Recipes from friends and family. Photo: Sarah De Heer

There are certain things in this world that make me very happy, and among them are recipes that have meaning or stories behind them. Knowing this, my best friend decided to skip the wishing well for my bridal shower and instead included recipe cards with the invitations, simply asking guests to add to my collection.

Out of all the gifts I received -- and I received many -- these recipes take the cake. They were not only cute (Etsy), but they fit perfectly in my wooden recipe box.

Two weeks later, after all the thank-you notes had been mailed, I finally got around to really reading through the recipes. It was fun to see that the people who knew me the best really took the time to write down something they knew I would love. Others who don't love to cook got creative and still managed to please my palate!

Find out some of my favorite recipes and clever ideas after the jump -- and feel free to add to my collection by sharing a recipe with me in the comments section.

Still Hungry? Follow the Hungry Bride on Twitter.

First, for the clever ideas. Two of my future mother-in-law's friends really put their thinking caps on. One friend, instead of a recipe, listed three of her favorite restaurants in the town that Jon and I live in. (There's nothing better than word-of-mouth when it comes to dining out!) The second friend decided to write down two ideas for recipes that would suit the specific piece of dishware she bought us.

Of course there was also fun commentary left on the cards as well. My mother, knowing my extreme eating habits, noted that her recipe "Serves Sarah and Jon ... or four regular people." My Aunt Peggy, equally aware of my passion for food, included not just one of her favorite recipes, but three -- can't beat that!

What am I looking forward to making the most? A friend of Jon's family is well-known for her rice pudding and I can truthfully say that it's the best rice pudding I've ever had. So when I saw that she gave me the recipe for it, I nearly fell off the couch in my dash to my pantry to see if I had everything to make it.

My friend Laura's pappardelle with peas and Parmesan also had me salivating, but than again anything with the word "pappardelle" generally gets me excited. My future mother's puttanesca sauce is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser and I'm happy to finally have it (olives, capers, fresh basil and ripe tomatoes make it unforgettable). Lastly, I'm looking forward to making my future cousin's lemon squares. They are easily one of my favorite desserts and, after trying several recipes, I've yet to find one that stops me in my tracks. I've got a good feeling about this one.

While some recipes may be questionable -- a couple cans of cream of this and that tend to scare me -- I have no doubt that they are delicious and that in their families, they are adored.

I highly recommend substituting recipe cards for the traditional wishing well. I was truly surprised by how many I received and now it's something I will have forever -- and you certainly can't say that about a dish towel!