I should have listened a bit more closely to the stern warnings of almost every person I know who has written a book.
“It’s more work than you think it can be.”
“You’ll gain 10 pounds.”
“You’ll miss your regular life.”
OK, alright, I admit that these are mostly from one end of the author spectrum but they still ring true: Writing and photographing a cookbook is a challenge and takes dedication and hard work.
It’s also a hell of a lot of fun!
Now that my book, On A Stick!, has been out a little over a month, I can almost sit back and let out a sigh of relief. What started in Spring 2010 is now on bookshelves all over the country, displayed just in time for summer cooking. And yes, I’m proud that it’s done and am delighted by the fun people are finding in its pages because it’s true: Food on a stick has that built-in fun factor!
But just how much do people love food on a stick? Visit any state fair and you’ll find out. Which is exactly what we did when we began the planning and research process.
I think this photo sums up the deep-fried, county fair goodness. Sausages, cheese and traditional wieners get stuck, battered and fried. And for the sake of research, I ate just about everything I could get my hands on. Nothing was too strange, too greasy, too out there to try. Of course not everything made its way into the book, but I had the best time trying.
Yes, those are porkchops on a stick. When you’re walking around the grounds of a State Fair the stick thing really comes in handy. And they were delicious, as plain as they look.
Here’s an assortment of fair foods. Yes, I ate them all. And the hot dog wrapped in spiral cut potatoes? Genius. And sadly not something I adapted for my book as I just couldn’t figure out how to put those things together. It’s probably better left alone.
Far be it for me to tell you how much people really do love things on sticks. Just look at this vinyl mural that wrapped the entrance to the craft corner of the fair: A field of corn dogs. And corn dogs in a basket! I am totally down for this kind of harvest. I am!
After visiting as many state fairs as we could find before our deadlines we headed back to the studio to begin the process of cooking and photographing the recipes. But before you can begin production you need to procure sticks because, well, what’s a stick book without lots of sticks? I’m happy to share with you that my other half is an intrepid shopper. If it’s for sale, he’ll find it. And find it he did, just look at all the various sticks we found:
Writing a cookbook about food on a stick wasn’t just about finding a bamboo skewer and calling it a day. There are many different types of sticks and each of them have their unique cooking properties. Skinny, thick, flat, round, stainless steel, branches – there are indeed many options!
Here’s my food stylist extraordinaire, Adam Pearson, putting some last-minute touches on donut holes on a stick.
Here I am arranging some very small beautiful little bowls for a chapter on dips, sauces and marinades. Adam advises on placement.
Here’s an outtake of a cover idea. Needless to say it wasn’t selected, but please be assured the corndogs did not go to waste.
I think I need a few corndogs now to celebrate!
What to get a taste of On A Stick!? Browse through a collection of recipes from the book, including Margarita Jell-O Shots, Chicken and Waffles, Molotes and more.
For more fun and festive recipes, pick up a copy of Matt Armendariz’s book, On a Stick!.
More posts from Matt:
- Salsa Fresca
- Braised Cabbage with Creamy Spicy Mustard Sauce
- Gumbo Hand Pies
- Spicy Sweet Potato and Chicken Fritters
- Pimento Cheese Dip with a Kick
- Turkey Tacos
- Chipotle Sweet Potato Spoon Bread
- Twice Baked Potatoes
- Chocolate Cherry Cookies
- Queso Fundido
- Fig and Blue Cheese Flatbread
- Ice Cream Terrine with Sautéed Peaches
- Matt’s Ultimate Summer Salad
- Cherry Galette
Find Matt at mattbites.com.
Check this out…
[...] that is the end of this article. Here you’ll find some sites that we think you’ll appreciate, just click the links over[...]……
Recommeneded websites…
[...]Here are some of the sites we recommend for our visitors[...]……
Great website…
[...]we like to honor many other internet sites on the web, even if they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Under are some webpages worth checking out[...]……
Websites worth visiting…
[...]here are some links to sites that we link to because we think they are worth visiting[...]……
Websites we think you should visit…
[...]although websites we backlink to below are considerably not related to ours, we feel they are actually worth a go through, so have a look[...]……
Sources…
[...]check below, are some totally unrelated websites to ours, however, they are most trustworthy sources that we use[...]……
that only occurs over time being the…
popularity of your site is based upon offering unique content! obviously in order to gain the interest of others you must first establish a ‘history’ of posting interesting and unique content. this is turn helps you get more visitors to your…
Woman of Alien…
Best get the job done you have accomplished, this site is absolutely neat with amazing information. Time is God’s method of keeping every little thing from happening simultaneously….
Awesome website…
[...]the time to read or visit the content or sites we have linked to below the[...]……
Websites you should visit…
[...]below you’ll find the link to some sites that we think you should visit[...]……
Sites we Like……
[...] Every once in a while we choose blogs that we read. Listed below are the latest sites that we choose [...]……
Cool sites…
[...]we came across a cool site that you might enjoy. Take a look if you want[...]……
Visitor recommendations…
[...]one of our visitors recently recommended the following website[...]……
Visitor recommendations…
[...]one of our visitors recently recommended the following website[...]……
Visitor recommendations…
[...]one of our visitors recently recommended the following website[...]……
Awesome website…
[...]the time to read or visit the content or sites we have linked to below the[...]……
Online Article……
[...]The information mentioned in the article are some of the best available [...]……
Visitor recommendations…
[...]one of our visitors recently recommended the following website[...]……
dofollow backlinks kaufen…
So sorry you can pass up the workshop!…
Sites we Like……
[...] Every once in a while we choose blogs that we read. Listed below are the latest sites that we choose [...]……
Awesome website…
[...]the time to read or visit the content or sites we have linked to below the[...]……
Sources…
[...]check below, are some totally unrelated websites to ours, however, they are most trustworthy sources that we use[...]……
up and make it more fun for…
visitors. choose images carefully – including images in your blog can add a special touch that will help attract the attention of prospective readers. but when deciding which photos to use it is important that you choose images that are relevant…
Sources…
[...]check below, are some totally unrelated websites to ours, however, they are most trustworthy sources that we use[...]……
on a regular basis know the feeling….
i knew antibiotics were not the way to go if i could avoid it. i recently read several message boards about women in the same situation who were given one antibiotic after another, yet these medications did not work because the…
bachelor…
[...]below you?ll come across the link to some websites that we believe you must visit[...]…
Read was interesting, stay in touch……
[...]please visit the sites we follow, including this one, as it represents our picks from the web[...]……
You should check this out…
[...] Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a few unrelated data, nevertheless really worth taking a look, whoa did one learn about Mid East has got more problerms as well [...]……
Awesome website…
[...]the time to read or visit the content or sites we have linked to below the[...]……
Cool sites…
[...]we came across a cool site that you might enjoy. Take a look if you want[...]……
Great website…
[...]we like to honor many other internet sites on the web, even if they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Under are some webpages worth checking out[...]……
Websites we think you should visit…
[...]although websites we backlink to below are considerably not related to ours, we feel they are actually worth a go through, so have a look[...]……
Whispering Misty…
So sorry you are going to miss the workshop!…
The Silent Shard…
This can possibly be quite practical for a few of your jobs I plan to don’t only with my web site but…
what i was thinking…
Wika linked to this place…
Digg…
While checking out DIGG today I found this…
Recommeneded websites…
[...]Here are some of the sites we recommend for our visitors[...]……
You should check this out…
[...] Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a few unrelated data, nevertheless really worth taking a look, whoa did one learn about Mid East has got more problerms as well [...]……
Websites we think you should visit…
[...]although websites we backlink to below are considerably not related to ours, we feel they are actually worth a go through, so have a look[...]……
Visitor recommendations…
[...]one of our visitors recently recommended the following website[...]……
Awesome website…
[...]the time to read or visit the content or sites we have linked to below the[...]……
Superb website…
[...]always a big fan of linking to bloggers that I love but don’t get a lot of link love from[...]……
have to be clear about this, though,…
and stipulate that you are not selling the article content. the client is only buying the one bio-box backlink. (this is similar to sharing space on a printed flyer. you each get benefit, and it’s much cheaper for the client.)by doing…
flats and apartments…
I believe technological know-how just makes it even worse. Now there’s a channel to never treatment, now there will not become a opportunity for them to find….
Gems form the internet…
[...]very few websites that happen to be detailed below, from our point of view are undoubtedly well worth checking out[...]……
Read was interesting, stay in touch……
[...]please visit the sites we follow, including this one, as it represents our picks from the web[...]……
Links…
[...]Sites of interest we have a link to[...]……
Check this out…
[...] that is the end of this article. Here you’ll find some sites that we think you’ll appreciate, just click the links over[...]……
Recommeneded websites…
[...]Here are some of the sites we recommend for our visitors[...]……
Recommeneded websites…
[...]Here are some of the sites we recommend for our visitors[...]……