Kids in the kitchen
As someone who is always trying out new ways to get kids to eat different foods and families to come back to the dinner table, I was pleasantly surprised when last week while watching Top Chef, they were having kids being the sous chefs. The children were creating meals with the actual chefs who were competing to become the Top Chef. Looking at their proud faces you knew they truly felt joy from the experience. They presented their dishes to the panel and some of the dishes had strange ingredients especially when we think of kids we think chicken McNuggets. It showed me, if kids are part of the process they might even try something new! Who Knew?
The next morning I turned on the television and here was a tag line from a commercial that said, "You are not just cooking, you are creating memories." As person who promotes writing memory cookbooks I thought to myself, "they are right and more people need to hear it." Each time a kid helps out in the kitchen they are building memories. And we know that each time we sit down at the table to eat, we are build families. So families are created and memories too.
Then I thought, I wonder how many of you are having your kids help with your cookbook. It might be another way of building memories and family. Most of your children have better computer skills than you. So why not have them help. They can help input recipes and help design the cover. In my cd "A Plate Full of Memories" I only suggested having the kids help with the testing of the recipes. But they can do so much more. Once the food is cooked for testing then the kids can take the photographs of the food. They can download the photos and even cut and paste them into the final cookbook draft. They also can teach you about what they are doing so your computer skills improve. Building memories and building families. Maybe the tittle of their responsibilities could be sous cookbook writer?
The next morning I turned on the television and here was a tag line from a commercial that said, "You are not just cooking, you are creating memories." As person who promotes writing memory cookbooks I thought to myself, "they are right and more people need to hear it." Each time a kid helps out in the kitchen they are building memories. And we know that each time we sit down at the table to eat, we are build families. So families are created and memories too.
Then I thought, I wonder how many of you are having your kids help with your cookbook. It might be another way of building memories and family. Most of your children have better computer skills than you. So why not have them help. They can help input recipes and help design the cover. In my cd "A Plate Full of Memories" I only suggested having the kids help with the testing of the recipes. But they can do so much more. Once the food is cooked for testing then the kids can take the photographs of the food. They can download the photos and even cut and paste them into the final cookbook draft. They also can teach you about what they are doing so your computer skills improve. Building memories and building families. Maybe the tittle of their responsibilities could be sous cookbook writer?
Hello, Hella!
First, I would like to tell you that I just LOVE your new look! Nice! Very nice!
Well, for years now I have been working on our family cookbook. I have two sons, ages 21 and 23, and since there were tots, they have been in the kitchen, right along side of me! Having seen my two brothers in the kitchen, able to cook, and seeing male friends of ours NOT in the kitchen and UNABLE to cook, I decided very early on that my boys WILL know how to cook. And can they cook! Additionally, I am so glad to have taken pictures of them doing this as they are playing VERY WELL with the creation of this cookbook! I am pleased to also say that they, too, are partaking in its creation. Especially my youngest son. He has led me to sites where there is artwork galore, and artwork which is compatible with the theme of our cookbook. I agree with you wholeheartedly, Hella, about getting the family involved with the cookbook -- on any level...even if just posing for pictures! Those, too, can be incorporated to the cookbook. I have many photos of the boys from around 2-1/2 to 3 years old thru today, whereby they are in the kitchen helping prepare a meal. When my one son started to recall the events around one certain photo, I almost fell over! "THAT'S IT!", screamed in my head! Jackpot! So what is even nicer nice about those photos is all the recall that the boys have, what they remember about them. . . of when they were taken, what they were helping make, what happened when we were eating it, etc., and even THOSE stories are included in the cookbook! This cookbook project is turning out to be more successful than that which I could have ever dreamed and hoped for! And I thank you, too, Hella, for having a great product to help with this, and for your website, all of which is a great assist in bringing this cookbook project to fruition! I always look forward to receiving your Newsletter and any ideas you have to share with us!
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Hella, as you probably already know from all our correspondence, I have been working on our family heritage cookbook for several years now. Countless hours, days, weeks, and even months, have been spent searching the internet for information, software, templates, clip art, etc., including searching for somebody or some place, which would print my cookbook and have it look "professional".
During all this surfing, I have come across any number of things which have caused concern with these "internet publishers" and reasons why we, as individuals, should not use an internet publisher.
Like so many others out there who are doing this very same thing -- trying to "preserve" our family heritage -- the number of HOURS we have spent on this project are countless. It has been hard work from the very start. It is for all this, and more, that we must ensure that our hard work is not jeopardized in any way, shape or form.
Here are some concerns I've encountered during this cookbook project. While all of these are important, reason #6 is the one which concerns me most.
1. Will the company be around? For how long?
What happens if the website service closes, or shuts down, for whatever reason. This may – or may not -- happen today. Perhaps tomorrow? Next year? It CAN happen! In fact, not too long ago, Better Homes and Gardens -- yeah, the HUGE magazine which has been around for decades -- has shut down their on-line cookbook. If it can happen to -- and/or be done by -- a conglomerate such as they are, that should "warn" us about the "little guys".
2. What happens if the recipes vanish? Is there a backup?
Stories exist of people entering all their recipes online and for whatever reason, they just vanish. Poof! Gone! YOU may have all your work backed up on disk or CD (and if you don't, shame on you!!! Do it NOW!) – but do they? If they do, how long will they store it? Are they going to charge you? If not now, they may. Nothing is “free” forever! Despite having a disk or CD, you usually cannot use that to repost all your hard work!
3. What if those "publishers" become difficult? They change what they initially offered you?
For now, it may be free to use these companies, but what about two years from now? Five years? They may need to expand their storage capabilities, they will need to hire people to manage this, troubleshoot, oversee it, etc. That costs money. That will be expenses they will pass on to you. What if they suddenly start flooding you with ads? If you build up a huge collection of recipes online, it will be difficult to just walk away.
(oops! Exceeded your character count! Will continue with another post!)
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4. How likely is it that you will share your family recipes with your son or daughter, or even your grandchildren, if it is a "bookmark" on some web page?
Sitting in front of a computer is a very lonely place. Handing somebody a printed cookbook is socializing! What I’m about to say may be morbid, but bear with me for a moment here…. Let's pretend you just died. How likely is it that your family members will "stumble into your family recipes" which you have stored at website WXYZ, filed or saved under the user name GrannyHella'sSecretRecipes4921754019438???? NOT! It's just NOT going to happen!
5. Who wants to look up a recipe on the computer when your hands are covered in gooey, sticky dough?
You say, “I'll start making the stew as soon as my computer boots up….and as soon as the ISP starts….and as soon as I log on….and as soon as I do a search for the recipe….and as soon as I do the search again because I typed it in wrong….and now I have to do this all over again….and….and….and….and then...oh forget about it! We’re ordering out fora pizza!
And now, we face the dreaded “small print” dilemma.
6. How comfortable are you SURRENDERING CONTROL OF YOUR property? YOUR hard work? How are you going to feel, or react, when you no longer have ANY say over how YOUR FAMILY recipes will be used? First, you MUST CAREFULLY read the license agreements these online publishers/recipe websites have. Once you read them, you will notice that even though YOU OWN the recipes, THEY MAINTAIN THE PUBLISHING RIGHTS – of YOUR PROPERTY!!! They CAN -- and have -- make YOUR recipes and/or cookbook THEIRS!!! AND, what is even worse, (if things CAN worsen?!), they will NOT -- nor are they “required to” -- PAY YOU or OWE you one single penny!!! Nothing! Nada!
While there are internet companies out there of all sorts, not ALL of them are honest. Not all of them are what they claim to be. It's difficult to do business when you cannot see who you are dealing with, when you cannot "hear" them when they "speak" to you thru emails, PM's, and such.
Care really must be taken when dealing with internet companies, especially when you are going to be turning over to them something which is so PRICELESS to you. Can you afford to replace PRICELESS??? I know I cannot!
That pricelessness has got to be the #1 reason why I highly recommend and advise any of you who are doing any such cookbook, or have plans to do one, that you use Hella's program! She really has put together a product which is thorough, complete, user friendly....and should you have any problems (which I doubt you will!), you can readily reach Hella via her email address. She is very prompt in replying to your emails, and very thorough in explaining.
If you have not yet purchased her CD, you really need to do it now! Several friends have joined the fun here and are equally excited about creating their cookbook.
If you haven't ordered Hella's CD, you need to do that now!
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Pondering where to draw the line between "heritage" family recipes and something that someone will actually cook. Example: for special occasions my husband's mother and aunts made tortes found in the old Milwaukee-published "Settlement Cookbook." The Dobos torte has 7 layers and takes hours to make as does my husband's favorite Vienna torte. Who has time to do that nowadays?
Maybe it needs to be part history and part practical -- to send the message: "That was then, this is now."
Have to work on this!
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Helen, I was met with the same dilemma and chose to do a "short cut" (shorter/faster) version. When my son received the cookbook, read thru it and came upon the recipe which was cut down, he was not only upset, he was "hurt"! One of his favorites, for certain, but also one which had carried so very many memories for him... To make it "better" for him, I went back and wrote the recipe as it was, when I would make it for him. I got the book back from him (unknown to him and thru his wife) and had removed and replaced that specific recipe. The next day his wife said to him, "Honey, let's make this...check the ingredients to see we have everything we need to make it..." As he read thru the recipe, he quickly noticed it had been replaced. This happened about a year ago, now, and to this day, he continues to thank me for giving him not only the recipe, but giving him "back" those MEMORIES. You may want to consider the memory aspect of your recipes before altering them. For us, we leraned that there are some things you just do not "skimp" on. It was a painful lesson, but worth it
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