As I’ve said before I often use the Taste of Home recipe magazines to create my weekly menu plans. I really am addicted to these magazines which means my collection has grown over time. Keeping track of recipes I want to try and “keeper” recipes can be a challenge. A couple of weeks ago my friend Annie over at Reflections of a Godly Girl shared how she keeps track of her favorite recipes. So this week I’d like to share how I keep track of my favorite “magazine” recipes. I use a recipe journal.
First here is a picture of my magazine recipe collection. I have these sorted by magazine type (ie: Quick Cooking, Light and Tasty, etc) and date:
Here is the recipe journal I use:
I have a section I can keep track of recipes I want to try but more importantly at the back (as pictured above) is where I record the “favorite” recipes. Recipes that the family approves of and that I would definitely make again. I just jot down the name of the recipe, the magazine it came from, the date and month of the magazine and of course the page number. Saves me so much time and frustration. Works wonderfully!
For more great tips head on over to Rocks in My Dryer to see the list of links!
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{ 32 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m addicted to Martha Stewart magazines and I have an entire bookshelf full of them, can you believe it?
I have a recipe journal…it’s a huge 3 ring binger with divider tabs and everything. I keep each page in a page protector. I love it!
Anyway, thanks for sharing this tip. It’s nice to know there’s another recipe addict out there like me. :)
I’ve posted a WFMW tip as well, involving instructions on creating blogger categories. Please stop by and take a peek. :)
Wow, so organized! Our tip is up and we’re also hosting the Carnival of the Vanities today – busy day in duck-land!
I love this idea, I have a menu binder but sometimes I hate ripping the pages out of magazines..so I’m gonna go buy a few of those magazine holders and put up in my kitchen! Thanks for the tip!!
What a great tip for remembering what recipes your family liked and where they are. I spend way too much time searching. I ought to try this….
That is brilliant. I’ve tried so many different ways of keeping track of my have tried/want to try recipes, but nothing has worked. Your way is so SMART!
Yep I did the samething (have mags for cooking) I took our favorites out of the mags and placed them in clear slip covers and then categorized them in black binders. I dont know how people throw away the mags they are like recipe books :)
That’s so much better than a bunch of torn out pages stuffed in a recipe book!
Okay, I say this A LOT on WFWM, but I really need to do this. I, too, like the Reiman publications, and I have tried all sorts of things to keep track of where the recipes we like are. . . . I could do this. This would work for my cookbooks etc etc. And if I was in a cooking rut, I could just refer to the journal.
Here’s my tip for those magazines–as I am reading them, I highlight the title of the recipes I think we will like, and also highlight it on the table of contents page. That way, I could open it up, look at the chicken section, and pick one to try.
Laura your Taste of Home collection looks like mine :)
Great idea on the journal, going to have to find one myself :)
i need to come up with something for my cookbooks….i have tons and i have a couple of favorite recipes in each book.
p.s. i love the new layout of your blog….SO CUTE!!!!
This is a terrific idea. I try to jot down “successful” recipes, but I’m not very faithful about it and I don’t have a formal place to jot them. I need to create a recipe journal like yours. Thanks!
Looks great! I like the way you have all the magazines in such a neat little area. Me…I have no mercy. I just cut out the recipes I like from the old issue when a new issue comes in. I keep the cutouts in a recipe file. Eventually, I get to many of them, LOL! (Emphasis on ‘eventually.’)
That’s a great idea Laura. I’ve already told you my idea about saving a favourite recipe on the computer. It really does save the clutter of storing all the magazines. Plus you essentially are building your own recipe book without the hassle of tons of magazines.
Jenny I just love my recipe magazines. It’s the pictures that do it for me and I use them ALL the time so I’m pretty sure I could never part with them…lol. They sit on my recipe shelf so at some point my magazine collection will outnumber my other cookbooks and something will have to give (most likely the other cookbooks I have that I only occassionally use) because I have limited myself to the one shelf for cookbooks.
Organization is fun, huh?? I love it, too! Makes me feel like I’m sain. :-) Ours is up!
I received Taste of Home years ago. Haven’t had them for awhile. Might be fun to start getting it again!
Great organizing ideas. Of course I would expect nothing else coming from you! Miss Organized… :-)
Thats a very good idea my dear…now that I’ve started my subscription to taste of home again I’ll have to think about that. Oh and I forgot to give you that toy bin thing when I was there on Friday..next time!! Oh and Dixie Cat is doing great we’re loving her…and still no scratches on the Princess!!
This sounds like a great idea! I’m constantly looking for a recipe that I “remember” was in one of my magazines and get frustrated because I can’t find it. I’m going to have to reorganize and do this.
Also going to have to poke around your site, I’m hopelessly unorganized at this point and looking for pointers.
Thanks for the great tip!
Have a happy Wed!
I have two magazine holders full of TOH and QC magazines – I love them too! I like your idea of a recipe journal; I might have to give it a try!
Thanks for the idea!
Hi! Oh I used to love Taste of Home. I forced myself to give it up when I started eating more natural foods a while ago, and even though I’m no longer eating well, I am slowly getting back into it. I wish they had a “whole food” version of the cooking magazine. I loved everything about it!
I love your blog design!!
And I love to be organized! But lately it doesn’t seem like I’m very good at it. Do you make house calls??!!
I’ll be checking out some more of your tips.
Hi Laura, Thanks for the name comment. I think using the real name is much better too. :)
I meant to tell you….when you get the Bitter Apple make sure that 1st you spray your pointer and middle finger and coat the back of her tongue generously so that you sensitize her. It doesn’t hurt them at all. Don’t allow any water for 15 minutes…she will make a face and be grossed out but everything you spray it on she’ll leave alone!!!! I have heard of people having to “sensitize” twice b/c their dog was determined. LOL! ;-)
Love your blog! I will also be swiping some of your ideas as I reorganize my own kitchen. Thanks!!!
Laura –
I am browsing through your organizing archives today and found this goodie!
I, too, love those wonderful cooking magazines – especially the ones from Reiman Publishing (TofH, QC, L&T) and would keep them on a shelf similiar to yours (love those colorful holders – mine were the ugly black ones!). Then I got smart and started buying the annual cookbooks every year (which contains all the recipes from each publication in one volume).
I really like you’re idea of a recipe journal. I’m trying to incorporate my recipes to an online file (MasterCook is what I’m using now)and this would be a great way to transfer those family favorites over to MasterCook without having to copy the entire recipe!
Thanks for the great ideas!
Hi, my name is Jamie and I’m a Reiman publication addict. I have a 3 inch binder for each subscription. Each issue goes into a page protector, with the magazine folded with the index facing out. I highlight the recipes I try, so I can just scan the categories for what I’m looking for.
Laura I LOVE all of your great organizing advice. I think I could spend a whole day looking through all of your great tips. I have to say thank you for sharing your talents and you absolutely ROCK.
Terry
The more I read the more extied I get. I love the ideas for recipes.
Here’s my tip for keeping track of recipes in cookbooks. After I make a recipe, I always jot a comment on the page and date it. I can note any substitutions I made, who loved this recipe and who hated it, what side dishes go well with it, etc. Sometimes the comment is ‘yuck! don’t try this one again’.
If we liked it, I find the recipe in the index (usually in more than one place) and highlight the title and page number. It’s kind of like turning a published book into your personal recipe book.
I am excited to learn more ideas for organizing! I am especially in need of organizing my recipes. I too have tons of cooking magazines and not sure how to keep all my good recipes together.:)