Carol Mann used to keep all of her handwritten recipes in a binder. When her daughters asked which of them would inherit the cherished collection, Mann realized she had a problem.
“And all of a sudden I found myself printing a cookbook,” she said.
Friends who heard about the project put in their requests, too. Instead of just a couple of books for her daughters, Mann had to order boxes of the books.
Mann named the collection “Temptations.” The recipes ran the gamut, from appetizers to desserts, and many were family favorites.
About a decade later, she wrote “More Temptations,” a second volume of recipes from her and friends.
Mann’s latest collection is a marriage of two passions: cooking and art. This time, the cookbook included her illustrations. Mann’s watercolors grace the front and back cover and each section divider. She named the book “Bountiful” and printed 500 copies of the 400-recipe collection.
“I sold out. It’s gone,” Mann said.
Sales got a boost when the cookbook and a few of its recipes appeared in the May issue of Our State magazine. She now has a waiting list and is expecting a second batch of the popular books by the end of the month.
“This is a whole new thing for me. I thought I was retired,” Mann said from her studio in the Inner Banks Artisans’ Center where she has a working studio and teaches weekly watercolor classes. The classes have a waiting list, too.
She moved to Chocowinity 14 years ago to retire. Now, she finds herself wishing there were more hours in the day.
“I still have enough (recipes) to make another cookbook,” she said. “I just don’t have time.”
To purchase copies of “Bountiful,” email Carol Mann at chezchigoe@yahoo.com, or visit the Inner Banks Artisans’ Center, 158 W. Main St., Washington.