Entering a New Recipe and Community Cookbook

• Click  to start with a cleared screen.

• Enter the following information in the area below the Search grid:

• Leave the ID/Code text field blank. The recipe ID will automatically be assigned by the Menus program. It will start with an ‘R-‘ and then be followed by a four digit numeric code.

• Enter a short name for this recipe (up to 20 characters) in the  Name text field. This will be printed on the Public Calendar.

• Enter a description in the Description text field. This can be a longer, more specific name for the recipe. It is used in menu planning and analysis, and must be unique for each recipe.

• Check the Inactive box to label an inactive recipe, if applicable.

• Enter the number of servings this recipe makes in the Servings text field. This information is used in nutrient analysis.

• Enter the serving size information for this recipe using the three fields available in the Serving Size text field.

  • The size information is split into two parts, a whole number and a fraction. They can be combined in any way to create the serving size for the recipe.
  • This information is used in Recipes and Production Reports; it is not used for calculating Menu Cost Per Serving or Inventory Usage calculations.
  • The third field is for entering a description of a single serving of this recipe. Example:It could be 1 ½ Cups, 2 Pieces, ½ Slice, etc. This information will be used when you select the recipe for a menu and will be reported on the Recipe Prep Report.

• Select a Recipe Group from the Group dropdown list.

  • If you need to add more Recipe Groups you can do it under Recipes:  Recipe Group.

• Enter the source for this recipe (i.e. cookbook, USDA) in the Source text field. If you leave this blank, it will be set to Local.

  • If the recipe has been downloaded from the Community Cookbook, Source will be listed as Community Cookbook.

• Select from the HACCP Process dropdown list if applicable.

  • Available options are blank, No Cook, Same Day Service, Complex Food Preparation, and Non-Potentially Hazardous Foods.

Community Cookbook

The Community Cookbook allows you to share your recipes with other Meals Plus districts.

• When you are ready to share a recipe, click the  button.

• Select your state from the State dropdown list and click Continue.

  • Selecting your state here determines the State filter in the Community Cookbook.
  • Click Close to close the box without sharing a recipe.

• The recipe is automatically shared to the Community Cookbook, which is accessed under Utilities.

• Once a recipe is shared, the Share button disappears and is replaced with the date the recipe was shared, who shared the recipe, how many times it has been downloaded by other districts (both of these are displayed when the mouse hovers over the date), stars and a number for a rating system and links to Unshare and Update the recipe once it has been shared.

  

  • Rating Stars and Number: Once other customers download your recipe and rate it, the ratings will display here. 
    • Once the recipe is rated, the stars will display as yellow.

    

    • You can click the (X) to view all ratings and comments.
      • The grid will display all reviews left by other customers with their rating, date/time, district name and contributor’s name.
      • You can delete your own rating, if you have entered one, but not ratings entered by other customers.
      • If a user only has ‘read’ rights to Community Cookbook, they can view, but not add or edit comments on a recipe.

       

      

     

  • Unshare link: Once a customer from another district has reviewed a recipe, it cannot be unshared from the Community Cookbook.
  • Update link: You can update a previously shared recipe at any time and will update your recipe in the Community Cookbook.

   

Now you are ready to enter the Ingredients for this recipe.

Shortcuts for Creating Recipes