I actually thought twice about putting this cookbook on my website. But then I remembered why I review books in the first place. Sometimes a book isn’t something I personally agree with or would use—it is something my readers deserve to know about.
I’m not recommending cannabis use. I’m telling you what I found, why I found it interesting, and why I think this particular book could make a hilarious and memorable White Elephant or Christmas gift for the right adult.
Life is funny when shopping at Ollies Bargain Basement you go in looking for one thing which you may or may not find and come out with a buggy of items you might or might not have needed.
This is what happened the other day when we walked into Ollie’s Bargain Basement looking for a Sandwich Maker. That is exactly what happened when I found Willie and Annie Nelson’s Cannabis Cookbook: Mouthwatering Recipes and the High-Flying Stories Behind Them sitting on the shelf for just $6.99.
And honestly, the first thing I thought was, Willie Nelson has a cookbook? Then I remembered my mother-in-law. Granny Sherry has been obsessed with Willie Nelson for so long that I’m pretty sure she was obsessed with him before the dinosaurs roamed the earth is what Charlie has said.
. She has always said that if she ever married anyone else, it would be Willie Nelson. Now that Pa is gone, I suppose technically she could finally get her chance. So when I saw this cookbook, I immediately thought about her.
And that is one of the things I love about wandering through Ollie’s Bargain Basement. You never quite know what you are going to find. Sometimes you find something you need. Sometimes you find something you didn’t know existed. And every once in a while, you find something that practically begs to become a Christmas present.
A cookbook by Willie Nelson, and Annie Nelson, was a Cookbook I didn’t expect to find and didn’t need is written by Willie Nelson, Annie Nelson, David Ritz, Mia Tangredi, and Andrea Drummer, and it contains more than 80 cannabis-infused recipes along with stories connected to Willie and Annie’s lives, travels, family, food, and music.
Willie brings his storytelling and his love of simple country cooking, while Annie brings her passion for home-cooked meals. Andrea Drummer contributes recipes as a cannabis chef. The book is definitely not pretending to be an ordinary cookbook.
There are cannabis butters and oils, vegan cannabis butter, cannabis cheese, tinctures, sugars, salts, syrups, finishing oils, and other cannabis-infused ingredients. There is even a section about calculating dosage and the idea of starting low and going slow. And that is where I have to be honest.
Is This a Cookbook I Would Actually Cook From? Probably not the cannabis-infused recipes. I don’t personally condone cannabis use, and I don’t think I would want to cook cannabis into my family’s food.
I have used CBD a couple of times for my knees and other things, and I do know that it has helped me, but that’s different from saying I want cannabis in my dinner. Everybody has to make their own choices, and I am not here to tell someone else what they should or shouldn’t do.
For me, though, I would have questions. How much cannabis is actually in the recipe? How would it affect someone? How would you know how much you were consuming? Those are the things that would make me hesitate.
But here is the interesting part of this cookbook: not every recipe is what made me say no. There are quite a few recipes that actually made me curious. One of my favorite parts of the book is Willie talking about his simple country-boy palate.
He describes liking basics like steak and pork chops, tacos, bacon and eggs, bacon and waffles, and sausage and eggs. Now that I understand. The simple things are often the things that make me happiest too.
And Willie says that while he enjoys those simple foods, he also steps outside the box sometimes and enjoys new and different meals. The cookbook contains both—the straightforward foods he enjoys at home and more elaborate recipes created by Andrea Drummer.
That made the cookbook feel a little more relatable to me. For example, Willie’s Favorite Sweet Potato Hash with Farm-Fresh Eggs and Applewood-Smoked Bacon immediately caught my attention. I could see David enjoying that one.
There are also recipes like three-layer skillet brownies, and there are vegan recipes and things such as Orange Maple Pistachio Sticky Buns. So while I might not be making the cannabis-infused version of everything in this book, I found myself thinking, Wait a minute. There are actually some recipes in here I wouldn’t mind trying.
If you can make a recipe without the cannabis component—or if you are simply interested in the food and stories—there is plenty here to explore. And Then There Are the Stories
This isn’t just a collection of recipes. That may actually be what makes it such a fun Willie Nelson book. There are stories about food, travel, family, music, bars, honky-tonks, holidays, and life on the road.
There is a section called “Bar Crawls and Honky-Tonks,” and another part called “Home for the Holidays.” And, of course, it wouldn’t be a Willie Nelson cookbook if they didn’t include a section called “On the Road Again.”
That one made me smile because “On the Road Again” is one of our favorite songs—and it is also the song ChatGPT picked for Charlie. When I asked it what Classic Country song would describe our family series.
So even though I picked up this cookbook because of Willie Nelson, it ended up connecting back to my own family in a completely different way. That’s one of the reasons I enjoy books like this. Sometimes you don’t just find a cookbook. You find a story and I defiently did that this time.
Another little detail that stood out to me was the dedication. The book is dedicated to the family farmers who cultivate the food, fiber, and fuel necessary to keep the world fed, clothed, and moving forward, as well as those who help make sure hungry people have access to the food they need. That is something myy family loved.
Whatever someone thinks about cannabis, food, or this particular cookbook, I can appreciate recognizing the farmers and the people working to make sure others have something to eat. That felt very fitting for a cookbook connected to Willie Nelson.
But let’s be honest about why this cookbook came home with me. My mother-in-law is going to get a huge kick out of it. This is exactly the kind of unexpected gift that makes Christmas shopping fun.
She loves Willie Nelson. She has talked about Willie Nelson for as long as I can remember. And now I have a cookbook written by Willie and Annie Nelson that I found completely unexpectedly at Ollie’s Bargain Basement.
That is much more interesting than simply ordering a cookbook online. And because I paid only $6.99, it was an easy purchase. Would I have bought it if it had been considerably more expensive? I’m honestly not sure.
But if I were specifically shopping for something for my mother-in-law, I probably would have considered it anyway because of her Willie Nelson obsession. That is the difference between buying something for yourself and finding something that makes you immediately think of someone you love.
The $6.99 Ollie’s price was what really made this an easy find for me. Prices can vary by store and can change over time, so if you find it at Ollie’s, check the price on the copy you are holding.
If you want to look at the cookbook online, I also have my Amazon affiliate link. I purchased my own copy at Ollie’s. I am sharing the Amazon link because if you decide to purchase the book through it, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
Here is a question I’ve been asking myself would I put this in a Gift Guide? Now that’s an interesting question. Would I put it in our Christmas Gift Guide? Maybe. Because the world is made up of different people and I believe books are made to be shared.
Especially for a Willie Nelson fan, a country-music lover, or someone who enjoys unusual cookbooks. And in my case, I can absolutely see this becoming a Christmas present for my mother-in-law.
Would I put it in our Back-to-School Gift Guide? Probably not. Although there might be some teachers or staff who would enjoy this Cookbook so I might rethink this answer as well.
Would I put it in our Halloween Gift Guide? Maybe. Maybe not. But an end-of-summer party or entertaining theme? Why not? This is definitely the kind of cookbook that could lead to some interesting conversations and, for the right adult audience, some fun gatherings.
Just remember that this is a mature-audience cookbook because of its cannabis content.
I went into Ollie’s Bargain Basement and found a cookbook I didn’t even know existed. I paid $6.99 for it. I opened it expecting Willie Nelson stories and recipes, and instead discovered a cookbook built around cannabis-infused cooking, complete with stories about Willie and Annie, country food, family, travel, music, honky-tonks, holidays, and life on the road.
Would I cook the cannabis recipes? Probably not. Would I make some of the other recipes if they can be prepared without cannabis? I might because there are definitely a few that have my attention.
Would my mother-in-law get a kick out of receiving this for Christmas? Absolutely. And sometimes that is all it takes to turn an unexpected Ollie’s find into a great gift idea. So, Willie and Annie, you got me.
I may not be ready to put cannabis in my brownies, but you certainly gave me a cookbook I wasn’t expecting to find—and one that made me think about family, music, Christmas, and my mother-in-law all at the same time.
And for $6.99? I’d call that an unexpected find. Happy Trails to you and your family just like the end of the book says.
About the book:
Country icon, bestselling author, and living legend Willie Nelson pairs his gift for storytelling and herbal remedies with his wife Annie’s passion for home cooked meals in this cookbook of cannabis-infused delicacies.
In the Nelson family’s first ever cookbook, we’re cooking with good vibes only. Drawn from their favorite meals on nationwide tours, at the ranch, at home, and in their favorite cities along the way, these recipes have stories to tell—and what better way to enjoy a good meal than with a high-flying tale and a relaxing buzz?
Each recipe provides a cannabis kick to ease the mind as much as the body, making their cookbook an exciting, comforting, and lively way to dive into their story, as they draw from meals shared with family, friends, and fans alike.
The recipes themselves are delicious and easy to make at home. Buffalo wings, chocolate cake, fried chicken. Only the good stuff. And it includes an additional chapter providing a full suite of cannabis-infused base ingredients—cannabutter, finishing oil, simply syrups, sugars, salts, and tinctures.
Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates