"It all started at Willie's Wee Nee Wagon in Markham, Illinois, a Chicago suburb," says author and Chicago-area native Tim Murphy. "To this day the best hot dog I've ever eaten."
Murphy wanted to pay tribute to the hot dog stand of his youth, and adulthood, that he frequented for over 30 years. So he wrote this book featuring 50 recipes.
"It was my first stop when I came home from college or returned for the holidays to see family. In 2009, Willie's acquired a new owner, a new name and a different brand of hot dogs. I went there once and it just wasn't the same. But I have some great memories. Willie's had been around since 1955, first a metal food trailer, then they constructed a building in the late 1970's.
I am a bit of a fanatic about the place. I still have two of the paper bags from old orders. They must be ten to fifteen years old. One is framed and hangs in my kitchen, proudly emblazoned with Willie's motto 'We Relish Your Bun'. The other travels with me everywhere and hangs on my office bulletin board. A great souvenir of home."
"When you grow up in the Midwest, it's a given you'll be eating hot dogs and brats, but here is so much more to that meal than just meat in a bun. I wanted to gather some of those great recipes and share them with other tube steak aficionados."
THE TUBE STEAK BOOGIE COOKBOOK features about 50 recipes, including The Diablo Dog, The Elvis Dog, Kielbasa Lasagna Wraps, Smokin' Sausage Soup and for the holidays, Sloppy John's Thanksgiving Hot Dogs. There is also a lengthy dedication to Willie's Wee Nee Wagon and a huge list of traditional and unusual condiments to build your own gastronomic creation.
This is Tim Murphy's Fifth "Cookbook for Guys." The first four were under the "Flannel John" banner.
"Flannel John is a character based on a few old hunters I knew. I wanted to honor their spirit and what they taught me. He is also part Babe Winkelman, Ted Nugent, Red Green. Grizzly Adams and crusty mountain man. I have written four Flannel John books with another six planned. The next one, "Flannel John's Tailgating & Couch Potato Cookbook" will be out the first week in August. This latest book was much more personal so I wanted to keep it strictly under my name."
The first book, Flannel John's Hunting & Fishing Camp Cookbook, grew out of friends complaining about the food at fishing and deer camps. Their buddies would show up with cheese, bologna, beef jerky and beer. If the fishing wasn't good or the deer tag wasn't filled, meals were slim pickings. Murphy wanted to collect simple, good-tasting recipes that weren't too complicated, that could be knocked out fairly fast. That idea launched the first book in October 2013 and cracked Amazon.com's "Top 1%" Sales category.
Three more Flannel John titles have followed including Flannel John's Woods and Water Cookbook - Critters, Fritters, Chili and Beer in February 2013, Flannel John's Pirate Galley Cookbook - Coastal Cuisine and Maritime Meals from Oceans, Lakes and Rivers in April 2013 and for the backwoods, rustic soul there was Flannel John's Mountain Man Cookbook - Frontier Food from the Hills, Country and Backwoods in May 2013.
Why cookbooks for guys? "I didn't see anything written for men, especially beginner and novice cooks," said Murphy. "The first book covered comfort food for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, deserts and drinks. It was aimed at hunters and anglers but it's great for campers and RVers."
Future releases include "Flannel John's Tailgating Grub & Couch Potato Cookbook" in August "Flannel John's Cabin Christmas Cookbook" in September plus cookbooks for single guys, truckers and wild game lovers in 2014.
"If this book is successful, I plan to open my own hot dog stand here on the Oregon coast. Maybe a Willie's Wee Nee Wagon West," said Murphy.
Tim Murphy is a graduate of Western Michigan University. This 23-year radio veteran spent 17-years hosting morning radio shows in several Michigan cities including Holland, Muskegon, Traverse City, Saginaw and Houghton plus Fargo, North Dakota, Stevens Point, Wisconsin and Ketchikan, Alaska. 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 five of his books are $7.95 and can be found at Amazon.com and at www.flanneljohn.com.
For additional information on the books, to interview the author or to inquire about wholesale book pricing, contact Tim Murphy at (701) 238-1775 or at shamrockarrow@gmail.com.
# # #
Murphy wanted to pay tribute to the hot dog stand of his youth, and adulthood, that he frequented for over 30 years. So he wrote this book featuring 50 recipes.
"It was my first stop when I came home from college or returned for the holidays to see family. In 2009, Willie's acquired a new owner, a new name and a different brand of hot dogs. I went there once and it just wasn't the same. But I have some great memories. Willie's had been around since 1955, first a metal food trailer, then they constructed a building in the late 1970's.
I am a bit of a fanatic about the place. I still have two of the paper bags from old orders. They must be ten to fifteen years old. One is framed and hangs in my kitchen, proudly emblazoned with Willie's motto 'We Relish Your Bun'. The other travels with me everywhere and hangs on my office bulletin board. A great souvenir of home."
"When you grow up in the Midwest, it's a given you'll be eating hot dogs and brats, but here is so much more to that meal than just meat in a bun. I wanted to gather some of those great recipes and share them with other tube steak aficionados."
THE TUBE STEAK BOOGIE COOKBOOK features about 50 recipes, including The Diablo Dog, The Elvis Dog, Kielbasa Lasagna Wraps, Smokin' Sausage Soup and for the holidays, Sloppy John's Thanksgiving Hot Dogs. There is also a lengthy dedication to Willie's Wee Nee Wagon and a huge list of traditional and unusual condiments to build your own gastronomic creation.
This is Tim Murphy's Fifth "Cookbook for Guys." The first four were under the "Flannel John" banner.
"Flannel John is a character based on a few old hunters I knew. I wanted to honor their spirit and what they taught me. He is also part Babe Winkelman, Ted Nugent, Red Green. Grizzly Adams and crusty mountain man. I have written four Flannel John books with another six planned. The next one, "Flannel John's Tailgating & Couch Potato Cookbook" will be out the first week in August. This latest book was much more personal so I wanted to keep it strictly under my name."
The first book, Flannel John's Hunting & Fishing Camp Cookbook, grew out of friends complaining about the food at fishing and deer camps. Their buddies would show up with cheese, bologna, beef jerky and beer. If the fishing wasn't good or the deer tag wasn't filled, meals were slim pickings. Murphy wanted to collect simple, good-tasting recipes that weren't too complicated, that could be knocked out fairly fast. That idea launched the first book in October 2013 and cracked Amazon.com's "Top 1%" Sales category.
Three more Flannel John titles have followed including Flannel John's Woods and Water Cookbook - Critters, Fritters, Chili and Beer in February 2013, Flannel John's Pirate Galley Cookbook - Coastal Cuisine and Maritime Meals from Oceans, Lakes and Rivers in April 2013 and for the backwoods, rustic soul there was Flannel John's Mountain Man Cookbook - Frontier Food from the Hills, Country and Backwoods in May 2013.
Why cookbooks for guys? "I didn't see anything written for men, especially beginner and novice cooks," said Murphy. "The first book covered comfort food for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, deserts and drinks. It was aimed at hunters and anglers but it's great for campers and RVers."
Future releases include "Flannel John's Tailgating Grub & Couch Potato Cookbook" in August "Flannel John's Cabin Christmas Cookbook" in September plus cookbooks for single guys, truckers and wild game lovers in 2014.
"If this book is successful, I plan to open my own hot dog stand here on the Oregon coast. Maybe a Willie's Wee Nee Wagon West," said Murphy.
Tim Murphy is a graduate of Western Michigan University. This 23-year radio veteran spent 17-years hosting morning radio shows in several Michigan cities including Holland, Muskegon, Traverse City, Saginaw and Houghton plus Fargo, North Dakota, Stevens Point, Wisconsin and Ketchikan, Alaska. 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 five of his books are $7.95 and can be found at Amazon.com and at www.flanneljohn.com.
For additional information on the books, to interview the author or to inquire about wholesale book pricing, contact Tim Murphy at (701) 238-1775 or at shamrockarrow@gmail.com.
# # #
