A Recipe for Culinary Success: How to make a cookbook in 15 minutes or less

Angela_LoSasso — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 23:41:00 GMT

I love food. I love to cook. And I love to share recipes with family and friends alike.

Actually, that's a bit of an understatement: I make, print, and share cookbooks. And you can, too.

Follow these three steps to print and make your own cookbook in 15 minutes or less.

Step 1: Grab recipes from food blogs and websites. Use tried and true recipes from top food blogs and culinary websites who freely share. Some of my favorites are listed below. Just remember to respect their copyright and intellectual property rights.

Step 2: Hit print brilliantly. The best food blogs have gorgeous color photography and have preformatted printer-friendly pages (usually designated with a little printer icon). Be sure to click through to a printer-friendly page (like this one from Simply Recipes) before you hit print, or use HP's free Smart Web Printing software to grab only what you want from the web and build your own recipe page to print. (Tip: I print my cookbooks using HP Brochure and Flyer paper on an HP Photosmart All-in-One.)

Step 3: Bind and share. You can make this step as fancy or as simple as you want. Use a stapler or paper clip to hold pages together. Or use a hole puncher (one in the top left corner, or two holes at the top, or traditional three holes on the left side of the pages) and insert the pages into a binder. Even prettier - hole punch and tie together with a ribbon. Or insert pages into a Photobook.

Favorite food blogs and websites

Want to make a cookbook using your own recipes and photos?

Making a personalized cookbook takes a bit more time and effort, but the payoff is big -- especially if you want to give it as a gift to friends and family. Spice up your recipe pages with photos -- of the preapred dish, of the people who created and shared the recipe, of places, of things (like pots, pans, or an apron ).

See how I made a cookbook using family recipes and free HP templates in this step by step guide on the HP Wiki.

Send me a link to your favorite food blog, and please ping me if you share your finished cookbook on the HP Wiki.

Angela LoSasso manages HP's Creative Wiki and HP's Small Business Wiki. When she's not cooking or writing, you'll find her on Twitter.

10 Things You Can Do with a Wireless HP Printer

Angela_LoSasso — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 00:03:00 GMT

When people hear that I work for HP, they often ask, "What can I do with a printer?"

The possibilities are endless, but I like to keep it simple. Here are 10 things you can do with a Wireless HP Printer:

Share life.
Be a character.
Play.
Spread joy.
Be kind.
Be Martha.
Dress yourself.
Brand yourself.
Publish yourself.
Print from any room in the house. (I personally prefer to print from the sofa in my bunny slippers, but it's really up to you.)

Tell me what makes your Top 10 list (comment link is below).

Angela LoSasso manages HP's Creative Wiki and HP's Small Business Wiki. Inbetween creative projects, you'll find her on Twitter.

The Inkjet Printing Blog : HP Wiki

A Recipe for Culinary Success: How to make a cookbook in 15 minutes or less

10 Things You Can Do with a Wireless HP Printer