recipe binder

I'll be the first to tell you I'm not the best cook (ok, maybe Justin would tell you first!), but I am more likely to try a new recipe if I am inspired by a picture accompanying it! I mean, church cookbooks are awesome and all, but I'm much more likely to pick a recipe from a magazine because my eyes seriously are bigger than my stomach!! (or so my mom always told me!)

I especially love checking out the Kraft Foods magazine, but I got tired of having to turn down the pages, then go find the right magazine later, or take the time to copy the recipe down and put it in my neat little recipe album. My good intentions in the recipe organization department were finally just that and I had to do something about it!

Thus, the recipe binder. This has become one of my favorite "reference books!" Now, anytime a Kraft magazine comes or I'm flipping through another magazine I'll go ahead (right then, not later, 'cause it won't get done) and cut or tear the recipe out, filing it away to be put in the recipe binder when I've got a few minutes to sit down with it.

Basically, I've become such a fan of anything in sheet protectors. Sheet protectors are perfect for the kitchen since foods will wipe right off, if (when) spilled. Also, if I'm running out of room on the counter I'll just take the page I need out of the binder and put it up on the range over the stove or on the fridge with a magnet. So simple and convenient!

With most of the recipes, I'll glue them to a colored sheet of paper or use some scrapbooking tape. With recipes that are double-sided from magazines, again, the sheet protectors are perfect! Just slip the whole page in there and you can still see both sides! Soon, I hope to expand my binders to have one for appetizers, one for desserts, one for entrees, etc.

I'm glad to post about this, because its a reminder that I need to catch up on keeping my recipe binder current! It's organized, but that doesn't mean I am!!

Check out more organization ideas at Lysa TeKeurst's blog: