Recipe Cards

They were small boxes filled with cards — bigger than conventional playing cards or even a tarot deck, but smaller than a paperback. Each card has a recipe on one side and a photograph of the dish on the other. They're printed by Chronicle Books as adjuncts to popular books in their catalog. And they are just ... well ... cute. They make you want them.

Every home cook who has walked by my desk and seen them has picked them up, exclaimed over them, shuffled through them and returned them only with the greatest reluctance.

Recipe cards that can be used for many gift giving occasions and special events listed in the activities column. This is an easy craft for the little ones to remember the nutritional benefits of dairy products and the older ones will like it as well.  Color version only.  All you need for option one is a piece of paper or card stock, scissors and glue.

All the pieces are in one template and it makes a cute decoration.  Cut pieces and assemble - refer to illustration. The basket is printed twice and serves as an gift envelope for recipe cards provided and a small gift card to attach to the handle.

The basket and recipe cards are great scissor cutting practice for older children.
Glue basket templates back to back only on the edges leaving an opening on the top (handle).   Recommendation:  Apply glue up to where the handles start. Assemble and glue images on one side of the basket.
Adult can help write some favorite dairy recipes:  smoothies, shakes, etc. 

Insert the cards inside the basket. Childcare providers and educators may want to insert newsletter inside as well.  
Optional:  punch a hole in the handle and small gift card.  Insert a ribbon or decorative string through the hole in the handle and gift card, make a knot.

You could use the cards to make a decorative element in your kitchen. (Shellac them to the wall? Cover the fridge with them? Affix them to tiles with Varathane and make them a splashboard? Get a little easel and prop a different card up each day?) We agreed the darn things are just too good-looking to stuff into a drawer.

How practical are the cards? The point with these is not to cook from them but to look at them. As I said, they make you want them.