While You Can

If you live in Pasadena you have very little time to load in supplies before The Parade. Soon the streets will be overwhelmed and tough to navigate. You don't want to starve, so plan ahead. Over here we're putting up vegetables and stacking bags of flour and coffee in the cellar.

I got a superb Christmas eve present: a double book review from Library of Clean Reads. (They have two reviewers and both read it and liked it so it got two reviews.) Library of Clean Reads is a great blog for those who like books without too much sex, too much violence or too much swearing. I can take some of the above, but too much and the book becomes all about the sex (or the violence, or the swearing) and not about the story. Camelot & Vine has some violence and "mild religious expletives." My heroine mentions sex in fond ways but never actually gets any. She's not exactly pious.

I appreciate that they took time to read and review it. It's hard for independent authors to get honest reviews without paying for them, but most book bloggers won't take money and they won't post a review if they can't give your book at least three stars. So if they read it and mum's the word, it probably means "ick."

I'm watching a squirrel tiddle-toe across the top of my back fence, switching his fluffy tail. I love my office but there are distractions.

Where was I?

Yes! I want to announce the winner of Saturday's "Casting Light Upon the Darkness" blog hop. John pulled Nicole Evelina's name out of the hat. Nicole will receive a free copy of Camelot & Vine. I'm happy to say she sounds excited. Nicole also writes about the Arthurian legends so she knows the subject and will know what liberties I took. Hopefully that won't mean "ick."

Here at our house we will make one more sortie for supplies, then hunker down for a few days. I hope I've thought of everything. If I haven't, that squirrel had better watch out.

Bag Ban Theory

Just as in many other California communities, a ban on single-use plastic bags has recently gone into effect in Pasadena. Those bags are big polluters so I think the ban is a good idea. The ban doesn't cover all stores, but I can't keep track of which stores it's in and which it isn't, so I carry my canvas bags everywhere. I've been doing it for a while and I have a collection in the back of the car.

You play your cards right and folks give 'em to you for free, if you don't mind a logo. I've got one from the City of Pasadena, one from Whole Foods, one from some book fair a hundred years ago, several from Bell Sound and about a hundred Trader Joe's paper bags that just won't quit.

What logos have you collected so far?

Parking Lot Graphic

Trader Joe's parking lot on a sunny day.

I have groceries on the brain. Shopping is on today's to-do list.

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Update, 9am: you may note the 4:30am post time. I woke up moments before, remembering I hadn't posted. This is rare. I don't have a system exactly, but posting is an integral part of my day.

I usually choose a photo first and prepare it. This gives me time to think about what to say about it. In this case I had chosen the photo but forgotten to think. I don't think I could even spell what goes through my mind at 4:30 in the morning.

Yet I really do have to get groceries today.

Guest Author: Cherie Twohy and the I Love Trader Joe's Cookbook

The many talented authors in the Pasadena area have unlimited things to write about. Today we welcome Cherie Mercer Twohy, creator of three cookbooks (so far) based solely on the products at Trader Joe's, a homegrown grocery chain.

I’m delighted to be part of Petrea’s local authors’ series—thanks for inviting me!

My path to writing the I Love Trader Joe’s Cookbook, the I Love Trader Joe’s Party Cookbook, and the upcoming I Love Trader Joe’s Around the World Cookbook has been a wild ride.

I’ve always been a Trader Joe’s groupie. I grew up in Southern CA, as did TJ’s. (I guess you all know that they started in our own Pasadena backyard?) As I became more interested in food and cooking, I found myself cruising the aisles of different TJ stores, as they expanded, first in California, and then across the country. When I got ready to open my own cooking school, Chez Cherie, I decided to see how much interest there might be in classes focused on cooking with Trader Joe’s products. They’ve been so popular and are a ton of fun to teach.

In 2009 I was contacted by a publisher interested in doing a Trader Joe’s cookbook. Since I’d been doing the classes for years, it seemed like a natural next step. The first book came out in November 2009 and so far has sold over 70,000 copies! Yikes—I know my mom didn’t buy all those copies, so there are a ton of TJ fans out there! Since that book’s publication, I’ve heard from so many folks--you can’t imagine what pleasure I get, knowing that people I don’t even know are out there, cooking from my books! I get emails from people who don’t even live near a TJ’s, but remember them fondly, and adapt the recipes to ingredients available near them. I even hear from readers who plan their vacations around TJ locations, so they can stock up. Now that’s dedication! It’s such a kick when gourmet groups and cookbook clubs feature the book, and it’s great fun to hear what they are cooking up.

I literally write the cookbooks on the kitchen table. So easy to dash to the stove or fridge to check a label, adjust a recipe or sneak a taste as I’m writing. I should own stock in 3M, as I go through thousands of Post-its in a week of recipe development. I’m so lucky to have a cheerful test-audience in the TJ cooking classes, so I get quick and personal feedback on what their families have loved. I’d love to hear from you--please let me know your favorites from the books! Cherie@ilovetraderjoes.com 


Do you know a published author in the San Gabriel Valley who ought to write a guest post for Pasadena Daily Photo? Are you that author? Contact me.