Family Recipe Book

Each year we usually spend Christmas with my family in-law in Perth.  It’s a joyful, spirited and rather large event, with a growing number of members as children are born and partners are introduced.   We number about 30 people if we’re all present, and usually share the catering between us with a different host family arranging the lunch or dinner.  Having our two kids at these Christmas celebrations has been great fun – the family love to shower them with presents and affection.  Christmas is much more magical with kids around who are so enthusiastic about Santa’s visit and express their happiness and wonderment in such an uninhibited and pure way.

This year we are going to spend Christmas with my immediate family in Melbourne instead, and I’m so excited about it.  I haven’t spent Christmas with my Mum, Dad, sister and brother for over 10 years!  So, it’s definitely time to do it, particularly while the kids are young.  I’d love for my parents to relive the magic that Christmas brings, which they haven’t experienced since we were children.   

Because we’ll be away, I wanted to give extra special gifts for my family-in-law; gifts that were useful, thoughtful, creative and didn’t cost the earth – being so many people in number.    I found a terrific idea from Cath Armstrong who writes a magnificent blog that I follow called www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au .  Cath had some suggestions for home-made Christmas presents and one of these was to produce a family recipe book.  What a great idea!  With so many celebrations we have shared together over the years, we’ve been spoilt by all the wonderful dishes we’ve shared.  And we all have our favourities both to cook and to eat. 

 

Cath’s blog can be found here http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2014/09/100-days-to-cheapskates-style-christmas.html .

Last weekend I requested recipes from all members of the family and I’m waiting in anticipation for these all to come in.  Will people share their secret recipes for some of the dishes I’ve requested of them?  I hope so!  My plan is to have the children create some pictures to include, which I’ll scan into the document so that the whole recipe collection can be printed and bound.   I might even put the individual sheet sleeves into a display folder if I can find some nice ones, to protect the pages from splashes when cooking.

I can’t wait to put it all together and see the finished product.  I hope the family enjoy them!

Do you have any home-made Christmas gifts you’re currently working on?  I’d love to hear your suggestions, so send me a post or comment below or you can email me at livewelllivesmart@gmail.com .