Two completely unrelated thoughts . . .

Idea # 1:

Cookbook . . . we all have them.  But sometimes you come across one that you just can not live without.  I came across one when I was a kid, though I didn't know it at the time.

Someone named Sharon gave this cook book to my mother for Christmas in 1979.  I was 7 years old.  But it seems like this book has been in my family for my entire life.

The book???

Better Homes & Gardens:  All-Time Favorite Recipes


I know!  I know!  You must be thinking I have lost my mind.  What kind of cook book is this for a girl who loves exotic, artistic, and foreign foods?  How could she possibly find satisfaction is a cook book full of all-American, everyday dishes?

Simple!  Above all else, I am Southern!!!  And this book seems to cater to the Southern in.  If nothing else, the Sweet Best Ever Muffins are simply to die for!!!  By themselves, amazing!  But there are so many ways that you can improvise, alter and improve such a simple recipe!

"A collection of 1,007 recipes for main dishes, cassseroles, barbecue, vegetables, breads, and deserts."

But it is not just the versatility of the Best Ever Muffins.  It is EVERYTHING in the entire book.  Everything in the book can be customized to suit your personal tastes.  (Believe me.  I've had this book and have been cooking from it since I was 7.  YES!  This is the book that taught me to cook.)

Highlights from All-Time Favorite Receipes:
Sweet Best Ever Muffins
Swedish Pot Roast
Swiss Bratwurst Melt
Stuffed Pepper Cups
French Onion Soup
Finnish Chestnut Fingers

Then there comes a book that amuses me as well as inspires me to cook amazing and fantastic dishes.  The second book?

The Mafia Cookbook by Joseph "Joe Dogs" Iannuzzi


Joe Dogs is a legitimate former Mafioso . . . a member of the Gambino crime family who turned star witness for the FBI.  Okay, so maybe normally I'd turn my back on a Fed Snitch . . . but in this case, he wrote a brilliant cook book.

The Mafia Cookbook is a fascinating, entertaining and hilarious blend of recipes and stories and recipes from a true, traditional Southern Italian cook/Mafioso.

The cover says it best . . .

"With 37 new foolproof recipes of Mob favorites to die for, as well as the full story of 'Cooking On The Lam,' in which Joe goes from 'mobster' to 'protected witness'."

Highlights from The Mafia Cookbook:
Manocotti Marinara w/ Mint
Savory Sauteed Artichokes Sicilian-Style
Cicoria Insalata (Dandelions Greens Salad)
Steaks Cognac

 Okay . . . I have a million other cook books that I could talk about.  But those are my favorites.  So now . . . on to the second random idea I've had tonight . . .

Idea # 2

I think I may be 3/4 of the way into inventing a new recipe.  I realize that nothing in this world is new or unique, but I have been doing a lot of research on my idea and I have not yet found one single recipe that does what I am thinking about in my head.

Want a hint?

All I am willing to reveal at this point is that it involves cabbage.  That is all I will say for now.  Stay tuned for something so epic and awesome and AMAZING!!!