SERIOUSLY DELISH Launch! (it’s totally in stores TODAY!)
TODAY IS THE DAY!
Seriously Delish is officially out in stores and for sale… I can’t even believe my eyeballs. I might be in shock. And I can’t WAIT for you to see it! I’m so excited in the Jessie Spano kind of way.
First off, THANK YOU! The ridiculous amount of love I have for every one of you that has landed on this blog has me floating on air right now. You guys are by far the #1 reason I wrote this book, put these recipes onto the page and have massive heartichoke inducing-anxiety while I wonder if the book is enough.
Let’s talk about what a jumble of emotions I am. I’m probably currently on a plane to Florida right now (if you’re in the Tampa area, come to the signing tonight!) after waking up at like 4AM and most likely getting no sleep before that anyway. I kept saying to Eddie last night, “I just feel so WEIRD. Like just… so weird.” I couldn’t quite put it into words, but in a way it felt like things with the book were 1. just beginning but also 2. almost over. Does that make sense? Do I EVER make sense? Nah.
It’s a crazy thing for something that you’ve worked on for years to finally be in other hands – in other homes, on other e-readers and in front of faces. It’s super scary too. The recipe development process was by far the most difficult thing for me EVER EVER. Probably because I’m a product of this god-awful internet generation that is used to instantaneous responses and getting everything rightthissingleminute. But also because I get bored so super easily and love changing up my usual dishes.
I’m totally the person that finds the best brownie recipe in the world and then spends another three years looking for an even better one. Yep yep.
It’s safe to say that in 2012, I had 200 recipes DOWN. I was ready. They were book solid, ready to go. Yet six months later I found myself not caring about a third of them, finding them not fabulous enough and going through the process over and over. I think by the end of the book writing process I cycled through 300-400 recipes before deeming the 150+ that were appropriate.
Because it’s like, are people still going to be eating kale in 2014? Hello, I don’t know if I will want to eat kale in two weeks. I don’t know what I want to eat for breakfast tomorrow. How can I know what we all want to eat in 2014?!
Well. It’s 2014. We can eat all of the recipes in the book today, whether we want to or not!
Oh hi. Here’s a sneak peek of how I turned my house into a disaster zone for months on end. I no longer live in that house, but I took photos all sorts of which ways and destroyed the house daily. The cleanup process every night was WRETCHED. It was truly terrible. We don’t want to know how many times I ran the dishwasher daily and did loads and loads of dishes by hand.
Remember when I shared this on instagram? It was one of the final photos I took – or should I say, REtook. Considering I also went through the not-liking-any-pictures-I-took phase nine months later and retaking a ton.
I had many days like this. Our house almost always looked like this.
Something I would not recommend, nor would I ever do again: doing a cookbook all by yourself. This was dumb of me. It was very difficult and ideally I’m sure I would have worked better if I had put together a team, even if the only thing that team did was dishes. However, at the same time, I can fully tell you that this book is ME. I took every food photo, wrote every work, missed every typo and consumed all the calories. It seems so long ago and like yesterday at the same time. It was HARD. We are talking literal blood, sweat and tears. That makes it all worth it.
And I have to say that in the last week or so, you all have made it so worth it. Seeing your instagrams and tweets and facebook posts and reading your emails sharing the excitement of how the book has landed on your doorstep has kept me going. Would you believe that I’ve had the book for a few months but can barely look through it? It’s that whole I-hate-my-own-work thing, coupled with the feelings of “this is old news” because it’s been in my face for months on end. I’ve been scared that the recipes aren’t creative enough, that after hours (maybe actual days?) of testing that something will fail, that it won’t be enough for me or anyone else who has been able to stomach my rambling for five years. THANK YOU for making this week wonderful and allowing me to be less of a neurotic lunatic. It means the world.
So there is that. Today is the day and the book is OUT! I am hoping I get to meet so many of you and squeeze the heck out of you for changing my life and making the last five years so memorable for me. Don’t forget to check out the book tour page, especially because I may be updating it with times and dates!
Words can’t describe just exactly what I would do if you’d go to your local bookstore and buy up every copy. You know. Just sayin.’ In the meantime, you can order today from amazon, barnes + noble or indiebound – or find the book where ever books are sold… and will have your copy in your hands shortly! Also, if you ordered before August 1st and sent in your confirmation for a bookplate, your signed plate will be arriving soon! I’ve had many concerns that you’ve received your book and it’s not signed – remember that a signed plate is a plated sticker to stick inside your book. It ships directly from us – if there was a way that I could have snuck into the amazon and b + n warehouse and signed all the copies, I totally would have. I’ve signed… quite a bunch – so they are coming. You are the bees knees. THANK YOU!
Finally, make sure to instagram your photos of the dishes you’ve made from Seriously Delish with the hashtag #howsweeteats and tag me. You can also share a pic on twitter or post one to the how sweet eats facebook. I want to see EVERYTHING you are making!
Okay that is all for now. I love your guts and you mean the world to me.
138 Comments on “SERIOUSLY DELISH Launch! (it’s totally in stores TODAY!)”
I received the book on Sunday – I know right?! since when does UPS deliver on Sundays?? – and I paged through it cover to cover. The photography is a mah zing! Will be reading the articles during the week. I really want to read it like a book on the subway but don’t want strangers drooling on me :)
Seriously so proud of you, Jessica. Your recipes are always a work of art, and your creativity never fails to astound me. I can only imagine how INCREDIBLE this book must be, and I hope you are just bursting at the seams with happiness right now — you deserve it!
Hey there,
My copy is on its way as I type this and I have been assured that it will be delivered by the end of today. I simply cannot wait to dive in and make all sorts of new things and make my husband eat things he doesn’t know he’s eating, ask him if he likes it and then say, “SURPRISE! It was made with *insert random food he swore he wouldn’t eat*”.
Either way, I wanted to leave you a comment since the closest you are coming to me is Seattle and I live in Portland. I would make the trip up but I have an impending bundle of joy just waiting to pop on out!
My comment being: I moved to Portland from Boston in June of 2012 as a newlywed and not a clue how to cook. My mom (the best cook ever) always assured me that she didn’t know how to boil water until her and my dad were married and all of her fantastic cooking skills came together. I was pretty sure she just didn’t pass the gene along and we were doomed to eat ramen noodles and frozen meals for the rest of our lives (and I would be 300 lbs). Well, my mom passed the October that I moved out to Portland and my obsession became cooking. Whether it was that it became a way to keep my mind from going to sad places or it made me feel closer to my mom (or both) I don’t know but I found your blog and haven’t looked back.
My pretend internet best friend, you have helped me what could have been a really horrible time in my life, by basically showing me how to cook without actually being here. So while you might think you ramble on or your posts might be redundant because you’re “obsessed” with something particular that week, I open my computer every single day and look forward to what delicious recipe or hilarious tale you have posted on your blog. Your blog has done so much more for me than make me laugh or give me a killer recipe, it has helped me to heal, to reconnect with myself and to build a new relationship with my mom, through cooking.
Sorry, that got really deep and sappy but I just thought about this the other day and since I can’t meet you in Seattle, I wanted to tell you here. So, thank you so very much for your gift and I look forward to receiving your book today!
omg. TEARS. thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
So excited for you. As I flipped through the book, I immediately thought, This is absolutely Jessica. It feels like you in book form, and for that I’m so happy. You should be super proud. XOXO
GAAAAAH! My UPS man came and just delivered my pre-ordered copy and I am DYING for my little lady to take her nap so I can flip through it. So excited for you and so excited for me now I have you at my fingertips in a beautiful and yummy book! Good luck on your book tour, wish you were coming a little closer to Chicago but already know you’ll be a huge hit wherever you are. :)
Super excited to get your book! Do you know when it’s coming to Canada??
I was concerned it wasn’t coming to Canada but I just ordered mine online from Chapters so I’m sure it’s in stores too!
Got my copy on Sunday from Amazon and poured through it for the past 2 days. I cannot wait to get in the kitchen and make something from it (or all the things!). Love it – congratulations!
I got my copy delivered yesterday, and I love it! I can’t wait to make those INSANE chocolate + peanut butter brownies!!!
Hey girl! HUGE congrats on your cookbook launch! What an accomplishment! And you had zero help on it! Wow. I am in awe of your hard work, dedication, and passion towards your work. Truly, you are an inspiration. :)
Was so excited when the UPS man showed up with my copy of Seriously Delish. Can’t wait to sit down, read through and start to menu plan. Congratulations. Long time fan of the blog and happy to see your success continue to grow. Cheers to you!
I am so so SO happy for you.
I know everyone feels this way, but you have such a gift for making me feel like we could be best friends. I sit here with Pop Pink Tieks and some hot pink Marc Jacobs lipstick on, celebrating for you! I love every word, every true emotion, every treat. Thank you and I’m so so PROUD of you!
CONGRATULATIONS! This is so exciting, I’ll be sure to go out and buy it.
I know exactly how you feel re: Not liking any of the photos you took phase, I’m currently working on my first e-cookbook and going through that phase right now! Argh! Sitting on it for a bit longer and hoping i’ll get over it :-)
Congratulations again, can’t wait to try some of your fab recipes.
Steph.
CONGRATS TIMES A MILLION!! seriously, you should be so insanely proud of yourself. I know all your internet friends are :)
Work is draaaaaaging today. I cannot wait to get home and page through your cookbook. My boyfriend simply can’t understand why I have been talking about it for a a week (or longer) and desperately wanted to take the day off of work just so I could look at it right away when it got to my doorstep. Thank you Jessica for this wonderful treat of a book. Sooooooo excited to see whats inside!
I just received my book today and am SO EXCITED. I had it shipped to work because I couldn’t bare the thought of waiting until I got home to rip open the package! Haha
I just ordered your book today! Can’t wait to try out all of the recipes!!
Writing the book, then writing it twice/again, because you don’t like the recipes any more and think they’re old news…oh boy, story of my 2nd book. From the time I was done, I’d see another recipe during pumpkin season in the blogosphere that was eerily close to what I just put in my book, except I thought I was so cool because I thought of something new, but then every single day during Sept-Nov I’d see like 50 things that made my things definitely not seem too unique anymore to me, so I’d go back to the drawing board. And then all new images. I can so relate to what you wrote!!
As well as your house looking like a tornado and cooking through various chapters of the book and the blog, all in a day, so there could be fried eggs, chocolate ganache, pumpkin pie bars, and guacamole all on the counter at once. Girl tornado isn’t even the word. One comes through daily when writing a cookbook! I love your honesty :)
And seriously the opening 40 pages or so of your book are my favorite part!!! Sharing your life story, about your grandmas and family (married brothers! loved that blurb), your fave ingredients, your early days on the blog and balancing your job, loved it. I am so happy for you and your book is truly one of a kind!! Such a beautiful book on every level!!
CONGRATULATIONS!! So happy for you! I can’t wait to check it out!
Purchased! Can’t wait to dig in. :) Congrats!!!!
I AM SO DANGED EXCITED AND I CANNOT WAAAAIT TO GET MY HANDS ON THE BOOK!!
My copy just arrived!!! Ripped the package open and have been reading it standing up in my kitchen as my dinner cooks away on the stove! I’m only a few pages in so far, but I love your voice coming through and the how to’s and the pics. Can’t wait to get further into it!
CONGRATS!
Congratulations again!!! This is so exciting. Too bad you aren’t coming to San Diego ;) Maybe that’ll be Book Tour Part 2!
Aaaack! I’m so excited I can’t even stand it! My (your) book is awaiting me back in NC while I’m at home in SC spending time with my parents. I’m going to beg my husband to bring the book with him when he comes to pick me up, but I’m sure he won’t because: 1. I totally get lost in books and shut out the rest of the world and would absolutely give him the silent treatment on our 6 hour journey home and B. I get car sick when reading in the car so he probably won’t want to clean up my barf at any point during that 6 hour drive. Alas, I will have to wait until next weekend to check it out, but rest assured I *WILL* be coming to see you in Chapel Hill! Your writing is stellar, your recipes are incredible, and you’ve worked your ass off to get to this point. You deserve it, girl.
I’m SOOO excited about this new cookbook, Jessica! I received mine on Sunday from Amazon and promptly curled up on the couch to read through it. I love how it feels like your blog, only in book format. I can’t wait to try some of these recipes.
Thanks for a great labor of love for all of your internet groupies (including me).
Hope to see you in Manhattan,
April
Congratulations on the publication of your book! So exciting!! YAY.
Words CANNOT express how excited I am for “Seriously Delish”! I went to my local bookstore yesterday to try to convince them to give me a copy a day early (it didn’t work) even though I had already pre-ordered the book. Unfortunately the online pre-order hasn’t arrived at my door yet but the anticipation is KILLING me!
Oh, and feel free to post any recipes that didn’t make the book on your blog…I know you’re highly critical of yourself…but all of your invisible internet friends (myself included) love you and I’m sure would love to lay their eyes on those hidden gems!
Congratulations!
Cheers to a book, a baby and all of your future success!
xo Ceilidh
HOOORAY HONEY BEEEEE
Congratulations! My hasn’t arrived just yet but I know it will be wonderful when it does.
Girl you seriously TAUGHT ME HOW TO COOK!! I was always just trying to throw some random BS together and hoped it would turn out well but I swear once I found your website, it made everything just click! I knew food was supposed to taste good, just wasn’t sure how to get it there…I ordered my book today but as I eat some of your skillet blueberry cobbler with a cheddar biscuit crust that I made last night, i’m kicking myself for not pre-ordering it. I and my fiance thank you so much!
Mine will be here thursday! Eeek. You get used to the humidity in Florida; I live a few hours north. :)
I just got my copy in the mail today and from the very first recipe I was drooling. It’s gorgeous!
First, BBQ chicken chili, then all those pizzas, then the breakfast things. My favorite part is that as I read through each recipe I though; “oh my veggie loving mom will love it!” Or “my meaty bf will be in heaven” thanks for being so fluid and creative!
So amazing!! Congrats, Jessica! Also, pretty please come to Minneapolis. :)
Jessica, congratulations on the big day! Your book is beautiful and so you!!! Your hard work is most definitely evident. Brava brava! I also have to say thank you for your candid view of the cookbook-making process. I honestly don’t know how anyone does it. My kitchen is a disaster zone after every project, multiply that time 10 projects per day and 2 grocery trips… I can’t even.
I got my book on my doorstep today and just finished reading it! It’s amazing!!! My favorite thing is that the recipes are so simple! I’ve been a big fan of your blog and I am so incredibly happy for you! So excited to get cooking!
Love love love! Cannot wait to get my hands on a copy.
Hey sorry- jumping in again to comment. Just found out I’ll be able to go to your book signing at Whisk in Manhattan! Super excited! I didn’t preorder your book though and I know it won’t arrive in time if I order it today so I’m assuming I’ll be able to get ahold of a copy there- can’t wait!
Mine is “in transit” as we speak. Can’t wait to receive it! Congratulations!
CONGRATULATIONS! I simply cannot wait to read through this cover-to-cover and make endless amounts of delicious food from it!
Love, love, love the cookbook. Couldn’t wait to get home to check out the recipes and am so excited to try them out. Also, really appreciate that a lot of them are for one or two servings- perfect when you dislike leftovers. Congratulations on writing an awesome and authentic book!
i just placed my order and should be receiving your book in about 2 days!!! So excited :-) This is the 1st food blog I started reading way back when so of course I had to get your book!
I live in Scotland and when a friend of mine in the US introduced me to your blog through a milkshake, I just wanted to devour all the things! I ordered your cookbook on my kindle, and I honestly squealed when I turned it on yesterday morning and saw it. Already made the chicken pitas with jalapeno whipped feta and tzatziki – AMAZING! Congratulations!
Yay! I am so excited that I was able to purchase the book for my Kindle! I live in Bahrain and I wanted the book NOW!
Woohoo! Can’t wait to see it! Come to Naperville, IL!!! Anderson’s Books!
My cookbook showed up on my doorstep Labor Day morning. What a surprise – and I LOVE it! It’s gorgeous! And so charming! So much personality in it, and I adore the way you included the story of why you cook and your personal connections with your family that instilled that love in you. Great job Jessica! Can’t wait to get some of the recipes cooking!
Woman, are you serious with your book right now??
I laughed, cried and salivated upon reading the first four pages of your book.
To say you did a phenomenal job from start to finish is an understatement. You really out did yourself, you should really give yourself more credit with this creation of yours because its fantastic!! I am so inspired and motivated!! I can’t stop flipping through all the beautiful photographs either. Thank you for making this book! I love all your funny stories and comments- all your recipes scream “Jessica made this!” .
P.S. the lady at the cashier stopped mid sentence when she saw the cover of the book and said “wow! that really does look seriously delish!” haha!! I replied “wait till you open it”.
Congrats on your huge accomplishment!
Gah!! I can’t wait!! I knew that the book was coming out this month (was raving about you to my mother when I visited home this weekend) but it slipped my mind that it would be out TODAY!! Is it available in stores like Barnes and Noble? Or should I get online??
This is all super exciting! I love your stories and your honesty, and I can relate to a lot of your life stories! You always make the whole thing hilarious, too :) Congrats!!!
Your book arrived yesterday and, I did the happy dance. I love it’s, can’t wait to make my first recipe out of the book. How to decide what to make first, when everything looks so amazing?
I also purchased a ticket to see you at the 92nd Street Y!
I had pre-ordered your book on Amazon and it came yesterday! It is “seriously delightful!”
Being an older grandmother of eight, I really get a “kick” out of your blog. I have tried several of your recipes and even ordered several items from Fresh!
I wish you much success with this endeavor.
Sandy aka Nana