Greetings recipe lovers!
This is Julie who owns My Great Recipes Collection. I haven’t been posting or responding to many comments and I want to talk about that.
I started this website because a post about My Great Recipes did well on a previous blog. This little blog has had lovely interactions with people rediscovering their love for My Great Recipes and old cookbooks. At first it was fun and I had big dreams.
I was excited to share my cookbooks and interact with everyone. I worked hard to type recipes (heck, even full cookbooks) and to snap pictures of all of it. I’m not so enthused now, and I’m sure you’ve noticed. And I’m not sure what to do about it and I’ve definitely ignored it too long.
No Recipes
It’s not only a lack of enthusiasm that has put a damper on this website, it’s time.
It takes time to type each recipe, then get a decent picture, upload to my computer, then to this site, and then make sure it looks good before I hit publish. The emails you get about new posts are automated through Mail Chimp. Facebook posts are also automated (or were…it’s been awhile since I looked at that.)
It also takes time away from other pursuits.
If anything this last year has taught me, it’s that food is a hobby, not a passion. It’s something I love, but not something I want to spend a lot of time in front of a computer pursuing. Running a blog takes a LOT of time in front of a computer; I already spend 40 hours a week at a job in front of a computer…
I also published a poetry collection recently, and want to stretch my writing muscles. That’s where my true passion lies, and I can’t walk away from it anymore. There’s fiction that’s screaming to be written. And I also trained as a life coach and haven’t used that much at all. Then there’s the stash of clothes I’ve been meaning to list on Poshmark…
Sigh.
I’m trying to find a way to keep this site online, and to be able to move on to other things that really make my heart sing.
Here Are Some Options
There are several options I’ve thought about:
- Sell it
- Get help
- Go for the big dream
- Close it
Let’s look at each of those.
Sell It
This means exactly what it says: sell the website to whoever’s interested. The financial cost to purchase would be small as this site doesn’t make any money. Everything here has come out of my pocket and my time. It does get a little traffic and, for the right person, has potential to be something more than it is now.
Me figuring out how to a) sell and b) transfer the files to someone would be a pain, but it definitely could be done.
Get Help
By get help, I mean have you -the readers- take a more active part in loading pictures and recipes. Taking a more active part in the whole running of this site, including the site maintenance (not that hard if you’re comfortable with computers.)
I don’t know what this would look like or how I’d find the time to coordinate it – or even if I would be the one coordinating it. Would someone be interested in investing time into running a volunteer effort for a recipe website focused on mid-century cookbooks?
Go For The Big Dream
When I started this site, I thought about how it could become a community with people contributing and perhaps even a community cookbook of our own. I figured it could be a small non-profit that specialized in spiral cookbooks and other intriguing mid-century cooking-related things (like My Great Recipes.)
There definitely is a small community here. But is there enough of a community to make this kind of dream real? I don’t know.
Close It
This is always an option, and definitely the last resort. I don’t want to close this website. Too much of my time has gone into it, and there are too many people who I know would be very disappointed if it would go away.
What’s For Dinner Now?
So where does this website go now? I don’t know, and I’d love to hear what you think.
It seems people are exchanging recipes through this site already. When I receive an email from a reader, asking for a particular recipe, I will check to see if I have it and, if I do, request their email and send it to them. I have seen others doing this as well. If I knew how to, or had the ability to, upload recipes I would do that just to contribute and help others find what they are looking for.
I just found your site and I am sad to see you might not be keeping it active. I have an extensive collection and actually found two of the recipes you were missing in my duplicates. (4-7,4-30). I also have two full recipe card boxes full of my originals that I haven’t checked for your missing recipes as there would be no need if you aren’t doing this anymore. Let me know and I will be happy to send you these free of charge via snail mail as a thank you for all your hard work.
I say have people help. It looks like you have plenty of volunteers. I certainly would help out.
Hello,
I too have an extension collection of these cards from the 1980’s. I am sad to say that two of my cards stuck together and my families favorite Zucchini-Carrot Bread card was damaged. I’m unable to read the measurements of the ingredients. I’ve been making this bread since the 80’s. If anyone has this recipe, I would be so grateful if they would share. The card # is 81, group 23 Breads and Baked goods and from recipes packet 64. If I can help in return, I have hundreds of these cards, and I am happy to share. My email address is April.hatterick@uvmhealth.org.
Hi, I pretty much have the whole collection of My Great Recipes, in their original yellow plastic containers since I was a teenager. I love them !!! Now 45 + years later, I still enjoy baking and cooking for family, friends, and for many occasions. If anyone is interested feel free to contact me, I would love to share my recipes with you !
If you have the recipe for the Mixed Grill with Ginger-tomato sauce. My email is married_nurse@yahoo.com
Hi Debbie thank you for contacting me ! Reply back if you know what category recipe is in. I looked in category 17 Vegetables & Legumes for the Mixed Grill with Ginger-tomato sauce recipe. I don’t have it in that category.
Which grouping would that be in?
April, if you still need the card you can have mine. Let me know. Ruth
I have the cards and us them constantly. Let me know if I can help with missing cards. I will email April a photo of both sides
Hi Carol, I’m so happy to hear you have the card with this recipe! I look forward to your email. Thank you so much! I have an extensive (not extension, typo in my prior post). Please let me know if I can repay your kindness. Thank you,
April
Hi. I’m looking for the Cream Cheese pound cake recipe.
Margarita, I have that card if you’d like it. Ruth
I had this collection when I was a teenager. I ended up passing my collection on to my nephew when he started to show an interest in cooking. I ended up saving a few of the cards – Shortbread squares was always a big hit at the holidays for family. Of course, I ended up misplacing it. I am thankful to come across this website. I am now able to make one of my favorites again with my childern.
I still have about 25 or so cards. I’m not even sure what happened to the rest of them. But I am looking for the Ham and Potato bake card. I see it on the list. If you still have it, please! let me know. I’ll see what I have against your list and send you any you don’t have.