Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I think it is a great idea and I wish I could be less of a procrastinator and actually do something like this and keep at it! Same with my personal journal about "life" - I always feel better doing it, learn something from it and the second I go to bed early or catch a cold, the harder it is to start again! A lot of times I forget a dish we really like or forget about a creative use for (fill in the blank) and I think a food diary would be a very resourceful tool! I admire your dedication.

I tried doing it with a notebook, but instead decided to start a blog, so everyone can read it. I don't bother noting more mundane meals or when I have take out, but I do post when I throw together a particularly tasty meal, or even when I make something that misses the mark, so I can refer back to it later and try to make refinements.

cooking monster

Oh yeah. I use a Word doc and work backwards (ie, today is at the top, followed by yesterday, etc.). I try to do it every couple of days but sometimes forget and and will desperately yell to my husband, "What did we have for dinner last Thursday?" (And he'll usually remember.)

When I try a new recipe, I'll try to find it online, and cut and paste it into the doc, along with my notes on what I did different. If it's strictly a book-only recipe, I'll give the book and page number and/or write a brief summary.

I find it quite helpful for reminding me of recipes that I tried once, liked, but then forgot about.

PumpkinBear: I write and edit for a living, too, so I know you can do it!

i do but for different reasons - i use excel to plan meals ahead and track the contents of my fridge/freezer. it helps me prevent wasting food and cuts costs for this poor college student.

BaHa, I'm beginning to think writers-editors have a special gene that compels us to do this! I've had the same habit since the late 1990s, for the same reasons. Lately I've switched to an ongoing Word doc to record food preparation details, but I often refer to, with a certain nostalgia, my original handwritten and well-thumbed spiral notebook. For one thing, it includes several drawings, some in color, that serve as useful prompts for certain dishes (e.g., arrangement of mixed fruit on a tart, how to make a lattice crust).

I actually found thedailyplate.com to be incredibly helpful here. It basically does the work for you after a few search and clicks. It helped me lose weight.

I fall into the blog category of food diarists. I blog pretty much every dinner and some breakfasts and lunches. The extent of the "entry" can range from a few words to a complete recipe depending. This also works really well for health stuff.

Yeah, for dinner parties, although that's implying too elaborate a deal. My usual phrase is, "Come have supper with us." I enjoy choosing the menu, so tend to go through cookbooks and my usual repertoire, making notes (including page numbers) and listing possible combinations. THe first time I made daube (for company, to cross-reference another topic working currently), I hauled out all my Provencal cookbooks, started making notes, and then carefully documented what I did that combined elements from several recipes. I also keep lists of possibilities for potluck dinners and such, in case I need to come up with something with little advance notice, like funeral food, and even menus I've come up with in my head while I'm waiting somewhere with nothing to read or knit. But daily? Nope.

I also have a desk calendar that I started years ago with lists of recipes I wanted to try. That's languished since I married Mr. Meatloaf; life is too busy.

Sounds like many of us are list makers! I, for one, am a perpetual list maker. I try to record recipes I make, recipes I want to make, my fridge/freezer/cupboard inventory, grocery list, etc. The truth is, I've been trying to record all of this, but I fall behind and then forget things, etc. I need to come up with a good system.
I have a food blog, too, but can't record everything on there...

I have one of those little Moleskine day-at-a-glances and I write down what we have for dinner every night. Nothing fancy, no recipes, but I list the full meal, even if it's takeout or at a restaurant (both of which are rarer than not).