How To Make Your Own Cookbook with Blurb

 

How to Make a Blurb Cookbook
(This post contains affiliate links. I will be compensated if you purchase through these links)
Ever thought of putting your favorite recipes into a beautiful book you can give as a gift or pass down the generations?Blurb is a company that lets anyone create beautiful books from their favorite content, and get those books shipped in any quantity (even just one copy). Not a designer? That’s ok, Blurb’s free BookSmart software is an easy route to a great cookbook. 

What's the best way to get started? Holding off a bit. It’s tempting to want to dive right in, but thinking a bit and getting organized is worth it in the end. Make the most of your time by dividing each step into chunks so you can tackle them at different points in your book-making process. 

And here we go:



1. Organize: Gather your recipes and do a process of elimination. Once you’ve narrowed your favorites down, you can gather accompanying images—just make sure you’re giving the recipe and image files the same name to make it easier when it’s time to upload. Keep everything in one folder on your computer.

2. Flow it: Next, determine how you want your cookbook story to flow. Do you want to sort your recipes by age, popularity, or even something else? Once you’ve determined the order, you’ll have done the bulk of your creative decision-making.

3. Get the tool: Download our free book-making tool, BookSmart, choose your book size (Standard Portrait and Standard Landscape are the most popular for cookbooks) and input your title and author name. Then choose “Cookbook” as your starting point — this will give you the best layouts for the job. Then pick a source for your images — from iPhoto, your computer, even Flickr or Picasa. Lastly, choose a theme. Now you’re ready to put together your cookbook. 

 

4. Lay it out: This is where the real book-making comes in. BookSmart will provide you with 20 pages in our standard recipe layout, but you’ll find plenty of alternate layouts in the “Choose page layout” panel on the upper left. You can also add additional pages ­­— including photo pages — by clicking “Add Pages” in the top toolbar.

5. Just add copy: Our layouts provide space for stories, introductions, and those all-important ingredients and directions. Paste in your copy and you’re golden. Then garnish with photos. Don't forget to run BookSmart’s spell check feature. 

 

6. Preview and review: Click “Review book” and go through page by page. If you’re not a natural-born proofreader, ask a friend to take a second look.

7. Order: Make any last minute edits, click “Order,” and follow the prompts to checkout. Remember to order extra copies for friends and family—or sell it in our Bookstore. Order now and save 15% on all print book orders through April 30th with code TAKE15%. 

That’s it, you’re done. Give yourself a toast, a pat on the back, and a moment in the sun. Congratulations! 

Now, I think I am going to make a cookbook.  I have been thinking about putting all of my recipes together for a long time, and I think the time has finally come.

This is a great offer.  I hope you'll at least take a look.

Have a great week.

Debi

Karen's Easy Tortilla Soup

Soups are such a great one pot.  They are fairly easy to make, they are filling, and they are always great on a cold day.  This is a great simple recipe that came from my friend Karen.  I call it Karen's Easy Tortilla Soup.  This recipe has evolved a little over the years, and it is one that my family loves.  My hope is that you will also.

Karen's Easy Tortilla Soup 

Ingredients:

2 14 oz cans Lime Cilantro Diced Tomatoes

1 14 oz can diced tomatoes

1 14 oz can corn drained

1 28 oz can hominy drained

1 14 oz can black beans drained

1 cup mild salsa

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp garlic powder

1 32 oz box chicken broth ( I use low sodium fat free)

1 rotisserie chicken ( meat taken off the bones and cut into bite sized pieces, or you can put 6 chicken breasts in a dutch oven and season them with seasoned salt and garlic powder. Add enough water to cover and bake at 350 for 2 hour.  Cut breasts into bite sized pieces.)  You can use the liquid in your both.

Tortilla Chips

grated cheddar cheese

Directions:

Put all ingredients into a large dutch oven and cook for 2 hours. 

Serve with tortilla chips and grated cheddar cheese

Serves 6 

This is a delicious and easy recipe.  I hope that you like it as much as we do.  Let me know what you think.  I always love hearing from you.

Enjoy!!!

Debi

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Wednesday's Adorned From Above Link Party 82

We want to thank everyone who shared with Wednesday's Adorned From Above Link Party 81.  We love seeing all of your posts.

We are looking for co-hosts for the months of April and May.  We would love to have you join us.  Send me a message and we will figure out dates.  We look forward to hearing from you.

Welcome to Wednesday's Adorned From Above Blog Hop 82.

Now we present you with the featured bloggers from Link Party 81, and grab your featured button from our sidebar.

Featured Bloggers from Link Party 81

1.  Fabby: Kitchen Spring Vignette from Fabby's Living

2.  March Sew Crazy Madness from Oksana + Hobbies

3.  Choose to be Content from The Life of Faith








4. DIY Lightbox from Krafty Cards Etc

5.  Bacon Cheddar Beer Bread from Melissa's Cuisine









6.  Thin Mint Ice Cream Sa
Thin Mind Ice Cream Sandwiches from Sweet Pennies From Heaven

7.  Make It Yourself Binkie Clips from A Mothers Shadow











8.  DIY Dress Up Station from Three Little Greenwoods

We are happy to have you at this week's party.  We always love hearing from you, so leave your comments.

Have a great week.

An InLinkz Link-up

How to Make Beachy Coconut Room Freshener

I love making my own chemical free household products, and this Beachy Coconut Room Freshener fits the bill.  I love the smell of the beach and for some reason the smell of coconut always reminds me of the beach.  I was remembering the smell of a Tanning Oil that I made, and wanted something that smelled like that for my home.  I thought that I had posted that recipe, and found that I hadn't.  I made it before I was blogging, so I am going to have to make it again and share it with all of you.  This scented room spray is another super easy product to make.

Beachy Coconut Room Freshener

Supplies:

3/4 of a 1/8 oz bottle Kuumba Made Black Coconut Fragrance oil
3 oz distilled water
2 oz White Vinegar
Spray bottle

Directions:

Mix all of the ingredients in a spray bottle and shake and go for it.

It's ready to use. The oil will separate in between uses, but just shake the bottle before you spray each time.



I love the smell of this stuff, and to me it smells like the beach.  I always love hearing from you, so let me know what your favorite room freshener scent is.

Have a great week.
Debi
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Ephesians 4:17 - 4:32 Bible Study

Today we have Ephesians 4:17 - 4:32 for our Bible Study.  Last week we talked about Ephesians 4:1 - 4:16 and unity.  Today will will be talking about how God wants us to behave once we receive the Holy Spirit.

Eph 4:17  This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, 

Eph 4:18  Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: 

Eph 4:19  Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. 

Eph 4:20  But ye have not so learned Christ; 

Eph 4:21  If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: 

Eph 4:22  That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 

Eph 4:23  And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 

Eph 4:24  And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

This passage gives a list of appropriate and inappropriate conduct that Jesus expects of us with once we have received the Spirit "renewed in the spirit of your mind" Eph 4:23.  That we become new "which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." Eph 4:24 

Eph 4:25  Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. 

Eph 4:26  Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: 

Eph 4:27  Neither give place to the devil. 

Eph 4:28  Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. 

Eph 4:29  Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. 

Eph 4:30  And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 

Eph 4:31  Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

The letter to the Ephesians discloses God's blessing of grace and dimensions spiritual authority over evil once the believer has accepted the disciplines of purity in Eph. 4:17-4:31 and forgiveness in Eph 4:32.  In Eph. 4:25 - 4:31  God is telling us to put away the old us and put on the new us.  

1.  So to put off lying and only tell the truth Eph. 4:25.
2.  If you get angry, don't sin, put your anger away Eph. 4:26
3.  Don't blame the devil for your sin, take responsibility Eph. 4:27
4.  Don't steal, but work for your money Eph 4:28
5.  Don't say bad things, but only things that edify, that bring grace to those you are speaking to Eph 4:29
6.  That once we are sealed by accepting the Spirit, the Spirit will let us know if we have done something wrong.  I call it a check on my spirit, I just know. Eph 4:30
7.   Set aside all bitterness, anger, wrath, speaking badly, and malice.  You now have the Spirit, and these are things that need to be set aside Eph 4:31

These are all specific things that we are supposed to do after we receive the Spirit.

Eph 4:32  And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

Jesus taught us to forgive, even has God forgiven us.   Jesus died for our Grace, so that we are forgiven by God.  We are expected to do the same.

Thank you so much for joining me for today's Bible Study.  I'm sorry that it is up late, but I am very happy to have you here.  I always love hearing from you and would love to hear your thoughts on these verses.

Have a blessed week.
Debi
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