My boys and I enjoyed some time at the zoo yesterday.
Our credit union was offering a free stuffed animal to the first 100 kids to visit the zoo in December. The boys were thrilled to each receive a stuffed otter.
It was a special reminder of our visit since it was our first time seeing the newest additions to the zoo... the river otters.
They were adorable and when the boys held their stuffed otters up to the window the real otter was curious and followed it when the boys moved it around. It was cute.
We learned that while river otters spend so much time in the water they don't actually know how to swim when they are born. The mother otters have to take them into the water and teach them how to swim. Interesting.
2 Ocak 2013 Çarşamba
There's a New Animal at our Zoo
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Puppies and Pinatas
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This weekend we celebrated the birthday of this sweet little girl.
All these photos were taken by Janette or Amy.
The party was held at a local park and was a puppy adoption party. How fun!
Check out the amazing cupcakes the birthday girl's mom made.
The kids had fun with each other running, playing, chasing squirrels and bird watching.
Each child got to choose a puppy to adopt.
Then they decorated their new puppies up with collars, bells, bows and bandannas.
I really like this picture of Elijah and his friend Bella.
The very talented mama handmade this fun pinata! 
I love these kinds of events because the kids are strengthening their friendships and all the moms and dads stay and get the chance to spend some time together as well. 
What did you do this weekend?
I'm missing my camera!
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In the mean time I have my old cheap digital camera that takes average photos outside with good light but terribly blurry photos inside. It just frustrates me so I don't use it much. I'm going into picture taking withdraws.
I haven't been taking photos which means I haven't been posting. I don't feel like I can blog with out pictures. :)
With or without a camera these energetic boys of ours still keep me busy.
Last week the boys and I made homemade gluten free waffle cones.
We are embracing the fact that it's 80 degrees today and we're going to make home made ice cream. Maybe even the waffle cones again... this time with out the holes in the bottom. ;)
My sister in law, Rachel, is coming to visit next week! (that is if the world doesn't end on Friday, heehee) She'll arrive on Christmas eve and will be here for a couple of weeks. We are looking forward to her visit!
Be sure to visit my friend Amy's blog, This Abundant Life. She's having some fun giveaways this week. Each giveaway is open for one day and the winner is posted the next day.
ICE! (two million pounds of it!)
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You are very grateful for these large blue parkas they give you once you're inside the chilly 9 degrees.
You are also very grateful to some friends who advised you to bring your own hats and gloves.
Ice slides!
The Ice Nativity. It was beautiful.
Each year 2 million pounds of ice are carved and decorated for the ICE! show in Orlando. This year it was featuring Dreamworks' Merry Madagascar story and characters.
You are very grateful for these large blue parkas they give you once you're inside the chilly 9 degrees.
 |
| Elijah? Where are you? :) |
You are also very grateful to some friends who advised you to bring your own hats and gloves.
Ice slides!The Ice Nativity. It was beautiful.
What You Don't Know About Writing a Cookbook
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So I'm officially in the thick of it, brainstorming, writing, shopping for ingredients, testing, tasting, re-writing, shopping for ingredients, re-testing, tasting, cleaning, bleaching and cleaning some more.
Such is the glamorous life of writing a cookbook. Don't get me wrong, I am utterly thrilled to death to have this opportunity, and every day I've got my eyes on the prize for when that first box of copies arrives on my doorstep, but the fact is, the means to the end involves some seriously hard work.
For starters, I haven't had a day off in at least 3 weeks (maybe more, but who is counting), and it looks like there ain't one coming anytime soon. I've got a fast deadline looming that often gives me panic attacks, most of the time at the oh-so convenient hour of 3am, which in turn, makes me a ball of fun when I have to get up at 7am. to start food prep.
Since I'm writing a slow cooker cookbook (emphasis on sloooowwww), the majority of the recipes I'm testing require 8+ hours of cooking time with some recipes topping out at 10-12 hours, which means there are some days where my work day starts at 8am and finishes at 11pm+. In effect, I've become a slave to my hot-ass kitchen, I've one nasty case of cabin fever, and I'm starting to get really cranky.
Now that I've aired that laundry list of whiny complaints, let me give you something practical to chew on, a little window into the financial world of what it's like to write a cookbook.
Recipe testing is an arduous and often expensive process: While some cookbook authors have an army of recipe writers, testers, kitchen assistants, personal shoppers, even ghostwriters to pen their books, the rest of us are left with a cutting board, a knife, pens and paper, and a long day ahead, and I personally wouldn't have it any other way. I'm far to anal to put my work in the hands of someone else, and frankly, sometimes it's easier to fly solo. While I do have several fine volunteer recipe testers lined up to help me (mostly friends and family), this will only happen after I have tested them at least twice and butchered them all to hell (please reference the above photo). This process not only includes conceptualizing, writing, testing, and re-testing, but sometimes even total failure with a complete do-over.
It also involves assembling grocery lists, shopping, shopping some more, and then shopping some more. I know my grocery store produce guys, my butchers and my check-out gals, and I figure they're wondering why I'm there all the time.
What many people may not realize is that all of these trips to the grocery store I pay for myself and they can get seriously expensive after weekly visits for months on end. But you got a big advance, so what's the problem, you ask? I did get an advance, but it wasn't "big" or anywhere on par with a Rachael Ray six-plus figure deal. It was average, and on par with what other cookbook authors who aren't celebs tend to make, and while I am thankful for the cushion, I will also need every penny of it.
For starters, I paid a literary lawyer to help me negotiate the contract (I don't have an agent which can be another 15% deducted out of both your advance and your royalties). I am also paying for the book's photography (a biggie, but worth it because I know it will be stellar). I'm even paying for the indexing of the recipes (which takes a professional's eye so that was a necessity).
None of these extra costs are news to seasoned cookbook authors. This is how it's done now, and when one signs on to write a book, it's expected, but throw in food costs for testing some hundreds of recipes, paying the I.R.S., kitchen equipment costs, even basic necessities that get used up on a regular basis like trash bags, kitchen cleaning materials, kitchen tools etc...when the smoke clears, often an author ain't left with much. Toss in the fact that when she is on a super tight deadline, she won't have any time to take on any other jobs, so this cashola up front has got to last. To get a good idea of what I'm talking about, check out this article by veteran cookbook author David Lebovitz (specifically reference section 6 to see what I mean).
At the same time, writing a cookbook can be a beautiful thing. I've got dinners in the freezer to last the rest of the year, and my husband, parents and neighbors eat like kings. They get overly caloric, bacon-laden goodies like this on a regular basis:
They even get leftovers that can be made into yummy sandwiches.
So all is certainly not lost, not even close. I am loving every second of sweating in the kitchen and plopping my butt in front of the computer to conceive something new and exciting. In fact, I haven't felt this happy in a long time, and in the end that's what it's all about. I'm doing what I love, living the dream. I won't be getting rich and I'm okay with that. This is not why I'm here, and I figure thousands of hard working chefs, food writers, bloggers and various creatives know exactly what I'm talking about.
In the meantime, I shall keep on keeping on and you should too. If you dream of writing a cookbook one day, don't let this information discourage you, but do know it's not all hearts and flowers. If you're okay with that and still want in, write a book proposal, get an agent, or self-publish your own book. Whatever you do, just do it. Your personal satisfaction will be priceless.
©2012 Fatback and Foie Gras. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Pin It Now!
 |
| Life as a recipe writer/tester is good when things work out. |
Such is the glamorous life of writing a cookbook. Don't get me wrong, I am utterly thrilled to death to have this opportunity, and every day I've got my eyes on the prize for when that first box of copies arrives on my doorstep, but the fact is, the means to the end involves some seriously hard work.
For starters, I haven't had a day off in at least 3 weeks (maybe more, but who is counting), and it looks like there ain't one coming anytime soon. I've got a fast deadline looming that often gives me panic attacks, most of the time at the oh-so convenient hour of 3am, which in turn, makes me a ball of fun when I have to get up at 7am. to start food prep.
Since I'm writing a slow cooker cookbook (emphasis on sloooowwww), the majority of the recipes I'm testing require 8+ hours of cooking time with some recipes topping out at 10-12 hours, which means there are some days where my work day starts at 8am and finishes at 11pm+. In effect, I've become a slave to my hot-ass kitchen, I've one nasty case of cabin fever, and I'm starting to get really cranky.
Now that I've aired that laundry list of whiny complaints, let me give you something practical to chew on, a little window into the financial world of what it's like to write a cookbook.
Recipe testing is an arduous and often expensive process: While some cookbook authors have an army of recipe writers, testers, kitchen assistants, personal shoppers, even ghostwriters to pen their books, the rest of us are left with a cutting board, a knife, pens and paper, and a long day ahead, and I personally wouldn't have it any other way. I'm far to anal to put my work in the hands of someone else, and frankly, sometimes it's easier to fly solo. While I do have several fine volunteer recipe testers lined up to help me (mostly friends and family), this will only happen after I have tested them at least twice and butchered them all to hell (please reference the above photo). This process not only includes conceptualizing, writing, testing, and re-testing, but sometimes even total failure with a complete do-over.
It also involves assembling grocery lists, shopping, shopping some more, and then shopping some more. I know my grocery store produce guys, my butchers and my check-out gals, and I figure they're wondering why I'm there all the time. What many people may not realize is that all of these trips to the grocery store I pay for myself and they can get seriously expensive after weekly visits for months on end. But you got a big advance, so what's the problem, you ask? I did get an advance, but it wasn't "big" or anywhere on par with a Rachael Ray six-plus figure deal. It was average, and on par with what other cookbook authors who aren't celebs tend to make, and while I am thankful for the cushion, I will also need every penny of it.
For starters, I paid a literary lawyer to help me negotiate the contract (I don't have an agent which can be another 15% deducted out of both your advance and your royalties). I am also paying for the book's photography (a biggie, but worth it because I know it will be stellar). I'm even paying for the indexing of the recipes (which takes a professional's eye so that was a necessity).
None of these extra costs are news to seasoned cookbook authors. This is how it's done now, and when one signs on to write a book, it's expected, but throw in food costs for testing some hundreds of recipes, paying the I.R.S., kitchen equipment costs, even basic necessities that get used up on a regular basis like trash bags, kitchen cleaning materials, kitchen tools etc...when the smoke clears, often an author ain't left with much. Toss in the fact that when she is on a super tight deadline, she won't have any time to take on any other jobs, so this cashola up front has got to last. To get a good idea of what I'm talking about, check out this article by veteran cookbook author David Lebovitz (specifically reference section 6 to see what I mean).
At the same time, writing a cookbook can be a beautiful thing. I've got dinners in the freezer to last the rest of the year, and my husband, parents and neighbors eat like kings. They get overly caloric, bacon-laden goodies like this on a regular basis:
They even get leftovers that can be made into yummy sandwiches.So all is certainly not lost, not even close. I am loving every second of sweating in the kitchen and plopping my butt in front of the computer to conceive something new and exciting. In fact, I haven't felt this happy in a long time, and in the end that's what it's all about. I'm doing what I love, living the dream. I won't be getting rich and I'm okay with that. This is not why I'm here, and I figure thousands of hard working chefs, food writers, bloggers and various creatives know exactly what I'm talking about.In the meantime, I shall keep on keeping on and you should too. If you dream of writing a cookbook one day, don't let this information discourage you, but do know it's not all hearts and flowers. If you're okay with that and still want in, write a book proposal, get an agent, or self-publish your own book. Whatever you do, just do it. Your personal satisfaction will be priceless.
©2012 Fatback and Foie Gras. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Pin It Now!
1 Ocak 2013 Salı
Potato Pancakes – Delicious, But They Go Right to My Thighs
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There are few foods I enjoy eating more than a plate of crispy-edged potato pancakes. Unfortunately, I've been trying to limit my carbs lately (I just can't let go of my dream to become a famous underwear model), so seeing all these amazing Latkes recipes that pop up during Hanukkah is really hard.
Anyway, just because I'm not partaking doesn't mean you have to deny yourself this exquisite pleasure. Below you'll see my version, which has always received rave reviews. These are garnished with smoked salmon, but my favorite way is to simply enjoy them topped with applesauce and sour cream. This is an older post, so use the link below the video for more info and the ingredients. A happy Hanukkah to all those celebrating, and as always, enjoy!
Click here for the original post and ingredient amounts.Pin It Now!
There are few foods I enjoy eating more than a plate of crispy-edged potato pancakes. Unfortunately, I've been trying to limit my carbs lately (I just can't let go of my dream to become a famous underwear model), so seeing all these amazing Latkes recipes that pop up during Hanukkah is really hard.Anyway, just because I'm not partaking doesn't mean you have to deny yourself this exquisite pleasure. Below you'll see my version, which has always received rave reviews. These are garnished with smoked salmon, but my favorite way is to simply enjoy them topped with applesauce and sour cream. This is an older post, so use the link below the video for more info and the ingredients. A happy Hanukkah to all those celebrating, and as always, enjoy!
Click here for the original post and ingredient amounts.Pin It Now!
Twice Baked Potatoes - They Take Longer, But At Least They’re More Complicated
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I don’t do a lot of things in the kitchen purely foresthetic reasons, but these twice baked potatoes are one of my more beautifulexceptions to that rule. You can get almost the exact same flavors by justadding stuff to a regular baked potato, but what you won’t get in thatscenario is the impressive, over-stuffed height, and gorgeous, golden-brownedcrust seen here.
Is it worth it? Only you can answer that. For me, once in awhile, for those extra fancy dinners, the answer is a resounding yes. Taste is,and always will be, the most important aspect of cooking, but when entertainingguests on special occasions, don’t forget that you’re putting on ashow with the food. And when it comes to starchy side dishes, this is a greatway to express that flair for the dramatic.
Like I said in the video, this is a demonstration oftechnique, and not necessarily a recipe I want you to follow verbatim. I willlist what I used below, since I’m required to by food blogger common law, but if there was ever arecipe that you’d want to experiment with, this is the one.
By the way, since there's a certain amount of prep involvedhere, you can make these ahead of time, up to the point of the second baking,and then just finish when it gets closer to service. I hope you give this showstopping side dish a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 4 Twice Baked Potatoes:4 large russet potatoes3 tbsp butter1 or 2 tbsp minced green onionsalt, pepper, cayenne to taste1/2 cup shredded white cheddar cheese1/2 cup cream or milk1 egg yolkBake at 400 degrees F. for an hour to cook potatoes, andthen 20-30 to brown after stuffing.Pin It Now!
I don’t do a lot of things in the kitchen purely foresthetic reasons, but these twice baked potatoes are one of my more beautifulexceptions to that rule. You can get almost the exact same flavors by justadding stuff to a regular baked potato, but what you won’t get in thatscenario is the impressive, over-stuffed height, and gorgeous, golden-brownedcrust seen here. Is it worth it? Only you can answer that. For me, once in awhile, for those extra fancy dinners, the answer is a resounding yes. Taste is,and always will be, the most important aspect of cooking, but when entertainingguests on special occasions, don’t forget that you’re putting on ashow with the food. And when it comes to starchy side dishes, this is a greatway to express that flair for the dramatic.
Like I said in the video, this is a demonstration oftechnique, and not necessarily a recipe I want you to follow verbatim. I willlist what I used below, since I’m required to by food blogger common law, but if there was ever arecipe that you’d want to experiment with, this is the one.
By the way, since there's a certain amount of prep involvedhere, you can make these ahead of time, up to the point of the second baking,and then just finish when it gets closer to service. I hope you give this showstopping side dish a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 4 Twice Baked Potatoes:4 large russet potatoes3 tbsp butter1 or 2 tbsp minced green onionsalt, pepper, cayenne to taste1/2 cup shredded white cheddar cheese1/2 cup cream or milk1 egg yolkBake at 400 degrees F. for an hour to cook potatoes, andthen 20-30 to brown after stuffing.Pin It Now!
Holiday Granola – Only 8 Edible Gift Making Days Until Christmas!
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When I was asked to take part in a special holiday YouTubeplaylist called, “Christmas Morning Breakfast,” I started thinking aboutseasonal variation on things like eggs benedict, quiche, and French toast. Butthen I realized…you can’t wrap those things up and give them as an edible gift,so I decided to do this granola instead.
We’ve covered the edible gift topic before, and discussedthe fine line between, “Wow, what a creative and thoughtful gift!” and “Wow,what a cheapskate!” Happily, when it comes to this delicious, crunchy treat,one taste and the lucky recipient will forget about any ulterior economicmotivations.
Since this was a Christmas-themed recipe, I went with lotsof festively colored dried fruit, but the beauty of the granola technique isthat it pretty much works with anything. I love the looks of the green pumpkinseeds, but things like hazelnuts and pecans would also work wonderfully.
As I mentioned in the video, it’s really up to you todetermine the cooking time. I tend to like mine just golden-brown, but manyenjoy the deeper, nuttier flavor of a longer roasting. Since you are pullingand tossing every 10 minutes, this is pretty easy to monitor, but just becareful towards the end, as it can get bitter if you go too far.
Anyway, whether this is for a quick and easy holidaybreakfast, with milk or over Greek yogurt; or you are going to package some upas a stocking stuffer for the foodies in your life, I hope you give this a trysoon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for about 6 cups of Granola3 cups rolled oats
1 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup shredded coconut (pure coconut, not candied)3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp salt1/2 cup chopped candy covered chocolate pieces (like M&M’s)1/2 cup golden raisins, chopped1 cup mixed dried fruit (any combo of cranberries, cherries,strawberries, blueberries, etc.)*Bake at 325 degrees F. for 30-40 minutes or until browned.Pin It Now!
When I was asked to take part in a special holiday YouTubeplaylist called, “Christmas Morning Breakfast,” I started thinking aboutseasonal variation on things like eggs benedict, quiche, and French toast. Butthen I realized…you can’t wrap those things up and give them as an edible gift,so I decided to do this granola instead.We’ve covered the edible gift topic before, and discussedthe fine line between, “Wow, what a creative and thoughtful gift!” and “Wow,what a cheapskate!” Happily, when it comes to this delicious, crunchy treat,one taste and the lucky recipient will forget about any ulterior economicmotivations.
Since this was a Christmas-themed recipe, I went with lotsof festively colored dried fruit, but the beauty of the granola technique isthat it pretty much works with anything. I love the looks of the green pumpkinseeds, but things like hazelnuts and pecans would also work wonderfully.
As I mentioned in the video, it’s really up to you todetermine the cooking time. I tend to like mine just golden-brown, but manyenjoy the deeper, nuttier flavor of a longer roasting. Since you are pullingand tossing every 10 minutes, this is pretty easy to monitor, but just becareful towards the end, as it can get bitter if you go too far.
Anyway, whether this is for a quick and easy holidaybreakfast, with milk or over Greek yogurt; or you are going to package some upas a stocking stuffer for the foodies in your life, I hope you give this a trysoon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for about 6 cups of Granola3 cups rolled oats
1 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup shredded coconut (pure coconut, not candied)3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp salt1/2 cup chopped candy covered chocolate pieces (like M&M’s)1/2 cup golden raisins, chopped1 cup mixed dried fruit (any combo of cranberries, cherries,strawberries, blueberries, etc.)*Bake at 325 degrees F. for 30-40 minutes or until browned.Pin It Now!
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