Is everyone starting to feel as if we’re digging out of the tunnel and breathing fresh air? I sure do. I got my second vaccine shot on Monday, March 8, so almost two weeks ago, and after being pretty much wiped out for most of the next day I felt fine and have continued to do so. (Charlie Sykes, a political commentator whom my husband and I follow obsessively, said that for about 12 hours after getting his second shot he thought he’d been beaten up by a gorilla. My symptoms were more along the lines of being punched a few times by a chimp.)
Okay. On to the subject at hand. If society is starting to open up again, that means just one thing:
Par-Tays.
We’re going to have wedding receptions. We’re going to have cookouts. (Hey, we were specifically promised that we could have those by July 4!) We’re going to have birthday parties, and special dinners, and brunches. What do all of those events have in common?
FOOD.
And that’s why you need a copy of my new cookbook.
We wanted to make a video this week showing me with a hard copy of the book, talking about all the delights contained therein, but our order for author’s copies won’t be delivered until the end of the month. And I’ve been chomping (champing?) at the bit to get a promotional post out there. So we will definitely do the video when the book arrives. In the meantime, let me tell you a little bit about it, because it’s not a typical cookbook at all.
While the recipes are certainly usable for small groups such as your family, the primary focus is on making food for crowds. I include far more than just recipes, with chapters on such topics as food safety and what equipment to buy and procedures to follow in order to ensure that you don’t send anyone to the hospital. (It happens!) I try to debunk some myths and explain some science. Do you know why you should indeed heat the milk if you’re including that ingredient in a yeast dough, or the real reason why you shouldn’t overmix muffin batter, or why your guests will actually enjoy small portions of dessert more than they will large ones? All in the book, and so much more! I’ve been working on events involving at least 100 people for well over 20 years, and boy, have I learned a lot. As I say in the book, I’ve never been any kind of food professional, never been officially paid for my cooking, and never held a title in any organization. I’m just like you: working in a home kitchen, using up every available square inch of counter space, tearing my hair out when something doesn’t go right, and schlepping it all somewhere in the nick of time. And you know what? It’s just great. I love it, love it, love it. And I want you to love it, too. Thus I give you all sorts of super-detailed advice and information that may or may not be necessary in your particular case. If you think that I’m going on and on about something that you already understand, just smile gently and pass on. Maybe someone else will need and appreciate my insane pickiness.
I just went through the table of contents and counted the specific recipes, which add up to 55. That’s a very misleading number, though. So, to get back to those muffins, I give you three different recipes. But I also give you variations, both in the muffins themselves and in their toppings. There’s also info on how to turn any quick bread recipe you may have into a muffin recipe should you care to do so. I give you a master recipe for Swiss buttercream frosting, made my way with a minimum of hassle, but then I give you a chart listing a dozen flavor variations. There’s a master recipe for my basic creamy Italian salad dressing, but then I give you thirteen variations. So when all is said and done there are lots more than 55 recipes.
Now for the offer:
If you’d like to get a free digital copy of the book, be one of the first 25 people to contact me via the form below and I’ll send you a coupon code to use. I’ll also send you the link for posting a review on Amazon should you wish to do so.
I look forward to your feedback!