I know we have all gotten used to me posting a lot and well that’s sadly going to have to stop, at least for the month of May. I would love to say it’s because I am busy and don’t have time but the truth is I’m pretty darn broke. And to make matters worse, the last of my money was stolen out of the locker room at my hockey game Friday night. And my ads just aren’t paying right now; I am averaging less than $2 a day, which doesn’t add up when it cost about $150 a month to run the blog (the vast majority of that being the cost of food). And then there are my medical bills that apparently they want me to pay.
I’ll still be updating my home farm and maybe a random post or two but don’t hold out. I leave you with these cookies. Since I am a key lime lover and I we did just have Cinco De Mayo, I thought I would do a twist on Mexican Wedding Cakes.
You can still keep up with me on Twitter and Facebook, just not sure how much on here. 🙁
Peabody
Key Lime Mexican Wedding Cakes
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup powdered sugar, plus more for rolling
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup ground almonds (almond meal/flour)
½ cup sweetened shredded coconut
3 TBSP fresh lime juice (use key limes, if available)
Preheat oven to 325F.
Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and ½ cup of powdered sugar, about 3 minutes.
Beat in flour and almond meal.
Add in coconut and lime juice, and beat another minute on medium-high speed.
Shape into 1-inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake in preheated oven 12 to 15 minutes until lightly browned on the bottom.
Let cool slightly and roll in powdered sugar while still warm. Then let cool on wire rack. When completely cool, roll in powdered sugar one more time.
I just don’t understand certain individuals, why they would take someone’s personal belongings. I’m really sorry to hear that. I hope a miracle happens so you can continue blogging your normal schedule. This is something you love and I can’t imagine how difficult it is to cut back on it.
I can’t believe you got robbed at hockey! Did they only take money? I hope you can find a better ad host so you can make more from the blog! And I totally want to make these. Too bad I’m starting a diet on Monday.
What a bummer 🙁 I’ll be holding out hope and checking back. Hopefully something good will happen soon that will allow you to go back to posting like normal.
I’ll miss you!!
I am so sorry to hear that you had money stolen. Being robbed- especially from a place filled with people you know- is one of the worst feelings in the world. I once had my wallet stolen out of my purse in the break room of the restaurant where I worked. Even though I knew whoever did it wasn’t doing it to hurt me, and maybe didn’t even know whose wallet they took, I felt so betrayed. I’m sorry you had to go through that in a place where you feel comfortable. And being broke, well, it sucks.
Good luck with everything- I don’t think I’ve ever left a comment on your blog before but I love reading your posts and recipes.
Good luck with everything! I’m sending you good vibes from Massachusetts 🙂
I’m surprised that it costs you $150/month to run this blog. I don’t know how many visitors you get, but if you are self-hosting – you might want to look into some of the newer ‘cloud’ hosting options. They can be quite cheap, and they scale nicely. Rackspace cloud gets as cheap as $11/month.
If the $150/month is truely unavoidable, you may want to look into a lower entry cost way for people to donate to your cause. flattr.com allows people to give very small amounts of money to their favorite bloggers and other providers of free content. While very few readers will actually drop the $5 or so it takes to make a paypal donation worthwhile, it’s possible that many more of your readers will give you a flattr ‘tip’. They can really add up!
I just say this to hopefully be helpful. If these options aren’t appropriate to the reality of your site, please don’t worry too much about them.
Anyway, good luck!
@Ben- it isn’t the host that cost so much…it is the cost of the food. When you bake as much as I do it adds up. Heavy cream and butter, even when purchased at Costco really does add up.
Thanks for the suggestions though.
Sorry things are tight. I got a great tip that may help a little. Sign up for Google Ads and change the default ad from Plateful to Google Ads (AdSense). Add the Google Add codes at Plateful/Sell/Sites/Redirects. You won’t get rich, but maybe you’ll get $2 more a day. Good luck!
Hopefully Platefull picks up soon!
The cookies look yummy!
A recipe free month isn’t bad if you’ll let us pick your brain! What about a question for the baker month? For instance yesterday I was trying to figure out what might pair with coconut for a cake that called for passion fruit. Passion fruit is hard to find locally.
Either way sorry things are tight. Robbers suck. And I’ll still be reading whenever you post.
if it helps i will click on your ads like nobodies business! and i’ll be praying that things start looking up. if you have the time, you may want to look into couponing…i’ve seriously cut my grocery bills with that and every bit helps!
@Sarah- that doesn’t actually help, but thanks. My ads aren’t by click anyway. It’s just that they aren’t running really any ads (when you see the word Plateful no ad is up). And the ones they are running are for really small amounts of money.
That totally sucks that someone stole what money you had…I’m really sorry that happened! That’s why I don’t post a whole lot sometimes, it just costs too much to buy the stuff to cook interesting food. Hopefully we’ll all be rolling in the green stuff soon!
So sorry to hear that you got robbed =( I’ll still be following you on facebook!
Also being on a tight/fixed income, I understand! Hang in there, Peabody!
I’m going to be “that” person and put this out there:
If every one of us who reads Peabody on a regular basis and professes to adore it/her makes a even a small, small donation, this issue could be resolved by the end of the weekend.
Hey?
Hey Peabody, sorry some low life stole your money, that sucks. Hope they get theirs in the end and my small donation helps out. Love ya!
This can’t be true! You run the only food blog that has ever made me laugh, and you do it daily. You are too real to go away, and if I wasn’t a college student, I’d at least bake to help “the cause!” I hope it all turns around soon, Miss Peabody!
I’m so sorry that your money was stolen and that you are having a hard time! This stuff is expensive, I actually noticed that baking ingredient prices are soaring lately. I hope that things get better for you soon!
I’m speechless! How discouraging about the theft, the rising cost of goods and diminishing wages. But hey! There’s no inflation right? Not when Congress doesn’t take into consideration the price of fuel, the cost of food or the rising cost of utilities. Our Congress’ sole purpose is to abolish the middle class.
I make over 6 figures and STILL had to get a second job to support my family of three. In addition to the 2nd job I tutor on the side and run a small resume writing business. It helps, but doesn’t leave much free time for anything else. Totally sucks. But I am a faithful reader of your delightful blog and will keep you on my Google Reader so I don’t miss any future updates. I send big hugs even though I know I should be sending the green stuff. (Mulah)
I’m so sorry to hear about your troubles (especially having your wallet stolen.) But I understand how expensive buying ingredients can get, the price of something as small (yet priceless) as extract, is ridiculous.
I hope you are able to bake now and then. Cutting back on something you love isn’t easy. For now I’ll just have to re read some of your previous posts, you always mamange to make me laugh, even on the worst days. 🙂
Sorry life is so sucky right now. Want to come over for a baking date with my ingredients?
Oh no! I am sorry to hear that. Your blog is one of my favorites. Sending good thoughts. Hope to see/read you (at least on Facebook!) very soon.
Thinking of you!
You are one of my blogging inspirations! I know that you have a ‘format’ you’ve used for a long time, but why not break with that format a bit–just post what you’re eating, and your thoughts about life. It doesn’t have to be expensive. This blog is a record of your life, and if simple stuff is ‘where you are’ right now, food-wise, I’d still come to read what you write!
Peabody- This sucks, both your money getting stolen and your not being able to afford to post!! Not cool as yours is the only baking blog that ties in everyday real world humor AND awesome recipes!! Could donations cover it?
I look forward to reading whatever you post whenever!
Keep your chin up, and go cuddle with your dog, pets make everything better!
L
@Leah- that would be great if donations would cover it, but I don’t get very many of those.
Ugh! Tough spot and it sucks big time. Sorry to hear Pea, hugs!
Oh damn. 🙁
Sending you a big hopeful hug though.
I can wait…
We will all have to be patient and wait for your return. In the meantime, please take care of yourself. Thank you so much for your previous posts – your writing is refreshingsly “real”.
Where can I send some help?
What kind of help do you want to send?
You’re a wonderful creative cook and writer than will be missed. I hope you’ll soon return to what you do so well and that your personal property is recovered.
I just donated! Please don’t go away, Pea!!
I know I don’t know you from Eve but I do enjoy reading your rantings. You say the things I am too afraid to say!
I sincerely hope things get better super soon.
You should never have to apologize for such a thing! It would be incredibly selfish to expect you to bake outside of your means. I hope that the situation improves asap, and not just because I want to see more of your delicious concoctions. 😉
I agree with someone else who mentioned donations…I remember reading the book “Julia & Julia” where she put a paypal donation button on the blog and people were able to donation whatever they were to keep the project going.
We’d like to help as I’m sure a lot of us would miss your sense of humor and those yummy recipes on a regular basis.
whoops…see that you do have one of those buttons. Sorry. We’ll definitely be making a donation.
Hang in there Peabody…things will turn around.
Peabody! keep your chin up friend! Hoping things get better. I can’t believe someone stole your money…
You bake when you can! We will be here always!