Cookbookaholic

The One After a Robbery

There was an estate sale over on the south side of Gastonia that had cookbooks listed. Pictures were posted and there was a small bookshelf that had some good selections. I reached out to the lady running the sale and got on the list as it was going to be a controlled entry. I was second in line!

Here’s the deal…it had a Friday 7am start. I had worked and knocked a bunch of things of my to-do list at work and decided that I could get to the 7am sale, get in, get out and back home before 9am. I’d still have plenty of time left to finish out everything. Great plan!

When I said south side of Gastonia, I was not kidding. I ended up on a country road and the neighborhood looked like it was built in the 1970’s and then promptly forgotten. It was getting close to start time and I was getting nervous as the GPS kept adding turn after turn.

As I rolled up and found parking, I noticed that some people were milling about and several cars were leaving. For a hot second, I wondered if they had opened up early and let people in (not using controlled entry)? As I got closer to the driveway, I see a chalkboard/message board announcing that the sale was cancelled. What?

The lady running the sale was outside talking to people in the driveway. She announces that the house had been broken into during the night and items had been stolen. She said the sale would not happen as she was waiting for law enforcement to show up and begin their investigation.

What in the world?! I’m not sure if I’ve ever heard of this happening? But, we were way out in the country and if the address was published….an empty house could be an easy target.

I asked if they will open up the sale later in the day and she says she’s not sure. So, with nothing happening here…I head back home.

Later in the day, all who had signed up for a place in line received a text message that the sale will happen on Saturday.

So, back at the location the next morning, the lady running the sale announces that she is not going to let the previous day’s activity stop her doing the sale. I can’t imagine how scared she must have been…especially if she was the one who discovered the break-in. I spoke up and said, “Good for you.”  Then, she says that she will honor the sign-up list from Friday. Woo-hoo! There’s only two of us and she tells us to go on in.

The other customer makes a beeline straight to a shelf of what I will call “vintage” Pyrex dishes. I guess that’s a thing now? Good for her. I locate the small bookshelf, take my time looking through the cokbooks and put a small selection into my bag. I didn’t grab them all as I’m trying to tell myself to concentrate on quality, not necessarily quantity.

As more people are entering the house, I’m hearing the lady running the sale say that the robbers targeted the electronics in the house. Which is interesting because the photos that were posted didn’t show any “new” electronics.

Well, it doesn’t take too long before I’ve gone through the cookbooks. Not wanted to leave so quickly, I decide to take a look around. I’m right there at the kitchen and up on a shelf I see two orangey-yellow mixing bowls. I remember seeing them in the listing but no one has picked them up yet. I reach over, look them over and don’t see any cracks and then I turn them over: they are stamped “Emile Henry/France for Williams Sonoma.” Yep, they’re both going in my bag!

And here they are:

Nice!

And here’s the stack of cookbooks that came home with me:

From the bottom up: Y’All Come Eat (The Deen Bros.), The Deen Bros. Cookbook (The Deen Bros.), The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cookbook (Paula Deen), Christmas Gems (Garden Club of Georgia; 1^st Edition, 1^st Printing), Old North State Cookin’ (Telephone Pioneers of America: Old North State Chapter 79), Recipes and Reflections (Bethel Presbyterian Church, Clover, SC) and Manna from Maylo (Maylo UMC, Gastonia, NC).

Those were easy to photograph in a stack because the titles were printed on the spines. Here are the other two:

Carolina Cooking II (Pioneers BellSouth/Nortel Volunteers, NC Chapter No. 35) and South Carolina First Lady Cookbook: 1986 Palmetto Treasures (American Cancer Society).

Hot Dog! It's a Betty!

Driving home yesterday evening, I saw a “Yard Sale 8am” sign in front of an old house. It wasn’t far from the house and I thought it could be a quick, fun sale to hit and then head back home.

Now, getting up and over there was a slow process…I haven’t actually gone to a yard sale in forever! I did get to the sale, but I’m ashamed to say it was after 9am. An earlier version of me would be so baffled why I didn’t get there at 7:45am.

The items were all set up on tables in a large tent that was in front of a workshop. I immediately found cookbooks up on a bookshelf. Not a large selection, but I found a few! I spied one of those mythical hot dog “toasters” but the $5 price tag was a bit much.

As I walked around, I hear the older gentleman who owns the house say that they’re downsizing and selling the house. I ask him if there are any more cookbooks and he responds, “Oh yes! I’ll go inside and grab some for you!.”

He returns a few minutes later with a bag full! I start digging through and find some great Greek church cookbooks, an Eudora Garrison and Paula Deen cookbook! Nice!

Then the lady of the house comes out and I ask her if she has a Betty Feezor in her collection. She said she did but it would be $10. And I was totally fine with that. She said she’d go back inside and get it for me.

As I dug deeper into the bag of cookbooks, I find the Betty Feezor. So no need of her to go back inside. And it’s the very first cookbook, Betty Feezor’s Best!

Looking around a little more, I see a stainless steel deep fryer. Only $3? I’ll take it!

Counting up all the cookbooks and deep fryer, I’m at $25. Not bad at all! Now, to get it all to the car. I ask if they’ll sell the reusable bag that had held all the cookbooks and it’s mine for another dollar.

On my way out of the tent, the lady points out the hot dog “toaster” and she drastically lowers the price to one dollar. Says that it has never been used. Hmmmm….I think I’ll snap it up!

Let's take a look at the full pick from this morning’s sale!

Hot Dog! It’s a Betty Feezor cookbook!! I’m the only one who likes my hot dog buns warm and toasty…so I think I might be the only one that uses this.
The first batch of cookbooks is a great blend of southern cooking:

Cooking in the Lowcountry from The Old Post Office Restaurant, The Pastor’s Wives Cookbook, Apalachicola Cookbook, The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cookbook, Popular Greek Recipes, Saint Francis in the Kitchen and A Touch of Greek.

The second batch is a great blend of North and South Carolina local cookbooks:

Cooking with Class, It’s Not Gourmet—It’s Better!, Fom Scherer’s Country Kitchens, and Cleveland County’s Treasure of Personal Recipes.

Here’s the small deep fryer:

And last, but not least…the reusable bag! It’s Hensane!! LOL

And if you're still with me...here's a little bonus find: 2 autographs!

So This Happened: I Went to Paula Deen's House

(Now that the home is on the market, I figured I needed to post about this amazing experience from last year before she sells the house!)

Around the same time the Paula Deen Live! event was getting ready to happen, I got an invite to the Paula Deen Network Launch Party in Savannah, GA.  I wasn't sure why I got an invite, but I was really thrilled to get it. Sounded like a great time and if I could stay at the in-law's condo on Hilton Head Island, then it would only cost gas money and a few meals for the whole adventure.

I accepted the invite and was really looking forward to a nice weekend.

As the time for the event got closer, I started to get some interesting info:

—No cell phones, a photographer would be on hand to take pictures

—We'd be taken to the event location in groups by buses, so be on time

—I would be in the final group

Interesting…but I hope we can find a parking space in downtown Savannah on a Saturday night!

The condo was already spoken for that weekend, but the hubby found an inexpensive hotel in the area and we drove down Saturday morning. We checked in, changed clothes and started on our adventure.

We checked in at Ort Hall and there were a few others waiting as well. As we waited to get on the shuttle buses, we relaxed with some amazing sweet tea and snacked on the very best ham I've ever had along with apple slices dipped in a delicious Orange Blossom Honey.

Our destination was still unknown, but my best bet was that we were heading to a private dining room at another restaurant owned by her company. As we boarded the bus, we heard someone say, "Have fun at Paula's house!," but weren't really sure if they were joking.

Now buses aren't known for being quick transportation, but after a while, we ended up in an actual neighborhood. So no private room at a restaurant, we were at somebody's house. Lots of whispering with the others on the bus…were we really, really at Paula's house?

Our bus was waiting on two other buses to exit the driveway, so we were stuck there for a few minutes. Then the door opened and Hollis (Paula Deen's chief of security) walked in and said he'd walk us onto the property.

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! We're really here!

The property is gorgeous and the house is just stunning. (And yes, I walked by the guest house where Oprah and Gayle stayed.) We lined up and went inside. The living room was huge and spacious and elegant and everything you'd want your living room to be. And at the other end of the room was the Lady herself, Paula Deen. Her husband, Michael, was there with her as she smiled and spoke with each guest. There was a professional photographer snapping away—thank goodness she'd be there to capture my humidity-induced frizzie hairdo.

Our wait in line gave us more than enough time to admire the living room.  Now that the home is listed for sale, you can go online and see just how beautiful it is…my words couldn't do it justice.

When it was our time to meet Paula, one of her little dogs had jumped up on the sofa in front of her. I said, "Don't you just want to rub that little belly?" She bent down, kissed the dog and rubbed his belly. It was such a nice moment seeing her so relaxed and happy.

And then, she reached out her hand and pulled me towards her.

                                                    (photo courtesy Christine Hall Photography)

We had a conversation about the live event in Charlotte and finding out that I have the same birthday as Lee Greenwood. Michael chimed in and said, “He’s a bit older than you!” Then, we turned toward the camera and got this shot:

                                                (photo courtesy Christine Hall Photography)

It may have only been a minute or two, but she made it feel like we talked for much longer.

After we met with Paula and Michael, we made our way over to the doors leading outside. Bobby Deen was standing there talking with some people. He saw me and I got a quick hug. Super-super nice guy! When we made it outside, we saw huge platters of fried chicken and biscuits being served. The patio area had this unbelievable outdoor kitchen and the chicken was being fried in batches. We each got a fried chicken breast and a flute of champagne. And let me tell you, that was some fantastic chicken! I never got a biscuit, but that’s okay—what a wonderful evening—and it wasn’t over yet!

After she finished greeting the rest of our group and enjoyed some time outside with everyone, she called us all back inside.

We all gathered back inside the living room and she spoke to us about dealing with last year's controversy, the fallout and how she found strength in the fans that still believed in her. I can tell you that, to me, every word felt honest and heartfelt. There was a palpable yearning that she wanted us to understand how much the fan support meant to her personally—to her core. You sensed that she made it through the storm to prove, without any doubt, that she wasn't the person being portrayed in the press.

It was a compelling moment from someone who was speaking deeply from their heart. She bared her soul to a room full of strangers and I was moved by her tremendous spirit. Standing before us was a woman who has—now TWICE—worked her way through seemingly insurmountable odds.

I can’t imagine the stress she was under. But you could tell that the tide had turned and she was ready to take charge of her comeback when she realized she had supporters who were there for her all along. And once she was recharged, she took a good long look at where her brand could go and then it was game: ON.

Without having to rely on a traditional cable cooking channel to broadcast her programs or sharing their digital portals and apps with other chef personalities, her brand smartly evolved into the digital realm to become its own content generator and provider. If you want Paula, her Paula Deen Network has all of it there for you: familiar shows, new cooking segments, new recipes—it’s all there and it’s all in her signature style and spirit. It’s that same spirit and spirited personality that jumped through the TV and grabbed fans in the first place. Now, her content delivery is more nimble and can be accessed through all digital devices: laptop, tablet and smartphone. Given another broadcast outlet, she could easily repackage the content into a show. With the Paula Deen Network providing a solid platform full of content, she’s found her footing and is back on the road to rebuilding an empire.

Add to that, the lessons learned from the fallout. And just like anyone who has experienced disappointment or failure, those lessons end up becoming tools that help you move forward. Paula Deen now has the tools, the means and drive to be unstoppable.

Remember the old saying that everyone deserves a second chance? Watch out world—because Paula Deen is making the most out of this one.

Paula Deen Live: After-Hours Party

A few weeks before the Paula Deen Live event, I got an email asking if I wanted to attend a meet and greet that would be held after the show was over.  How awesome would that be? If the crowd is too large, I may not get to meet her—but maybe I can at least see Paula Deen up close.

The after-hours event would be about an hour after the show ended, so I’d definitely be in for a long night. I’d be home well past my bedtime. But, I responded “yes” to the invite. Let’s see what happens.

When I checked in at Will Call, I was given my ticket to the show and a special pass for the “After-Hours Social.”

As I wrote in an earlier post, the live event was very energetic and you could feel the excitement in the theater. Paula is back and the fans have been ready for her return.

After the show was over, I sat around in some comfy chairs in the theater lobby. There were several other people hanging out as well. To pass the time, I took out my tablet and did some quick Bing searches.

One search on Lee Greenwood showed that he and I shared the same birthdate: October 27th. Now that’s interesting!

At some point, all those people disappeared and I found myself alone. I could hear music upstairs on the Mezzanine level—and that’s where the party was starting. One table was set up serving flutes of champagne and another table was serving sweets. And there were a lot of people waiting on Paula!

Lee Greenwood and his wife made and appearance. A few people gathered around and took some photos with him. When it was my turn, I told him that I had just discovered that we had the same birthday. “I think I’m a little older than you!,” was his response.

Then, you begin to notice others are starting to trickle in. Graham Elliott is here:

I snag a moment with him long enough to tell him that I remembered watching him on Good Day New York when I briefly lived in NYC.  “You must’ve been an infant!” What a charmer…

If I’m not mistaken, I’m seeing the Deen Brothers walking around. Jamie and Bobby are chatting and posing for pictures with the crowd.

There’s no way Bobby would remember talking to me during his book signing a year or so back. But when I get my chance, I say, “Dude! I blogged about you then you wrote another cookbook and didn’t tell me when you came back to Charlotte!” He laughed and gave me a big hug. We took a photo together and he noticed the picture came out very dark. He took my phone and started to see how he could adjust the brightness. Not much luck, but here’s the photo…

And then, I spotted his brother, Jamie. I mentioned that I had been live tweeting during the show. He said, “Did you mention me in one of them? Because I thought I saw someone had tagged me in a tweet about the show.” How awesome is that?

We talked about his recent cookbook and I now I've got to find a copy for my collection. Not to mention that second cookbook that Bobby just put out as well.

And then she arrived!

The elevator opened and you could see her husband, Michael Groover, first and then you see the hair. Paula Deen has arrived to the party. The room we’re in is circular and she starts on the less crowded side and makes her way, person to person, until she reaches the crowd. Her security guard, Hollis, announces that she’ll take selfies with individuals very briefly, but it’s gotta be quick.

I’m not inclined to jump into that crowd. For the moment, I’m happy to stand back and watch the madness.

I’m near the bar and when I turn to left, I see Michael Groover. “Hey, you held your own up there on stage!” He was very nice and I was able to grab a picture with him.

Now, I’m just watching Paula Deen work the crowd. She’s great at it. Big smile, big laugh and happy to see every single person. It’s quite an amazing feat to see how she gives attention to each person.

It takes a while, but she gets closer to me. And when she’s right in front of me, I say, “I logged on the website this afternoon and it looked great.”

She threw her hands up in the air and shouted, “Hallelujah!”

I then told her that I had live tweeted throughout the show. “I’ll read them all while we drive up to New York City!”  Really? I’d be thrilled if she did. But I think she’s got bigger things to do. Her new digital network is now officially launched and she’s on her way to reclaim her empire.

But before she left, I snagged this photo…

The Bag Lady is Back: Paula Deen Live

A few weeks back, I was given an opportunity to get a free ticket to attend the Paula Deen Live show in Charlotte. I decided to accept the offer so this is full disclosure that this post about the live show was made possible by a free ticket.

Now, as date for the event got closer, I noticed that it was the same day for the launch of her new, fully online Paula Deen Network. Wouldn’t she want to make a big deal about the launch day in a bigtime town? Perhaps one of her live events—surrounded by the warmth and admiration of her fans—is exactly where she needed to be. And maybe, Charlotte is earning its way as a bigtime place?

At any rate, I made it to my seat on the mezzanine level and had a pretty good view of the stage.

In each chair throughout the 2,100 seat theater was a branded Paula Deen Network tote bag, 9 inch round cake pan, one copy of a Paula Deen magazine and what’s this? An autographed copy of The Lady & Sons, Too! cookbook. Oh hell yeah….

I must admit, I’m interested in how the show and the rest of the evening will go. The Paula Deen brand has spent the better part of this past year in rebuild mode. An investment, to the reported tune of $75 million, by a venture capitalist has given the Deen team some deep pockets. This new digital channel is a bold move. I’m looking around the Belk Theater and seeing a lot of older people—is her fanbase tech savvy enough to make it work? Or, will getting the Deen branded cookware and other products back out on the market help get that ship moving in the right direction?

As we’re waiting for the Queen of Southern Cuisine to start her show, a band comes out and plays a few tunes. The lead singer addresses the audience in between songs with tales of meeting and getting to know Paula. He speaks about “who her heart is” and I’m beginning to feel some spin. It’s pretty obvious that the auditorium is filled with supporters and admirers. I’m not sure that any spin is necessary—especially not so early on.

As she takes the stage with her husband, Michael, she’s met with thunderous applause and quite a few give her a standing ovation. There’s an uber-fan sitting right behind me shouting, screaming and whistling. My right ear won’t be able to hear as well for a few hours. When the crowd settles and takes their seats, a few shout out, “We love you, Paula!” and “We missed you!” She responds in kind, but you can tell from the quiver in her voice that she’s already getting misty.

She starts the show off talking about the new digital Paula Deen Network and says that her team wanted to be in Charlotte to officially launch it. The website will offer all of her old shows (she recently purchased the rights to them from Food Network), newly filmed cooking segments as well as game shows and other lifestyle pieces. We get to view a video up on the big screen—the first of many. Then, she gets down to what she knows best: cooking. But first, she announces that she’ll need help in the kitchen and brings out her sons, Jamie and Bobby.

You would’ve thought all those women in that theater had lost…their…minds.

So now we have all four on stage. And just when I started to wonder if her producer, Gordon Elliott, was along for the ride…there he is.

Now, we’re on to the cooking. She’s making a Peach Trifle with custard (Bobby’s making one without the custard) and talking about life (“We’re ordinary women doing extraordinary things.”) and coming through her recent storm (“I realized everything is going to be okay”). Another cooking segment only using five ingredients and prepared in ten minutes. On her digital network, it’s a feature called “5 & Dime.” Then, we get a game show featuring Bobby “Chewbanks” (Bobby in a bad wig) called “What Did Paula Deen Just Put in My Mouth.” Here’s a hint—whatever it is, it’s not good.

Tonight’s show is, essentially, a live version of the digital network’s offerings. Look for regular versions of her cooking, side by side with a lighter version. And even though she’s prepared a very light, grilled chicken and arugula salad, she’s still got plenty of room for the fare that made her famous. “The butter’s down there darlin’! I didn’t come here without no butter!”

Country music star Lee Greenwood makes a brief appearance. He talks about his work with Helping A Hero, a charity that works to provide homes for wounded soldiers. He introduces a soldier in the audience, who will soon receive a home, and he gets a standing ovation from the entire theater. It’s a deeply moving and Paula announces that her home furnishings line will help upfit the kitchens and some additional rooms in several of the donated homes.

As the evening comes to a close, there is no doubt that the audience is happy to have Paula Deen back. You can tell that she has been missed, the energy in the theater is almost palpable. Plus, she’s in the unique position of being able to refill the void that was left during her time away from the spotlight. And there’s no wondering why. She has always seemed accessible and genuine. Her meals have always seemed to be more practical than those with the buffed-to-perfection Southern Living sheen. And now, she’s ready to give us more.

And let’s face it. She has weathered a storm that would’ve had other personalities closing up shop and retiring under a rock. But not her. She has had to, once again, reach deep down and grab hold of the resolve and pluck that originally pulled her out of the house and on the road to success. And now she emerges, hopeful, stronger and wiser, leading her brand into the digital realm and answering to no one but her investors and subscribers.      

She is ready to get back to her waiting fans and up for the challenge of winning more over. With her digital network now up and running, she declares to the world, “The Bag Lady is getting back on her feet! Her toes were stubbed for a bit.”

The Paula Deen Network

Did anyone notice when the intro of the Paula Deen Network hit the news a few weeks back?

It seems that during that time after the lawsuit was half dismissed and half settled, Paula and her team spent some time away from the media glare and quietly huddled on the options. A cable network may have no longer been an option for her and the Paula Deen brand, but there were certainly a lot of supporters still out there.

Remember when the upcoming cookbook she had with a major publishing house started pre-selling at a huge velocity? I think the publishing house scuttled plans to publish it…but still, it was a remarkable show of support from her fanbase. Not only in the sheer volume of orders…but the money it would have made for the publisher and Paula Deen.

And I don’t think the lines outside of The Lady & Sons restaurant in Savannah got any shorter? The line waiting to get in still wrapped around the building. People were still willing to pay and be seen publicly supporting her (even though she didn’t even own the restaurant anymore).

It seemed as if her fans were signaling that if she could make it through the more immediate and harsh media storm, her brand possibly had a way forward? It may take a while for the public to forgive and forget, but the Deen team seemed hunkered down and looking for a way to keep bringing Paula to her fans.

That initial wave of news on the Paula Deen Network was just the announcement that the online channel was on the way—but still a few months off. The accompanying video shows that they’ve been hard at work with a rather large production team and an audience of about 12 in her kitchen. The atmosphere felt both intimate and very festive. That audience looked happy to be in her company—and she seemed thrilled to have them there.

It’s interesting to note that the Paula Deen Network will be subscription based. It’ll be equally interesting to see if her fanbase will be willing to pay for access to the online recipes and videos that were previously free. If she didn’t have any sponsors to help foot the bill for the production costs, most--if not all of it (in theory)--would have to be covered by the money raised through subscriptions.

This first round of info asked you to sign up just to be on a list to receive the subscription info when it finally became available. I think they used that list of initial interest to help gauge the number of fans that could potentially follow her to the online channel and to also help them come up with an amount or amounts that would get them on the path to profitability.

On the evening of July 21, an email went out with three subscription rates and terms. The lowest rate was $7.99 a month for a subscription that lasts 12 months. That’s being pitched as the “best value” and includes extra incentives like 40% off an order from the pauladeenkitchenware.com site; BOGO 40% off a Paula Deen Live Event, an invite to attend a launch party in Savannah and a sneak peak video for a “Paula Colada.”

Other plans include an $8.99/month 6-month subscription as well as a $9.99 month by month plan.

This is going to be interesting! If the Paula Deen channel has enough subscribers, she may never need fear losing another lucrative sponsorship deal. The crazy part of this could be that if the fans really do line up, sign up and fork over $8 to $10 bucks a month, the sponsors will come running back for a chance to get in front of her subscribers.

Launch day is September 24^th…will you be there?

Chris Saves the Day

I spent a long time in the radio industry. What many may not know is that I spent a long time trying to get out of radio. It doesn’t pay very well, there wasn’t much chance of a lasting career and the TV station that shared our building had asbestos. Three solid reasons to get out.

Also during this time, I was the breadwinner in the family. And when you’re a married mother of two who still needs your mom to help pay for the gas in your car and groceries on your table, you know that getting into a better paying job is the next step. I had a few phone interviews and, at some point, the whole economy collapsed. But around the July 4^th holiday, I noticed a job opening and sent in my resume. After a phone interview, then an in-person interview with a manager named Chris, I was offered a job. It was freedom. It was a career position. It was a future…a much more hopeful future.

Working with Chris was awesome. He was a very positive and encouraging person and I felt like a valued part of the team. He moved on to another job almost a year later—but I’ve always been grateful for the door he opened for me.

Not long ago, I spent a couple of days traveling to Philadelphia and Pittsburgh for work. When I got home, I was wiped out and tired. I was even too tired to put together a list of yard sales for that weekend. Can you imagine that? Sure, I like to sleep in—but I didn’t even bother to look at the sales that Friday night! Then, I got a Facebook message from Chris saying that his wife had cleared out some cookbooks and they were mine if I wanted them.

See? Didn’t I say he was a pretty awesome guy? I thanked him for thinking of me and, of course, I said I’d come by to pick them up. He and the family would be out for the afternoon, but he had already put the cookbooks out on the front porch for me.

I got his address and was able to make my way over to his house later on Saturday afternoon. Did I mention he is a very devoted fan of the University of Alabama? When I was winding my way through his neighborhood, I clutched the paper with his address so that I would be careful not to miss it.

As I noted the street numbers on the mailboxes getting closer to his, I looked up and saw a big, maroon flag with that unique, cursive “A” hanging proudly from the front porch. I started laughing so hard I could barely park the car! That was a sure sign that I’d found the right house.

And look what was waiting for me!

That’s a pretty impressive stack!

Here’s what I discovered:

Top Row: Pottery Barn Home, P. Allen Smith’s Garden Home (wait, how did that get in there?), The Best of Cooking Light and Christopher Lowell, The Hassle-Free Host (Christopher Lowell with Frances Schultz). Bottom Row: Betty Crocker’s Cooking Basics, Taste of Home’s Quick Cooking Annual Recipes: 2000, The Best of Country Cooking: 2001, The Best of Country Cooking: 2002 and Taste of Home Annual Recipes: 2003.

Remember when Christopher Lowell took the home decorating world by storm? I liked him and his show was so much fun—but I never got around to buying any of his decorating books. Didn’t he have a line of home decor products? Whatever happened there?

Top Row: Paula Deen & Friends: Living It Up, Southern Style (Paula Deen with Martha Nesbit), Favorite Brand Name Easy Entertaining and Cocktails (Linda Doeser). Bottom Row: Cooking Light: The Ultimate Kid-Approved Cookbook, Southern Living: Ultimate Book of Appetizers and The American Grill (David Barich & Thomas Ingalls).

This was a really nice and diverse collection! Thanks again for thinking of me, Chris! I’ve always said you rescued me from radio and today you rescued me from suffering a cookbook-less Saturday!

A Little Goodwill to Lift the Spirits

Dunc wanted to make a trip to the nearby thrift store. He has been in a lot of discomfort lately after getting partial braces. He actually likes going to thrift stores, and I was hoping that giving him a trip to Goodwill would help lift his spirits.

As he walked through the store I went straight to the bookshelves in the back. I’m wondering if I’ll have any luck…and then I spot a plastic spiral spine! I’m in luck so I’ll keep looking.

By the time Dunc was ready to go, I had found four great cookbooks!

The Lady & Sons, Too! (Paula H. Deen), Best of the Best from Alabama Cookbook (Gwen McKee and Barbara Moseley), Get Cookin’: Tasty and Healthy Recipes(employees of Newell Rubbermaid) and All in Good Taste: A Kirkwood Community Cookbook (North Kirkwood Middle School P.T.O., Kirkwood, MO).

It certainly was a great trip to Goodwill! I know my spirits are lifted!

Friday Morning Rush

I could get used to hitting an estate sale every Friday morning. Let me tell you that when I can swing it, there’s no better way to begin that last day of the work week. On this particular Friday morning, I think every person who owns an estate sale company had one scheduled. One guy’s company was holding two separate estate sales at the same time!

Of all the sales this morning, only one actually mentioned cookbooks. It was written as “loads of cookbooks.” So, let’s be honest, I guess you know where I’m heading. I’m banking on one of the other estate sales being the big draw and maybe that’ll buy me some time with this one. Plus, the parking instructions for this one is complicated—they’re asking people to park and then hoof it to the sale. That’s definitely courteous to the small neighborhood, but a giant pain to those who plan on leaving the sale carrying things.

So, the sale begins at 8am sharp and numbers are be handed out at 7am. Looks like I need to get there a little early and secure my place in line.

I’m there at 6:30am and grab a parking space right at the house. The sale is in a very nice, but small, upscale neighborhood. The house is located in a cul-de-sac, so there’s not much room for other cars.

I’m the first one to arrive and one of the helpers is already bringing lawn items out of the garage and lining them up in the driveway. We chat for a few minutes and he tells me that the cookbooks are all on a bookshelf inside the garage. What?!  So, do I even need to line up at the front door at all?

And just to be sure, I take a peek inside…

Yep, there they are. Now, I just don’t know what to do. Should I line up or ask to go through the garage?

He tells me the lady that owns the home is moving to a smaller apartment and this is the third house they’ve helped liquidate for her. She must be very wealthy—‘cause this is a nice side of town. Plus, the listing and pictures of items for this sale are very nice and worth a ton of money

With an empty copy paper box in hand, I go ahead and stand at the front door. 7 am rolls around and I’m still the only one there—and no one is handing out any numbers. Fifteen minutes roll by and I’m still the only one. The lady running the sale comes out and hands me the first number. I’m wondering if she realizes that there are about another five estate sales happening at 8am.  I’d love for her to forget the number system and just open up the door—or let me into the garage first.

On a side note, the gentleman that I saw helping in the garage comes around the corner with a sheet of paper. It’s the price list. He tells me the prices for hardback and soft cover books. With this info, I’m thinking I can afford to load up pretty heavily. Let’s hope these cookbooks are worth the wait.

When I ask about opening up early, she shakes her head no but then tells me that there’s a door just inside the front hallway that leads directly into the garage. So, as soon as she lets us in, I take a quick left, go down the steps and arrive at the bookshelf. That’s great—but I still wish she’d just let me in now.

I’ve got a meeting scheduled this morning at 9:30am. And with my hour long commute, I’ve got to get in, get the cookbooks and get out—quickly. This address is a little further down the road than I thought and I’ve got to bust my beehonkus. I need to be back on the road by 8:15 to even have a shred of hope of making to the meeting on time.

Time rolls by and, slowly, a few more people line up behind me. There are a few neighbors that have been in the house before, are familiar with the contents of the home and know exactly what they’re looking for. By 8am, there are only about seven of us there. But when the door opens, I make my way to the bookshelf and start loading up.

There are four full shelves and they’re all looking like they’re right up my alley. I’m moving cookbooks as fast as I can from shelf to the box as fast as I can. As I’m busy doing this, one lady walks half way down the steps, grabs a cookbook off the shelf and then leaves. What the what? What did she just grab? Oh, that’s going to bother me for a while. A long while!   

I keep going through the cookbooks shelf by shelf. The box is already filled and getting two stacks on top of that. I can safely say that the ones that are left behind are of no interest to me. There aren’t very many left behind, but I’m pretty certain that I’ve got a great selection.

Now, the box is too heavy for me to lift. So I’m pushing the box with my foot over to the checkout table a few feet away. While the cookbooks are being priced out, I take a quick look around the house. I see a lot of gorgeous things at really high prices. Oh well….I head back out to the garage, pay for the cookbooks and load up the car. By the time I crank up the car and put it in drive, it’s 8:12 am and I need to ease on down the road.

Wanna see what I snagged?

Top Row: Bobby Flay’s Grill It! (Bobby Flay with Stephanie Banyas and Sally Jackson), The Blue Willow Inn Bible of Southern Cooking (Louis and Billie Van Dyke),Paula Deen & Friends (Paula Deen with Martha Nesbit), The Plantation Cookbook (The Junior League of New Orleans), The Glory of Southern Cooking (James Villas) and Brunch (Marc Meyer and Peter Meehan). Bottom Row: Paula Deen Celebrates! (Paula Deen with Martha Nesbit), More Amazing Tastes (St. Gabriel’s Church, Charlotte, NC), Paula Deen’s Kitchen Classics: The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cookbook and The Lady & Sons, Too! (Paula Deen), The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cookbook (Paula H.Deen), Four Great Southern Cooks (Daisy Redman, Ruth Jenkins, Beatrice Mize and William Mann, Jr.), and The Lady & Sons, Too! (Paula H. Deen).

Top Row: The Junior League at Home (The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc.), Eat This Book (Tyler Florence), Tyler’s Ultimate (Tyler Florence),Down Home with The Neelys (Patrick and Gina Neely), Sweet Stuff: Karen Barker’s American Desserts, Screen Doors and Sweet Tea (Martha Hall Foose) andQueens Royal Recipes: Cooking with the Class of 1957 (Queens University of Charlotte, NC). Bottom Row: Not Afraid of Flavor: Recipes from Magnolia Grill (Ben & Karen Barker), How to Cook Everything: Revised 10^th Anniversary Edition (Mark Bittman), Nigella Express (Nigella Lawson), A Third Course: More Cooking with Class (Charlotte Latin School, Charlotte, NC), Cooking with Class: A Second Helping (Charlotte Latin School, Charlotte, NC), From Mama’s Table to Mine(Bobby Deen and Melissa Clark), Mama Dip’s Family Cookbook (Mildred Council) and Mama Dip’s Kitchen (Mildred Council).

The Fannie Farmer Cookbook (Marion Cunningham), The All New All Purpose Joy of Cooking (Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker and Ethan Becker),Jim Early’s Relections: The Memories and Recipes of a Southern Cook and Home Town Recipes of Stone Mountain (Veteran’s of Foreign Wars, Post 5257, Stone Mountain, GA). Bottom Row: Barefoot in Paris: Easy French Food You Can Make at Home (Ina Garten), Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics (Ina Garten) and Barefoot Contessa at Home (Ina Garten).

I don’t think it registered with me at the time, but I think there’s a ton of “must have” Southern cookbooks in here. I’m very thrilled to welcome The Neelys, that Glory of Southern Cooking and Screen Doors and Sweet Tea into the fold. And I’m super glad to score that Nigella Express cookbook. Definitely called it right on this estate sale! Now, to get to work before that meeting at 9:30!

Rule of Thumb: The Mic is Always Hot

I know this is a rule of thumb in all of broadcasting, and most of us (with the exception of a newbie sports broadcaster in North Dakota) have heard it: the mic is always hot. Anytime you’re near a microphone, always assume it’s on (even if it’s not).

In other words, be cautious with your comments and treat the airwaves with respect.

With the recent revelations exploding out of the Paula Deen lawsuit, perhaps this should become a rule of thumb about life. If you’re a celebrity, you need to treat every moment outside your front door like there’s an open mic nearby. Especially so if you’re toting around some past indiscretions that, when made public, could alienate a good bit of the population.

It’s very disappointing to hear about her comments and one hopes that she really learns from all this. But let’s all move forward with this thought: be gracious with your comments and treat others with respect. You never know when they might come back to bite you in the rear.

Now that social media is here and can take a comment said a second ago or ten years ago (side-eye to you, too, Abercrombie + Fitch dude), it can suddenly emerge out of the blue and never, ever go away. People can forgive, memories can fade, but the social media record has it logged…forever.

Not to mention testimony in a court case. That’s on the record in a deeply historical way.

Wow—so, what can you say about all the Paula Deen business in the news? In the space of about a week, we’ve watched the beginning of what may very well be the decline of her brand and the collapse of her empire. She’s being sued, she skipped out on a Matt Lauer interview on the TODAY show, Food Network dropped her shows and there’s a blooper reel that is supposed to resurface soon. And I don’t think that will help very much.

It seems like her image is going from sassy to crass at mach speed. It’s breathtaking. It’s fascinating. And it was all preventable.

As someone who spent a few years in public relations, I’m curious about how she’s been advised on handling this situation. Maybe the sad truth is that there is no way to quantify how to “successfully” handle her situation—her own words and behavior have opened the door to all this. But it appears that the situation is not being guided with much strategy or a decent video editor. Did anyone think through how that first video apology really looked?

It appeared edited for time, but turned out to be edited of any meaningful, redeemable substance.

This lawsuit has exposed a more realistic side of a celebrity’s personality. The side that exists when the camera isn’t rolling or an audience isn’t applauding. Can you come back from that? Well, Alec Baldwin is still around. And how many more times can her brand take a beating? Didn’t she just start to recover from the diabetes diagnosis/drug company endorsement controversy? I did notice her Twitter account had an increase in followers by the end of the week.

We’re also getting a good look at how much damage inappropriate words and attitudes can wreak when an employee decides a working environment is too toxic and enough is enough. There seems to be plenty of ammunition and she’s admitted to some really objectionable comments. Makes you wonder if all this would still be a dirty secret instead of front page news if someone would’ve remembered that rule of thumb….