Why I Like the Marysville Cookbook - By Sandy

Hi. My name is Sandy. I met Heather on twitter a long time ago and we became friends. Recently she asked me to review the cookbook and why I liked and it and I bought the book in the first place. So here goes.....

When Heather got the idea to print and publish a recipe book, I was interested. I followed the process for a while and eventually it was ready. A great cause, I thought, and one I wanted to help with. Plus, it couldn't hurt to learn some new ways to cook food. I'm not one of those who is very imaginative with food so I hoped this would help.

 From what I've seen, the entire aim of the book was as a different way to raise some much-needed funds for those who suffered in the Marysville fires of 7th February, 2009. What it seemed she also aimed to do was make cooking easy - even for someone like me who is known for talking, not cooking.

I bought the book, mostly just because I wanted to help with what she was doing. I thought she was such a good person for being so selfless so why not help her out and buy a book? I'm no cook - I'll never use but hey, it's for a great cause.

When it arrived I had a quick flick through it, passed it to my husband for his comments (he's chief cook and bottle-washer at our place) and then to my daughter who hadn't cooked a day in her life (she's 22!!) Hubby agreed it seemed full of good, easy recipes even he could manage. That's a good review for it, I thought. Daughter? She just looked at it and declared she would never use it.

About a week later, I had the urge to try something a little different. My family eats the same sort of meals most nights and, frankly, my daughter and I were bored with them. I went through the recipe book again, properly. What I found was an array of recipes anyone can cook, using ingredients that were not only easy to find in the stores but, a reasonable price, something we usually have in the house anyway so no worrying about the cost most times AND all food my entire family would eat!!

We are pensioners so it isn't easy or cheap to use recipes we find in magazines or most recipe books. I haven't even heard of most of the ingredients used in those much less have whatever it is in the house!! Assuming I could afford them and find them in the store, I doubt my family would even eat it anyway. I don't mind trying new foods but most of those in regular recipes just sound horrible - even I'm not prepared to try them so my family wouldn't touch it.

I found one recipe I thought I'd try - I had EVERY ingredient in the house AND all of them were things my family eats regularly. I started to prepare it all - it took just over five minutes. Even better - I don't like spending an hour or so in the kitchen at any time let alone just for preparation so this was a good start. I put it all together, added a couple of extra ingredients not listed and cooked it - all in about 40 minutes. Fantastic. Cheap, full of good, healthy food, inexpensive AND something that didn't take forever to prepare or cook. The added bonus was the family not only ate it all but went back for seconds - a rarity at my home.

Within a week, the family was asking for another meal from "The Marysville Book". The next time I did something else - again, cheap, uncomplicated, fairly quick to put together and cook, full of goodness and food that even tasted good and not just healthy for us. Again, no time at all to cook, or eat, it. Since then, we've used recipes from the book about once a week - and even my husband has cooked two meals from it (so far). We haven't ruined a meal yet so that shows you what a great book it is. So easy even we can't ruin it!!

Please help a great cause and help Heather to make some much needed (still) funds to help those who need it. It's a great book, a great cause and you can't make a mistake. Please tell your friends, too. The more the merrier and the more funds raised the more the Community of Marysville can benefit from your assistance.

www.marysvillecookbook.com $35.00 anywhere in Australia including postage. You can pay by cheque, money order, credit card or Paypal

 

Please support a good cause with $10 from each and every sale being returned back to the Marysville Community via community groups. As at the 14^th November the amount of $7,500.00 has been raised with a goal of $10,000.

Thanks for reading. Sandy.

What you haven't been told about the Marysville Cookbook

The Cookbook for Marysville came about after the February 2009 fires, now known as the Black Saturday Fires.

The Marysville Cookbook was originally created for the residents of Marysville and 300 copies were given to the residents at no cost. At that point in time, the residents didn't need money, they didn't need sympathy - they needed something that was theirs and theirs alone. Something that would help them, keep family, mind and soul together. There was a message of hope, a message of thank-you and recipes just like, nanna and mum used to cook - comfort food, no complications, no spending 2 hours slaving over a hot stove, that you didn't have. They are all simple recipes, with simple ingredients.

What I haven’t told you or anyone else for that matter, is that all except for $962 came from my own pocket. $750.00 from 3 x businesses that I knew and who offered to help and an online forum called Oz Round Table who together raised $212.00 off their own back.

Suffice to say that the 3rd print is about to hit the road running and I’m still very much remaining in the red.

It’s my choice to continue to produce the cookbook, over 333 books have been given to affected residents and I want to continue doing so because I know that the one smile, the one letter of thanks is payment enough.

I just hope my pockets hold out!

So buy the Cookbook for Marysville and help Marysville and surrounding areas affected by the Black Saturday Fires, feel the joy in giving.

You can buy the Marysville Cookbook at www.marysvillecookbook.com
for the cost of $35 (inc P&H) for Australian Residents

International destinations - please see International Postage

If you are wanting to purchase more than one book - you will need to contact me at Marysville Cookbook Email and I will have to send an invoice, due to paypal being a difficult beast I thought it easier to keep the automatic payment to a single book.

Contact me and Help Marysville $10 at a time

Thank-you

The cookbook for Marysville

(reposted)

After seeing what I saw and hearing about one resident in particular - I had to do something. Something to make people realise that there are others in the same situation - that although possessions have been lost, you are here, you can re-build and you can move on.

I had a cookbook printed, one with simple plain recipes, that require simple plain ingredients. Nothing fancy - just wholesome food with easy instructions. You don't need complication at a time like this.

Here is the introduction :-

Welcome to the cookbook, designed and printed for the residents of Marysville and surrounds.

This book is not your average cookbook – that you look at – and take a little bit from and then put back on the shelf

You are meant to write in it. You are meant to enjoy it and do what you do best –
COOK!

There is plenty of room in the margins for scribbles – there is plenty of space for you to add your own recipes – there are blank pages, just for that purpose.

The idea of this book came about with one person, who like you, lost everything they ever owned, saying that they were unable to remember a special recipe that was passed down from their mother.

It will be a long haul back – but like the fires of 1939 and those that made it through – You can and will do it. You need to remain strong – You MUST talk about what has happened, both amongst yourselves to help and support each other and with outsiders, this will ensure that your children and your children’s children never forget and are never affected in the same way.

Now is the time to make sure that you don’t become complacent, that you keep your network of friends and families close. You need their support more than ever. Yes there will be rough times ahead – but ask your friends and they will help you – that is the spirit of Australia and the nature of small towns.
DO NOT BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP
I can’t replace that recipe – but I can try and find new recipes to replace the old. Most of these recipes are old recipes with the old measurements, they are simple and easy to make. I only hope you can enjoy these recipes as much as I do and they make your kitchen the heart and soul of your new home.

I would like to say thank-you to the following individuals and companies:-
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

On a personal note, I would like to say thank-you to all the paid and unpaid people, who on the day, stood in the face of danger to try and protect everything I love and know. You did everything humanely possible and then some. I admire your courage, I admire your strength. Yes there were losses, both life and property but you are not superhuman men and women – you are human and that means that sometimes you have to accept you did everything you possibly could – without losing your own life.

Thank-you

You can purchase the Marysville Cookbook including this introduction at Marysville Cookbook Total cost including postage for Australian Residents is $35.00.
Noting that $10 from each and every book is given back to the township via community groups.
As at the 6th February 2011 - the amount of $3200 has been raised and given back to various community groups
Thank-you