Home Tips-Recipe Organization

Don't let your collection become a messy stack of papers. Keep everything together with these easy ideas.|Sara Anderson

Not Your Grandmother's Recipe Box
Don't let the dots and stripes fool you. This is one hardworking tin that can hold all your cards. Plus, it comes with preprinted recipes to try and easy-to-read dividers (www.fredflare.com, $17.95).

Countertop Tested and Approved
Who hasn't had this problem: You set your recipe by your mixing bowl, and--ack!--it gets gooped up with splats of butter and stray sprinkles of salt. Next time, clip your recipe to a pretty clipboard and rest it in a plate stand. No more messes.

Memories Preserved
Precious and few are handwritten recipe cards, so treat the family ones as the heirlooms they are. File them in photo albums (the sleeves are great protectors); you can even include photos of special celebrations, such as New Year's Eve dinner and making cookies with grandma.

Clearly, A Good Idea
If you're like us, constantly tearing out recipes from magazines and printing them from Web sites, then try this idea for safe keeping. Buy a three-ring binder with letter-size clear plastic sleeves and dividers that you can label yourself. Don't bother with alphabetizing. Make your life easier by categorizing recipes based on how you live and what you often cook. Some categories to start with: "Speedy Side Dishes," Busy-Day Dinners," "Kids Love It," "Healthy and Light," and "Family Favorites." This way, on hectic days, you can jump right to what you need--fast.

Printed from:
http://www.southernliving.com/home-garden/solutions/home-tips-recipe-organization-00400000008194/