As early as the 17th century, women have been sharing and recording recipes in book form.  But the books they made were not merely a compilation of recipes.  They were really a journal of a  woman's domestic life.  You would sometimes find household and gardening advice, as well as formulas for making medicines, as a place to save clippings on events taking place in their neighborhood, a place to save letters from friends and family, to record or even write poetry and quotations, and as a place where children practiced their writing of letters.  Some women kept adding to their journals throughout their lives so these books became a diary of their domestic development.  As the years went by you could see the progress of their cooking skills by the increasing complexity of the recipes and their abilities to adapt the recipes to their own tastes. Some women were so pleased with their accomplishments that they published their personal recipe books.

A wonderful gift we can give to our children and ourselves is to start recording our favorite family recipes so they do not become lost or forgotten.  I have contact with so many people who want to locate a lost family recipe.  Fond memories of a favorite food from childhood so often surface as we grow older and people want to make these foods a part of their lives again.  So take the time to write the recipes down, as well as the date and where you found the recipe (from a friend, newspaper, Internet).  Make a note as to why it is special (did you have it at a friend's party, or maybe it was a special cake recipe for a child's birthday party).  Record any changes you may have made to the recipe to make it your own.  Use your cookery scrapbook as a journal of your own daily domestic life.  As you come across quotes or passages that strike a cord, write them down in your journal before they are forgotten.  Wouldn't it be fun to be able to look back over the years gone by to see how you have evolved in your cooking skills and your likes and dislikes? 

I believe the writing of a cooking journal with all its recipes, tips, quotes, letters, etc. should be valued in the same way as a personal diary or gardening journal is valued. (Source used: Eat My Words by Janet Theophano)