed with compliments and sales. Received many letters thanking me for doing this cookbook. So pleased with the results and plan to do a Vol.III and offer to sell through stores, etc. So much fun! – Linda, Favorite Recipes from Wardell Party Home, Vol. 2

    We sold 526 cookbooks in 14 months and made a net profit of $5,172. Mr Lowell was quick to respond to my questions. The cookbook was completed in 3 months, 461 recipes. The funds allowed us to support many of our outreach programs. I highly recommend familycookbookproject.com.– Glendale Christian Church Ladies Circle Cookbook, Donna, Editor.

    The Eaton, Jorae, & Plunkett Reunion Remembrances Cookbook was done to celebrate the 100th year our Eaton descendants coming together. We decided that a cookbook and bookmarks were the winners over t-shirts, hats, mugs, etc. Everyone was invited to participate and directions were shared. It was a labor of love. With Gail as our’ editor, Family Cookbook Project guided us and our cookbook was published with ease. Thank you, guys

    Creating my cookbook was fun and easy! My family and I completed ours together as a memorial to my grandfather who was an amazing baker. During the process we were able to share stories of growing up in his kitchen and now we have those to pass on to the next generation.

    I had been looking for an affordable cookbook site to compile a family cookbook as a gift to my grandchildren, nieces, nephews and cousins. This is the first site I found that could fill my needs. The site is user-friendly, provides easy editing and numerous options. When I had a couple of questions, I received a surprisingly quick response. I haven’t completed the book but am enjoying the process.

    I created one for my family and friends. When I talked about how much we enjoyed it with my church family, they wanted to do one for the church.

    This was a great way to assemble family favorites and connect personal stories and memories to each. It was a gift of good taste and memories that I could leave to my family since I had been diagnosed with a serious illness last summer…..book and I am still here! Great Christmas gift! – Lore of the Mmmm, Yumm, Funn Family Cookbook

     

    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. This website has helped thousands of families and groups coordinate the creation of personalized cookbooks by 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. Start your own cookbook today at www.FamilyCookbookProject.com.

     

  • What To Do Once You’ve Printed Your Cookbook

    You’ve done it. You have collected your recipes, got others to contribute their recipes, picked a cover and recipe layouts and used Family Cookbook Project.com to publish your very own cookbook.

    Now what?

    The good news is just because you publish your first cookbook doesn’t mean that you have to be done.

    Here are some ideas on how to continue using your Family Cookbook Project.com account

    Online recipe box. Many people find that they continue adding new recipes to their account even after publishing and printing their personal cookbook. It’s easy to add recipes and it’s convenient to have them all in one place.

    Use the mobile app – Access to your online recipes is only a few clicks away with the award-winning Family Cookbook Project mobile app for both Apple iPhones and android devices.

    Print a second volume for your family cookbook – Often times once a book is printed new people see its value and want to contribute recipes. Creating a second volume for your family cookbook is a great way to get additional people involved and to keep the project alive.

    Create a Best of cookbook – Our family cookbook has over 250 recipes but I personally have about 50 that I like cooking all the time. I created a separate cookbook just of my go to recipes which allows me to find what I’m looking for so much quicker. I printed one copy and keep it right into the kitchen where I can find it quickly.

    Create a personal cookbook – If you have created a family cookbook, you were allowed only to include so many of your recipes in order to give everyone a chance to participate. Consider creating a cookbook with just your recipes which will allow you to enter many more then or in the family cookbook.

     

    Bill Rice is founder and Co-Publisher of the Great Family Cookbook Project, a website that helps families and individuals collect and share food memories through customized printed cookbooks filled with treasured recipes. Follow us on Facebook and Pinterest!

  • Why Create A Family Cookbook Project?

    We asked the editors of the Family Cookbook Project “Why did you create your family cookbook project?”

    Of the more than 2,000 editors who responded to the survey, here are the most popular reasons given to start of family cookbook:

    70% To save family recipes for future generations

    35% To create one source for all my recipes

    34% To give as gifts

    22% To bring my family together

    20% Because it was fun

    Comments most often included the cookbook was used to honor a mother or grandmother and help keep their memory alive after their passing.

    Here are a sample of some of the other comments we received about why they began a family cookbook project.

    Fundraiser to help the church update the fellowship hall.

    Special gift for my son and new daughter in law for their bridal shower.

    Wedding Favors

    I needed a central location for all my recipes.

    To make these recipes available to more people in my family.

    Everyone would always tell me to write a cookbook !!

    My son and family gave it to me as a gift and now I do want to save the family recipes for future generations

    Fundraiser for my son’s school in Arlington Tx.

    To bring co-workers together.

    It helped my sister and I have something to do together with miles separating us. It also helped us for us on the positive things in our lives as my brother in laws health was failing.

    To honor a deceased friend who was a great cook.

    The first cookbook was as a wedding celebration gift for a young member of our family. The purpose of the second cookbook was multi-factoral: 1) we wanted to create an archive/bank for family recipes and photos that were being hoarded by some family members, 2) we wanted to bring the family together, 3) we wanted to create enthusiasm for a family reunion, 4) we wanted to subtly remind family members that all our ancestors were immigrants., hoping to dampted the mean-spirited banter about immigrants that would have been antithetical to all our ancestors’ values.

    To celebrate our town’s 100 year anniversary.

    It was started because someone that I cared about was deployed to Afghanistan. He loved to cook so I told him that I would send him a recipe a day until he was back on American soil. He loved it and sometimes would write about some changes he wanted to make to a recipe. We were going to print it when he got back. I now want to put together a family cookbook because I found how easy it was.

     

     

     

    Bill Rice is founder and Co-Publisher of the Great Family Cookbook Project, a website that helps families and individuals collect and share food memories through customized printed cookbooks filled with treasured recipes. Follow us on Facebook and Pinterest!

     

  • Sports Teams Can Raise Money with Team Cookbooks

    Team sports are a great way to instill valuable life lessons to our youth. Teamwork, hard work, perseverance, how to both win and lose. These things are learned by being part of a team. However the cost for running team sport program can be more than what many families can afford.  Team organizers often turn to fundraisers to help defray the costs of expenses like gear, travel, field and court time and more.

    For many years, youth football programs, youth soccer programs, cheer squads, have used fundraising cookbooks as a way to bring the team and it’s community together. The team members share their family food traditions and at the same time create a lasting reminder of their membership on the team and even or raise funds for worthy causes.

    Family Cookbook Project, using the power of the Internet, has been helping teams create team fundraiser cookbooks successfully and profitably. Our step by step guidance and simple online make creating a successful fundraising cookbook a breeze.

    Family Cookbook Project recently added 5 new sports-themed cookbook cover option to our already extensive offerings. And more are on the way!

    Cheer Fundraising Cookbook Soccer Fundraising Cookbook Cheerleading Fundraiser Cookbook Soccer Fundraiser Cookbook Football Fundraising Cookbook

     

     

     

     

     

    To start your own team fundraising cookbook project, go to our fundraising specific site www.CookbookFundraiser.com

     

    Bill Rice is founder and Co-Publisher of the Great Family Cookbook Project, a website that helps families and individuals collect and share food memories through customized printed cookbooks filled with treasured recipes. Follow us on Facebook and Pinterest!

  • Why Blank Pages are Important in a Family Cookbook

    One of the questions we get a lot as Cookbook Publishers is “how do I remove the blank pages in my cookbook?”

    It seems that when people preview their family cookbook on FamilyCookbookProject.com, they see the cover, then a blank page, then the title page, then another blank page, and so on. They want those blank pages eliminated to lower the cost of printing.

    In publishing, especially cookbook publishing, a cookbook needs to be laid out in a specific way in order for the most important pages to be on the right side when the book is opened. Think about it, Whenever you open a book, the title page is the first thing you see and it is always on the right page of a two page spread. Same goes for the Introduction, Table of Contents and the section dividers.

    On FamilyCookbookProject.com, if you create a preview cookbook PDF, you want to open it in your Adobe Reader program and select the option to view “Facing Pages” or “Double-up” (look under the View menu), you’ll see how the pages back up to each other.

    Now with that said, there is no reason why those pages have to be blank. The inside front cover can have a family photo photo or bio of the cookbook editor. The same goes for other blank pages as well. If your introduction is one page and after it is a blank page, consider writing more, adding a photo or even making the text larger to fill up that extra space.

    One benefit form using FamilyCookbookProject.com is that we provide a complete set of handy kitchen information that can be used on the back of the recipe category dividers with the touch of a button.

    Bill Rice is founder and Co-Publisher of the Great Family Cookbook Project, a website that helps families and individuals collect and share food memories through customized printed cookbooks filled with treasured recipes. Follow us on Facebook and Pinterest!

  • How Family Cookbook Project Stacks Up

    A while back Family Cookbook Project did an informal survey of other cookbook publisher to see how our online cookbook software compared to the competition. We were very pleased at what we found:

    Recipe Collection

    US THEM*
    Email blast to invite recipe contributors Yes No
    Email reminders to some or all contributors to keep motivated Yes No
    A growing message library that you can use to keep contributors motivated Yes No
    Online storage of recipes Yes No
    Send email of individual recipes easily Yes No
    Show how many times a recipe has been viewed online Yes No
    Track which contributors have logged in and how many recipes they have entered Yes No
    Track and list recipes by contributor Yes No
    Offers a unique URL for contributors to reach your website Yes No
    Offers an online forum for sharing cookbook ideas and questions Yes No
    Allow contributors to edit their own recipes Yes No
    Lock recipe input for final editing Yes No
    Monthly newsletter with editor tips and helpful ideas Yes No
    Online audio help to make entering recipes easy Yes No

    Cookbook Design

    US THEM*
    Offers pre designed color covers and dividers Yes Yes
    Lets you design your own custom covers and dividers at no cost Yes Some
    Offers unlimited sections and dividers Yes No
    Offers unlimited free black & white photos in cookbook Yes No
    Offers several recipe layouts to choose from Yes Yes
    Offers Non-continued recipes FREE Yes No
    Offers Graphics clipart and Quotation filler FREE Yes No
    Lets you see cookbook proof for each recipe layout if you wish Yes No
    Online audio help to make designing and editing your cookbook easy Yes No

    Cookbook Printing

    US THEM*
    Low minimum print orders – just 5 copies Yes No
    Offers online tool to determine how many copies your contributors will want Yes No
    Fast printing turnaround using 100% digital high speed printers Yes Some
    Online audio help to make printing your cookbook easy Yes No

     

    We are so confident that you will find Family Cookbook Project print prices so affordable that we offer you the ability to download a high resolution PDF file of your completed cookbook and take it to another printer if you wish.

    If you are interested in selling your family cookbook or creating a fundraising cookbook, Family Cookbook Project also helps you sell your cookbook at a profit.

    Cookbook Promotion

    US THEM*
    Online profit calculator Yes Some
    Sample promotion information Yes Some
    Offers ISBN numbers and bar codes Yes No
    Gets your cookbook listed on Amazon.com Yes No
    Gets your cookbook offered on eBay Yes No

     

    Bill Rice  is Co-Publisher of the Great Family Cookbook Project, a website that helps families and individuals collect and share food memories. Create your own customized cookbook today. Follow us on Facebook and Pinterest!

  • Family Cookbook Project included on Amazing Christmas Gifts To Impress Your Older Parents

    Family Cookbook Project was highlighted in an article on the publishing platform Fubbing Website entitled 20 Amazing Christmas Gifts To Impress Your Older Parents

    According to Jacob Jacobowitz, the article author, It can be difficult to keep digging up gift ideas each year for your parents. They’ve have had decades of Christmases and nothing seems to surprise them anymore. He found 20 great ideas that will put this tortuous time behind you. There are great gifts to foster healthy living, taking up a hobby and generally enjoying life. With this catalog of ideas, you can just keeping coming back!

    Family Cookbook Project software was listed as #4 on the list!

     

     

  • How to Motivate Your Family Cookbook Recipe Contributors

    As with any family project, getting everyone to contribute can be a challenge, especially if they have not seen the end product beforehand.

    Here are some tips to keep your Family Cookbook Project contributors motivated:

    The more the merrier – Be sure to include everyone, not just the great cooks. Everyone likes to be asked to participate and the more you invite, the more recipes you’ll likely get. To add contributors and send an email invitation, > Use the Invitation Tool

    Set a reasonable deadline – Set the submission deadline on the “Project Information Editor” page, but don’t set it too far in the future. We all tend to put off whatever we can and contributing recipes is often one of those things. A month is usually enough time to give everyone to find the recipes they want to contribute and get them entered. Two things to remember: most of the recipes will come in just in time for the deadline and second, you can always extend the deadline if you want more recipes.

    Send regular updates – Use the Reminder Tool to email some or all of your contributors on a regular basis. Remind them of the deadline and ask them to meet a specific goal, like “please add one or two recipes to each category”.

    Target the biggest recipe boxes – Every family has a handful of people who are known for their cooking (you are most likely one of them in your family!). Send a personal message to them either using the remainder tool or reaching out by telephone, Facebook or with a personal visit. People are flattered when their skills are recognized. Let them know the cookbook would not be complete without their contributions.

    Ask for specific recipes – Send a reminder to everyone asking for a specific recipe from your family’s past that will get everyone thinking of past gatherings. Include your memories of that dish or the person who created it. It might help remind everyone why putting together a family cookbook is important.

    Use social media – As you add your own recipes to your family cookbook, it is easy to post them to Facebook or pin them to Pinterest. Sharing your recipes this way shows other family members that you are contributing and shows them they should as well.

    Bill Rice is founder and Co-Publisher of the Great Family Cookbook Project, a website that helps families and individuals collect and share food memories through customized printed cookbooks filled with treasured recipes. Follow us on Facebook and Pinterest!

  • How to Take Great Food Photos for Your Recipes

    They say a picture is worth a thousand words and with recipes that is especially true.

    It’s wonderful to read a list of ingredients and see the potential in a recipe, but to look at the finished product can make your mouth water!

    Family Cookbook Project highly recommends adding a photo to every recipe you can in your online cookbook. It helps people to see what to expect when they follow your recipe and gives them a standard to meet when comparing their finished dish to the original.

    With the advent of digital camera built into cell phones, you don’t have to be a professional photographer to take good food photos.

    Here are some pointers to help improve your recipe photos:

    Use Natural Light – Make sure that the light is right – shoot the food either next to a bright window or under a pendant light in the restaurant. Don’t use your camera’s flash! Set your dish near a window and turn off any artificial lights that might be on nearby. Try to photograph with the light at your back or to the side of a dish, so that the shadows are to the side or behind it. 

    Hold Still – Taking photos inside, even with ample natural light, often means you have to hold the camera very still to keep it from registering hand shake. If you have a tripod, that’s ideal. If you don’t, you can duplicate the tripod effect by resting your elbows on the table or counter and using them to stabilize the camera. Moving the camera when taking a photo will only lead to blurry unusable photos. 

    Get close to the food! – Don’t stand back three feet and get the food with the stove, the dirty dishes, and all the condiments around it. Move in and get up close and personal, and let the pan…or the plate…or the cutting board fill the frame.  

    Stage the shot – The food isn’t the only thing in the photo. Using plates, silverware and linens in complementary colors can help your dish come alive. Shoot food on a beautiful plate or on a table with texture and character. The more appetizing the ingredients, the better your photo will be. Plates that contain colored vegetables and/or meat, preferably in light-colored sauces, are often the most appealing to the eye in photos. Also Don’t be Afraid of a mess. A few crumbs or a smear of dressing can be beautiful, if you let them. 

    Focus on the food –  If you are using a DSLR, stop down your lens to f/1.8 or f/2.0 that limits your depth of field to one part of the image only, blurring out everything around the subject, simulating a shot taken with a macro lens. If you are using an iPhone, there are apps, such as Camera+ or VSCO Cam, that will create the same effect. Remember, you want the food to be the main focus, not the background. 

    Try different angles –  Get up over the food and shoot straight down on it. When shooting overheads, if appropriate, try filling up the frame with what’s already on the table such as cups, wine glasses, utensils and moving hands. You can also  think in three dimensions, You might not usually serve brownies piled in a vertical column, but stacking any flat food, like pancakes, cookies, or even onion rings, is a great way to show off texture and make the photo more appealing. You can also add dimension to your food photos by showing the dish right after the that first bite is taken, or the second and third. These are little details that make a viewer feel like they’ve sat down and are enjoying the meal. 

    Get Close to Ugly Foods  – Some foods, no matter how good they taste, just don’t make good photos. But the closer you get to your subject, the more the visual story becomes about texture and color, rather than pure mouth-watering beauty.Avoid foods that are white and gloppy, such as congealed gravy on white pasty mashed potatoes. 

    Size Matters –  Make sure your camera settings are set for a good sized photo. Small photos look blurry when they are enlarged on line. A photo viewed online only has to be 72 dpi (dots per inch, the measure for quality), but if you are going to print your photo, you want it to be at least 300 dpi. 600 pixels wide (a measurement for size) is a good target for minimum photo size.

    Using other’s photos – It is important to note that the Internet makes it easy to find photos of recipes already taken. While this might be much easier, the photo still is the property of whomever holds the rights. Don’t always assume that because a photo is on the Internet you can simply use it for your recipe. Make sure you ask permission from the owner before you use it.

     

    Bill Rice takes more than 20,000 photos a year and is Co-Publisher of the Great Family Cookbook Project Project, a website that helps families and individuals collect and share food memories. Follow us on Facebook and Pinterest!