Perhaps the most common, but overlooked, heirloom in our families is old family recipes. Special dishes can reveal a lot about the regions we have lived in, our countries of origin and the religions we celebrate. You can explore your family history by spending an afternoon preparing favorite family dishes with your children, then sitting down for a meal to celebrate your ancestors. As we have done, you can also collect family recipes, passed down through the generations, then print a cookbook at your local copy shop to be shared with everyone who participates.

MATERIALS
Completed recipe cards on white 8 1/2- by 11-inch paper

Photographs of family member who created recipes (optional)

Photographs of family members cooking and sharing meals (optional)

1. Draw up a list of the family members from whom you would like to request recipes.

2. Create a form to send to everyone on your list. The form should include blank spaces for filling in the name of the recipe, the name of the person contributing it, the history of the recipe (where did it come from? why is it so special?), the ingredients needed (in the order in which they appear in the directions), the cooking directions, the amount of prep time and cooking time and the number of people it serves. Explain in an accompanying letter that you plan to copy the recipes into a cookbook and send a copy to each participant. Each person should receive several copies of the form so she can contribute multiple recipes. Give your family deadlines and, if needed, follow up with a reminder postcard as the deadline draws near.

3. When your recipes are in, you can either recopy all the recipes for a uniform look or simply plan to photocopy the forms for the pages of the book. Design a cover and a table of contents listing all the recipes. Lay out the pages in the order you like best (from appetizers to dessert, perhaps, or by cook). If you plan to use photographs, lay them out in the design.

4. Take your layout to your local copy shop and ask them for options, such as glued bindings or spiral bindings. Request paper samples for both the cover and the inside pages so you can decide what is best for you. Get cost estimates and then ask for as many cookbook copies as you need.

TESTER'S TIPS: Our tester spurred some relatives to action by enclosing a self-addressed stamped envelope with her forms. She also found that the question "Why did you pick this recipe?" provoked excellent anecdotes.