This is writer’s block.    ”                    ”

This is recipe writer’s block.   ”                    ”

Noooooo………   lol

(Back soon, I hope!)

OMG, I can’t believe it’s September.  I wrote this blog post last week and when I save it it disappeared off into cyberspace.  Let’s see if I remember it.

Talk about TV time!  I had so much fun doing the newspaper article, and it was received very well both in the paper and online.  So much so that it resulted in a cooking segment on a local TV show.  Was I a little nervous?  Yes.  Was I excited?  Oh, yes!

Little did I know, though, that they had no one doing make-up.  I’ve been behind the scenes on many local TV productions and they always had a make-up artist for the “on air talent.”  So, why not for this TV show?  Well, no.  Nada.  Efes.  Shoom davar.  I came in in my regular make-up, saw there was no make-up artist, put on a bit more of what I had in my bag, and went on the air.

Shades of Casper the Ghost!  Ack!  White as a ghost, in front of all those lights.  Even funnier, there were four cameras packed into the tiny studio, and I never knew which one was on me.  Yeah, yeah, “Look at the one that has the red light on.”  Well, when there were four of them at four different levels crushed into a tiny studio…..   light?  Light?  WHERE?

Even so, what a learning experience, and what fun!  They ate ALL of the vegetarian Sausage & Peppers.  No, not out of politeness.  They devoured it!  I hope they invite me back to make something else.  Hopefully, I’ll be able to find the red light, and for sure, I’ll be buying and using my own “high def” make-up next time!

THIS is interesting, too.  Another newspaper asked me to “contribute” to their foodie section, but they want me to agree to give them ownership of anything I “contribute.”  Uhhhh….  no.  Sounds an awful lot like the paperwork Food Network sent me and I wouldn’t agree to that, either.  Hope we’ll be able to find another way to go, because I’d like to be in their paper.  If they want to PAY me to “contribute” NEW material, that’s a possibility, but I can’t just give them ownership of my work.

Stay tuned!

The article was in the paper, and here’s the follow-up!

Page views on the website exploded, I received requests for autographs, and a marriage proposal, and I’m doing a live cooking demo on a local TV show next week.  THAT should be interesting.  They have no cooking supplies whatsoever, and I have to bring everything!

In my “real” life, though, I’m still job hunting.  Hoping I’m not going to be trying to write blog posts and Tweet from my car.

Maybe I’ll take that guy up on his marriage proposal.  lol

Any foodie writing gigs out there???  No kidding!

Even with all of the kudos coming in, it took me until just a few minutes ago to get up the nerve to read the newspaper article.  I was so nervous that I might not like it, but with so many people telling me it was a great article…..  I took the plunge.

Holly Van Auken, the writer, is fabulous!  And the photos by Steve Early are wonderful.  Thanks so much you guys!

And, here it is.  Oh, my!

http://hamptonroads.com/2013/07/chesapeake-cook-aims-veggie-tv-show

Just a quick update re the situation with the newspaper article.

You know…… we did SO much work, emails, interview, cooking, photos, more emails, more questions, and then the newspaper pulled the article because I wouldn’t rewrite my recipes to their specifications?   (Check the previous post for background information.)

Specifications?  What specifications?  Obviously, I wasn’t advised of any specifications.  My recipes are stress-free, laid-back, a little of this, a little of that, add more cilantro if you like cilantro, don’t add the red pepper flakes if you don’t like spicy food, you really don’t have to measure specifically, so enjoy it.

That being said, they wanted precise measurements and that’s not me.  It’s just not how I write and that’s been the sticking point.

This week we’ve been emailing back and forth.  Yes, I initiated the emails.  I felt badly that people have been waiting to see the article, in the U.S. and elsewhere, and I wanted to determine if we could find some middle ground.

There might be a light at the end of the tunnel, and we’ll pick it up again next week.  I don’t want to appear pushy.  But, I’d certainly like to have the article published, not only for myself and the people waiting to see it, but for the writer and photographer who’ve already worked so hard on it.  Stay tuned!

I do not understand.  An article about me was supposed to be in the newspaper next week.  SO excited!

I met with the writer, cooked some yummy dishes.  The newspaper photographer took a bunch of photos.  I wrote up the recipes and sent them to the writer to send on to the newspaper.  I wrote up a timeline of all the things we talked about so she could get them in order.  (We talked about SO many things!)  She sent me a list of additional questions to answer so she could use them along with what we discussed during the interview.

One of the questions was, “What would you tell someone just starting out in cooking?”  My response was, “The only time you need strict measurements is for baking because you’re depending on a chemical reaction.  The rest of the time, use what you like, relax, and have fun.”

THEN she sent me “revised” recipes.  REVISED recipes?  I write really cool recipes, more like descriptions, actually.  “Use some of this, use some of that, if you like a little more, add it to the pot.”  You know, like your mother cooks, and like my mother cooked!  I’ve not had one complaint about the way I write recipes.  In fact, people have written to me to tell me that the stress is off them if they don’t have to measure and its much more fun this way!

Well, the writer’s editor refused to publish my recipes the way I write them.  I told them if they’re worried, to add a disclaimer, “Watch out.  She’s one of those ‘A pinch of this and a pinch of that’ kind of cooks.  Here’s her email address if you have any questions!”  It would give people a giggle, the newspaper would be off the hook (sheesh), and everyone would enjoy themselves.

The response?  “No.”

Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face.  How silly can they be?

The response so far from people waiting to see the article?  “Stand your ground!,” and I am.

But, still.  How silly.  These are suposed to be adults!  No creativity.  No insight.  “It’s my way or the highway.”  No wonder newspapers are dying……  :(