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Create a Computer Index for Your Recipes


Silver Post Medal for All Time! 418 Posts

photo of computer screenOver a period of 50 years or more, I have collected many good recipes. Some I have written down and stuffed in a zip lock bag and some I have on index cards in a small photo album. Plus, I have a large collection of recipe books and two recipe file boxes full. When I want a certain recipe, it can be a problem finding it.

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Recently, I started a document listing my favorite recipes and where to find them. Not only has it helped me find a recipe, it has helped me figure out what to prepare when I need to make a dish for a covered dish meal at church or a family reunion.

I have a million other things I need to do so this is going to be a long process but well worth it when I'm done. Right now, when I pull out a recipe or come up with one of my own that I have written on an index card, I add where I keep it to this document.

With my recipe books, I have found it helpful to mark in the index, the recipes that I have tried and liked.

I need to weed out my recipes and give some of my recipe books to someone that needs them. Now that it's cold outside and no yard work or gardening to do, I'm working on decluttering. Sometimes, less is more.

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January 24, 20160 found this helpful

Back in the 80s I started putting my good recipes in my computer. I'm sure you must have word processing software - Word, Office or Wordperfect. If you copied one recipe a day into your computer, if would take a while but sure easier to find! I've got a main folder called "Cookbook". Under that, I have category folders -such as "Ground Beef", Chicken, Veggie Sides, Stews, etc.

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Easy to find all your recipes. Just go into "Cookbook", go to the category that you want and scroll through your recipes. All your recipes in one place and easy to find! Bonus: After copying your good recipes out of your books, you can get rid of those books too.

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Gold Post Medal for All Time! 523 Posts
January 17, 20170 found this helpful

Linda, I have all the 'word processors' you mentioned, and more. I have never used any of them. Please tell me how they help to organize and put recipes on the computer. I am dumb in this area.

One thing I'm keen on is free software. It usually is better than what you pay for or what comes with a computer. There are several free word processors available. If littergitter doesn't have one and wants one, she could download WPS Office Free or Apache OpenOffice to name a couple.

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Gold Post Medal for All Time! 523 Posts
January 17, 20170 found this helpful

Litter Gitter. Sorry, LG.

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Silver Post Medal for All Time! 418 Posts
January 22, 20170 found this helpful

I have a question. I'm not an expert when it comes to computers and not up to date on all that I can do with the one I have. My question is: If my recipes are on my computer and my computer is in another room and I'm in the kitchen, what good will the recipe on the computer do me.

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Do I have to write it down each time I use it or print it out? I don't have a lap top and don't need one. I'm not smart enough for the smart phones.

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Anonymous
January 22, 20170 found this helpful

Just wondering what you do when your recipe is on the computer and you are in the kitchen. How does this work?

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Silver Post Medal for All Time! 267 Posts
January 23, 20170 found this helpful

If you put your recipes on ThriftyFun, you can access them on your phone or tablet in your kitchen.

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Gold Post Medal for All Time! 523 Posts
January 25, 20170 found this helpful

This should be very easy. You will need a 25 ft VGA cable. Amazon $12.00 + Shipping. Walmart $10.00 (I assume 25 ft will be enough. You said your home was small).

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One computer power cord.$5.00 or less, most anywhere. I have about 30 and will send you one free if you like. I need to get rid of some of them.

You will need a YVGA Splitter Cable. $5.00 Walmart or Amazon

You will need a small used monitor. Hopefully, you can get a free one from a friend or relative. Check Goodwill or Freecycle.

Total cost should be under $20.

Turn off and unplug your computer.

First, you remove the VGA cable attached to the back of your computer. It usually has a dark blue plug and fits into a dark blue jack.

Next, plug the single end of the YVGA Splitter Cable into the dark blue jack on the back of the computer, the same one you just took the VGA cable from.

Now, you have the YVGA cable connected to your computer. The other end of this short YVGA cable has two plugs. In one plug, you connect the VGA cable that was originally connected to the back of your computer. Now, your living room computer is ready to go.

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Next, plug one end of the 25 ft VGA cable into the other plug of the short YVGA cable.

Position your kitchen monitor where you want it in the kitchen. Plug the other end of the 25 ft VGA cable into the kitchen monitor.

Next, plug the power cord into the back of the kitchen monitor and the other end into a wall receptacle. Plug in and turn on your living room computer, If you have a picture on the living room monitor, you should have the same on the kitchen monitor. You should have a small green light on the right bottom of the monitor. If it's black. press it. You are set to go!


Go back to the living room and pull up the recipe you want. It should also appear on the kitchen monitor. If you are cooking a full meal and need 3 recipes you can have all three on your kitchen screen at one time. If you don't know how to do this, I can show you while you are in your living room and I in mine. It's very simple and totally free. If you have any other questions, just ask.

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When your neighbors see your monitor in your kitchen, they will call you 'Space Age Granny!

Wonder if Jess was serious about you putting 50 years of recipes on ThriftyFun?

 
 
 
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Gold Post Medal for All Time! 523 Posts
January 25, 20170 found this helpful

And another thing, LG

(LG doesn't sound very feminine. May I know your given name?)

Oh, the other thing...as I was about to say, Do you have a printer, and does the printer have a scanner? If you have a scanner, all the loose recipes you have can be scanned and then copied to your computer. That'll save you a whole bunch of typing.

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Gold Post Medal for All Time! 523 Posts
January 26, 20170 found this helpful

And one more thing, unless I think of more. There are a lot of recipe sites on the net. If you become a member so you can upload and download recipes, you're likely to get a lot of other things you don't want added to your computer. I can show you how to download just the recipes and nothing else.

I don't understand why some people use certain apps on the web, when it's easier without them. For example, my sister would use a service or app when she wanted to send me a picture. I had to click on a link and go to the site to see the picture. And of course, I had to deal with a lot of junk from the site to see the picture.

All she had to do was drag and drop the picture into the message she was sending. That way I never had to leave the message I was reading to see the latest picture of a little niece.

As long as you use a computer, you will be learning more things. For example, many times you will run across PDF files on the net. You will see a notice saying you will need to download and install Adobe reader to access the file. Nonsense. There are other better and safer PDF readers and they are free just as Adobe is. Adobe has been notorious for having security issues.

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Silver Post Medal for All Time! 418 Posts
January 29, 20170 found this helpful

Thanks everyone for the advice. We got a Kindle for Christmas and are learning how to use it.

I love posting my favorite recipes on Thriftyfun. I have been to the website many times when I needed a recipe that I had posted and some others that I have tried. It's easier for me to find it on TF than to look for it in my recipes. Usually I can remember the basics of putting it together so all I have to do is jot down the ingredients and the measurements.

I guess I'm just old-fashioned and set in my ways but I can't part with my cookbooks. There are too many recipes there that I want to try. Also, my 18 year old granddaughter, who is learning to cook, loves looking through them. She has taken some home with her.

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Gold Post Medal for All Time! 523 Posts
January 31, 20170 found this helpful

This is very interesting. I know nothing about Kindle. I thought you just downloaded books to read on it. I didn't know you could put your own material on it. That's great!

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Gold Post Medal for All Time! 523 Posts
January 20, 20190 found this helpful

Doug,

You talk too much.

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