Hi Reader,

Your families' eyes glaze over the moment you mention "family history." But ask them about grandma's cookies or that special pasta dish you make, and suddenly they're all ears.

My mom was a great cook, and I wanted to get her favorite recipes into a format that could be easily shared with family. Creating a cookbook from her recipe boxes turned out to be more than just preservation—it became a practical way to keep her cooking traditions alive.

Food tells our family stories in ways that pedigree charts never could.

🎬 NEW BLOG POST & VIDEO

THE FAMILY HISTORY NOBODY FALLS ASLEEP FOR

Watch how I turned my mom's recipe boxes into a family cookbook that captures more than just ingredients!

In this week's video, I walk you through creating a digital cookbook using Storied. You'll see exactly how I:

• Decided which recipes to include (hint: the most stained cards were the winners!)
• Used AI to transcribe handwritten recipe cards - It was so easy!
• Added family stories and memories to each dish
• Created a beautiful, printed cookbook

🎬 Watch: The Family History Nobody Falls Asleep For: Family Dishes Tell Your Story Better Than Any Family Tree​

The accompanying blog post explores why family cookbooks work when family trees don't, and gives you practical steps to start your own family recipe collection.

📝 Read: Why Your Family Cookbook Matters More Than Any Family Tree​

🙂QUICK WIN OF THE WEEK

START YOUR FAMILY COOKBOOK THIS WEEK

You don't need to tackle entire recipe boxes like I did. It took me a number of weeks to complete mine. Here's how to begin:

Find one recipe that matters - Look for something you make regularly or that holds special meaning to your family. For example, a favorite birthday cake can be a great place to start.

Document the story, not just ingredients - Who taught you to make it? When do you typically prepare it? What memories does it hold?

Involve your children and grandchildren - Let them help cook, ask questions, and taste their way into family history.

That single documented recipe is the beginning of your family cookbook—and the beginning of preserving the kind of family history your family will actually want to inherit.

🎙️PODCAST SPOTLIGHT

How to Modernize Family Recipes So You'll Actually Make Them

Speaking of family recipes, here's a perfect follow-up listen: Episode 03 of Passing the Plate, the podcast I co-host with Ashley Covelli of Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen.​

Grandma's casserole holds a universe of love, but let's be honest—sometimes its crust needs a little crunch update. In this episode, we tackle the culinary conundrum: How do we honor and enjoy family recipes while making them work for modern palates?

Ashley, a recipe developer and food writer, shares her expertise in updating old family recipes with creative ingredient swaps, dietary adaptations, and kitchen hacks that streamline prep without sacrificing soul. Because the goal isn't just preserving recipes—it's making sure they actually get made by the next generation.

🎙️Listen in here: Website, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.​

🔍 GENEALOGY + FAMILY HISTORY TIP

THE RECIPE CARD RESEARCH STRATEGY

Here's something I discovered while going through Mom's recipes: the most stained recipe cards revealed family favorites and cooking patterns.

Apply this same observation technique to your family documents:

• Most worn photos = frequently viewed favorites worth investigating
• Margin notes on documents = clues about family priorities and corrections
• Handwriting variations = different family members contributing to the same collection

Sometimes the condition of our family artifacts tells us as much as their content.

🛠️GETTING STARTED WITH YOUR FAMILY STORY

READY TO PRESERVE MORE THAN RECIPES?

Whether you're organizing decades of family research or just trying to capture your mom's stories before they're gone, I can help you create a system that actually works.

​Learn more about working with me HERE.​

Join our community: Follow along on YouTube • Instagram • Facebook​

What's one family recipe you'd hate to lose? Hit reply and tell me about it—I love hearing about the dishes that connect us to our heritage!

To your family history,

Lisa

Lisa Lisson Genealogy Researcher, Author & Speaker