A while back I started a recipe database. I wanted to make sure I never misplaced the recipes that I like the most. So occasionally I would add a recipe to the database and it grew. Whenever someone asked about a particular recipe, I would print it off.
And then we had that little computer problem. And last week I went to find a recipe and it was gone. All gone.
Most of the recipes I still have on recipe cards. But a few I got out of a magazine, or off the internet or television. And I have no other copies. The worst, I don't even know what all I had. Trying to find a specific recipe on the internet is worse than finding a needle in a haystack. At least the haystack has an end.
So now I need to find the sesame dressing recipe that I had. And then I have to figure out how I tweaked it, so I can write it down and make Chinese Chicken Salad again.
Some days technology is my friend. Some days it is not. Do I start a new database?
7 comments:
My condolences. I lost all my bookmarked recipes, but at least I can sort of remember what they were and where they came from.
Definitely start a new database, but also start backing that database up. You could buy an external hard drive and run routine updates. Also, once a week or so, you could zip up the database and send it to an email account. I do something similar with my writing work.
Good luck!
Yes - and then back up. BACK-UP, I say! (Had a similar problem with our desktop last summer and very nearly lost all our photos. ALL our photos. So now we back-up...
ann - We have an external hard drive. We misplaced the one with the backup, can't find it anywhere. Now we keep the hard drive connected.
pm - We are really good about backing up our photos and music. We keep a hard drive in the safe deposit box and bring it home every month or so and back up to it and then put it back.
We always backed up everything but the desktop files. And those were the ones we lost.
Do you remember much about the salad dressing? Like where you might have gotten it, etc. I have a few that might fit the bill if you're interested.I'd be happy to send them to you.
I love Chinese Chicken salad. Yum.
You know, I have things saved in recipe boxes on the internet sites that I use, like Epicurious. But I always have a hard copy. I think it's similar to writing. Some things I just can't write without using pen and paper first. I don't keep anything on my computer itself at all. I want to be able to touch recipes, hold them in my hand. So I have a cabinet overflowing with cookbooks, a recipe box, and most recently, a binder. Just a weird little quirk.
I totally hate it when that happens. Computers break for me to the point that my husband the computer engineer even has said he doesn't get how it's possible.
Technology: Not All It's Cracked Up To Be.
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