Keepsake Family Recipe Compiler

I've learned that there is more readily available fake food then there is real food. If I had my way I would throw it all in the garbage scow and sail it to the edge of the earth never to be seen again. 

Imagine discovering a food that can save our life? That would literally be all forms of organically grown food. I love to do my own cooking with wholesome ingredients from my local farmers market and whole foods store. But how do you turn healthy food into a tasty delight? Great recipes. Here are three ways to discover healthy recipes quick'n easy.

1. Compile recipes you know you'll love from cooking books at your local library, cooking shows and online magazines.

2. Remember your favorite dishes mom or grandma used to cook. Get the recipe when visiting the family over the weekend and jot them down while you're there. Ask about the history behind the recipe.  Who passed it on to them and when? What changes were made over time? What secret ingredient, preparation and cooking techniques make it pop?

3. Find great recipes from our very own Pinterest board.

1000 Family Dinner Recipes

pinterest.com/fimarkhome/1000-family-recipes/

Did You Know?

Brenda and I wrote the 132 page paperback book, Fimark's Family Reunion Planner Keepsake complete with The Keepsake Family Recipe Compiler. Enter traditional recipes passed down from generation to generation. Record origin, culture, and history. 

Get the keepsake familyy recipe compiler in the print and digital editions of Fimark's Family Reunion Planner. Makes a great keepsake gift.

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Put Some Love In It.

A long time ago I learned that in order for anything to be meaningful and valuable, be it an act or gift, you have to put some love into it. Since then I try to put some love in everything I do. Including writing this blog. 

People who stay together as a family don't stay together simply by putting family first. They stay together because they've learned to put love in what they do with the family, for family and everyone that touches the lives of each person in that family. So when doing something as simple as making a phone call or planning a meal or something big like planning a social event with friends or family, or something even bigger like raising a child, these are the times to take deliberately action and show just how committed to the task of loving that person you are.

Planning Dinner Time
Brenda and I share dinner time together everyday. We don't just eat together. We put some love in it. We plan our meals together. We consider what we both like eating, the taste and most of all make sure that it's wholesome. While she does most of the cooking I thank her for the meal with a kiss and wash the dishes.  

Making Phone Calls
We don't just call when something is up. We put some love in it. We call each other everyday. During these calls we exchange an expression of endearment before ending the conversation. She calls me Booh. I call her Baah. In addition we don't let anything get in the way of our Friday evening date night. Because we are both frugal we will plan something simple like a picnic and stroll around the reservoir or listen to oldies but goodies in the car with the top open. Or watch a movie or two at home sharing a bowl of popcorn or chips. 

Planning A Gathering
My wife, Brenda, is the kind of person who likes to get up and go. She is ultra social. Most of what I like to do is here at home. I like to paint, do crafts, bake, write and entertain. In this way we are very different, but by putting some love in it we've learned to empower ourselves with these differences. How? 

One day outgoing Brenda asked me to help her plan activities for a social event. She focused on decorating the facility, preparing the menu and organizing banquet style service. I focused on entertaining the guests. I always like to interject a creative wholesome message about family and marriage in what I do without it being too obvious at the beginning. One of the games I created for this gathering is called "Getting to Know You" for engaged or newly wed couples. It's a bunch of questions on cards designed to open a dialog about what each person in the relationship strongly believes in. On first glance the questions are a bit funny or peculiar, but on second glance they have deeper meaning. In most cases the answers inspire a deeper love and regard for the other person in the relationship because it reveals favorable principles, experiences and standards the person is guided by. A good place to start when building a strong house.

Raising Our Children
Regarding raising children. We knew early on that it would be hard work. When Brenda became pregnant it was then that we put some love in it. How. To start, our children were the result of our commitment and love for each other, not the other way around. The training we gave them was carefully thought out, both by consulting the ultimate guidebook on child rearing the bible. The book contains helpful advice that would have otherwise taken me years to figure out if I figured it out at all. Things like: 

1. "Treat others as you want to be treated"
2. "There is more happiness in giving than in receiving."
3. "Don't think more of yourself than it is necessary to think."
4. Regarding being loyal to ones wife: "Drink water out of your own cistern. Don't give away your dignity to another woman. Be happy with the wife you married when young." 
5. "Children are like arrows" - They need to be guided in the right direction.
6. "Love hopes all things. Love endures all things. Love does not keep account of the injury." 

If I were asked, what was the secret to staying married to your wife for so long? I would say. "We did not just stay together. We learned early on to put some love in it."

Planning a family reunion? To get  more information about Fimark's Family Reunion Planner Social web app click on the link on this blog page or access the profiles page.

Autumn Family Recipes Part 1

It's the season for pickling. Warm things up on a cold day while canning pickled squash, zucchini, eggplant and cucumbers. Canning is no longer a lost art do says my mom. My sister Karen can prove that with this spicey line up sweet pickled delight. There's a tall jar waiting for me next time I visit dad and mom quaint estate.

Pickling: It's becoming a practical and popular pastime for large and small families who like to snack on healthy homemade wholesome goodness. Now there's a mouthful. Say that three times real fast. pickling from scratch is perhaps one of the healthiest, least expensive and most fulfilling ways to provide nutritional value to any family meal. Find some great pickling recipes right here in the recipe bin.

Baking: The irresistible aroma of home cooking and canning make the kitchen table a more inviting place for kids to linger and make conversation. Families will quickly learn the joy of sitting down and savoring a tasty recipe. That said, why not make it a point to whip up what you know they'll like. Careful though, you're bound to draw a neighbor or two to your front door.

Nothing is more heart warming then taking the time to enjoy family crafts, cooking, story time and eating mouth watering treats all at the same time. It's what good memories are made of.

This weeks focus is on recording traditional family recipes. The objective is to open a dialogue with family members across several generations and discover a lost art in meal planning, preparation and serving from the garden to the market, from the dish to the table. Many of our readers have the 132 page Family Reunion Planner Guide and Keepsake book. If so you may be surprised to know that it contains a Family Recipe compiler section. Each page contains important entries to help you keep a detailed record of  age old family recipes.

Family Recipe Compiler  from Fimark's Family Reunion Planner

Record the date, origin, history, contributing family member, ingredients, preparation, cooking and serving details.  There's enough page write out the history of each meals conception.

In addition to the family recipe compiler there are other useful keepsake features in the reunion planning guide ideal for this contemplative memory gathering time of year. For example the event guide also contains a personal journal so you can record your reunion event planning experience. A family tree worksheet is also included alongside and family heirloom documentation worksheet.

Learn more about Fimark's Family Reunion Planner Guide  and Keepsake book at here.

Visit our Family reunion recipes on Pinterest.com, a regular part of our family reunion planning presentation so stop by regularly and see what's cooking.  So what's on the menu? Recipes of the Autumn harvest. These recipes are easy to make and most of all absolutely tasty. Each is contributed by our family reunion planners, chefs and great cooking aficionados. Enjoy some of the best recipes ever discovered.

Next week... The amazing things you can create with pumpkin.

200 Pinterest Family Recipes

Whether you're snowed in or just want to fill the house with the warm and cozy scent of sweet baked grains, kids love whipping up and eating cake, cookie or cupcake batter. 

Baking cakes, pies and cookies is just the sort of thing to do this time of year. The sweet anticipation of eating it up makes getting snowed a lot less tiresome and a lot more fun. 

Brenda loved watching a television game show centered around healthy eating. The entire family was involved. They searched for healthy alternative cake recipes online. After finding two recipes they bought the ingredients and went to work (or play) whipping up the cake batter.  Imagine baking a delicious cake that has 80% less calories than store bought cakes and makes you feel better too! 

After baking the two cakes they voted on the appearance, texture and taste. Giving each category a score from 1 to 10. It was fun to watch, but it's even more fun to do in your own kitchen with your own kids.

200 Pinterest Family Recipes

To help snowbound families with a knack for cooking and baking Brenda and I have put together a Family Recipe Box of 200 Pinterest Family Recipes featuring all sorts of fun and tasty recipes some good and healthy and just plain good tasting. The Family Recipe Box will be a permanent feature of  the Family Reunion Planner Social web app soon to be released. 

Take a look at more than 100 recipes posted by fellow reunion planners and enjoy your own family bake-a-thon.