jposluns · jposluns · Jul 7, 2026 · Jul 7, 2026
@@ -13,6 +13,17 @@ Recipe imports are logged both here (summary) and in
 
 ### Added
 
+- **Guest-facing front door for going public.** Rewrote the root `README.md` to
+  welcome non-technical readers first: a short welcome with Blima's biscotti, then
+  clear paths to read the cookbook (download + install guide), browse the recipes
+  (by category or tag), the "BlimaCake" story, and plain-language rights. Added
+  [`docs/read-the-cookbook.md`](docs/read-the-cookbook.md), a step-by-step guide to
+  opening `BlimaCake.epub` on Apple Books, Kindle, Kobo, Google Play Books, and other
+  readers, and [`docs/about-this-archive.md`](docs/about-this-archive.md), which now
+  holds the technical/provenance/tooling detail moved out of the README so it stays
+  available without crowding the front page. Aligned the `NOTICE.md` contact to
+  `jeff@posluns.ca`.
+
 - **`tools/normalize_dashes.py` house-style guard.** Fails if any en dash (U+2013)
   or em dash (U+2014) appears in a `*.md` or `*.py` file, so the "no en/em dashes"
   convention cannot silently regress. (The guard stores the two characters via

@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ good faith and promptly.
 **How to report:**
 
 - Open a GitHub issue using the **"Copyright / attribution concern"** template, or
-- Email **<jeff@posluns.com>**.
+- Email **<jeff@posluns.ca>**.
 
 Please include, if you can:
 

@@ -1,101 +1,59 @@
 <!-- meta: title="Blima Cake: Recipe Archive" | type="readme" | archive="blimacake" -->
-# Blima Cake: Recipe Archive
-
-A durable, public-domain-bound document library of the recipes (and their
-images) published on [blimacake.com](https://blimacake.com), my mother's
-personal blog.
-
-This repository is the **canonical archive** of the recipes. It is designed to
-outlive the WordPress site: every recipe is stored as portable Markdown with
-machine-readable metadata, so the collection remains useful whether it is read
-on GitHub, rendered as a static website, or migrated elsewhere.
-
-> **Status:** Private. This repository will be made public, and the chosen
-> licence applied in full, once blimacake.com ceases operation. See
-> [`GOVERNANCE.md`](GOVERNANCE.md) for the publication gate.
-
-## Scope
-
-| In scope | Out of scope |
-| --- | --- |
-| Recipes | The dogs' sections (Brie, Jackson, Chelsea) |
-| Images used **within** recipes | Book / reading lists |
-|  | Any other non-recipe blog content |
-
-## What's here
-
-```text
-recipes/<category>/<slug>/index.md   # one folder per recipe ("page bundle")
-                          images/     # that recipe's images, co-located
-_meta/                                # taxonomy, provenance map, frontmatter schema
-.working/                             # AI hallucination tracking + import logs
-.claude/                              # Claude Code rules, skills config, hardening
-.github/                              # CI validation gates, CODEOWNERS, PR template
-tools/                                # deterministic WXR -> Markdown importer + validators
-docs/adr/                             # architecture decision records
-```
-
-A recipe is authored as Markdown with YAML frontmatter aligned to
-[schema.org/Recipe](https://schema.org/Recipe). See
-[`recipes/_TEMPLATE/index.md`](recipes/_TEMPLATE/index.md) and the schema at
-[`_meta/recipe.schema.json`](_meta/recipe.schema.json).
-
-## Browse the recipes
-
-Start at the **[recipe index](recipes/README.md)** for a category-by-category
-guide, or jump straight into a category; each has its own README listing every
-recipe with a thumbnail. The index files are generated from recipe frontmatter by
-[`tools/gen_readmes.py`](tools/gen_readmes.py); re-run it after adding recipes.
-
-## Read it as a book (EPUB)
-
-A ready-to-sideload e-book of the collection lives at the repo root:
-**[`BlimaCake.epub`](BlimaCake.epub)**; load it onto a
-Kindle, Kobo, or Apple Books. It gathers the recipes into numbered sections with
-a navigable table of contents and photos, and it opens on Blima's signature
-biscotti. Every entry has a three-level locator like `4.c.3` (section · letter ·
-item). Reusable components (frostings, glazes, fillings, streusels, sauces) are
-printed **inline** in the recipes that use them and are **also** listed on their
-own (savory ones under *Sauces & Rubs*, sweet ones in a *Frostings, Fillings &
-Toppings* section), cross-referenced by locator both ways.
-
-The book is generated deterministically from the Markdown by
-[`tools/build_epub.py`](tools/build_epub.py) (standard library + Pillow, no
-pandoc); re-run it after content changes:
-
-```sh
-python3 tools/build_epub.py                # -> BlimaCake.epub
-python3 tools/build_epub.py --no-images    # tiny text-only build
-```
-
-## How recipes get here (provenance, not transcription)
-
-Recipes are **not** retyped by hand or by an AI. They are imported from a native
-WordPress export (WXR XML) plus the media library by a deterministic converter
-in [`tools/`](tools/). Every recipe records its `source_url` and `wp_guid` so it
-can always be re-verified against the original. Ingredient quantities are the
-highest-risk field; the import-fidelity discipline (see
-[`.claude/rules/import-fidelity.md`](.claude/rules/import-fidelity.md)) requires
-them to be quote-verified against source, with any discrepancy logged in
-[`.working/hallucination-metrics.md`](.working/hallucination-metrics.md).
-
-## Licence & rights
-
-Blima Posluns' own original content here is licensed **CC BY 4.0** (attribution
-to the author). The full, verbatim CC BY 4.0 legal code is in
-[`LICENSE`](LICENSE).
-
-**Third-party content:** the blog spans many years and may include recipes,
-text, or images taken or adapted from other sources that remain under someone
-else's copyright. We make no claim over such material, and the CC BY 4.0 licence
-applies only to Blima's own work. If you are a rights holder and recognise your
-work, please see [`NOTICE.md`](NOTICE.md); we will correct attribution or
-remove it on request.
-
-## Roadmap
-
-- **Phase 0: Scaffold** *(this commit)*: structure, governance, guard rails, tooling skeleton.
-- **Phase 1: Importer**: WXR → Markdown converter, dry-run + human verification loop.
-- **Phase 2: Full import**: all recipes + images, per-recipe verification.
-- **Phase 3: Site** *(optional)*: static site + GitHub Pages, accessible and fast.
-- **Phase 4: Publish**: flip public, apply licence in full, optionally redirect the domain.
+# Blima Cake
+
+<img src="assets/branding/biscotti_8074926357_o.jpg" alt="A platter of Blima's almond biscotti" width="480">
+
+Welcome. This is the collection of recipes that **Blima Posluns** baked, cooked, and
+shared for years on her blog, [blimacake.com](https://blimacake.com), gathered into
+one place so they are easy to read, cook from, and keep.
+
+**487 recipes** in all: cakes, cookies and bars, main courses, salads, soups, breads,
+Passover dishes, and much more. Every measurement is given in both cups and metric.
+
+## Read the cookbook
+
+The whole collection is also a free e-book you can read on your phone, tablet, Kindle,
+Kobo, or Apple Books, with no internet needed once it is on your device.
+
+- **[Download the cookbook (BlimaCake.epub)](BlimaCake.epub)** (about 20 MB), or get
+  it from the **Releases** link on the right of this page.
+- First time with an e-book? **[How to open it on your reader](docs/read-the-cookbook.md)**
+  has simple, step-by-step instructions for Apple Books, Kindle, Kobo, Google Play
+  Books, and more.
+
+## Browse the recipes here
+
+Prefer to read online without downloading anything?
+
+- **[All recipes, by category](recipes/README.md)**: a picture index of every category.
+- **[Recipes by tag](recipes/tags.md)**: find things like chocolate, lemon, Passover,
+  or no-cook.
+
+Open any category, then any recipe, to see the ingredients and method with photos.
+
+## Why "BlimaCake"?
+
+When Jeff was in school, his friends would often come over and ask whether there was
+any "Blima cake." Over time the two words ran together into one, and they would just
+ask, "BlimaCake?" The name stuck, and it became the name of the blog and of this
+collection.
+
+## Rights and reuse
+
+These recipes were gathered over many years. Many are Blima's own; others she tried,
+adjusted, and made her own from cookbooks, magazines, friends, and family. Her own
+work here is shared under a **Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence**
+([CC BY 4.0](LICENSE)): you may copy, share, print, and adapt it, for any purpose
+including commercially, as long as you credit Blima Posluns.
+
+Some items may still trace back to another author we could not identify. If something
+here is yours and its copyright does not allow it to be included, please write to Jeff
+at `jeff@posluns.ca` and it will be corrected or removed. Full statement:
+[`NOTICE.md`](NOTICE.md).
+
+## About this collection
+
+Curious how it was put together, or want to help? See
+**[How this archive was made](docs/about-this-archive.md)** for the story of the
+import, how each recipe is checked for accuracy, the tools that build the e-book, and
+how to contribute.
@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+<!-- meta: title="How this archive was made" | type="about" | archive="blimacake" -->
+# How this archive was made
+
+This page is for the curious, and for anyone who would like to help. If you only want
+to read the recipes or cook from them, the [front page](../README.md) and the
+[cookbook](read-the-cookbook.md) are all you need.
+
+## What this is
+
+A durable, self-contained archive of the recipes from blimacake.com, the personal blog
+of **Blima Posluns**. Each recipe is stored as a plain-text Markdown file with its
+photos beside it, so the collection stays readable and portable long after the
+original website is gone, whether it is read here on GitHub, opened as the e-book,
+turned into a website, or moved somewhere else entirely.
+
+## Scope
+
+**In scope:** the recipes and the photos used within them. **Out of scope:** the
+blog's non-recipe writing (the family dogs' pages, the book and reading lists, and
+other posts).
+
+## What is in the repository
+
+```text
+BlimaCake.epub                       # the whole collection as an e-book
+README.md                            # the front page
+recipes/<category>/<slug>/index.md   # one folder per recipe
+                          images/    # that recipe's photos, kept beside it
+recipes/README.md, tags.md           # the browsing indexes (generated)
+docs/                                # this page, the reading guide, decision records
+_meta/                               # taxonomy, provenance map, recipe schema
+tools/                               # the deterministic import and build scripts
+.working/                            # process and accuracy logs
+.claude/, .github/                   # assistant rules and continuous-integration checks
+```
+
+Each recipe is Markdown with structured metadata aligned to
+[schema.org/Recipe](https://schema.org/Recipe). The template is
+[`recipes/_TEMPLATE/index.md`](../recipes/_TEMPLATE/index.md) and the schema is
+[`_meta/recipe.schema.json`](../_meta/recipe.schema.json).
+
+## Provenance, not transcription
+
+The recipes were not retyped from memory or copied from the rendered web page. They
+were imported from a native WordPress export of the blog, plus its photo library, by
+deterministic scripts in [`tools/`](../tools/). Every recipe records where it came
+from (`source_url` and `wp_guid`) so it can always be checked against the original.
+Ingredient quantities are the highest-risk field, so they were quote-verified against
+the source, and any catch or correction is logged in
+[`.working/hallucination-metrics.md`](../.working/hallucination-metrics.md).
+
+## Curation
+
+Once the faithful import was complete, a defined set of tidy-ups was made, each by a
+re-runnable script and each recorded in the [`CHANGELOG`](../CHANGELOG.md):
+
+- inline metric measurements alongside the original cups and ounces;
+- a light, controlled set of tags for browsing;
+- corrections of clear defects (missing units, garbled or truncated lines), with a
+  short "Source reference" note on the recipe whenever an outside recipe was consulted
+  to fill a gap;
+- a readability pass over the cooking instructions for grammar and flow;
+- consistent punctuation throughout.
+
+The rule that governs all of it: **never change a cook-from value.** The verbatim
+baseline is preserved in the WordPress export and in the project's history. The
+reasoning is written up in the decision records,
+[ADR 0001](adr/0001-archive-architecture.md) and
+[ADR 0002](adr/0002-curation-phase.md).
+
+## The e-book
+
+`BlimaCake.epub` is generated from the same Markdown by
+[`tools/build_epub.py`](../tools/build_epub.py) (Python standard library plus Pillow,
+no other tools required), so it can be rebuilt at any time and always matches the
+recipes here. See [Read the cookbook](read-the-cookbook.md) for how to open it.
+
+## Rights
+
+Blima's own work is shared under [CC BY 4.0](../LICENSE). Some items may trace back to
+other authors and remain under their copyright; the full statement, and how to ask for
+a correction or removal, is in [`NOTICE.md`](../NOTICE.md).
+
+## Contributing and governance
+
+Corrections and additions are welcome. [`CONTRIBUTING.md`](../CONTRIBUTING.md) explains
+how to propose a change, and [`GOVERNANCE.md`](../GOVERNANCE.md) explains how changes
+are reviewed and how the collection is kept accurate.
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+<!-- meta: title="Read the cookbook (EPUB)" | type="guide" | archive="blimacake" -->
+# Read the cookbook on your phone, tablet, or e-reader
+
+The whole collection is also a free e-book, **`BlimaCake.epub`**, that you can read
+in bed, in the kitchen, or on a plane, no internet needed once it is on your device.
+It has a cover, a tap-to-jump table of contents, photos, and every recipe in both
+cups and metric.
+
+An **EPUB** is just the standard e-book file, the same kind of file bookshops sell.
+Almost every reading app can open it. Below is how to get it onto the app you use.
+
+## Step 1: download the file
+
+- **Easiest:** open the **Releases** page of this project and download `BlimaCake.epub`
+  from the latest release. (On the project's front page, click "Releases" in the
+  right-hand column.)
+- **Or:** click **`BlimaCake.epub`** in the file list on the front page, then use the
+  **Download** button (the download icon near the top right of that file view).
+
+Save it somewhere you can find it, such as your Downloads folder or your phone's
+Files app. Then follow the section below for your app.
+
+## Apple Books (iPhone, iPad, Mac)
+
+**iPhone or iPad:**
+
+1. Download `BlimaCake.epub` (Step 1). It usually lands in the **Files** app, in
+   Downloads.
+2. Open **Files**, tap the `BlimaCake.epub` file, and it opens in **Books**
+   automatically. If it does not, tap and hold the file, choose **Share**, then
+   **Books**.
+
+**Mac:**
+
+1. Download the file.
+2. Double-click it, or drag it onto the **Books** app icon. It appears in your
+   library under **Books**.
+
+Your library syncs across your Apple devices, so once it is on one, it shows up on
+the others signed in to the same Apple account.
+
+## Amazon Kindle
+
+Kindle can read this book; Amazon converts it for you when you send it. The file has
+no copy protection, so this works.
+
+Pick whichever is easiest:
+
+- **From a web browser:** go to `amazon.com/sendtokindle`, sign in, and drag
+  `BlimaCake.epub` onto the page. It appears on your Kindle and in the Kindle app
+  shortly after.
+- **By email:** every Kindle account has a personal address ending in `@kindle.com`
+  (find yours under **Manage Your Content and Devices → Preferences → Personal
+  Document Settings** on Amazon). Email `BlimaCake.epub` to that address as an
+  attachment, from an email address you have approved there.
+- **With the Send to Kindle app** on your computer or phone: install it, then
+  "add" or share `BlimaCake.epub` to it.
+
+It arrives under **Docs** (or your library) on the Kindle.
+
+## Kobo
+
+- **On your computer (most reliable):** connect the Kobo with its USB cable. It shows
+  up like a USB drive. Copy `BlimaCake.epub` into it, then safely eject. The book
+  appears in your library.
+- **In the Kobo app on a phone or tablet:** use the app's import option to add the
+  `BlimaCake.epub` file from your device's storage.
+
+## Google Play Books
+
+1. On a computer, go to `play.google.com/books`.
+2. Click **Upload files** and choose `BlimaCake.epub`.
+3. It syncs to the Play Books app on your phone or tablet, signed in to the same
+   Google account.
+
+## Any other reader
+
+The file is a standard EPUB, so it also works in free apps such as **Calibre** or
+**Thorium** (Windows, Mac, Linux), and **Librera** or **Moon+ Reader** (Android),
+among many others. Open the app, choose "add to library" or "import", and pick
+`BlimaCake.epub`.
+
+## Trouble?
+
+- **"I can't find the download."** On the project's front page, look for **Releases**
+  on the right, or click the `BlimaCake.epub` file name and use the Download button.
+- **"The file won't open."** Make sure it finished downloading (it is about 20 MB),
+  and that you are opening it with a reading app, not a document editor.
+- **Still stuck, or you would rather just read online?** You can also browse every
+  recipe on the project's front page without downloading anything.