Apology: Many of you subscribed to this newsletter and expected to receive a free copy of the top selling ebook “150 Appetizer Recipes.” And it didn’t arrive. The bad news is that the automatic link that should send it has a “glitch” but it should be repaired in the coming days. The good news is that I will send each of you a copy of the book on a separate link. I know this will mean that some of you will receive it for the second time. Please forgive me; it is being sent to every subscriber to be sure that everybody receives the free gift that I promised.

Popularity: Since our last ezine the number of people who visit Recipes Mania has doubled. I am amazed at how popular the site is becoming. The main congratulations belong to our readers who send to us, from time to time, with suggestions to improve the site and make it more user friendly. I have sent personal thank you emails to everybody who has suggested improvements and they will know that I act on their ideas.

We are still aiming to gain a place in the top 2% of websites worldwide and are almost in that category now. I am proud of this achievement because it has this one-man site up there with major players like Heinz and Better Homes and Gardens who throw cash at their sites like it is going out of fashion. What does this prove? I guess the message is that people are not fools and will visit the site they prefer regardless how much money is being invested in it.

What next: As all visitors to Recipes Mania are interested in cooking I was impressed by an email sent to me by Jaz Keates who made the point that some recipe ebooks you buy online sometimes prove to be bad value for money. I think we’ve all been down this path before and felt dissatisfied with a book we have purchased. The suggestion Jaz made is that I review some recipe ebooks and publish my findings on the site. I’m going one step further than that Jaz, I am going to review the ebooks as you suggest and then I am going to sell them through Recipes Mania and all subscribers to Recipes Mania News will receive 15% discount on those books. That means that we will share the profit with you on all books recommended as ‘value for money’ purchases.

Safety at Home: I have taken up the safety at home banner after seeing the results of a few home accidents at the children’s ward of a local hospital. You will notice on the site that I rarely mention tips that cost money to implement. That doesn’t mean that all safety is free; for instance we should all have smoke alarms fitted in our homes. Ask your local fire service how many lives these things save each year. They cost only a few dollars each and that should be proof that from time to time it is necessary to spend cash – but hey! This isn’t Fort Knox levels, we’re talking a few dollars for more peace of mind than I care to imagine. The safety tip in this issue is a follow up to fitting smoke detector alarms:

Fitting the alarm is only the first step. Now that you have alarms you should sit down as a family and discuss evacuation routes in case the alarm sounds. You need two routes, a favored route and a fall back route in case the first is blocked by flames or smoke. Surprisingly there is usually enough time to evacuate your home in the case of fire if you have pre-determined exit routes. Many lives are lost due to panic in fire situations. The way to avoid panic is to have pre-planned reactions when the alarm sounds. Make your plan then practice it until everybody is aware of his or her role. - It may sound fussy right now but you will never know until you are forced to evacuate and its too late to discover flaws in your plan then. Again this safety tip costs nothing, it just requires some of your spare time.

Grandma: A six-year-old boy was queuing with his grandmother to get into the local zoo. In front of them a family with two young daughters waited patiently. The girls became a little bored and started looking at the small boy whose face was a mass of freckles. One girl whispered something to her sister and both started giggling and laughing. It was obvious that the source of their laughter was his freckles. Grandma felt so sorry for her young grandson who was obviously embarrassed that she bent down until her face was level with his. “When I was young” She spoke just loud enough for the two girls to hear her. “I had a friend with freckles and I thought she was beautiful. So beautiful that I wanted freckles too. In fact I was so envious because I didn’t have freckles I sometimes dabbed paint freckles on my face. I really can’t think of anything more beautiful than freckles; can you?” Her grandson smiled sweetly at her and was thinking deeply about her question for a while before he replied. Placing the palm of each hand on her cheeks he said: “Yes. Wrinkles are more beautiful than freckles.”

If you want to contact me by email with suggestions or requests the address is: david@recipesmania.com I always respond to all emails but sometimes it takes a day or two. Please be patient. Your comments are the lifeblood of www.recipesmania.com and they are never ignored or taken lightly.

Privacy: Recipes Mania respects your right to privacy. Your email address is stored in a secure program that is inaccessible to others. We will never share the details you have entrusted to us with any third party. Also we will not use your email inbox for any other purpose than sending your free ezine. - Except for later this week when we’ll send your free copy of the best selling ebook “150 Appetizer Recipes.” I hope you will accept that this is to make good a promise of a free gift and will only happen once.

Recipe of the Month: This month I have decided to take the humble sirloin steak and produce a Steak Fajita because it is quick and delicious.

Ingredients:

1 5ounce (140 g) sirloin steak.

Olive oil

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper.

2 pimentos, halved.

2/3 Onion, chopped.

1 Tortilla, toasted.

Method:

Cut steak into strips.

Drizzle with olive oil.

Season with salt and pepper.

Place steak in fry pan and fry for 2 minutes on each side.

Add the onion and pimentos to the fry pan and fry for a further 3 minutes.

Remove steak, pimentos and onion.

Place steak, pimentos and onion in the centre of the tortilla.

Roll the tortilla and serve.

This recipe serves 1, just double the ingredients for 2 etc.

This makes a good-sized lunch or a delicious supper.

I usually serve it on shredded lettuce with a sour cream dressing.

A tip when selecting steak: Always look for a marbled effect in the meat. Many people will not buy red meat with a marble effect. Professional chefs all prefer marble effect beef because it will be the most tender and tasty.