By Gates (Pam) Johnson
Now that I’m feeling better and have my health stuff semi-under control, it’s time for me to get back to a project that has been on the shelf for a few, make that several, years.
I am writing a cookbook.
One would think that a vanity project like this could be knocked out relatively quickly. I am a pretty good writer and researcher and typist and cook, so what’s the big deal? Just write down the things I have come up with, ask a few family members and friends for their favorites. Grab a few pictures from my phone. Throw them all together in a readable format. Find a printer. Boom! Project over.
If only it were that easy. First off, I had to figure out how extensive this book should be. I’m kind of known for my pies. Should it be a pie book? I’m not a great cake-baker but have had fun making birthday cakes for grandkids. Cookies? In the last 20 years, I have baked probably eight million cookies of various types. Entrees? Soups and noodles?
Wow! I know how to make a lot of food! It kind of knocked me for a loop (no pun intended) …
I pulled out my mom’s old recipe box. Found some files with old-old family recipes. Asked family and friends if they had any favorites they would like included. One day, I was in the hot tub at the athletic club and a young man was getting into the mix with all the ladies from my water-walking class. I told him he had to give me a recipe before he could get in, so he did. It is in the book.
Another friend gave me a really intricate Norwegian cake recipe. I haven’t had the nerve to try it yet, but she swears by it. My grandkids insisted on Mimi Ramen. Had to put in the old Garibaldi favorite, barbecued crab. And the one everybody asks for, black bottom banana cream pie.
Got all the recipes entered and put in categories. When counting them up, there were 31 kinds of pie. Almost an equal number of cookies. Total recipes? 211. The book was big.
Of course there were a million food photos on my phone. My pal Judy also had 40+ on her phone. The next task was choosing appropriate photos, and how many. I have over 1,000 photos on my phone. And I haven’t done a lot of computer work since retiring, so I had to relearn how to create folders and copy them to a removable disk. Last night at about 3:00 a.m. I created eleven folders, named them, and put in the pictures. Now I have to get that to my editor.
The grunt work is coming along nicely, so now it’s time to find a printer. My editor suggested a place in Centralia. I contacted them, but apparently, they do not return phone calls, no matter how many voice mails one leaves them. They sent me a brochure with a lot of information, but I really would like to talk to a real person. Perhaps a different printer would be more accessible. I will give Centralia one more chance before looking elsewhere.
Cost. How much are these books going to cost me? There are lots of variables to consider. Hardcover, softcover, laminated softcover, saddle stitch binding, plastic spiral binding, metal spiral binding. Paper options too? Shiny. Matte. Thick. Thin. Oh, and including color will up the ante. Photos have to be in color. They would look stupid and flat in black and white.
Who knew there were all of these choices, and decisions to be made? I have kind of decided on a metal spiral binding, mostly because the book will lay flat when opened. I like the idea of a hardcover. Of course, my choices increase the per-book cost. My mom always said I have Cadillac taste and a hot rod pocketbook. This is a one-off project so cost be damned.
Think I will go with my “Ma Johnson Pies with Attitude” logo for the cover. My good friend Terry designed it years ago and I still love it. The attitude part perfectly represents me.
Once I decided to go ahead on this project, I needed to find out how many I should have printed. One Saturday, I posted a little note on Facebook asking if any of my friends would want a copy once it is printed. Thought it was a good idea to see how many I should order.
Response to that post and word of mouth, and a week or so later, I have over 60 copies requested. Once again, who knew? My son says I should sell it on Etsy or Amazon. That seems a little more than I want to deal with. Not out to make money, but it would be nice to cover the costs.
The idea was to have them as Christmas gifts for my kids and grandkids. It kind of ballooned from that original thought. The interest list is growing daily. Fingers crossed that it will all come together on time. As my son Jake says, “Stay tuned. Film at eleven.”
Editor’s note: To pre-order Gates’ cookbook, contact her directly or via editor@vashonloop.com.
