Publishing your own Recipe Book

Last weekend, my very special Mother in Law celebrated a milestone Birthday. One of the gifts we gave to her as a family, was a book we put together filled with all her recipes. Recipes that were from her own recipe journal (pictured below). Some had been passed down from her mother, and others that had been family favourites enjoyed and loved by my husband and his siblings as they grew up. 

Using a company called Blurb, we were able to self publish our own cookbook.

The final product- Under the Mulberry Tree- was paperback with just over 60 recipes and about 100 pages long. Named after the Mulberry Tree that was planted 35 years ago in the family back yard. It has been pruned over the years to become an outdoor dining room and a venue for many, many family meals, celebrations and good times. 

Like other recipe books, it was divided into the different chapters and featured lots of photos of both family and of special pieces from around the house like linen, cutlery, tableware, cookbook collection, etc. Each family raided their own photo collection and found photos that were all taken at home and around the table - so keeping in with the food theme. Photos that went as far back as to when the sibblings were small children, right up until now, to include the entire extended family. On each page and underneath recipes were quotes from every family member telling their favourite food memory.

Using Blurb-

I can highly recommend using Blurb as a great way of publishing your own book, ebook, magazine, etc.

In summary, there are three main options for publishing a book using Blurb. First, is using their own program called Booksmart which is available to download straight from their website. Booksmart has simple templates and has a basic range of fonts and backgrounds which can be used. Perfect for the beginner.

The next two options are for those who are competant in using InDesign or LightRoom. Where you download the plugins and once you have created your masterpiece, you transfer it back to Blurb and they organise for it to be printed. The advantage of these two options is that you have far more creative power and can really do whatever you want.

I found Blurb reasonably good to deal with. Booksmart is quite straight forward and simple to use once you have a play around. I did find the templates and backgrounds provided a bit boring and basic, but was able to work with what it offered. Importing photo files were also difficult (especially as I had a lot I wanted to use) and I felt it wasn't as easy to import photos compared to other programs I have used in the past. I was very happy with the final product though. We paid a bit extra and had the books printed on premium grade paper. We also had the choice of hardcover but decided paperback was more practical for us all to use. I did have a few issues uploading the file (which was not Blurb's fault but rather we have a very lazy internet line here!!!), and as Blurb is based in the States, I did have to wait a while for customer service to reply. This book cost us approximately $60 per copy (with postage) to make and took about 7-10 days to receive once ordered. It did require lots of blood, sweat and tears in editing photos (especially the very old ones) and deciding on layout, typing out recipes and the final edit.

I am very keen to now put all my recipes together and make my own cookbook. Another project, but a lovely keepsake to have and good to have all my favourite everyday recipes in one book!!!

Blurb also have an online bookstore, so if you want, you can list your book for sale (after you decide on the price) and sell it publicly through their site- how great is that???? A wonderful way to launch your own writing career!!!!

This book was written as a tribute to my Mother in Law, Catriona,  as a way of acknowledging her wonderful cooking and commitment to providing so many meals, each cooked with so much love over the years for her growing family. It is a book we will all cherish and use, and a lovely reminder of many good times shared together, under the mulberry tree.

If you would like your own family recipes made into a cookbook, but don't feel confident using the Blurb software, I am now offering a service, where for a fee,  I can do all the hard work for you!

For enquiries, please email me at kylie(dot)pickett(at)hotmail(dot)com

I also design photo books of family, children, travel, special occassions as well.

17/52 Weekly Stills

We have just arrived home from a lovely long weekend in Somers, Victoria. The purpose of the weekend was to celebrate my Mother in Law's special Birthday- so lots of family time catching up with cousins and siblings/in laws, and enjoying good food and great company!

Despite being cold and almost winter, we took our eldest two down to the beach for some sand castle making and exploring the rock pools. They had a ball and the expedition totally wore them out.

The girls (that is, The Birthday Queen,  my three lovely sister in law's, plus myself) headed off to the Salix Restaurant at Willow Creek Winery for a quick coffee overlooking the vineyard- so pretty- quite a tough chore really- whilst  the boys were left at home to mind all the children!

We also snuck in a walk through a "nature corridor" that was at the back of the house my In Laws were staying in. Apparently a place where lots of kaola's once lived but have recently moved away from. Pity we missed the koala's, but it was such a nice way to get some fresh air and walk off all the party food consumed!

Such a small village but so many lovely things to do!

Hope you had a good week!

In My Kitchen- May 2014

Have you read the blog Fig Jam and Lime Cordial?
Celia lives in Sydney and writes about all things foodie and other things in life she enjoys. She has a monthly post called In My Kitchen where she shares whats new in her kitchen for that month.
She also encourages other bloggers to join in, so here is my post for this month's In My Kitchen.

Quinces and Rhubarb- found at our local green grocer (which I absolutely love!!!!). With the cooler weather we have been spending more time inside and in the kitchen. I attempted to make a flourless rhubarb cake but it failed miserably so will stick to my trusty rhubarb crumble cake which is always a winner.

These quinces were poached. So simple and yet so deliciously rewarding. Slice, core and peel skin off four quinces. In a pot, bring to boil 4 cups of water, 1 cup of caster sugar, a strip of lemon rind and juice of half a lemon. For extra favouring, add half a vanilla bean, or some cloves or cinnamon stick. I added vanilla bean. Once boiling, add quinces and turn down heat so that they gently simmer for about 2 hours. Check after first 45 minutes that there is enough syrup- add extra water if you need too. Be careful when stirring as the quinces will break up. Once cooked, pour into steralised jars and store. So yummy as a dessert or for breakfast.

Home made Granola which go perfectly with poached quinces. I fill a small jar and keep in my bag when out and about- makes for an easy energy snack.

I have a cupboard of cookbooks and I keep promising myself I wont buy anymore but the odd temptation often pulls rank. These below are my current top five GO TO books for inspiration and good reliable recipes. Do you have any favourites to share???

Our Nespresso machine is probably the most used gadget in our kitchen. I would seriously not function without it! The best bit is how wonderful the service is for country people. I can order my capsules online and receive them in the post the next day. We also had an issue with one of the parts and after a phone call, we were advised to send the part back to them and it was replaced within a few days. I can not praise Nespresso enough for such wonderful customer service- especially when you live in a rural area. Oh, and the coffee is good every time!!!!

We recently had a garage sale which mean't going through old boxes in the shed. I came across my old teapot I bought from a friend's shop in Edinburgh about 20 years ago. Rachel made all sorts of kitchen pottery pieces and then painted them bright colours and patterns. I always loved the orange slices against the blue. So, as a celebration in finding this old friend, we made scones and drank tea.

Fresh eggs straight from the Little Forest Produce in Barham. These chooks live in caravans and graze in the paddocks- you cant get more free range then that! Nothing beats fresh farm eggs! I like to buy a tray every fortnite at the Echuca Farmer's Markets.

I also popped in to visit Lauren at Bundarra Berkshires , just down the road from Little Forest Produce, and bought this beautiful shoulder of pork and some bacon straight from her farm shop. I have the Gourmet Girlfriend's Pulled Pork recipe in mind for this, which I have tried a few times before and is always worth the wait!

 Time to clean my old silver cutlery collection.

How good is freshly made garlic bread? Although the trick is adding just the right amount of garlic.
I like to make a big batch and freeze as many little baguettes as possible…..always handy for the impromptu lazy pizza nights when I can't be bothered cooking anything else.

Home made crumpets. Ive been experimenting with various recipes and think I have finally found one that I like- or rather- works best for me. It has taken a few tries  to learn what the mixture is supposed to be like. They do require lots of love and time but they are seriously worth it. The recipe I used for this batch was from Elizabeth David shared on Hugo & Elsa's beautiful blog.

Some roses from our garden….just adds a pretty feminine touch to the kaos of our kitchen bench.

What is going on in your kitchen this month? 

Joining in with Celia from Fig Jam and Lime Cordial for In My Kitchen.

Be sure to pop over and visit Celia's blog and others too for some kitchen inspiration!