Everyone has heard the saying "Work smarter, not harder." At Typepad, we are here to give you tips and tricks to make sure your blog is a success! Today we are going over how to create a Master Template for sharing recipes.
First, you want to copy the code below and put it into a new blog post by clicking on the HTML tab on the Compose page.
Code For Recipe Template
Now click on the Rich Text tab to see the post and make changes.
TIP: Name this post Master Recipe and save it as a draft. Make any changes to the font, color, and branding you want to have in every post. Change the status to Draft and click Save. Now you have code to reference for future blog posts.
Table For The Recipe
The recipe is in a 1x2 table. This gives you a section for the ingredients and a section for the instructions. You can change the background of the table to match your brand colors.
To edit the background color, click in the table then click on the Table Properties icon in the bar under the table. On the Advanced tab, click on the little square to select a color. Put in the hex value or RGB values of the color you want. Click Ok. You will see that color in the little box and the hex value next to it. Click OK to save your changes.
You can do the same thing to add a border around the table. Keep in mind this will add a border around each cell.
Add Code To New Post
Now that you have the Master Template post set up, you want to save it as a draft. Next to Status click on the drop down and select Draft, then Save.
When you are ready to create a new recipe post, search for the Master Recipe post and click on the title to go to the Compose page. From the Compose page, click on the <> button to view the source code, copy the source code. Next, click on the Posts tab, and create a new post. Click on the <> button and paste in your code. Select Ok.
Adding A Printed Version
Some home chefs don't like to have their phones out while they are preparing food. Always offer a way for your readers to print out your recipes. We recommend that you write them up in a document and save as a PDF. PDF's are easy to upload, download, and print on a multitude of devices. Look for 'Print Recipe' in the recipe template, then click on the File icon. Choose the PDF file of your recipe, then click OK to upload and link it to the highlighted text. The 'Print Recipe' text will change to 'Download NAME OF FILE'" where "NAME OF FILE" is italicized but not capitalized like in my example here. You can keep the default text or customize the text by clicking the newly made link and editing the text in the 'Change the Text to Display' field. Click OK to save the change. TIP: The Jump To Recipe link is an anchor link that is already set up to go down to the recipe. No need to change anything.
Image Gallery
The Image Gallery is a great way to display your images. You can add images of you creating the dish or of your family and friends enjoying the meal.
To change the images in the image gallery, select one image, then click on the Insert Image icon. Choose file and select all the images you want to add.
Tip: Hold down CTRL to select multiple images if you are using Windows. If you are using a Mac, hold down CMD.
Select Insert Images to add the images to the scroll bar. Once you have added your images, you can delete our images. Select the Image and tap delete on your keyboard.
To change the text, click on the text and delete what is written. Now type in what you want to add.
We recommend using a master template to save time with formatting and managing images. We provided one example of how such a template could be used, but we'd love to learn what other types of templates you would like to see. Make sure to leave a comment with your thoughts and suggestions!