I Won't Send you Canned Lunchmeat

First off, I want to let you know that I've signed on with Books & Such Literary Agency and am working toward getting my book published! Yay! I've also added a button on the right side of my blog (right under the BlogHerAds) where you can sign up to get the details on my book. I promise I won't send you any spam (the mail OR the canned lunchmeat). Speaking of Spam, awhile back, my family saw a show featuring a Spam Festival held in Austin, TX. On this show, we saw several people walking around wearing shirts that read KEEP AUSTIN WEIRD. Of course I just had to get one of those shirts for my Austin. While ordering that shirt for him, I saw another one that read MAKE AUSTIN NORMAL! I think I may have to get that one now too! ;)

Anyway, back to what I was saying - No one will sell or give away your address. No one, except me, will use your address for any purpose whatsoever and the only thing I'll use it for is to send you a newsletter four times a year about the status of my book, book signings, contests to win a signed copy of my book, etc. So, if you're interested, please feel free to sign up! :)

My little Brooklyn is sick and crabby tonight and doesn't want me to put her down. I think the stress of the past month and my cold have finally caught up to me also and I feel like I have an elephant sitting on my chest, so I'm leaving tonight's post to Trish...

Ok, Ladies. I have to be honest. When Dawn first offered to run my blook tour for TGASS, I was a bit nervous. Because you all love her so much, rightfully so since she IS AWESOME! I felt like the friend of a friend being introduced as the new kid in school. And yes, I felt like the geek. Then, the morning after Dawn posted the blook tour, I checked in and there were NO COMMENTS - ZERO! I was devastated. I called Dawn immediately on the phone and told her I was sorry, I must be a blog killer. Like first degree murder, I would be forever known as the blog killer.

But praise God, you all accepted me – Thank you! I am overwhelmed by your response and interest in supper swapping. And I encourage you to give it a try….

And BIG NEWS - I HAVE DECIDED SINE YOU HAVE SHOWN SUCH AN INTEREST IN SUPPER SWAPPING AND THE GREAT AMERICAN SUPPER SWAP I WILL BE GIVING AWAY 1 FREE BOOK FOR EVERY 100 COMMENTS POSTED BY FRIDAY MIDNIGHT. SO PASS THE WORD TO ALL YOUR GIRLFRIENDS. SO FAR WE ARE UP TO 6 FREE BOOKS AT OVER 600 COMMENTS!

Dawn wanted to post some more advice for you ladies. Here are the steps to get you started. These are from my site.

1. START WITH WHO YOU KNOW – Ask a neighbor, a girlfriend, or a co-worker to
give it a try.
2. HAVE COMMON GROUND – Either live nearby, attend church together, or work at
the same company so delivery can be easily coordinated at that common location daily or
weekly.
3. PLAN 3 MONTHS OUT - Choose and plan your meals for at least three months at a
time, and write or print them on a meal calendar so each family knows what is being delivered
for dinner each night.
4. START WITH FAMILY FAVORITES - Choose recipes to start with that are your
family favorites. New recipes should be tried out on your individual family before they are
introduced into the co-op.
5. AVOID PAN-DEMONIUM - Use 9x9 or 9x13 glass Pyrex pans with snap on blue lids,
semi-disposable Zip-Loc containers, and Whale of a Pal Tubs for soups and stews. Rotate them
through the group (See the Pan Formula in my Great American Supper Swap book)
6. HONESTY TASTES BETTER - When you establish your meal calendars, be honest
and up front about food likes, dislikes, and allergies to avoid problems down the road.
7. BUDGET MEALS - Buy ingredients in bulk for your meals when items are on sale. Try
to budget recipes so you don't make two expensive ones back to back. (i.e. pot roast is more
expensive than pizza burgers)
8. ADAPT DELIVERY TIMES - Delivery times can vary depending on what works for
each family. If you deliver at dinnertime, have the meal cooked and ready to eat. If you deliver in the morning, have your meal prepared but not cooked with baking instruction included.
9. BE FLEXIBLE - Be flexible with one another when life throws you a curve ball, like a
sick child, a broken down car, or unexpected circumstance. Have a meal back up plan for those
nights agreed upon at the outset, like switching days or having pizza delivered if you are in a
pinch.
10. RELAX AND ENJOY THE RIDE - Relax and enjoy the ride. Don’t expect your supper
swapping group to remain stagnant or to last forever; some families may swap longer than
others. If a mom leaves, let them do so guilt free. We typically ask for one month’s notice so we
can adapt our meal calendars.

You can get more information and recipes on Trish's website.

Trish has answered many other questions in the comments section of my Monday post "You Mean I Only Have to Cook Once a Week?" To recap - Trish will be giving away 1 free book for every 100 comments left on that thread. We're up to 6 free books right now. It's not too late to get in on the contest - just leave a comment on the Supper Swapping post with your name and email address and we'll enter you in the drawing.