Starting a family recipe collection can feel overwhelming. Where do you begin? What counts as a "family recipe"? Here's our heartfelt guide to gathering and preserving the recipes that matter most.
Start with the Ones You Remember
Close your eyes and think about the meals that shaped your childhood. Your grandmother's Sunday roast. Your dad's scrambled eggs. The birthday cake that appeared every single year without fail. Those are your starting points.
You don't need a hundred recipes to start a meaningful collection. You just need the ones that carry a story.
Ask the Family
Pick up the phone. Visit in person if you can. Ask your parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles about the dishes they grew up eating. You'll be surprised how many recipes live only in someone's memory — never written down, passed along by watching and doing.
Write them down now, while you still can. Include the measurements (even if it's "a handful" or "until it looks right"), the techniques, and most importantly, the stories behind them.
Don't Forget the Simple Ones
Not every recipe in your collection needs to be elaborate. Some of the most treasured family recipes are the simplest: a perfect pot of rice, a vinaigrette that goes on everything, the way someone always made toast.
Simple recipes carry just as much love as complex ones.
Give Them a Beautiful Home
Once you've gathered your recipes, they deserve a home that honors them. An Elisabeth Jane recipe box is designed to be exactly that — a beautiful, hand-painted vessel for your family's most important food memories.
Write your recipes on cards, tuck them into your box, and know that you've created something your children and grandchildren will treasure.