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| chocolate-dipped strawberries for dessert at last night's gathering |
I have this mini notebook that I've been using to record holiday and large gathering menus. I write down on one page the full menu and on the opposing page things I could have done differently or any opinions I had about how the preparations went.
The notebook itself was a freebie notebook I received when doing kitchen help at a tea. It really is tiny, about 3 X 4 inches, the kind that looks like a composition book, if you know what I'm talking about.
There's just enough room on a page for a menu or hints and tips.
I sometimes include whether something was a packaged product or pre-seasoned by a manufacturer, frozen or fresh, etc. Occasionally I add shopping lists, if a dish or recipe is particularly complex or requires unusual ingredients (like a spice I don't normally have on hand).
I began recording this information a couple of years ago, as I would frequently have post-thoughts about a gathering that I wanted to remember. An example, yesterday my son and daughter-in-law came over for a family dinner to celebrate my husband's and my birthday. I served a turkey breast, among other things. Afterward, I thought I should have looked through my jars of homemade preserves to find a spicy or herb-y preserve that would compliment the slices of turkey, something like the rosemary-rhubarb preserve that I make in early summer some years. I also might note if a menu was relatively easy to do.
I look through these menus when I'm planning another dinner, lunch or brunch. I know I can just do the whole thing again, or I can take parts of one menu and combine with parts of another. Having these lists and tips makes the whole planning thing so much easier.
I keep the menu journal right alongside my most used cookbooks. Someday, perhaps my daughters will enjoy leafing through the various menus as they plan their own family celebrations.
This is great, Lili. I love the notes from afterwards. I have been saving my menu "worksheets" from holiday breakfasts/appetizers/dinners (just filler paper with the year, dishes, and the times/oven temps to organize the cooking) since our boys were teenagers. I like to be able to look at them to remind myself what I've done recently. And also, it's fun/funny sometimes to realize how recently, or how long ago, a certain meal was. My perception of the passage of time seems to vary a lot! Sara
ReplyDeleteHi Sara,
DeleteDo you remember when cookbooks often came with menu plans for holiday meals? My mother used some of the holiday menus for our family's Christmas and Easter dinners when I was very young. She made some notes in the margin of the cookbook pages next to the menu plan concerning what went well and what needed adjustments. I think having a complete menu already figured out was a real help for a young housewife and mother.
I love that you've dated yours and can look back at how old/young your family was when you put together specific menus.
I sometimes wish I was more of a journaler, but I'm not. I can see the benefits to doing it, but can't seem to make myself attempt it. My husband journals everything--how/what he gardens, fishing expeditions, etc..
ReplyDeleteYour chocolate covered strawberry picture looks delish!
Hi Kris,
DeleteI can understand not being a journaler. One of my daughters uses a journal every day. I tend to use journals for specific needs, like starting seeds for the garden, or like these celebration menu plans, or like my grocery spending journals. But I haven't gotten into journaling on a daily basis.
I love chocolate covered strawberries and have asked to have them on Mother's Day! I'm putting in my order early.
I love this! I do something similar as u have a notebook from a yard sale and I have kept a page a week for 3 years now with the menu plan for that week, where to find the recipe, shopping lists, things happening that week that will affect many choices, foods to use up so don't go to waste etc. It is so fascinating to look back at the exact week a year a 2 ago and see what we were eating and what was happening in our lives and get ideas for real time. It doesn't take much time and it's so fun to look back!
ReplyDeleteIt's a great idea for holidays and family gatherings especially like you have said.
Great idea!
Hi Amanda,
DeleteYour system sounds so organized and helpful. And as you said, it doesn't take that much time. I often scribble out what I'm planning for weeknight dinners on a scrap of paper. I could just as easily write those plans out in a notebook, and then they'd be all in one spot to revisit at any time. I have found doing this at least for family celebrations to be immensely helpful, as I've worked out the kinks in the plans long ago.
I am hit or miss recording these kinds of things, but it would be nice to do it in a more consistent way.
ReplyDeleteLive and Learn.
DeleteHi Live and Learn,
DeleteFor me what has helped me be consistent with holiday menu journaling is keeping my little notebook right next to the cookbooks that I consult for holiday meals. It's like with any other habit I'm trying to cultivate, if I make it easy and convenient, I'll do it. It really has been quite helpful. Through keeping track of these types of menus, I've weeded out some recipes that are simply too complex for my cooking style when having guests for dinner. And I've worked in some easier alternatives.
Good luck if you decide you want to do something similar.