For high school graduation, my mom made a really fantastic cookbook filled with all of our family’s favorite recipes. She typed them up, printed them out, and then organized them according to type in a three ring binder covered in pictures. So whenever I pulled out a recipe I’d see:
Jeff and me at senior prom on the spine of the book

a demented looking picture of my dog on the front

a picture with me and all my grandmothers (my great grandmother is the lady in the white) taken on graduation day, also on the front

and on the back, a giant 8 1/2 by 11 picture of Jeff and me before the graduation ceremony (by the way, ACK!)

Since one of my dreams for when I grow up is to be one of those people who are able to take pictures, print them off, and display them in frames around the house, I’ve really enjoyed this cookbook since it’s the only thing I have to show new friends pictures of my family. But, alas and alack, the plastic three ring binder has succumbed to its 9 year beating and has begun to fall apart. As a result, the recipes don’t stay in the rings very well anymore, so any additional recipes I print off, I just throw on top to save the notebook the hassle of coming undone and freeing dozens of well-loved recipes into the great unknown.
Notebook, I love you, but I’m afraid I have to retire you.

So, when I received my THIRD mortar and pestle for Christmas, I took it back to Sur La Table and found this:

This, is a brand spanking new recipe organizer book, marketed and manufactured by Bon Appetit magazine. I was dismayed that they used a personal cookbook organizer to be a mini-billboard, but, besides it being the only one they offered, the features were amazing.
First, there are sections for every aspect of meal-making, complete with a pretty picture and a corresponding recipe. They also have places for notes, folders for odds and ends, and inserts for new recipes.

But, the major selling point, is that it supports itself in the kitchen. The cover kicks its legs out and stands up for you! If that’s not service, I don’t know what is.

So, the other day, I held a memorial service for the old cookbook, stripped it of its contents, and laid it to rest. The new cookbook just barely contains the recipes, but it works, it’s beautiful, and extremely convenient to use. (In case you were wondering, the bottom half-inch stack of recipes is desserts. My mom’s answer to world peace is a stick of butter and a cup of brown sugar.)

And as for the photos, I’m thinking I’ll buy some frames and display the pictures around the house. But I might need somebody to direct me to the frame aisle…