Christmas is coming the goose is getting fat.....

So maybe Christmas is not close for some, but it's already too close for me! I was blessed with a mother who taught me to have all gifts purchased and wrapped by Halloween...and since I have witnessed my first Halloween display while shopping today, I need to get going.

I have been discussing the idea of a family cookbook with Grandma and Grandpa for the past two years. I was able to gather recipes from both of them (Grandpa's were not on paper of course...so you can appreciate the effort involved with that) of their favorite dishes and desserts.

As a child, I loved making cookies with Grandma, and waking up to Grandpa's pancakes. In recent years, Grandpa has dazzled us with Salmon and Spaghetti. My kids can not get enough of Grandma's maple carrots! Having a family of my own has made me appreciate the good meals which still remind me of my childhood. I would love to pass those recipes to my daughters, and someday my own granddaughters and grandsons.

Along with Grandma and Grandpa's recipes, I also found Aunt Kathy's Meatloaf, Aunt Julie's Chicken and other great recipes. My childhood is filled with memories of Aunt Bridgette's amazing desserts, fantastic dinner's at Aunt Sherry's, and I know that Uncle David is a grill master! I was out to dinner with Brenda and David when he informed me that they don't eat out much because Brenda makes such amazing food..."it's better than anything we can get at a restaurant." I have many of my Mom's recipes, and favorites of my own and my sisters. I would love to get recipes from Tenise, Ammon, Spencer, Alycia and all of my other cousins and their spouses.

I soon started thinking about gathering recipes. The thought seemed overwhelming, and I didn't know how I would collect, type, and print them all. However, thanks to modern technology, the thought recently came that a recipe blog would be an easy way for everyone to contribute. There are great programs to compile and print 'posts and pictures' into books. I will post a few recipes to give an example of the format, and everyone can add recipes in the same form. Feel free to comment, with thoughts or questions as well. (However, we should leave the posts to recipes only.)

I would like to gather as many family recipes as possible, and give the cookbook to Grandma and Grandpa for Christmas this year. That would mean all recipes would need to be submitted no later than November 1st.

I would also like to print copies for myself and my sisters for gifts. I don't know if anyone else would like a cookbook, but as soon as I have everything compiled, I will know the cost of the books. I can also find the costs of hardback vs. spiral bound books.

I think this will be a great family heirloom for generations to come. Your cooperation and time is SO greatly appreciated. I know that we all have very busy schedules and time is precious. If you can find the time to submit some of your favorite recipes, or recipes of your childhood, it would be wonderful. If there is a recipe you would like to request...please post it, and I will do my best to hunt it down. The more recipes the better! I am even adding some recipes we have inherited from Mike's family...they are too good to leave out. I believe the more we can share, the better the result. If you feel ambitious and want to take a picture of the dish, it is easy to post it with your text (and we will all be grateful for the visual)

Thanks again...best wishes...and I love you all!