File this under sweet things for newlyweds (and beyond!). This idea came from my husband, and instead of being vacation related, it’s entirely food focused. To keep us cooking in our new kitchen and to encourage us to try new recipes, John suggested that one of us pick a recipe each week—found anywhere: online, in a magazine, in a cookbook—and cook it for the other person.
When it’s my turn, I enjoy digging through cookbooks and websites for inspiration. When it’s John’s turn, I get to sit back and enjoy his delicious creations. We made the whole thing even more fun by buying a small fabric-covered notebook to document every recipe we try. We jot down ingredients, any tweaks we made, cooking times, and occasionally include photos when we remember to take one before digging in. We’ve also turned naming the dishes into a playful ritual: favorites so far include “John’s Coco Loco Asian Chicken” and “Sherry’s Nasty Italian Steak Mash.” The names are goofy, but the food is seriously good.
Why not start your own personal cookbook filled with new and exciting recipes? It’s an easy, affordable way to add variety to weeknight meals and keep cooking fun. The one drawback is you might have to give up squeezing into those skinny jeans if you make everything too indulgent—but that’s a tasty problem to have. More importantly, this practice is a meaningful ritual you can share with a partner, friends, or family members—and it’s something you can pass down to kids someday if you want.
If you’re thinking about starting your own weekly recipe exchange or personal recipe book, here are a few practical tips that made ours work well:
1. Keep the notebook simple and useful. Dedicate a page or two per recipe. Write the title, source, ingredients, steps, any substitutions you made, and the date. A few lines for serving notes—what side dishes paired well, what drinks we served, or whether we’d make it again—help a lot later on.
2. Photograph meals when you can. Even quick phone photos add personality and make the notebook feel alive. Snap a shot before everyone digs in and glue or print a small photo into the notebook. Over time, the pictures bring back the memories almost as well as the recipes themselves.
3. Set reasonable rules. Decide who picks recipes when, whether it’s strictly one recipe per week, and how adventurous you want to be. Sometimes we choose quick, weeknight-friendly dishes; other times we tackle multi-step weekend meals. Keeping expectations simple helps the tradition stick.
4. Use it to expand culinary skills. Try one new technique a month—braising, pickling, or working with a new grain. The notebook becomes a record of progress, not just a list of dinners. Making small notes about timing, temperature tweaks, or seasoning adjustments helps you replicate a great result next time.
5. Make it inclusive and flexible. If dietary needs or preferences change, adapt recipes rather than abandoning them. Swap ingredients for vegetarian, gluten-free, or lower-sodium versions. The goal is to make cooking enjoyable and sustainable, not stressful.
Ultimately, the real payoff is less about creating a perfect heirloom cookbook and more about the shared experience: researching, cooking, tasting, and laughing over oddly named dishes. Whether you’re newly married, living with friends, or cultivating a family tradition, creating a personal recipe book is a warm, creative way to celebrate food and each other. Give it a try—start with one recipe this week, write it down, and see where the next 50 take you.