Dear Abby: I'd love to plan a meal around your cookbook. How can I get a copy?

Jeanne Phillips
Jeanne Phillips
photo Author Jeanne Phillips, the daughter of the original advice columnist Dear Abby, poses for a photo in Los Angeles, Friday, Oct. 5, 2007.

DEAR ABBY: We have enjoyed an international dinner club with three other couples for many years. Besides an international theme, we occasionally have other theme dinners.

I think a "Dear Abby" dinner would be fun to host, and I'd love to plan a meal around your cookbooks. Would you please advise how this avid reader might get copies? -- CHEF MIKE IN CANADA

DEAR CHEF MIKE: I know a Dear Abby dinner party would be enjoyable, because readers have written to tell me they've hosted one, and it made for an interesting and fun evening. The recipes are traditional, easy to read, simple to prepare and delicious.

My cookbooklet set contains more than 100 tasty recipes ranging from soups to salads, appetizers, main courses and desserts. The recipes can also be used for holiday celebrations and other special occasions. To order, send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $14 (U.S. funds) to: Dear Abby -- Cookbooklet Set, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. My mother used many of these recipes for dinner parties, and so have I. I particularly recommend the Pecan Pie recipe -- which has been printed in this column before because it has taken prizes at county fairs. It was given to Mama by the chef at the now-demolished Phoenix Hotel in Lexington, Kentucky, and people rave about it.

DEAR ABBY: Folks always tell me that gals like to be wooed, but when I holler "woo" at them, they give me dirty looks. What's up with that? -- ABBY FAN FROM TWITTER

DEAR FAN: Decades ago, "gals" would have been flattered. But since the women's movement, many females would regard your attempt to be friendly as a form of sexual harassment rather than a compliment. Instead of "hollering," try saying hello and you may get better results.

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