It’s been a while since we’ve touched base and had one of these Crumbs chats, hasn’t it? I’ve been posting a lot of bits of my life on my Instagram stories (psst, I’m doing a $150 Amazon gift card giveaway over there), so I feel like I’ve been keeping everyone up to date on things, but it’s about time we talked here.
We celebrated Luke’s first birthday two weeks ago, and it turns out he likes cake just as much as his mama does.
I absolutely cannot believe my baby is a year old now. I know everyone says time flies when you have kids but… wow, they weren’t kidding. He’s so much fun and so smart (it amazes me how much he understands!) and I love learning more and more about his silly personality every day. And the kid is his mother’s son… he likes to eat.
We’re teaching him to communicate with sign language and “eat” is his favorite sign. He directs me into the kitchen and is always asking to “eat” his snacks, the cookies that just came out of the oven, or the brownies on the counter… I limit his sugar (he’s never had a brownie!) but he wants everything in the kitchen!
We also celebrated my birthday yesterday. I turned 31 (!) and I celebrated by testing recipes all day (so business as usual 😂). Super low-key day.
Something For the Holidays
Just in time for the holidays I recently finished putting together a holiday ebook (you can buy it here!)!
It includes some of my must-bake recipes for the holidays. Most of these already exist on the blog (like my cheesecake, peanut butter blossoms, and sugar cookies), and this is meant to just be a catch-all collection of my favorite holiday recipes, but you’ll also be getting advanced access to several recipes that won’t be published until later this month and three exclusive recipes that I don’t have plans to publish on the blog, like this one:
I originally started creating the book with only 25 recipes planned, then added “just one more” bonus, then another, then another, so now the book actually contains 28 recipes. It’s available now and you can buy your e-copy here.
What About a Physical Cookbook?
I’ve been receiving a lot of requests for a printed, physical cookbook recently. A. lot. Many of you know writing a cookbook has always been on my radar so in 2021 I’m going to take a serious look at what actually doing that would look like.
But first, I want to hear from you. I need you to leave me a comment and let me know what you would like to see… Would it be:
- A cookbook that features many of the recipes already available on the blog with some new recipes sprinkled in as well? Many of you have told me you’d just like a physical copy of my existing recipes in book form, what do you think?
- A cookbook that features mostly new recipes with some of the classics mixed in as well?
- A cookbook that’s only new recipes.
And then what do you want to see in that cookbook:
- A mix of baking recipes (cookies, cakes, etc.)
- A cookbook that focuses on one type of recipe (ex: just cookie recipes).
Or something else!? If I’m going to make this happen, it’s going to be a lot of work so I need to know exactly what you want. I need to hear from you! Your comments will shape this hypothetical cookbook (and whether it ever exists or not), so let me know your thoughts!
Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays
The holidays certainly look different this year than they did in the past, don’t they? I hope you’re in the holiday spirit as much as is possible for a year like this one (and if you’re still shopping for gifts, make sure to check out my gift guide!).
Stay safe and stay warm, and as always, thank you for reading!
Ana Buckel
Happy Birthday Luke! I love cake too!!
Kim Brown
I enjoy your past recipes your present recipes and look forward to future recipes. A cookbook series would be Awesome! How about a cookbook of cookies and cakes and a second cookbook containing for other great recipes.
It’s worth considering. Good Luck with which ever route you take.
Kim,
Woodlands, Manitoba
Canada
Sam
That’s a great idea, Kim! Thank you! 🙂
Lynn
Sam, Luke is precious!! And, he has the same birthday as his mom! I love his picture with the mixer also! Time does past so fast, so enjoy every minute you can of his preschool years, as school days seem to speed up time.
I have enjoyed some of your recipes; I would like just a cookbook with cookie recipes since that is what I enjoy baking most. I like bundt cake recipes, but I don’t bake many layer cakes or pies, puddings, etc. Thank you for your blog!
Sam
Thank you so much Lynne! Time is going wayyy too fast. I’ve had a few suggestions for just a cookie book so that’s definitely on the table. 🙂
Capri
It would be amazing if you made a physical cookbook! I would definitely buy it! Your recipes are simple, and they always come out great when I make them! Perhaps with all types of recipes, ones from your blog, and maybe some new ones? Also, the picture with your cat Saucy in the Christmas tree is so cute!
Naomi
I like just having something to hold or lean up against something on the counter. Something I can mark in and mark favorite pages. I don’t think I’d have a preference on type of desserts. I will say, though, I have a couple cookbooks that don’t have spiral bindings and I’m about ready to pay someone to cut it apart and spiralize it. One is a “how to make bread” book that doesn’t stay open. Hello….hands full of flour and with step by step instructions on how to do different things is hard to actually use when you can’t see the pages and turn them easily. So make sure to make your book in some way that the pages stay open! 😉
Judith DeSouza
If would be great if your physical cookbook includes some classics as well as some new recipes. I appreciate having a hard copy in front of me instead is my iPhone or iPad.
Jane
I would love a physical cookbook! I love holding a cookbook in my hands …guess thats old fashioned.
Sam
Sometimes I feel the same way. 🙂
Rose
Your Luke is adorable! Saucy is a cutie too. Thank you for rescuing her. I have done that 5 times and they all lived long beautiful lives. I would like to see your cookbook laid out very much like your blog with sprinklings of a bit of everything. Just don’t lose your beautiful personality in it. I love your personal touches and insights that you bring to life in reading your posts.
Sherri Wright
Hi Sam….
I so enjoy seeing pictures of the entire family (people & animals).
I love your recipes and any that I want to make, I save in Powerpoint. I would like to see a cookbook with some old and some new recipes. I would like it most if it were dessert & sweets recipes (I love SUGAR).
I’ve written a cookbook and it’s a lot of work so don’t start from scratch with all new recipes. That would entail keeping up with the internet ones and then testing new ones. With a small child and husband to look after, I think that would be asking too much to start from scratch.
Have a very merry Christmas and New Years and we all are hoping for 2021 to be better than 2020. This has been a very stressful and sad year. Take care and God bless you and your family.
Melcena
Happy Belated Birthday to you and Luke. He is so sweet. I love your recipes and usually pin almost everyone. I would enjoy having a cookbook of yours. A lot of people like having a physical cookbook but then you have people that don’t. That is something you have to decide if it is worth it. You are extremely talented. Your videos are so helpful in explaining exactly what to do. I think everything you are doing is greatly received and is enjoyed by so many of your followers. Have a wonderful Christmas!
Dayna
Hi Samantha,
I am so excited to hear that you are thinking about a physical cookbook. I have enjoyed all your recipes and have printed several. I am a cookbook “cook” and love collecting them. I have your recipes I’ve printed off in a three ring notebook, but it’s hard to keep them organized. I would love to have one of your cookbooks with old recipes (all kinds) and new ones. I do like lots of pictures, so maybe Zach will help with that. 🙂
Thanks for sharing your little Luke with us. He is a cutie. I am a grandma with only one grandson so I enjoy hearing about what Luke it up to.
Happy Holidays to you and yours and by all means STAY SAFE!!
Estelle Scott
I would love a physical cookbook with a mix of classics and some new recipes. I am happy with a mix of baking recipes, but would really like some that would be easy to do with my 3 granddaughter and my grandson. They like to help in the kitchen, but do best with recipes that are not too complicated. They like to make holiday foods.
Thank you,
Vickie Sheldon
I’m happy to hear that a published cookbook is in the works! My vote would be for a cookbook that contains many of your recipes you have already shared along with some new ones. I would like having them all in one book and it would also be nice for gifting to others you might not have printed out your earlier recipes. I also would like lots of colorful pictures included. I would like it if it included recipes from several categories instead of just one, such as cookies.
S.
Hello Sam!
Your blog has been my go-to since I found it a few years ago (it even made my friends and colleagues think I’m a super good baker!) So I would definitely love to have your cookbook in my kitchen.
I do understand the point of ”not paying for something available already”, though as someone that usually sticks to a few classic recipes, I’d still get the cookbook featuring many available recipes just for the practicality of it. Not sure that helps 😅 .. but then maybe a book with half new and half available recipes would be a good compromise. As for the type, I would vote for the option of mixing everything (cookies, cakes, …). Including some how-to pages would also be handy for things that come up often like how to make whipped cream.
Best of luck, and happy holidays!
Annabel
Awe this is so cute, it really made my day! Luke is growing up so fast- happy holidays!
Sam
Happy holidays! 🙂
Kathleen
Sam thank you for sharing these bits of your life with us and for sharing pictures of your sweet Luke! The picture of him next to that mixer is my favorite and he looks so happy to see the goodies inside. I would love to see a cookbook from you that has mix of old recipes and new. I have been one of those you mentioned who has asked you for a cookbook and I am glad you are thinking about doing this. Having my favorite recipes in one book is something I would be happy to pay for and would make my life easier but some new recipes in the mix would be nice too. Hope you and your beautiful family are staying safe this Christmas season and God bless. -K
Iram
I loved the pics of your baby. Esp the one where he is next to the mixer.
I’d love to see your cookbook feature new recipes. Why would I pay for something I can get for free?!! I hope for the best for you always.