Thursday… Birthday… Cookbook…

Thursday, the day before my 62nd birthday. Yay. I feel like I’m 80. It would be nice to spend my birthday with my grandchildren and children. My daughter is in another state so I won’t be seeing her or her children for quite some time. My son? Well, he’s just 15 miles away and I never hear from him. He never even checks on us. His children do not know me and that makes me sad. I’m invisible. I’m expected to go see them. How can I do that when I can’t get up the steps to their house? My son knows this. It’s too hot to sit outside especially now that the a/c in the car bit the big one.

So, my birthday will be spent with Dad. We are going out for lunch but I’m not sure where since my favorite restaurant closed down permanently. I’m really bummed about that. I’ll miss the friendly servers and the manager. I’ll miss the avocado enchiladas and the chicken tortilla soup. Yes, I can probably find recipes to make these at home but 1) cooking is rough for a person who is disabled and 2) it won’t be the same. I would love to duplicate the broth of the soup and the green sauce that comes on the enchildadas. Damn, my mouth is watering.

I have a pinched nerve in my back, again. It sure plays hell on my legs. Sometimes they just burn like a mofo and I can’t do much of anything. Yesterday, I couldn’t even bend over to pick up something I had dropped on the floor. Some days are better than others. Some days I just want to jump off a cliff. But I keep on truckin’ because who’s going to look after Dad if I don’t?

Since my cookbook is finished, I thought I’d get back to writing but I didn’t have a very good start. I wrote once this week, twice counting today. I guess that’s something. I just need to figure out what to write about because I’m sure y’all don’t want to hear about my troubles all the time!

Speaking of my cookbook… Aunt Debbie’s Best. A Collection of Family Favorites. 184 recipes total. Spiral bound. $30.00 includes shipping. I tried to keep the price down but cost for printing was a bit more than I had anticipated. Things are so expensive these days. Personal checks and money orders only. A great gift for Christmas! Recipes include:

Spicy Chicken Bites
Corn and Black Bean Salsa Dip
Granny’s Banana Bread
Buffalo Pull Bread
Great Gramma’s Bierock
Sloppy Joes To Die For
Ham and Cheese Egg Muffins
Make Ahead Hashbrown Casserole
Homemade Ravioli
Stuffed Shells
Honey Garlic Chicken Breasts
Chicken Enchiladas
Stuffed Bell Peppers
Red Beans and Rice with Andouille Sausage
Aunt Debbie’s Loaded Potato Salad
Creamy Bacon Dressing
Aunt Debbie’s Italian Spaghetti Sauce
The Best Turkey Brine in the World!
Salsa Verde Chicken Soup
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Popcorn Cake
Russian Tea Cakes
Papas Fajitas
Spinach and Mushroom Pizza
Granny’s Pierogies
Stuffed Zucchini
Instant Pot Charro Beans
Instant Pot Lima Beans and Ham
Homemade Accent Seasoning
Koolaid Playdough
….and many more!
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Order your copy soon! You can use the contact page if you’re interested or you can email me at castlefreak62 @ yahoo.com and that would be with no spaces! I will then send you my mailing address. I have an issue with PayPal, Venmo and the like so I can only accept checks and money orders at this time. Sorry for the inconvenience.
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Signing off for now. I hope you have a great weekend. Stay cool, and please don’t leave your kids or pets in the car!
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Hallelujah!

My cookbook is ready for final printing! I’m excited and a little nervous at the same time! I’m 99% satisfied with the final result. The 1% is an issue I had no control over using the programs I was using. That issue is that some recipes will continue on the backside of the page. I don’t know. Maybe the “issue” is just an “issue” for me, and me alone. You know, OCD considered and all. Haha. I’m too much of a perfectionist. The important thing is that I have all of my recipes in one place and even if no one buys a copy, I will give copies to my children so they have all of our favorite recipes in one place!

This cookbook is not perfect. It has no photos. There are 184 recipes that I hope you will enjoy! I tried to keep the price down but I have to cover printing and shipping, too. Your cost is $30.00 and that includes shipping. Everything is so expensive these days. Anyway, it’s done and ready for printing. They are print-to-order, meaning they will be ordered as your orders come in. I can only accept personal checks and money orders at this time. Please allow time for printing and shipping. If paying by check, your check must clear before your copy is ordered. If you are still interested, please contact me here or use the contact link found on each page of this blog. and I will email you my mailing address. Include any questions you may have. Thank you!

Thanks for your patience as I completed this task! It’s been 30+ years in the making! Now, I can get back to blogging and that short story/novel I began many moons ago. You remember “Spike” don’t you? Yeah. That’s my next goal. Wish me luck!

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First Copy!

Well, friends, I am here to say that I have received the first printing of my cookbook and I am about to embark upon another couple of weeks of editing and proof-reading, and then even more proof-reading and more editing!

My goal is to have this done and ready for final printing sometime in July – of this year, of course! I’m excited but a bit hesitant. Hesitant because I want everyone to like what I have done and not be too critical of it. I don’t mind a little constructive criticism but in this day and age so many people don’t know how to be nice anymore! I know my cookbook isn’t perfect. It doesn’t have photos, and some of the recipes continue to the backside of a page. I had to work with the programs I had to keep the cost of the cookbook down. Anyway, a LOT of work went into it and I hope you will like it!

Here’s a sneak peek at the first, hard copy:

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The cookbook is spiral bound, so that it lays flat while cooking! There 184 recipes. The cost will be around $30.00 each. This covers the cost for printing, and includes shipping. As soon as the book is ready for final printing, I will send order details.

Thank you all for being patient during this long, drawn-out process! You are very much appreciated!

Have a great week, friends!

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Guess What?

I’ve been MIA for awhile now. I’d like to say I’ve spent the last few months consistently working on the cookbook but that would be a lie. I get tired of looking at it and so I stop working on it. I haven’t worked on it in weeks. Shame on me. But this morning, I decided to give it a look over and then order a copy to see what it looks like. With a tangible product in my hands, I can then make any changes and corrections necessary without the eye strain. (At least until I go to make the changes online.) It’ll be a couple of weeks before I get the book and then (knowing me) it will take some time to fix any errors. But soon after that I’ll be taking orders!

I hope you will keep in mind that this cookbook is just a recipe compilation. There are no photos. This is a no frill recipe collection. I hope you will like at least some of the recipes!

Will keep you posted! Thank you all for following my blog and being patient with me!

Cookbook Cover Preview

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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