The Secret Ingredient is Love

The Secret Ingredient Is Love is a solo journaling game about food, stories, and that special alchemy that comes from cooking up a meal with a side of memory. All you need to play is some writing materials and a deck of cards.

You are the keeper of an old family recipe box. It rests in your hands, the weight of many cooks who came before you written in ink and paper. You were at one time intimately familiar with these dishes, but you have since moved on, leaving the past behind like an old photo on your nightstand... until today.

Today, you have finally opened the box to make a new recipe. You flip through the box, make your grocery list, and prepare your kitchen. With every dish comes a story, and like the food, that story may be bitter, sour, sweet, or savory. What you make is up to you - with help from the cards.


Players: 1 (solo journaling)

Length: As long as you want, or until all cards are used

Genre: Cozy

Materials Needed: writing material, standard deck of cards

Content Warnings: None

Creator(s): Anna Goldberg & Colin McNamara
Audience: All ages
Format: 12 pages, black & white
Trim Size: 5.5" x 8.5"