Cookbookaholic

Happy Halloween!

Quick post for the morning before I head out. One of my college classmates, Charlie, is a reader of the blog. Luckily for me, he took the recent "Tasty Tombstones" idea and ran with it!

Every Friday at his office, they have this dessert bake-off. (Do you have smack talk when you enter one of those?) This past Friday, Charlie brought this awesome feast of chocolate to the table.

How cool is that?! I love that he used everyone's initials on the tombstones!!! This picture really made my day. Thanks Charlie!!! 

Just Across the Road

Every single sale on my list was a complete bust. Plus, the morning was super chilly—so I was out of luck and cold.

On my way to the last sale, I passed a sign for another sale that wasn’t on my list. With my morning looking like a total waste of time, I decided to give it a try. Just as I arrived, they had finished bringing out boxes from the garage. I looked around but didn’t see any cookbooks. I saw one person paying for some items with a lady over on the side of the driveway. Interestingly, the lady running the sale had on a hooded sweatshirt that had “Raycom” embroidered on it. About three years ago, the company I worked for was divided and sold. One part was sold to Raycom.

I asked about her sweatshirt and if she worked there. She responded that she did and I introduced myself. How about that? Up until three years ago, we worked just across the road from each other for the same company!

Her name is Lois and she was super nice. I asked her about cookbooks and she offered to go inside and grab some for me. When she came out I was thrilled with the selection. I think I bought almost every one of them! Here’s what I got:

Martha Stewart’s Pies & Tarts, Martha Stewart’s Hors D’Oeuvres Handbook, With Warmest Regards (Marshall Field's), Pirate’s Pantry (Junior League of Lake Charles, LA) and The Charlotte Cookbook (Junior League of Charlotte).

This one caught my eye as well and I thought to myself, why does this cookbook seem so important?

I dove for The Taste of Country Cooking by Edna Lewis. Isn’t this one of the cooks featured in Kim Severson’s Spoon Fed? I double checked to be sure and she is!  This is probably one of the best finds I’ve had in quite a while!

Great idea to stop by this sale! Plus, it was great to meet Lois. And even though we don’t work for the same company anymore, I wonder if we can still just dial our direct extensions and chat? Hmmmm......

Great Way to Start the Birthday!

My first steps into the office this morning and Frank calls out to me. I walk in his office and he wishes me a Happy Birthday and hands me a Bojangles sausage biscuit!

That was so awesome and very fortunate—because I’d run out of cereal and didn’t have anything to eat this morning. Yeah Frank!

Then Todd emails me to come over to the studio at 9:30. I run over during a commercial break and Bob launches into singing Happy Birthday as soon as I walked through the door. They were really great to remember—I’m in a different building now and, more importantly, my calendar (with all the birthdays) came with me to the new office. Thank goodness for Facebook reminders! LOL!!!

Todd brought out the chocolate cake and struggled to get it open. That was probably the funniest part!

This is an unexpected surprise. It's is a very nice two-layer cake—usually we only pop for the single layer around here. Everybody got a slice and we’ve got half the cake left to share with the rest of the station.

Thanks to everyone who have already sent birthday wishes through Facebook. It was a really, really great way to start my day!

When Doughnuts Are Sad

You’d think a doughnut would be happy to be from Krispy Kreme.

 

The other night, I wanted to pick up some of Krispy Kreme's Jack-o-Lantern doughnuts for breakfast. It’s their signature yeast doughnut but in a pumpkin shape with orange icing and black jack-o-lantern face. I wanted to snap a picture for the blog asked for four of their nicest looking doughnuts. Well, this is what I got…it’s like they’re saddest doughnuts ever!

Uh-Oh…Game Day Snack Duty and No Cooler

So what’s a gal to do when it’s your turn to cover game day snacks for the team? It’s thirty minutes until we have to leave for practice followed immediately by the game. Our original cooler was “exchanged” for a different one when the hubby went to a college reunion last year. That “replacement” cooler is missing in action with a recent sighting at the in-laws mountain house in Virginia.

Oh yeah—Duncan and Colin’s team is extra large so I need enough chilled Gatorade to cover thirteen 9 and 10 year-olds. Oh boy…

Here’s what I did. On the way home, I noticed a yard sale near our house. They usually have great finds and this year was no exception. Right then, right there, right when I needed it: an Igloo cube.

Sure, it’s a filthy dusty grey, the drink handles are broken off and fish have possibly been in there. But after talking her down from $5 to $3 it was mine. I scrubbed it out with lots of Lysol anti-bacterial kitchen cleanser and rinsed using the “Silkwood” setting on the garden hose nozzle. And now I’m good to go!

Cue the Theme from “Jaws”

This morning’s list actually has a yard sale that mentions “old cookbooks!” That’s the cool part. The uncool part is that it says “no early birds” and there’s no house number, only the name of the street and cross streets. It’s also at the same time as a neighborhood sale where I’ve had amazing luck before. But it’s essential that I check out these “old cookbooks”!

 The first sale of the morning was an estate sale with extra high prices. Plus, it was still dark and my flashlight is missing from my purse. I bum Eva’s flashlight for a quick scan over the tables but nothing strikes my fancy. I’ve got “old cookbooks” on the brain…

 Next I drive through the neighborhood having the sale. Nobody’s out and I’ve got an hour to burn. I try the next house on the list but only find overpriced old lady clothes and lamps. So I drive over to “the street” and begin stalking…I mean staking out the sale.

 My first run comes up empty save for a car at the bottom of a driveway with their trunk open. Could that be them just waiting patiently for 8am to arrive? I make it to the other end of the street and turn around. I slowly pass by every house, scanning the driveways and backyards for some sign of activity. I pass by the man in the car again and nothing. Cue the theme from “Jaws” ‘cause I’m not giving up so easily. I make two more passes and then park it for about 10 minutes in a church parking lot.

On my next pass, the man in the car is now standing out in the street and the hood is up. He’s been sitting there with a broken down car this whole time!  I open my door (the window doesn’t work) and ask if he needs any help. As he starts talking, I finally get a good look at him from top to bottom. Long grey and black beard, puffy black shirt and pirate boots. He must’ve seen the look on my face because the next thing he says to me is, “I was heading to the Renaissance Festival.” Well, then--that would explain it.

The tow truck has pulled up behind me and he apparently knows nothing about a yard sale on the street, so I wish him luck and keep on my patrol. Down to the end of the street…nothing. I turn around and on my last pass, I see a man pulling white folding tables out of his car. I open the door and ask, “Are you the yard sale?!” And she answers back, “Yes, and you’re the first to arrive!”

I park and make my way over to him. I tell him that I was interested in looking over his “old cookbooks” and he goes inside and brings out a stack. They’re not too terribly old, but I like what I’m seeing! Here’s what I snagged:

 
The Dirt on Cooking (Charlotte Council of Garden Clubs, Inc.), Savannah Style (Junior League of Savannah), Twig Cook Book (The Poplar Twig to benefit The Ohio Valley General Hospital/Wheeling, WV), Islanders Cook for Company Again! (St. Andrew By-the-Sea UMC/Hilton Head Island), Recipes to Remember (Trinity “Old Swedes” Episcopal Church/Swedesboro, NJ), Knollwood’s Cooking (Knollwood Baptist Church/Winston-Salem, NC).

The gentleman says these cookbooks were culled from his mother, an aunt and his cousin. Several of the cookbooks are personalized to someone named “Bill.” He must’ve been quite the cook! I’m super excited to have found this sale and now it’s off to the neighborhood sale.

My first stop is the only one that yields any good finds:

 

 
A Harvest of Pumpkins and Squash (Lou Seibert Pappas) and the Bayou Classic Stainless Steel ChickCan Rack. Finally, I can grill a whole chicken with the full-bodied flavor of PBR! Hee-hee! It was only a dollar, surely I can find something to do with this?

 

 

Rock Hill Road Trip!

Going through the Craigslist entries, I found this really interesting listing:

Friends of the York County Library Book Sale (Rock Hill, SC)

This one really got my attention. Remember back when I went to a community sale near my house and one particular couple, Terry and Cathy (who’d lived in New Orleans for many years), mentioned they had just donated a ton of cookbooks to a library? That got me really wondering about the types of cookbooks they would have to offer.

The next day, I called the number listed in the ad and was able to touch base with Debbie, the Community Affairs Director for the York County Library. She was really helpful and told me that the cookbook table had both donated and discarded cookbooks. With over 100 selections, there was a wide variety of vintage community cookbooks as well as newer ones being weeded out of the library’s collection. Sounds like a road trip to Rock Hill is in order!

Now, my biggest fear is being the back end of a stampede and getting elbows thrown in the process. (Oh, you know it would be me throwing the elbows…) My best chance is to become a member of the “Friends of the Library” to the tune of $10 and go to the preview night for members from 5pm – 8pm.

Which is what I did! The sale is in a gymnasium of a church in old downtown Rock Hill, SC. I’m a little ahead of traffic and the 24 or so mile trip doesn’t take too long. I actually showed up in the parking lot a little over an hour before the sale started and had my basket placed in the #2 slot in line.

Woo-hoo! Now, which way to go once the doors open? Luckily for me, Debbie shows up early to help get things ready for the sale and gives me a “heads up” on directions to the cookbook table. I am so ready!

And then ten minutes before the doors open, the #1 person in line comes back from her car and switches out the box for five really large and really deep canvas bags. I swear on all that’s holy, if she walks up with five people I will not be happy. A couple of minutes later, a guy walks up to her and takes three of the bags. I guess that’s her husband? Oh well, the doors open up and I’m smooth sailing to the back left table!

Not wanting to take chances, I grab anything with the plastic spiral spine that looks remotely like a community/church cookbook. I’ll sit down in the corner and go through them and put back any that I don’t want. As soon as I sit down and start flipping through my pile, a crowd starts forming around the table. I can’t describe the feeling of relief I had.

Here’s a shot of the crowd that showed up for the “preview” night!

Finally, after half an hour and much inner debate—here’s what I ended up snagging:

The Stuffed Griffin (The Utility Club/Griffin, GA), Cooking with Class: A Second Helping (Charlotte Latin School), Little Rock Cooks (Junior League of Little Rock), A League of Our Own (Junior Service League/Lumberton, NC), 300 Years of Carolina Cooking (Junior League of Greenville, SC), The Hartsville Cookbook (Women’s Auxiliary of the Byerly Hospital/Hartsville, SC), Company’s Coming: A Tarheel Guide to Entertaining (NC American Cancer Society), The Magnolia Collection (Gene Westbrook), Pioneers Cook Book (Alexander Graham Bell Chapter No. 15), Tarheel Tastes (NC American Cancer Society), Flora’s Fare Cookbook (Flora McDonald Highland Games/Red Springs, NC), Carolina Harvest (1994 SC First Lady Cookbook), Resurrected Recipes (Episcopal Church of Resurrection/Surfside Beach, SC), Picnic Under the Oaks (Oakland Ave. Presbyterian Church/Rock Hill, SC), Mama’s Recipes (June Thompson Medlin), Cooking Skills from Bradley Hills (Bradley Hills Presbyterian Church/ Bethesda, MD), Presbyterian Cookbook (The Evening Circles of First Presbyterian Church/El Dorado, Arkansas), Food for my Household (The Episcopal Church of the Epiphany (Newton, NC), The Hampstead Women’s Club Cookbook.

It’s been thirty minutes, would a quick trip over to the Young Adult table produce anything for my buddies? Duncan is halfway through the Harry Potter series; would any of those be left? Yep, the last three in the series are here (they still had multiple copies) and in hardback!

What a great road trip down to Rock Hill! I found a great selection of cookbooks and all the proceeds from the book sales benefit the York County Library.  If you’re interested, there are a ton (and I mean a TON) of books still there. Give them a try, (they take credit cards!) here are the hours and location:

Friends of York County Library Sale

First ARP Church Gym

201 E. White Street

Rock Hill, SC

(gym is located in back)

 

Friday, October 22nd hours: 9am – 8 pm

Saturday, October 23^rd hours: 10am – 3pm (half price day!)

Another Craigslist Adventure

I’ve been getting a little braver when it comes to scouting out cookbooks on Craigslist. There was this one listing that had the magic phrase “Paula Deen cookbooks.” Over the past few days, I’ve been trying to coordinate a time to go down to this lady’s house in south Charlotte and take a look at them.

Actually, they’re her Mom’s cookbooks…but you get the idea. She has too many…the daughter didn’t want them…they’re in a plastic tub…you know the drill. I was finally able to find a free evening and get down there. Here’s what I grabbed:

Paula Deen’s Best Desserts, Paula Deen & Friends, Ryzon Baking Book (Marion Harris Neil) and The Pampered Chef’s Easy & Impressive Appetizers.

The Best Desserts looks like a special collector’s edition of her magazine that has been converted with a plastic spiral spine. I guess it’s easier to keep it open that way?

Spooky Cookies & Cupcakes

Two things are inevitable here at the radio station.

1. The newsroom always, and I DO mean always, gets food delivered to them.

And

2. They never share with the rest of us.

Luckily, News Director Jim Barroll changed the tide and sent out a mass email. His wife sent in a plate of spooky cookies and cupcakes and we were all invited to have some. Here’s a picture of each:

At some point, a producer sent back an email with the phrase “vile temptress!” in it.

What the Bleepity-Bleep is This Bleep?

The Male Chauvinist’s Cookbook by Cory Kilvert.

I can’t believe someone got away with that cover! He’s got something brewing on the stove and all his hairy ass can spare is an apple? What a guy…such a giver.

Then open up the book to reveal the full front and back cover:

I guess the brunette is just so grateful to be able to kiss his oven mit? What is he, the pope of the kitchen?

Of course, a guy was selling this cookbook! He was quick to mention, “there are a few really good recipes in there.” Yeah, I bet. Hee-hee…