How to Choose a Recipe for an Event Come Holiday Season

Approaching family events and gatherings with the instruction by someone to "make something to bring" happens from time to time. Then, there is usually the stress of what to bring and in what category (appetizer, main entree, or dessert). There is hope as there are different avenues one can go when saddled with the responsibility of a "recipe" and this probably won't include going to grandmother (if it does, that is a plus).

Bookstores

Bookstores usually have cooking or food sections chocked with plenty of cookbooks. Bookstores are an excellent resource to locating a great recipe, because even if the shopper does not wish to buy the book, they can always find a recipe, copy it down and put the book back on the shelf. This way, they have a plethora of ideas, different types of cooking genres, and cuisines to choose from. At home, one may be more limited in terms of cookbooks, the genres, and how many of them they own. Bookstores that have cooking sections include Barnes and Noble Bookstores and Borders Books and Music. Barnes and Noble also has an online book club section with a forum for sharing recipes and more.

Online

If there is a need for a recipe required with little advanced notice, a person can find plenty of recipes online either by randomly Googling them or going to specific websites suited for recipes and cooking only. Some of these sites may be categorized by cuisines, cooking methods, dietary considerations and of course, main ingredients. Others give tips and advice and even show a cook how to use substitutions or alter a recipe so that they are halved or doubled. Then, there are some that offer a swap section, where a recipe may be traded for another recipe in recipe groups or clubs. People can also chat on the forums about cooking and everything that goes with it.

Make Up The Recipe

If it is difficult to commit to any one recipe, an original recipe can always be made up on a whim. The only downside to this is that it is purely trial and error. But, putting together something last minute can be challenging and fun. A good starting point may be to use ingredients that are already in the refrigerator and pantry. Then, try Googling the ingredients and see what recipe combinations come up. The "just created" recipe may get to be the next family tradition appetizer, dessert, or masterpiece!

The Old Fashioned Way to Get a Recipe

If all else fails and a recipe cannot be found, the old-fashioned way of obtaining a recipe still works-getting them through mothers, grandmothers, aunts or friends. This way, a cook knows for sure that the recipe works and has been tried and done many times over. Some people will make a collection of their families recipes and put them into a book to share with others. It might be a good idea to take some of the old hand-written ones and have them laminated so they can be preserved forever and even passed down from generation to generation.

Rachel P. Ricucci