Recipe overload Don't drown in bits of paper -- get organized

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Feb 4, 2004 by Kasha Stoll Capital-Journal

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JOHN NOWAK/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

Some people can't resist clipping every recipe they see. After a while, however, it can become difficult to keep track of favorite dishes.

COMPUTER AID

Jason Heinen, a salesman at Best Buy, said the store carries two software packages designed to help people organize their recipes:

- "Cook'n Collection" is a two-CD set that comes with 8,000 recipes and a cooking utensil. Users also can enter their own favorite recipes. Cost: $39.95.

- "Cook'n With Betty Crocker" is a smaller version of "Cook'n Collection." Cost: $29.95.

By Kasha Stoll

THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

Cathy Kissling comes by her style of organizing recipes naturally.

Her late grandmother, Wilma Black, kept her favorite recipes in a shoebox and in the corner of one of her kitchen cabinets.

Kissling uses both of those storage areas --- plus a kitchen drawer.

"It's just a big hodgepodge," she said. "A mess, actually."

Kissling knows firsthand the dangers of this haphazard filing system, though.

"She couldn't find a recipe if she wanted to," she said, referring to her grandmother.

And she laughs while talking about the day her grandmother's shoebox of recipes fell off the shelf and into the running washing machine below.

Black frantically fished her recipes out of the water.

"We never did find some of those cards," Kissling said. "She lost about 25 recipes that day."

Several years ago, Kissling started to get organized. She wanted to make a cookbook of simple, family-favorite meals for a co-worker as a bridal shower gift.

"I had recipes on cards, on scraps of paper (and) cut out of magazines," she said. "The cards weren't all the same size. Some I could barely read because I had used them so much they had food on them. The writing was faded, and the corners were torn."

She created a template in Word Perfect and printed some of her favorite recipes on 8.5 by 11-inch paper, which she then put into a five-ring binder.

The recipes were divided into sections, such as appetizers, entrees, salads and desserts. Kissling also included a title page.

She kept the file on her computer and updated it periodically.

"I kept adding to it every time I found a recipe I liked," Kissling said.

Each of her daughters received a copy of the family cookbook, complete with blank pages at the end of each section where they could add their own favorites.

Kissling admits she is far from having all of her recipes organized, but she recognizes the need and value of doing so.

"You don't want to have to hunt for a recipe," she said. "And you don't want them to get lost."

Kasha Stoll can be reached

at 295-1270 or kasha.stoll@cjonline.com.

Recipe of the week (more on Page 3B)

Pizza Balls

3 pounds ground beef 1 medium onion, chopped 2 cups bread crumbs 1 egg, beaten 1/2 cup milk 1 teaspoon salt Pepper to taste 1 teaspoon garlic salt 1 pound Monterey Jack cheese, cut into 3/4-inch cubes 1 can pizza sauce

Mix together ground beef, onion, bread crumbs, beaten egg, milk, salt, pepper and garlic salt. Form into balls around cheese cubes. Roll meatball in flour and brown slowly on all sides.

Place in a greased baking dish and top with pizza sauce. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes.

SOURCE: Cathy Kissling, of Topeka

Other recipes

The following recipes are from the family cookbook of Cathy Kissling, of Topeka.

Fiesta Chicken

Fajitas

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (approximately 1 1/4 pounds) 1/4 cup lime juice 1 garlic clove, minced 1 teaspoon chili powder 1/2 teaspoon cumin 2 tablespoons oil 1 medium onion, cut into thin wedges 1/2 cup each red, yellow and green bell pepper strips 1/4 cup salsa 8 8- inch flour tortillas 1 1/2 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese

Cut chicken into strips and marinate in a mixture of lime juice, garlic, chili powder and cumin for 15 minutes. Cook chicken in oil two to three minutes or until chicken loses pink color. Add onion and peppers. Continue cooking three minutes or until chicken is tender. Stir in salsa. Spoon onto warmed tortillas. Top with cheese.

Mexican Chicken

Casserole

1 whole chicken, cooked, deboned and cut into pieces 1 can cream of mushroom soup 1 can cream of chicken soup 1 can Ro-tel tomatoes 1 pound Velveeta cheese 1 large bag Doritos

Mix soups and Ro-tel tomatoes in saucepan. In two-quart casserole, layer chips, cheese, chicken and soup mixture. Finish up with cheese. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Cream Cheese

Corn

2 20-ounce packages frozen corn 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese 1 stick margarine

Put ingredients in Crock Pot for six hours on low.

Broccoli-Rice

Casserole

1 cup chopped onion 1 10-ounce package frozen broccoli, thawed 2 cups cooked rice 3 tablespoons margarine 1 can cream of chicken soup 1 cup milk 1 pound Velveeta cheese

Mix all ingredients together. Pour into an ungreased casserole dish.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for one hour.