Are You Ready for Some Football Food? Fire Up Your Super Bowl Party with "Flannel John's Tailgating Grub & Couch Potato Cookbook"

Football and food go hand and hand, or rather hand and mouth. Author Tim Murphy understands the connection between the national obsession and gastronomic perfection. That is why he has penned another in his series of "cookbooks for guys" with "Flannel John's Tailgating Grub and Couch Potato Cookbook - Food for the Football Fanatic." ($9.95)

"Whether you're in the parking lot of the stadium, hunkered-down in the man cave with friends or flying solo in that old recliner, the right food makes the game that much better," says Murphy.

The 140+ recipes for snacks, drinks, desserts and main munchies in the book are definitely infused with the spirit of the gridiron, past and present.

"This is football food for football fans," says Murphy. "You'll find items like Cheesehead Straws, Long Bomb Nachos, World League Wings, Frozen Tundra Chili, Razorbacks in a Blanket, Woody's Buckeyes, Gang Green Punch and Seven Blocks of Granite Dip."

Does Murphy have a favorite?

"Two actually," he says. "I grew up in Chicago so I had to give a nod to Mr. Ditka with 'Da Coach's Pork Chops'. I also named a dessert for one of the greatest football monikers of all time, Emerson Boozer. That is just a rock solid, tough, snot-knocking name and player. He played for the Jets in the seventies. So I've named the 'Emerson Booze Balls' after him. Perhaps I should have named a side of beef dish after him."

Tim Murphy has written ten "cookbooks for guys" with another dozen planned over the next two years. He has focused on hunters, campers, single guys, mountain men, the kitchen-challenged, hot dog lovers and wild game enthusiasts. His "Cookbooks for Guys" series started out as a bit of a joke for deer camp friends, but has blossomed into a cottage industry.

"I wrote the first one for friends. They would show up at deer camp or the fishing cabin with beef jerky, a block of cheese and a case of beer. Aside from the olfactory assault and possible heart-stopping properties, the camp needed food with substance. They needed dishes that were easy and quick to prepare from breakfast and lunch, to dinner, snacks and sides. The first one sold so well, I know I was on to something. Cookbooks aimed at guys, their lifestyles and tastes."

Murphy's second "Non-Flannel John" book, The Tube Steak Boogie being the first, will be out January 31^st, 2014. It's called "The Rock & Roll Cookbook - You Cook Me All Night Long" followed in March by "Flannel John's Bacon and Burgers Cookbook."

His other titles include :

Flannel John's Woods and Water Cookbook

"Critters, Fritters, Chili and Beer"

($7.95)

Flannel John's Pirate Galley Cookbook

"Coastal Cuisine and Maritime Meals from Oceans, Lakes and Rivers"

($7.95)

Flannel John's Mountain Man Cookbook

"Frontier Food from the Hills, Country and Backwoods"

($7.95)

Flannel John's Hearty Bowl Cookbook

"Soup, Stew, Chili and Chowder"

($7.95)

Flannel John's Single Guy Cookbook

"Simple Recipes with Six Ingredients or Less"

($7.95)

The Tube Steak Boogie Cookbook

"A Celebration of Hot Dogs, Sausage, Brats & Kielbasa"

($7.95)

Flannel John's Hunting Cabin Cookbook "Venison, Fowl & Wild Game"

($7.95)

Flannel John's Cookbooks for Guys Anthology

"Selected Recipes from the First Eight Books in the Series"

(Double-Sized $12.95)

Who is Flannel John? "Flannel John is based on a few old hunters I knew from Michigan's upper peninsula," says Murphy. "I wanted to honor their spirit and what they taught me. He is part Babe Winkelman, Ted Nugent, Red Green, Grizzly Adams and crusty mountain man."

Who is Flannel John? "Flannel John is based on a few old hunters I knew from Michigan's u

Tim Murphy is a graduate of Western Michigan University. This 24-year radio veteran spent

17-years hosting morning radio shows in Alaska, Wisconsin, North Dakota, and Wyoming plus several Michigan cities including Holland, Muskegon, Traverse City, Saginaw and Houghton. Murphy has had a long career as a freelance and comedy writer. His work has appeared in dozens of outlets including Backwoods Home Magazine, The Porcupine Press U.P. Magazine, National Lampoon, The Traverse City Record Eagle and ABC Radio Network. He lives in Seaside, Oregon with his wife LisaMarie Costanzo.

All ten books can be found at Amazon.com and at www.flanneljohn.com. For additional information on the books, to interview the author, request photos and graphics contact Tim Murphy at (701) 238-1775 or at shamrockarrow@gmail.com.

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Q:        What does the Federal Reserve do?

A:        The Fed was created to stem fault lines in the financial system that many argued bred depositor runs, interest rate spikes and market speculation in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries.  The case was made in Congress that the ebb and flow of a growing U.S. economy needed more certainty and that a system was needed to manage money and the flow of credit.  The law that created the Fed -- the Federal Reserve Act of 1913 -- established staggered terms for presidential appointees to serve on the Board of Governors who also required a congressional green light of approval via the advice and consent of the U.S. Senate.  Today appointees serve 14-year terms intended to help insulate monetary policymaking from politics.  Unlike the centralized banking systems of its international counterparts, the Federal Reserve System established a dozen regional banks known as the Federal Reserve District Banks to serve and reflect the diversity of each respective region.  Today they are located in the 12 original cities selected a century ago, including Boston (District 1), New York (District 2), Philadelphia (District 3), Cleveland (District 4), Richmond (District 5), Atlanta (District 6), Chicago (District 7), St. Louis (District 8), Minneapolis (District 9), Kansas City (District 10), Dallas (District 11), and San Francisco (District 12).  The Board of Governors and the Reserve Bank presidents meet eight times per year.  The Fed will launch its centennial year under new leadership with the Senate's approval in January of Janet Yellen to serve as the 15^th executive at the helm of the seven-member Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. For the last 100 years, the Fed's primary responsibilities have included setting monetary policy, supervising the soundness of financial institutions and providing payment services to banks.  I've worked to require increased transparency of Fed activities and sponsored legislation to allow independent audits of the Federal Reserve by the Government Accountability Office, which is the investigative arm of Congress, and require that meaningful information about Federal Reserve operations be disclosed to Congress.

Q:        How does the Federal Reserve impact Americans?

A:        As the saying goes, money makes the world go round.  The Fed sets monetary policy that influences the supply and cost of credit.  As people go about their daily lives, from paying bills, buying goods and services, cashing or depositing checks or taking out a car or home loan, the policies set by the Federal Reserve affect these basic transactions and influence consumer behavior and decisions on whether to save, spend or invest.  The Fed provides financial services such as providing banks with currency and coin; moving money electronically between banks; and maintaining the U.S. Treasury's account, including processing electronic payments, such as Social Security checks.  In 2012 the Fed processed $4.2 trillion in payments per day.  By managing the money supply and influencing interest rates, the Fed plays a policymaking role to curb inflation, boost consumer confidence and trigger commercial activity.  Whereas the Federal Reserve manages the supply and demand of money, Congress sets the nation's fiscal policy through tax and spending policies that play a hand in consumer confidence, saving and investment up and down Main Street.  I'm committed to lowering the tax burden so the American public and job creators can keep more of their hard-earned money to save, spend, hire and invest as they see fit.

Q:        Why did you vote against Janet Yellen's nomination to chair the Federal Reserve?

A:       Under the leadership of Chairman Ben Bernanke, the Fed has flooded the economy with trillions of dollars since the economic recession hit in 2008.  Through an unconventional policy of buying mortgage-backed securities and longer-term Treasury securities, the Fed has created an addiction to easy money by Wall Street.  With significant uncertainty surrounding the Fed's ability to wind down $4 trillion of accumulated assets, it risks repeating the mistakes of the past.  The easy money policies of the late 1970s and early 1980s led to a painful recovery with interest rates reaching as high as 20 percent.  No one wants a flashback to this period of hyperinflation and high unemployment, least of all Main Street.  In fact, the Fed's so-called tool of quantitative easing hasn't buoyed Main Street's prognosis for long-term growth and stability.  Consider that unemployment remains too high, bank lending remains too tight and savers today are too often discouraged.  My concerns about the Fed's easy money policies and inflation led me to vote against Chairman Bernanke for his second term at the Fed.   Based on her statements, it seems that Janet Yellen will continue to pursue these misguided policies, and I couldn't in good conscience vote for her confirmation.  History shows the inflationary risks of easy money can do more harm than good.  This is a watershed moment for the Fed.  Continuing an open-ended monetary expansion policy may capsize the recovery by creating an economic bubble or even hyperinflation.  We need a chairman focused on a strong dollar and low inflation.

The Happy Joe's Kids Foundation, which is dedicated to improving the lives of children with special needs is delighted to announce they will be giving their first grant to the Clinton Community School District for 4 iPads to be used in the Special Education classrooms of Alison Slowey and Roxanne McElroy. The iPads will be presented to Superintendent Deborah Olson at the January 13, 2014, school board meeting at 5:30 p.m. at the Clinton Administration Center, 1401 - 12th Ave N. Clinton, IA 52732. Media is welcome.

The Happy Joe's Kids Foundation is just one year old. Kristel Whitty- Ersan, one of the owners of Happy Joe's and Happy Joe Whitty's daughter said, "We are super excited for the Clinton Community School District to be the first to receive a grant from our foundation. Clinton has always been a great supporter of Happy Joe's and our franchisee Jim McGraw has always made us proud as he is very involved the Clinton community and represents us well."

For more information about the Happy Joe's Kids Foundation you may visit www.happyjoeskids.org. If you would like to sell the Happy Joe's Kids Foundation paper hats to help raise funds for children with special needs or volunteer in any way to help our cause, please contact Nora Carr or Kristel Whitty-Ersan at the Happy Joe's Support Center at 563-332-8811.

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