Aug 26, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68
Whether it’s through family, friends, a networking group, or public forum, there’s one action I’ve found that works best for everyone in promoting their product or service.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Word of Mouth Advertising only works if you open your mouth.
It starts with one person who believes in you and what you have to offer. Reach that one person, and your audience will grow.
TWEET THIS: How do you grow your social media Swarm? @RealMojo68 #socialmedia #marketing
And Frankly, My Dear . . . : That’s all she wrote!
Aug 25, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68
Frankly, My Dear . . . : My Favorite Cookbooks
Pretend this is real paper and you’re reading my scribble: As I’m prepping this blog post, my Mississippi Bestie Cara Pearson called and gushed about the great cookbooks she picked up at a used bookstore for about five cents each. And then she has the nerve to ask if I’ve ever seen the movie Julie & Julia. Please, girl. You know that’s what started me on my blog journey. Now I love her and all, but that’s just rubbing it in, dontcha think? Rub. Dry rub. That’s right! We’re talking about cookbooks today. Grab your go-juice and read on:
Hey, y’all. I’m so excited to be planning a big shopping trip to WinCo. Just another joy I have when cooking, baking, and blogging. But dangnabbit, it always makes me hungry! (Note to self: Eat before shopping. And bring your coffee tumbler.)
This trip will be a dash different than the norm. I’m starting a new job career [insert happy dance here, y’all!] next week and since I don’t know what the break room or lunch schedule is like yet, and because it’s just plain high time I did so, I’m changing up my dietary habits to include more health-friendly grab-and-go breakfasts and lunches, along with prep-easy, autumn-friendly dinners, and of course, snackage. I’m gonna learn and relearn great protein smoothies, bento lunches, and one-pot dinners.
Mmm. I can hardly wait: I’m also gonna try my hand at a red lentil soup, reminiscent of my trip to Seattle and lunch at Mamnoon’s.
Oh, sorry. I drifted into food memories for a moment. What were we talking about? Ah, yes. Food. Glorious food.
Y’all are familiar with my Stock That PDF List, yes? Of course that’s coming to the store with me. Now, like oh-so-many people I don’t have an endless budget when it comes to food buying. That’s one of the reasons I love WinCo. I can take my food allowance and make it stretch. And this time, I’m allowing myself a tiny (and by tiny I mean one meal’s worth) of funds for food experimenting. I want to develop my palate, y’all! But how can I do that if I keep buying the same foods?
So, in search of some new flavors, I looked at my cookbook shelf and, well, you guessed it. Say hello to this week’s #FiveThingsFriday.
- The Unemployment Cookbook.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : The Unemployment Cookbook
Like sweet tea, this is a given, so let’s just get it out of the way. A labor of love and hard work, I created and/or compiled these family favorite recipes when Dot was in grade school. She wanted to have friends over, and I didn’t want to say she couldn’t, so I had to come up with some recipes that were affordable and delicious. And get this: Her friends’ parents were asking me for the recipes. Me! I couldn’t believe it. I had something to offer society after all. Naturally, I ran with it and the Cookbook idea was born. My Slow Cooker Pork & ‘Kraut recipe was the start of it all, and it’s been so long since I’ve made it. Thanks. Y’all just helped me decide what’s on my plate next week! [Feel free to click on the photo above to order your copy.]
- My Happy Planner Recipe Book and Meal Planner.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : My Happy Planner Recipe Book and Meal Planner
Don’t get your fireflies in a trap, this definitely counts as a cookbook. Like my Unemployment Cookbook, my Recipe/Meal Planner holds great hand-crafted recipes, cooking tips, meal plans, and coordinating grocery lists. Thanks, Hobbes, for the meatloaf inspiration. Plus, it’s like scrapbooking! Stickers, colored pens, washi tape. How could this amazing tool not be in my top five?
- Jessica Seinfeld’s Deceptively Delicious.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Deceptively Delicious Cookbook
I picked this up on the discount shelf of a local book store when I moved into Bedford Manor. Folks, can I just say, ain’t no way this book is geared just to kids! With some amazing recipes and helpful hints (like how to equip your kitchen and making coffee cake with butternut squash), this is a great do-to idea guide when you’re not sure what to do with what’s in your pantry or fridge.
- KitchenAid Recipe Collection.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : KitchenAid Recipe Collection
Who can forget the day I ordered my beautiful Isabella? [Oh, please. Like you don’t name your inanimate objects. So just, shush, my brother.] The special collection included a few attachments, the warranty, and this beauty. Chock full of cooking tips, detailed recipes and coordinating photographs, I recommend this book like I recommend blackened seasonings. It’s that good, girlfriend!
- Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook
I think everyone has some version of this cookbook on their shelf. That familiar pattern, the familiar title. It’s comfort cooking at its best. This was the first cookbook that was my own, a gift from my Momma (hi, Momma! Thank you!) when I moved into my first apartment. My first recipe used? The sugar cookies cut-outs (Page 200, if you have your own cookbook).
I don’t know ’bout all of you, but I’m ready for some home cooking and baking.
What are some of your favorite cookbook recipes?
TWEET THIS: What are some of your favorite #cookbook recipes? @RealMojo68 #FiveThingsFriday #amcooking @WinCoFoods
TWEET THIS:
With a wooden spoon and hungry eyes,
Happy cooking!
~Molly Jo
And Frankly, My Dear . . . : That’s all she wrote!
Aug 24, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Something Wicked This Way Comes
August is almost over. Soon my cup will runneth over . . . with Pumpkin Spice Lattes, walks over crunchy leaves in the park, and that little tingle down my spine.
Some say it’s too early for autumn. I disagree. When that famous Starbuck’s drink rolls out next week, I’m all about the sweaters and squash.
This is the time of year my senses are heightened, waiting for that eerie carnival music to creep in at dusk, those artificially bright lights that color the dark night. Yes, y’all have heard it from me before. I’m a fan of Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes. And because I’m a fan of that book and movie, I’m not a fan of traveling carnivals. In August, October, or any other time of the year.
Did you know the phrase is a quote from Shakespeare’s Macbeth?
“By the pricking of my thumbs
something wicked this way comes.”
Because it’s Shakespeare, the iambic pentameter gives it a rhythm nearly unforgettable. And so it cycles around in my head. Around, and around, with the swirling leaves, and the steaming lattes.
There are a handful of movies I love to watch this time of year, but this one is my autumn movie.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Something Wicked This Way Comes
Bradbury tells the story of being twelve years old and meeting the great magician, Mr. Electrico, at a traveling carnival. Mr. Electrico essentially knighted him with his electrified sword and instructed him, “Live forever!” Shortly after, Bradbury began writing every day. At the time of his death, he had written more than 30 books, nearly 600 short stories, and numerous poems, essays, screenplays and plays.
I am reminded how, shortly after high school, my girlfriends and I went to our local carnival. We relished the neon draw, the straw finding its way around our shoes. We walked from attraction to attraction, from game to game, playing what we could and taking the winnings.
I remember a barker-a stranger-at one of the games, striking up conversation.
He asked what part of the South I was from. My friends and I giggled. “South?” I said. “I’m from the Midwest.”
“No.” He shook his head. “Your accent. You’re definitely from Georgia. Or Louisiana.”
I don’t remember the rest of the conversation. I remember him trying to look nonchalant yet having a knowing look in his eye. I remember clutching whatever cheap stuffed animal I had won, or had been rigged to win, as my friends and I walked away. We laughed at the absurdity of his comment.
But I’ve never forgotten it.
And now, so many years later, I’m writing a novel set in New Orleans. My house has Southern flair, and my cooking has Southern flavors. My best friends are in the South.
And I still speak with a Southern accent I can’t account for.
Bradbury tells how Mr. Electrico greeted him. “You were my best friend in the great war in France in 1918 and you were wounded and died in my arms at the battle of the Ardennes Forrest. But now, here today, I see his soul shining out of your eyes. Here you are, with a new face, a new name, but the soul shining from your face is the soul of my dear dead friend. Welcome back to the world.”
This time of year, it’s nearly a trance. How Bradbury’s story, his movie, captures me. Reminds me. Motivates me.
My thumbs itch as I type, my fingers stand at the ready to do more. More typing. More adventuring. More everything. And I can almost smell the patchouli on the dark breeze.
What movie captures your attentions this time of year?
TWEET THIS: What’s your Go-To #autumn movie? @RealMojo68 #raybradbury #somethingwicked
With a beating heart and waiting coffee cup,
Happy haunts.
~Molly Jo
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
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