the organized chef

image via aurorae.tumblr.com

you've probably heard of the pampered chef but check it out: now you can be the organized chef. (and the pampered one, too, if you feel like it!) if you know me well you should know that i really like to be organized. i know where most everything is all of the time and i get really bothered when there is a stack of un-filed (or worse, unpaid!) bills and paperwork on my desk or if an article of clothing in my closet is hanging in the wrong place. also, if you know me well, you should know that i really, really like to cook and have quite a collection of recipes even though i am both single and living with my parents (not a lot of need for those at the moment). while i have a nice section for all of them in one of my great accordion files, i am annoyed that they are not nicely filed alphabetically by section somewhere (i.e.: appetizers, breads, cakes and cookies, etc.) on neat, matching recipe cards.

problem solved: enter tastebook. i read about this last week in oprah's christmas issue of O magazine and figured it was too good to be true. but then i checked out the website and it is seriously the easiest, coolest thing ever. so you have a mess of recipes that you want to organize? join tastebook (it's free), enter your own recipes and upload photos for each, import your favorites from online sources (tastebook has partnered with nearly every well-known online recipe resource out there so all you have to do is drag the specific recipes you want into your file), choose a cover photo and title for your book, and bam! (in the words of fellow chef emeril lagasse) your own, personalized tastebook is mailed directly to you.
i'm sure at this point you're probably imagining something really crappy (i know i was, based on all of the "homemade" fundraiser cookbooks i've encountered) but these books look like something you would buy in a store (see below for a sample image). you can choose your own photo for the hardback cover, and the inside is a spiral binder, allowing you to remove or rearrange recipes as you choose. all of the photos in the book are in color and each section has an easy color-coded tab divider (sigh!). and here's the best best part: it's only $35! that includes 100 recipes, which you don't even have to add all at once. you can order your book, and add new recipes online over time. each one will be mailed to you as a beautiful, matching page to snap into your book. and the website is so fun: there are videos from creator tori ritchie to help you every step of the way.

image via tastebook.com

so, seriously, what are you waiting for? fix that jumbled mess of magazine tear-outs and illegible recipe cards from aunt ruth and get organized already! you'll be every bit as cool as bree van de camp.