Just Checking In #9

Hi, friends!

Just thought I’d check in again and say THANK YOU for helping me sell out on QVC again! We sold almost 6,000 copies in 6 minutes. You guys are amazing! Thank you!

Since we keep having this little issue of selling out, I’m actually doing another appearance just for you! There will be more books available on the August 19th episode of In the Kitchen with David. I’ll be on at my usual time, around 8:30pm EST. Thank you so much for the support, friends! It warms my heart so much to know that others are enjoying my small-batch recipes. While the vast majority of folks have multiple kids and a large group of lovely people to cook for, it’s been me, myself and I for many years. Only recently did I get married and start my own family. The recipes in this book have been with me since my single girl days, and I'm so glad they are finally in print. Although, my husband and I are still eating the breakfast, lunch, and dinner for two recipes these days, too! (Shhhh! I also included 15 new dessert for two recipes, but that will be our little secret! I can’t help myself when it comes to small batch desserts!)

If you’re single, newly married, an empty nester, or just someone looking to spice up date night by cooking at home, my recipes for two are for you. Cooking for two books are also great bridal shower gifts, too. Just sayin'.

You can pre-order on Amazon.

I wanted to clear up the release date. QVC is shipping books on September 1. The wide-spread release date is September 10. I was under the impression that QVC was shipping books immediately since the warehouse has started to receive books already. I apologize for misleading you! The Dessert for Two release was very similar, and while 10 days early may not sound like that big of a deal, it ended up being a huge deal because the book sold out so quickly across all major retailers. Some people told me that even though they preordered on Amazon, they still didn’t get their book until 3 weeks later. Barnes and Noble was even slower about re-filling book orders. So, if you order on QVC, you are guaranteed to receive your book before anyone else. I hope that’s okay. If you’re fuming mad, email me, and maybe I can send you one of the super duper early copies that are sitting on my coffee table right now. In the meantime, if you’re aching for Dinner for Two recipes, try my archives. I’m sharing one a week these days!

What else is going on in my crazy house? Hmm.. I taught my first cooking class at Kitchen Conservatory last week. I apologize for not advertising it—it sold out so quickly that I didn’t have a chance to mention it. However, I’m teaching again on October 20th, so if you live in St Louis, call and get on the list! In each class, we make 5 recipes, start to finish. Then, we sit down at the end of class and chow down! It’s the best! For the first class, we made 5 recipes from the Dessert for Two cookbook: Texas Peach Cobbler, Raspberry Pick-up Pie, Strawberry Shortcakes, Pineapple Upside-Down Cakes, and Oatmeal Cream Pies.  I’d love to meet you, so come and bake with me!

Let’s wrap up with photos of baby Camille, shall we? She is the best baby ever. It’s not like I have other babies to compare her to, but I just know we lucked out with her. She started sleeping through the night at 10 weeks, but had a small set-back when I got back from QVC due to low milk supply. I'm happy to report at 12 weeks, she’s back it. She’s such a champ, which is a great thing, because I’m a monster without sleep. My husband is an absolute saint for taking care of Camille while I travel to promote the book. He just started a fabulous new job where everyone is very family-oriented and supportive of our unique situation. (Also, three cheers for my husband for finally leaving a job he wasn’t passionate about and starting over fresh! I couldn’t be more proud of him!)

Last time we talked, my life was consumed with breastfeeding and cloth diapers. I'm happy to say that life has leveled back out, leaving me more time for creativity and pursuing a life I love. Cloth diapers are old hat to me now; I don't even have to think about it anymore. I've also taken a more relaxed approach to breast feeding lately. Instead of scheduling her feedings and trying to plan my day around it, I just feed her whenever she's hungry. Revolutionary, right? I feel like a weight has been lifted. If you make something the center of your life and obsess over it, it can drive you crazy. These days, I view feedings as a chance to rest on the couch with her for a few moments, and then we get back to our day. I am much more relaxed. I mean, I'm still googling all things breastfeeding-relating and stressing about supply, but I hear this is completely normal for new moms. (Like the arm rolls up there could ever mean she's not getting enough to eat!)

My husband has gotten me into so many fun podcasts lately. We've always been big Dave Ramsey fans (live debt-free, yo!), and Dave turned us onto Dan Miller. He wrote a book called 48 Days to the Work You Love, and Brian bought it for me a few years ago when I was struggling in my old career. And here I am now, loving every second of this precious life! Brian recently picked up the book when he was facing his own struggles, and it led him to a new job that he loves. Dan Miller has a podcast called 48 Days that we are obsessed with. We love all podcasts that have to do with positivity, the creative process, and building a life you love (because everyone deserves that, yo! Ok, I'll stop saying 'yo' now). We listen to Happier with Gretchen Rubin, 48 Days by Dan Miller, TED talks, the TED radio hour, and the new Food Blogger Pro podcast by Pinch of Yum, too! Making a commitment to a happier, positive, productive life has made so many good things flow our way recently, and I just had to share.

Thanks again, friends for being so supportive of my dream to cook for two. I wouldn’t be here without you, and I hope to keep at this for the rest of my life! Even if we have a dozen more babies, I'll always be cooking for date night :)

As always, let me know if you have any recipe requests. I’d love to tackle them for you!

Love and cupcakes,
Christina