# 337: The State of Our Newsletter
Some thoughts as we complete a fourth year on Substack, a special discount Subscription offer, photos of what I'm up to, and recipe for Chicken Tacos!
If you’re here for the recipes feel free to jump on down to today’s Chicken Tacos or click here for a full list of recipes I’ve published here over the years. Now on to what I’m thinking about today.
Why I’m Here
In 2021 I stopped writing the Art of the Pie blog I began in 2008. It’s not that I no longer wanted to write. Far from it. I stopped because I wanted to write and simply had had enough of all the backend rigmarole required to have posts place at the top of search engines. Had I written enough or too many words? Had I chosen the right keywords? Was the title too long, too short, or catchy enough? Were there enough photos or, gawd forbid, no photos? Was I using the latest and greatest recipe app to provide protein, fat, calories info and the amounts to halve, double or triple recipes. And, after the post went live, there was posting about the post on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and whatever was the “It platform” of the moment. Instead of a joyous and creative sharing with my readers, writing had become a slog of technical must dos and don’ts…a game I hated playing just to be seen. Plus, as I never monetized the Art of the Pie blog with ads, all of this was done for free.
I heard about Substack, took a look and, with the encouragement of a friend already writing here, took a flying leap and found a home here in June of 2021. Some of you who had been with me since my first Art of the Pie blogpost in 2008 came along and others over four years have found me and for that I am very grateful, too. This is more than a newsletter. We have created a small and wonderful community.
Currently we have 4662 subscribers—320 paid, 30 comp’d, 5 gifts! Would I like us to grow? Absolutely, I would! But gaining subscribers, whether free and paid, is difficult. One day I gain a paid subscriber only to lose another the very next day. Is this some kind of cosmic balance thing? I’ve thought about turning off paid subscriptions altogether and suggesting you pay what you can afford and what my work is worth to you. I even have several unsent posts in my Drafts folder about this idea but the truth is if you all dropped out I’d have to stop as I couldn’t continue to keep our newsletter going.
Now there seems to be an entire genre of writing about “How to Grow Your Substack,” all of which I find reminiscent of when I was writing for the backend of the Art of the Pie blog. Apparently some have grown their newsletters from 10 to 10,000 subscribers in a year by doing this, that or the other thing. But, honestly my dear friends, that’s probably never going to be me.
I was thrilled earlier this year when after four years I reached 5000 subscriptions (paid and free). When it crept up to over 5200 and I thought, “Wowza! I’ve figured it out!” Then in less than a month I had a big “Oh no!” moment and lost 600+ unrecoverable subscriptions when I clicked the wrong button and have been trying to rebuild ever since.
Writing a newsletter is work—work that takes time, focus, and energy. I don’t use AI. It’s just me, my pen, pencil, and fingers typing on my laptop, snapping photos, and writing up recipes I make. When one of my other-than-writing lives takes center stage and I am late for my weekly deadline, I feel I have let you down. With the vegetable garden and fruit tree orchard, learning how to use tools to build (with a lot of help) the bathroom addition (see below), and preparing for the first multi-day pie camps since 2019 I’m in one of those right now and I hope you’ll extend a bit of grace to me if I’m a little late every once in a while. Everything will get done….it always does…but sometimes it just takes a little bit longer.
So, here we are. I hope that you will stick around, share our newsletter with others who might be interested, and, if you aren’t already, consider becoming a paid subscriber or giving a gift subscription. It takes a village and every little bit helps.
Love to you all,
P.S. Until June 30th, all new annual subscriptions are 25% off FOREVER!
What I’m Learning
How to Replace a Leaky Irrigation Faucet and Pipe
How to Set a Sill-Plate and Washers
How to Make Screens for My Windows
How to Use a Drill and Install A Sliding Undersink Organizer
And here’s a photo of me after I had just installed the first piece of plywood for the bathroom addition floor with my very kind and patient friend who is teaching me how to do all this.
What I’m Cooking
I’m also cooking meals for a couple of friends who are in need of some extra care right now…it’s kinda a pay-it-forward thing. Here are two recipes I’ll be making this week.
Recipe: Chicken Tacos
What You’ll Need
Some leftover chicken meat chopped or pulled
Here’s a post from last year with a recipe for Sunday Supper Chicken.Salt & Pepper
Paprika
Any other herbs you would like to add like thyme or marjoram (optional)
1 teaspoon olive oil
Corn tortillas
Grated Monterey jack cheese
Chopped cilantro
Salsa or hot sauce of choice
Lime wedges
How to Make Them
Preheat oven to 225F/110C.
Place chicken in a bowl. Mix together 1/4 teaspoon each salt, pepper, paprika and optional herbs, sprinkle over the top and mix.
Heat olive oil in skillet. Add chicken and stir around until heated. Remove from pan, and place on platter and cover with foil and place in oven to stay warm
To soften tortillas, stack five at a time on a microwaveable plate, cover with damp paper towel, and microwave for 20-second increments until soft. Place on a plate and cover so they won’t dry out. Repeat for as many as needed.
Set tortillas, chicken grated cheese, cilantro, salsa, and lime wedges on table and invite family and friends to fill the warm tortillas. Squeeze lime juice over the top of each taco.
I’ll be serving this with Spicy Coleslaw, Spanish Rice, Seasoned Black Beans, Guacamole, and RICO Pie.
Recipe: RICO Pie
June is Busting Out All Over!
Be sure to say Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit first thing tomorrow (June 1st) before you get up for good luck all month long.
Here are the June Calendars.
What I’m Listening To
Aerial Boundaries by Michael Hedges
I’ve been listening to this piece since it was released in 1984. An amazing musician whose life was cut short when he passed away at age 43 in a car accident. We are so lucky to have his music still with us.
Nice Things To Do
If you can swing a paid subscription that would be amazing but if not please heart ❤️ and comment on this post. It not only lets me know that you were here but really helps my ratings on Substack, too. Thank you!
You are one very busy Lady. I love reading your newsletter where I always find something that sings to me. You inspire to try new things, new books and new (to me) music. You are a gift.
Your skill set just keeps growing! A word about Substack... I think Substack is growing so fast. As a reader it's hard to keep up with it. And as much as we might want to, it's not possible to support everyone. I have chosen a few that are meaningful and enjoyable to me, yours being one of them. Rest assured I'll remain a paid subscriber and #1 fan! I apologize to all whose writing I enjoy, and I feel a bit guilty that I'm an "unpaid" subscriber for those folks. I will also mention that I subscribed and paid for an account that I quickly knew was a mistake. After a month or so I appealed to Substack to cancel that account and give me a partial refund. Sorry to say, they don't do that; but they have assured me that the account will not be auto-renewed in October. So...when the email comes from said account, I delete it without reading it. Bummer!! Here's hoping you keep writing, Kate! You feed the soul! ❤️