The other day when David and I went into Ollies Bargain Basement to look for a Sandwich Maker. I knew not to be surprised because we never know exactly what were going to find when we walk into Ollie’s. Which is part of the fun.
Sometimes I go looking for something specific. Other times, I’m just wandering through the aisles, seeing what catches my eye as I try and get my steps in. And every once in a while, I find something that makes me stop and think, “Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting to see that here!”
That is exactly what happened when I spotted Willie and Annie Nelson’s Cannabis Cookbook: Mouthwatering Recipes and the High-Flying Stories Behind Them. Of all the cookbooks I expected to find at Ollie’s, a cookbook connected to Willie Nelson was definitely not at the top of my list.
And then I looked a little closer. This isn’t just a cookbook filled with ordinary recipes. Willie & Annie Nelson’s Cannabis Cookbook combines recipes and stories connected to Willie and Annie Nelson, their family, their travels, their ranch, and their lives. It is definitely a cookbook with a personality—and it is exactly the kind of unexpected book that makes an Ollie’s shopping trip memorable.
One of mine and David’s favorite things about shopping at Ollie’s is that we can walk in without knowing what were going to discover. That is especially true in the book section. You might find older favorites, specialty cookbooks, children’s books, seasonal books, coffee-table books, homeschool workbooks or something so unusual that you have to pick it up just to see what it is.
That was this cookbook for me. I wasn’t walking into Ollie’s thinking, I really hope I find a Willie Nelson cookbook today. But there it was. And naturally, I had to take a closer look. Because I’ve listened to his songs and watched his movies all my life.
Willie Nelson is one of those names that feels bigger than just music and he is a true musical icon. For generations, people have known Willie for his songs, his movies, his unmistakable voice, his guitar, his long career, and his unmistakable place in American culture.
So seeing his name on a cookbook immediately caught my attention. Then I realized this wasn’t simply a celebrity cookbook with a famous person’s name slapped on the cover. It included his wife.
The book brings together food, stories, family, travel, and the Nelsons’ experiences. That makes it much more interesting to me than a cookbook that is simply a collection of recipes.
There is a story behind the food. And anyone who knows me knows that I love a cookbook that gives me more than just a list of ingredients and instructions. As I looked through the book I knew this would be a cookbook I couldn’t wait to share with David.
There is another reason this particular cookbook stands out. It is a cannabis cookbook. That definitely made the Ollie’s discovery even more unexpected. It also made me stop and think if this was something I wanted to share on here or bring into my home and I decided I wanted to do both.
This isn’t necessarily the kind of cookbook everyone is going to pick up and use in their everyday kitchen, but I think that’s part of what makes it interesting as a find. Cookbooks don’t always have to be books we buy because we’re going to cook every recipe inside them.
Sometimes a cookbook is interesting because of the person behind it, the stories inside it, the subject matter, or simply because it is something unusual that you don’t see every day. This one checks all of those boxes.
In the cookbook one of the things that caught my attention about the book is that it isn’t just about food. The recipes are connected to stories from Willie and Annie Nelson’s lives. That gives the cookbook a completely different feel.
Food is often connected to memories. A recipe can remind us of a person, a place, a holiday, a road trip, or a particular time in our lives. That is one of the reasons I enjoy collecting cookbooks in the first place.
Even when I don’t make every recipe, I can still enjoy the stories. And a cookbook connected to someone with a life and career as interesting as Willie Nelson’s naturally has plenty of stories to tell.
I think finding this cookbook at Ollie’s made the discovery even more fun. If I had seen it sitting on a bookstore shelf, I probably would have thought, That’s an interesting cookbook. But finding it unexpectedly while bargain shopping? That’s a different experience.
Ollie’s Bargain Basement has a way of turning an ordinary shopping trip into a treasure hunt. You never really know what is going to be sitting on those shelves. Sometimes you find something you needed. Sometimes you find something you didn’t know existed.
And sometimes you find a Willie Nelson cookbook and immediately know you have to bring it home because that is just too unexpected to leave behind. My cookbook collection already has plenty of personality, and this one definitely adds something different to my collection.
It isn’t the cookbook I would reach for when I’m trying to decide what to make for dinner tonight. But it is a cookbook I want to look through. I want to read the stories. I want to see the recipes. And, most importantly, I want to remember where I found it.
Because years from now, I may not remember every cookbook I bought. But I’m probably going to remember walking through Ollie’s, spotting Willie Nelson’s name, picking up the book, and thinking:
“Well, this is definitely one of the most unexpected things I’ve ever found at Ollies’s Bargain Basement.” And that’s exactly what makes a bargain-store find worth talking about.
Willie and Annie Nelson’s Cannabis Cookbook: Mouthwatering Recipes and the High-Flying Stories Behind Them wasn’t on my Ollie’s shopping list. It wasn’t something I went searching for. It was simply one of those unexpected discoveries that makes browsing the aisles so much fun.
Whether you’re a Willie Nelson fan, a cookbook collector, someone who enjoys unusual books, or simply someone who loves finding unexpected treasures at bargain stores, this is definitely an interesting addition to the shelf.
And for me, that’s the best part of this find. I went into Ollie’s not knowing what I was going to find—and I came home with a Willie Nelson cookbook. You really never know what you’re going to discover at Ollie’s Bargain Basement.
Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates