We’re heading off to San Francisco on Friday. I had rather hoped to have my cook book project finished before we went, but it ain’t gonna happen.

When my mom gave me her cook books 20-whatever years ago, I scanned them and made copies for the siblings. When I started the recipe website, it was one of the first things that went online. It’s a great resource and I have a lot of fun going through the recipes and finding strange concoctions from years past. Only problem has been it’s not searchable. The pages are all .jpg’s with numerous recipes on them. The best I’ve been able to do is separate the recipes by category and then link the recipe title to the corresponding page.  Not very user-friendly because you need to scroll through the complete recipe index to find something, click on it, and then find it on the page.

So… I’ve been busy cutting every recipe and making it its own .jpg and putting it on its own page, and tagging each page so – one day – they’ll be better-organized and searchable.

There’s only a bit over a thousand recipes…

While it is definitely taking a lot of time, I must admit it’s been a blast rolling down Memory Lane! I’ve been getting great ideas for future meals, ideas for work, and even found the perfect recipe for sister-in-law Joanna’s birthday last week!

But… a month after I started, I’m barely a third of the way through creating the pages… I’m making progress, but… not nearly fast enough to suit me. Patience is not one of my more readily-accessible virtues, so I’ll dig deep and try to keep it all in perspective. Mom didn’t collect them all overnight. I’m not going to get them all redone overnight.

The cover design was created by my father, the fireman. An artist, he was not, but he was a damned good cook in his own right. His veal cutlets with dirty potatoes were legendary, and his eggs fried in bacon grease until the edges were crispy… gastronomic heaven on earth.

Hopefully, the books will be completed by Easter… And y’all will be the first to know when it’s done!

In the meantime, click on the link above and see what sort of things are in there… Dinner is only a click away!