Country Kitchen: Creating Cooking Calendars

By Mary Emma Allen

We often think of creating cookbooks with recipes from family, friends, or members of an organization. Some of these may be solely developed as fund raising projects. In other instances, they're a means of saving recipes for the family heritage.

However, cooking or recipe calendars also can be an enjoyable way to preserve memories or to raise money. There are a variety of ways to undertake this project.

With today's computer programs, you can design and print calendars fairly inexpensively. Or you can take your ideas to a printer and have them do the job.

School Project

My granddaughter's school class recently developed a birthday/recipe calendar. This was a fund raiser item the youngsters and their teachers produced themselves which I enjoyed purchasing as a keepsake.

It consisted of recipes contributed by the young people, along with their birthdays and those of family members and friends. The calendar was arranged with seasonal topics for the various months and recipes to fit in accordingly.

Family Calendar

Having published a family heritage cookbook, we're planning a family calendar with recipes and pictures of ancestors and historic settings. This also might have a page of family data.

We could take recipes from the previous cookbook or ask for recipes that weren't included in that publication. This type of calendar generally would be a keepsake, not a throw away when the year was over.

Photo Calendars

One lady mentioned that she makes calendars from photos she takes of the area where she lives. Others might take photos of their travels and use the calendar as a reminiscence or journal calendar with travel tidbids and recipes from wherever you visited.

They could be gifts for friends and family members. Or you might develop a calendar business, as a photographer friend did.

ABC Calendar

Actually this would be a calendar with recipes for each month that begin with the same letter as that month. For instance, in January, you could have: Jam Cake, Jelly Filled Cookies, January Thaw Cocoa, Jubilee Chocolate Cake.

For February, the recipes might include: Fudge Brownies, Five Layer Salad, Fudge Frosting, Frosty Strawberry Milk Shake.

Calendar Recipes

One of my granddaughter's favorite recipes, which was selected for the school calendar is CHOCOLATE PUDDING CAKE. This is a recipe that's baked in the oven. I also have a recipe for this dessert that's cooked in the microwave.

Combine in mixing bowl, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 3 tablespoons cocoa, 2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir in 1/2 cup milk, 1/3 cup melted margarine or butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla; mix until smooth. Pour this batter into an 8 x 8 x 2-inch square pan.

Combine in another bowl 1/2 cup sugar, 4 tablespoons cocoa, 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar. Sprinkle this over the batter in the pan. Pour 1 1/4 cups hot water over the top. DO NOT stir.

Bake in pre-heated 350 degree F. oven for 40 minutes or until center is nearly set. Remove from oven and let stand for 12 - 15 minutes. Then spoon into individual serving dishes. Top with whipped topping or vanilla ice cream, if desired. Or you can spoon cherry pie filling over, then the whipped topping.

Article (C) 2004 Mary Emma Allen

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About The Author

Mary Emma Allen researches and writes from her multi-generational NH home. Check out her new site, Tea Time Notes

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