I am personally not a hugger.  Not sure why, I am super friendly and generous and I could go on all day about the amazing things about me, but hugs just make me squirm! However I have found so many other ways to express myself to others.

Personally I found giving or receiving a recipe is just as warm. It can be a cut out from a magazine or a screenshot from your favorite online blog. Or even most charming; a real, authentic, from the heart recipe written on hand onto paper. I normally get hate mail from the mailman, but every time I see a recipe come in I know, I just KNOW its true love.

The year 2013 was when I really started to get wild with cooking. After graduating in ’11, I entered the workforce immediately and joined a restaurant. What I was learning in the food industry paired with a passion of cooking at home changed my life!

The stove top was always busy and the fridge was always full with experimental soups and dishes. After trying recipe after recipe, tweaking and adjusting, I decided to make a recipe book to keep.

Would you like to see my precious little paper project from what feels like ages ago? Of course you would. I’ll share it with you….

Can you tell I made it? Oh, weird. No it’s not from Barnes and Noble but thank you. So this bad boy is full of personal recipes I concocted. Not that they’re super original, though, so…

I am currently toying with the idea of making my own recipe cards to share my favorites with friends and family. As we know, our grandparents would write these on simple note cards. Since our generation is so dramatic I was thinking about making them super darling and rustic. Would it be crazy to keep some in my wallet?

Thankfully I did keep my recipes on paper. A couple years back I was lucky enough to share my broccoli and cheddar soup at a local bakery during lunch hours. I’ll have you know not a bowl went to waste!

Now, I have a friend who is a huge sucker for his Grandma’s Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp. He trusts it is the best of the very best. (It is crazy delicious) Never too full for Grandma’s summer delicacy. Recently, her recipe went from her hands into mine. Biggest hug ever! Now that doesn’t mean I can bake it half as good but I can try!

Let’s say you’re at a get-together and there is delicious food everywhere. Maybe a tray of ham roll ups, fruit ka-bobs, this and that. There is this ONE absolutely delectable pizza bite appetizer that blows your mind. At the end of the soiree, guests are leaving and friends are saying their goodbyes. “I’ll send you the recipe,” the amazing pizza bite cuisinier says, as he waves farewell.

You attend a pot luck at work with your award winning chili (true story.) Your co workers are mostly just that – coworkers. Yet you appreciate them and this is possibly the best way to say thank you. At the end of the day one of your biggest fans walks up and asks, “Can I have your recipe?” You sure can, pal. You sure can.

Sharing food outside of your home is such a concept I don’t know if many people think about. Food is nourishment! It is life! Just another way to share the warmth of your kitchen to another…

Anything is always better when shared.  So even if you are a hugger, never waste an opportunity to share a piece of your pie. (Speaking of pie, I’m sure you’re hungry now, try these 10 minute baby pies  of mine to tie you over)

Do you have a special book for personal recipes?