Cookbook Cover Preview

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Remember me? I hope so but I understand if you don’t. I haven’t written in so long that you may have also forgotten that I was writing a cookbook! It’s nothing fancy – no photos, because everyone knows what a stuffed bell pepper or tacos or spaghetti looks like, right? Besides, photos just raise the cost of printing and I would have to charge too much. Right now, I think the cost will be around $25, including shipping. It will be 6″ x 9″ and coil bound, with over 200 recipes. Here’s a preview of the cover!

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I may change the cover for the umpteenth time but so far this is what I’m using. I’m still editing but all of my recipes have been typed and formatted. When I think I’m done, I will order just one book so I can see what it will look like in print, make any changes and/or corrections, and then fingers crossed, it will be ready! I will keep you posted but in the meantime, please leave your feedback in the comments!

See ya next time!

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One Thing, Then Another!

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It’s been a while since I posted. I finally got through January and I had just a couple of days to go before February was in the rearview mirror when all of a sudden my lower left molar decided it was going to give me a hard time. I babied it for a week and then Sunday evening the pain was so intense I thought I might cut my own head off!

I was able to get an emergency dental appointment on Tuesday morning. I’m a big baby when it comes to the dentist. I just don’t go unless I have to. I may have gone more often had I known my insurance covers some (but not a lot of) dental services. I was told a long time ago that they didn’t cover dental at all. Ugh. Anyway, I opted to have the tooth pulled because a root canal was not covered and I can’t afford that cost. I have already resigned myself to the fact that I will eventually lose all of my teeth. Seems like when my legs start giving me new troubles, I have problems with my teeth. It’s all connected they say. I believe it.

So, onwards and upwards. The tooth extraction was unlike the other two extractions I have had in the past. This little shit of a molar decided it was going to be stubborn as hell. The dentist had to cut it out and remove it in pieces! The sound of the dental saw (which wasn’t really a saw, just high-powered water) almost caused a panic attack. I breathed through it but it was awful! Two hours later, the tooth was out. I was swollen and so glad to get out of there. I was exhausted and went to sleep as soon as I got home. They gave me Vicoden, which I didn’t really need but I took it twice Tuesday and one before bed the next 2 nights. My gums are still a bit tender but the pain is minimal. I was on a soft food diet for several days and I’m done with that! I feel so deprived!

On to more exciting news! Before the dreaded tooth extraction, I was working diligently on my cookbook! I have nearly all of them typed out and organized. I’m not sure but I think I may not need recipe testers. Most of the recipes in the cookbook have been “tested” by me, friends, and family through the years. That’s enough testing, yes? Anyway, I still may call upon friends to test a couple recipes that I’m not sure about; for example, my Grandmother’s recipe for Light Bread. All of the ingredients and amounts are listed except for the flour! My oven doesn’t work so I can’t make the recipe to figure it out. I guess Granny knew exactly how much flour to use!

Also, I have decided that I won’t be adding too many photos. I don’t think it’s necessary, although photos do make things look appealing! I have some photos, which I will use but honestly, everyone knows what a stuffed bell pepper looks like, or a bowl of salsa, guacamole, biscuits, or potato soup. Right? Besides, I won’t be listing this cookbook with online retailers or libraries. The cookbook will not have an ISBN. I will be selling through word of mouth, to friends, family, and others interested. Nothing fancy and most likely not perfect, just a book of the recipes I’ve collected over the years.

So, friends. Please refresh my memory on who was interested in recipe testing. I may call upon you for your help. Please use this FORM to send me your email so that I may contact you in the next couple of months.

I thank you all for reading this silly blog and being patient with me over the last couple of years while I work on the cookbook! Have a great weekend!

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Confrontation

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This morning, I couldn’t help but be a bit aggravated with Dad. This is becoming more and more frequent; not this specific event but the aggravation. I know he’s 87 years old and isn’t the man he used to be. But…

Last summer, when our propane company came out to refill the tank, they noticed it was unlevel so they scheduled that to be done asap. Well, it must have rained for 2 weeks straight and they had to wait for the ground to dry out before doing the job.

The ground finally dried out and they came to level the tank. It was a quick fix and Dad signed the work order to show the work was done. Dad was told there would be no charge for this job.

Last month, Dad got a phone call from the propane company and was told he had an outstanding bill. Dad asked what the amount was and was told that it was $55.00. Dad asked what the bill was for because no idea what it could be. You see, Dad always pays his bills ontime and there’s no way propane only cost us $55.00! The woman told him it was for (the date) when they came out to fix a gas leak. Dad said he had no gas leak and explained that a guy came out and leveled the tank. I couldn’t hear what the woman was saying but Dad told her to send a bill because he never got one.

Dad and I discussed this afterward and he decided that he was going to have to call and challenge this bill. I mean, why not? He was told there was no charge and it was for leveling the tank not a gas leak. I told him they may find that they made an error and that there was no charge after all. He agreed. When the bill came, we had the same discussion with the same conclusion.

This morning, I remembered about the bill and asked him if he ever called the propane company. He said no and that he just went ahead and paid the bill. I got mad and asked him why he would do that when it may have been a mistake? They just screwed him out of $55.00! He then got mad at me and said he’d rather pay it than have them decline to refill the tank when he orders propane next time. OMG. I told him that they may have found that THEY were in error and deleted the charge from his account. He just walked away. WTH?

Is he so afraid of confrontation that he won’t call and fix errors? He’s getting awful about this type of thing. Not that we get billed for things/services never received, but when a telemarketer calls he sits there on the phone for longer than necessary, telling them over and over that he is not interested. He won’t raise his voice. He won’t tell them to stop calling. He won’t hang up on them! Good grief!

No one likes confrontation but Dad always did what had to be done before. Now he just goes with the flow. Like that parking ticket he got from a state he hadn’t been in for years – he paid it with absolutely no question. I’m afraid this is going to get worse and worse.

I know many people have dealt with elderly parents with problems like dementia or just a decline in their mental health. Is confrontation something that older folks shy away from? Is this normal?

I Just Don’t Get It

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I can’t help but wonder what the hell is wrong with the people who are bitching about Taylor Swift being at football games? Who cares? She’s there to support her boyfriend, Travis Kelce. Do they bitch about other women at football games? News flash to the idiots out there: Some women go to football games to support their boyfriends, husbands, sons, or other men in their lives. And some women just like football! Who cares?

Ok, I am not a Taylor Swift fan, or a Swifty, as I believe they are called. I wouldn’t know her music if I heard it. I don’t know if her music is good or bad. I don’t have a clue if she’s a good songwriter or a bad songwriter. I really don’t care. What I do care about is people trying to squash another person’s fame or passions. Taylor Swift is famous, for whatever reason, and she’s a terrific role model for young girls and women everywhere! She’s strong and knows what she wants and has worked her ass off for everything she has accomplished! Props to her!

Is the fact that she is one of the highest-selling music artists of all time that ticks people off? Maybe it’s that she’s the richest female musician and the first billionaire in history with music as the main source of income that gets panties all knotted up? Or maybe it’s because she’s with Travis Kelce and not you? Maybe you’re just a loser.

So, whine if you must about how Taylor Swift was at the Superbowl and how the camera was on her a few times for a few seconds! How could that have ruined the game for you? Is her popularity so hurtful to your egos? Give me a break. Grow up.

And one other thing, I’d like for the idiots out there (you know who you are) to explain to me how the hell Taylor Swift being at a football game is helping Joe Biden’s presidential reelection… Go on, explain it.

Seriously. I just don’t get it.