DIY We Love: Recipes from the Heart

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(Pictured above: Book cover)

When the time came for Carney Haberman to throw her daughter a bridal shower, she wanted to gift her something special that would endure throughout the years — past the pots and pans, stand mixers and flatware sets. Inspired by the buffet-style Sunday dinners that her late mother used to throw for the entire family (a group of 21!), she came up with the idea to create a bound cookbook with secret family recipes.

However, this wasn't your standard cookbook composed of ripped-out looseleaf sheets: She included the backstory of recipes, personal photos of the relatives who created them, and, in some cases, even the original handwriting itself.

(Pictured above: Book jacket)

"My feeling is that 'food is love' and that encompasses the experience of sitting down to dinner together. The care and effort someone puts into the meal is an extension of the love we have for the people who will share the meal. I want both my daughter and son-in-law to grow into a strong family that loves and supports each member," said Haberman.

For those of you BG brides who can't wait to steal this wedding idea (myself included—hi Mom, I know you're reading!) check out Blurb.com, which is the program Haberman used to make the cookbook. Hers cost $50, but the price is dependent on the materials you choose for the cover and the paper you pick for the text, so you could customize your own price.

Between selecting the photos and hunting down all of the recipes (including her mother's black and white notebook, unearthed from the 7th grade), it took this M.O.B. about two months to make Recipes from the Heart. The delivery process took two weeks.

(Pictured above: Recipes)

In a true collaborative effort, Haberman also included recipes from the groom's side of the family; after all, "When you marry, it's not just a marriage between two people, but a marriage between two families."

Sadly, the groom's grandmother (the "cook" of the family) was very ill and passed away right before the shower. "I was happy that I was able to include some of the groom's favorite recipes with some wonderful pictures of his mother, grandmother, and grandfather," said Haberman.

In the end, all of the shower presents ended up being stored at this thoughtful mom's home—except for the book, that is. The bride-to-be took it straight back to her apartment.