Chicago Prime Italian

Hi everyone. First of all, I want to say thank you so much for your patience and support! I’m excited to say we finally have a location for the first U.S. Blogging Event! Please feel free to reblog and/or share on social media. Here it is below:

Our dinner and awards ceremony will be held at Chicago Prime Italian in Schaumburg, Illinois on Saturday Aug. 26, 2017 at 6 p.m. for three to four hours. Depending on traffic, Schaumburg is about 40 minutes away from Chicago using public transportation or a taxi. You may even be able to stay in Schaumburg. We decided on Schaumburg because costs were more reasonable than Chicago. Since there is a deposit to hold the restaurant, I will need a payment of $5.50 from each person who is attending. The $5.50 will go towards holding the restaurant for us and the final bill. The payment can…

‘I certainly don’t get tailgated anymore!’

Bud likes to road grouch.  I don’t.  I figure people mostly do the best they can, so I just watch out for them.  Bud likes to hurl useless epithets like “crazy old woman of some sort” and “big-eared old fornicator” at men.  The insults are mostly wasted on me, but I have pointed out the high improbability of big-eared old guys meriting the compliment of fornicator, but I guess he is just being generous. Even so, it doesn’t sound fair. Why is crazy or fornicator gender-specific? I do kind of take exception to the limitations on ladies.  I guess he isn’t into equal opportunity.e

I have come to the following conclusion.

Not all books that hit the charts are good.

A lot of excellent books never sell.

You can become a NYT bestseller by targeting carefully and working the system.

What is the difference?

Marketing – which equals getting your book/s out there and VISIBLE, really  VISIBLE.

Now before you read any further don’t think for a moment that I am whining. I applaud and admire those people who have the marketing skill. I may or may not write good books, depending on your point of view (you can see them below!) but I ain’t got the marketing skill, nor do I have the money to pay some person or organisation to do it for me. I cannot even railroad DH into doing any of it either. (you may say aaaah here)

I receive dozens of blogs each week telling me how only Facebook…

My Grandma made these.  Mother made them.  I make them.  My daughter makes them.  We all had our own twist.  They are the best tea cakes I’ve ever had.  It was so good to come in from school and find these coming out of the oven.

Grandma’s Teacakes

1 cup of butter

2 eggs

3 cups sugar

4 cups self-rising flour (for plain add 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/8 tsp salt per CUP flour)

2 Tsp vanilla

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Cream softened butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla.  Add 3 1/2  cups flour and mix till it is a stiff dough.  Use other 1/2 cup to dust over dough and dust your hands while rolling out.  Roll into 1- 1 1/2 inch balls and place on greased cookie sheets.  Cookies should be no closer than 3/4 inch.  Bake cookies center rack. 7 minutes, then turn pans back…