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Assignment 1

 

 

Instructions

YOUR first graded assignment is an exercise in giving instructions.  We're going to work on a kind of instruction you're already familiar with: recipes. In using the standard recipe format, take advantage of several elements of technical writing:

1. Use white space.
2. Use headings and subheadings.
   
3. Put instructions in lists: both bulleted and numbered.
   
4. Start every instruction with an imperative verb.
5. Put instructions in the proper order — first things first!
6. Break down the process into logical and manageable steps. If a step covers too little or too much, your readers will get bored or confused.
7. Use pictures and videos when possible.

II.  Before and after

We are taking recipes from old Louisiana cookbooks. These are old recipes that are in straight paragraph format, which was standard at the time. On our main web site, we've left the recipes in their original format:

CARAMEL PUDDING

Five eggs, the four yolks and one whole one, one gill of cream, one half-pint of milk, one ounce of sifted sugar, one quarter of a pound of lump sugar, just moistened with cold water, then boiled to a light golden color, poured into a mold. When the caramel is set, then pour in custard, tie down with foolscap paper and steam very gently for an hour and a half. When cooked it should be buried in ice until required for use. The eggs, cream, sugar and milk should all be well beaten together.

—Leonie Penin.

We've started a companion site, the Louisiana Anthology Cookbook, where we're putting the recipes in modern format:

 

III. Your Assignment Step by Step

1. Go in the recipe forum on Moodle. Add a post with your name, email address, and top 5 recipes. Pick ones that have not been taken before. Also list your own favorite recipe that you'd like to add. 
2. Return to your post to see which ones I've assigned you.
   
3. Pick one of your personal favorite recipes to add. Also pick 5 recipes (I'll assign you the top 3 that haven't been chosen yet.) from EITHER
   
•  Cooking in Old Créole Days.
  
• I've made a separate file that indicates which recipes have already been taken. If you know some French, you can pick some of the French-language recipes. If you have a favorite Louisiana recipe, you can use it for one of your recipes. OR
  
• The Creole Cookery Book.
  
• Here is the separate file for its list of recipes.
• La Cuisine Creole.
  
• Here is the separate file for its list of recipes.
• New Orleans Cook Book.
  
• Here is the separate file for its list of recipes.
• The Unrivalled Cook-Book.
  
• Here is the separate file for its list of recipes.
  
4. List your choices on the Moodle list.
   
• Make sure nobody has already chosen the ones you list: first come, first serve.
  
• List your choices, page number if available, and the books they come from.
  
• Also put your gmail address on your list so I can add you to Blogger. Blogger will send you an email with the steps to add you as an editor.
5. Accept the invitation to join the cooking blog.
6. Go to Blogger.com. Log in with your Google account.
   
   
   
7. Click on the Louisiana Anthology Cookbook.
   

8. Click on New Post.
   

9. You can use this code for the model for your recipes. Copy it, click on the HTML tab in your Blogger entry, and paste it there. Then you can click on the Compose tab to edit it.

   <h3>
    Ingredients </h3>
   <ul>
   <li>Nine pounds of nice peaches</li>
   <li>Four pounds of sugar</li>
   <li>One pint of good vinegar</li>
   <li>Whole allspice</li>
   </ul>
   <h3>
   Directions </h3>
   <h4>
   </h4>
   <ol>
   <li>Pare, stone [take the pit out], and halve the peaches.</li>
   <li>Boil the peaches in water until tender.</li>
   <li>Pour in vinegar and sugar with a little whole allspice till done.</li>
   <li>For immediate use, and a very good embellishment for cold meats.  Apples are very nice done the same way.</li>
   </ol>
   <div style="text-align: right;">
   Source — <a href="https://louisiana-anthology.org/texts/walmsley/walmsley--creole_cookery.html#CwalmsleyN835" target="_blank"><i>Creole Cookery Book</i></a><br />
   Prepared by Rachel Niemirowski<br />
   <a href="https://louisiana-anthology.org/" target="_blank">Louisiana Anthology</a><br />
   July 16, 2019</div>
   
   
   

10. Put the name of your first recipe in the Post Title. Put the recipe in the text section.
    

Use the updated URL for the Louisiana Anthology main site:

11. Click back onto the Compose View to edit your recipe.
12. Follow the blog format. The next tip works fine for some people, but brings in some excess HTML for others. I'm not quite sure why! [The easiest way is to copy the an earlier recipe. Delete the text of the recipe and fill in your new text.]
13. WARNING: DON'T COMPOSE IN WORD & PASTE INTO BLOGGER. Word creates particularly bad code.
    
14. Stay as close to the original text as you can. Define unusual terms (a gill is 1/2 cup, for example)
15. List the ingredients in an unordered (bulleted) list. Put the quantity then the ingredient (1 cup of milk, for example)
    
16. List the preparation steps in an ordered (numbered) list.  Remember to strike a balance in the amount of material in an individual step.
17. Use
    
• Normal text for the lists
• Subheadings for the Ingredients and Directions
• Minor Heading for any subdivisions below that.
  

18. Sign the bottom.
    
• Prepared by [your name].
• Put the date you post the recipe.
• Leave Louisiana Anthology link as it is.
• Update the link to Cooking in Old Creole Days to to directly to your recipe.  Click on the link in the Table of Contents, then copy the link out of the address bar. Replace the original link in your recipe.
• Leave the text right aligned.
  

19. Repeat the above steps for your other recipes. Each recipe should be in a separate post.
20. Choose one of the recipes and prepare it, taking pictures as you go.  It you can't afford it or don't have a place to prepare it, go to the store and take pictures of the ingredients.
21. Insert the images into the recipes. Make them medium or small and make them align to the right.
    

22. Let me know if you have any problems. 
    
23. When you finish, send me the links to your 4 recipes. (3 from the books and 1 of your own.)
    

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