Recipe Name

Call attention to your recipe by giving it a clear, detailed title that will catch readers' eyes. For example, instead of calling your recipe "Roast chicken and sweet potatoes," consider renaming it "Roast chicken breast with rosemary-infused sweet potatoes."

Short Description

This is the place share any special information about your recipe, such as what it tastes like or why you and your family love it. You can also use this space to offer tips for preparing or serving your recipe. For example, "Serve the poached salmon with a salad of mixed greens" or "It’s fine to use organic frozen corn if fresh isn’t available."

Ingredients

Here, you need to give a rundown of all of the ingredients you use to make the recipe, in the order in which you use them. Give exact amounts and descriptions. It’s best to be precise in your descriptions: Instead of "12 tomatoes," say "12 cherry or grape tomatoes, halved," for example. Also:

• Spell it out. Use full names of measurements rather than abbreviations: "1 cup" instead of "1 C" and "2 tablespoons" rather than "2 tbsp."
• Use common measurements. Give the amounts that readers are most likely to find and understand. For instance, call for "2 tablespoons of cocoa powder," not "1 ounce of cocoa powder." However, for packaged foods, give the size of the package:  "one 15-ounce can of black beans." As a rule, you want to make it as easy as possible for readers to measure and use the ingredients in your recipe.
• Make it clear. When a measurement involves two numbers next two each other, spell out the first amount: e.g. "one 6-ounce can of wild salmon," not "1 6-ounce can."

Preparation Instructions

Give specific instructions for each step of your recipe. That means telling readers the order in which to prepare the ingredients, the right setting for the food processor or blender, just how long to cook the food, and how to tell when food is ready. Say, "Sautee onions 5 minutes or until golden," or "Slice potatoes ¼-inch thick," for instance. Be sure to include other important details, like preheating the oven or refrigerating ingredients, too.

Serving Size

Try to estimate the number of people your recipe will serve and how many servings it makes; for example, "Makes 4 servings, 3 pancakes each."