recipe cheat sheet

Hey, thanks for all the encouragement you guys. It feels really good. I felt way better after hanging with Grammie all day. But how come there is no good TV even with the Dish? Curses. It's a mad house around here this week with my crazy overtime working husband, but we are hanging in there. Fortunately, I have taken on a research project with Mariko involving a new (to us) bakery with supposedly the most amazing $.68 cupcakes ever. I will report back after we have the results, don't you worry.

This is a recipe cheat sheet I made over the weekend. The side of the fridge was getting out of control. The scene was bad--post-its and taped up cards held by horrible lame magnets, swearing. . .all this for things like a simple pancake recipe (the aforementioned fairy cakes, actually.) I had all my favorite recipes handwritten on random bits of paper all over the fridge and anytime a magnet fell so did a crucial recipe, landing in dust bunny land between the fridge and the counter never to be seen again. No more, I say!

These recipes are from various sources, some from Everyday Food, some from the sides of cans that get recycled, the rest I don't even remember where they are from but when I need them, I need them fast and don't want to dig. I have already thanked myself a million times for doing this and it's only been 4 days. It's so much cleaner there now, less visually horrible, and if the sheet falls or gets thrashed, I can just print another. Oh, look out! I could even laminate it. Crazy, I tell you!

On the list is: pancakes, crepes, granola, pie crust, shortbread, chocolate cake, chocolate frosting, gingerbread, plum upside down cake, raspberry buckle, pumpkin pie, apple crisp, apple galette.

So, it is here. if you are interested. It is a PDF of the file. Enjoy!

***Disclaimer. There are no directions, just ingredients and cooking times. So. . .you are on your own for that. I am cramming a ton in space-wise and since I know these recipes well, I don't need to be reminded how to make them, just of the ingredients. I hope this isn't horribly annoying. The one thing I will say is add the hot coffee/water last in the cakes and the apple galette looks like this. Besides that, it's just basic baking. Also, I substitute and reduce fat/sugar a lot, and these quantities have not been reduced. I like to keep the original amounts listed so I know where I started from.

Comments

[Oiyi]

Your recipe cheat sheet is a wonderful idea.

[Nic]

What a genius idea! Thank you for sharing. I am a sucker for recipes, and keeping regular, but unremembered ones on the fridge is an inspirational idea. Not only that but I am in a total baking place at the moment. yum.

[Lori - Queen of Dirty Laundry]

I am so glad I stumbled upon your blog today!

The side of my refrigerator is just as you described, and my next task today will be to gather those recipes and type up a cheat sheet.

Thanks!

[Mary Beth]

Thank you, Amy. Again, you are so generous and down to earth.

[Tere]

Update:

I printed the sheet off right away, stuck it in a plastic sleeve, and made your chocolate cake! It's so moist and yummy. Thanks!

I didn't have two round pans, so I used a large rectangular rimmed pan and cut the cake into two squares instead.

[Jen]

This is one of those smack your forehead "why didn't I think of that??" things. So I'm really glad you thought of it and shared it. Clever clever!

[cheryl]

Yum! Great idea! Thanks for sharing it with the world!

[renée]

what a great idea! thanks for the inspiration and for sharing.

[Jox]

thanks for this, I was wondering what to do with 3 bags of plums and the answer is upside down cake!
I did a bit a research in 'sticks of butter' and seems to be 4oz/125g/8tbsp, does that sound right?

[amigurumigirl]

so very cool! thank you!!

[natascha]

Thank you 1000 times! I'll try all!

[colleen]

you are wonderful. today is actually a beautiful fall day -- it's in the low 70s instead of the constant 80s and 90s it's been. i think i'll make a galette!

[Beth]

Love the recipe idea! What software did you use to put it together!!! Brilliant!

[Toni]

This is just *so* nice of you! Thank you!!! About the apple galette, I just made something exactly like it the other night. My crust recipe came from Martha S. and it was so incredible! I wanted to pass it on. Just search "rustic plum tart" under her food section and it will pop right up. I used apples instead of plums, and the crust has cornmeal in it. The picture of it on my blog looks just like yours!! :)

[Heather]

Thanks for sharing this! I've printed off a copy and I have a strong feeling it will come in handy!

[Amy]

This is a great idea! And you make it look sooooo good too... I posted a quick bit on my blog about it. Thanks for all of your great ideas!

[Happy Housewife]

Great idea! I may have try something like this. It would be much easier than rifling through a drawer full of various scraps of paper and post-its with recipes scribbled on them every time I get ready to make a real meal or bake something.

[loralee]

I don't have words to express what a great idea this is.

I have about 15 basic recipes that I rotate around and remember how to cook but some of the measurements escape me. It is a total pain to look it all up.

Can I admit to techno-suck and inquire what you used to create it?

[Viv]

This is really super~

Thank you.

[pascale]

Great idea. thank you very much for sharing. You could print it on magnetic paper before laminating it.

[pascale]

Great idea. thank you very much for sharing. You could print it on magnetic paper before laminating it.

[Kat]

I am curious how you made that :) I want to make one similar (with my own recipes)

[megan]

Thank you SO much! the recipe cheat sheet will make my life so much easier! i think there is even magnetic paper than you can put through a printer, how cool would that be??? i also have to thank you for turning me on to the everyday food mags. small, few ingredients, good outcomes, easy to shop with. they have really inspired me lately to cook better!

[Ahna]

I can't wait to laminate this. That's a little intense, isn't it? C'est la vie! Thank you for sharing your yummy yummy goodness.

[Ahna]

I can't wait to laminate this. That's a little intense, isn't it? C'est la vie! Thank you for sharing your yummy yummy goodness.

[mom23cherubs]

Wow thank you so much. I had to print this out because I made your pumpkin muffins the other day and they were such a hit I want to try all your other recipes.

yummy

[amy k.]

thanks you all! I hope you have fun with this-

answers:
I didn't use a pattern for delia's dress, but I know that there are ones out there similar

the berries go on top of the batter (the buckle)

I did this in adobe illustrator, and we do eat veggies around here too, but I don't need a recipe for those ;)

[tifanie]

Oh thank you, thank you for thinking of this! It's brilliant, I tell you. And to the person who clued me in on the option key thing, you've just opened a door to a whole new dimension for me. I had no idea that one could do such a thing. My goodness, I'm behind. Thank you for sharing!

[Dina]

Very clever. I love your american recepies but i have dificulties finding some stuff here (Portugal) and your measures are a terrible thing for a girl that only know how to use kilos :(
Any way the idea is wonderfull, I am always looking for "the lost recepie" :)

[Rebecca]

This is a great idea! I have big huge binders full of recipes I cut out to try, my grandmother's recipes, my mother-in-law's recipes... it's a good idea to condense down the ones you use all the time. What did you use to make the file? Publisher? Word? Illustrator?

[Michaele]

TERRIFIC idea and many thanks for sharing it!

[teresa (maggiegracecreates)]

We have a notebook. I love cook books but once a recipe is proven, one of us types it up, puts it into a sheet protector and adds it to the big book. The sheet protectors are a wonderful addtition (not exactly a clean cook here)

I love the idea for this though. I am thinking a grocery list. laminated and then filled out with a dry erase marker. just wipe clean as you add to the basket.

Have a great weekend.

[Dacia]

that's a fantastic idea. i hate things all over the fridge. it drives me nuts. :)

[riona]

Absolutely brilliant idea. Thank you so much! I will be going to Kinkos this evening.

[Jennifer]

Still reading comments to this entry? Your cheat sheet rocks. Why do I still have to get my book out to make the pancake recipe that I have been making every Sunday for like...years? (The Breakfast Book by Marion Cunningham, by the way---you would have to pry that book out of my hands to get me to part with it).

I am off to make your open-faced-rustic-galette-tart-apple-pie TODAY! Just picked up some juicy looking apples and need something simple and yummy smelling this afternoon. Thanks again.

[Fay]

Great idea! I'm going to print out and laminate this!

[Maxine]

Oh wow... It is (tangentially) similar to what I do.

Maybe I'm just reeeally anal but I like to write my most-used recipes on those index cards and punch a hole at the top.

I have a hook stuck on my splash-back and I just hang the recipe of the day there for reference when I am preparing stuff.

But your idea requires even less effort... hmm...

[Connie]

WoW, I LOVE this idea, and I am going to share it with my daughter & daughter-in-laws!!!
Thank you for sharing his!
Connie aka Rainbow Rose

[Kim]

horribly CUTE!

[Sam]

Thanks so much for sharing. My children came into the bedroom this morning asking for pancakes for breakfast. After havng found this sheet last night I enthusiastically agreed knowing I didn't need to search for a recipe.
Thanks again.

[Gift of Green]

The most reassuring thing you wrote is that you have dust bunnies too. :)

[Becky]

What a great idea! Thanks for sharing.

[KitchenNut]

Thank you for this idea! I love it! I am beginning on my own right now!

[Melissa]

I completely understand the refrigerator thing. My fridge door has papers sticking out at all angles. I may have to try making one of these for my basics. I'm always looking for my biscuit recipe b/c my memory is horrible:

3 cups Pioneer Biscuit Mix
3/4 cup Mountain Dew or Sprite
8 oz sour cream

Mix and bake in a greased cast iron skillet or buttered cake pan.

[carrie]

Great idea!! I love it. You inspired me to create two cheat sheets (http://www.cooksimple.com/fridge-cheat-sheets): one for my favorite weekday recipes and one for my baking recipes. Thanks!