I’m Erinn Pascal, co-author and editor of Neopets: The Official Cookbook! Have you visited The Giant Omelette yet today?

Who came up with the idea for an official Neopets cookbook and how did you get involved?

This is a good story! I did. I've been an active player since 2001 and whenever people would ask me what I wanted to be when I was older, I'd say a writer or a member of TNT.

I stared working full-time in publishing in 2014. I've always worked in licensing, meaning I've edited and written books like the Kung Fu Panda 3 movie, Voltron: Legendary Defender, LEGO, Harry Potter, Peppa Pig, Peanuts, etc.

In about 2017-2018, I was working at a different publisher and a different cookbook entirely. The idea of an official Neopets cookbook came about. My coworkers and I contacted the agent who we'd worked with on other properties. It didn't go through (that publisher was a very specific kids' publisher and thought Neopets has too much of an adult fanbase, which, fair). But I held onto hopeeeee....

In 2021, I joined Andrews McMeel. Actually, I talked about wanting to publish a Neopets cookbook in my interview. My Publisher was really excited about the idea, so we resumed conversations with the agent. Then I put together a proposal, compiled an offer, and we got a licensing deal with Neopets for the cookbook that they approved :D

TNT has been incredibly supportive throughout the entire process. They'd also wanted a cookbook, so it was a match made in Faerieland.

~Erinn

I just wanted to say I didn't realize the author would be a longtime player, I assume they contract this sort of work out and there wouldn't necessarily be an involved connection, so this makes me very happy! :)

Yeah I explained a bit ago how the deal came to be. Basically, I'm a Neopets player. And a licensing book editor. And this is dreams. ~ Erinn

Edited to add: Oops didn't realize this was a reply to that comment! Glad it's there :-)

Hello :) As a vivid avatar collector, I'm curious about the avatar that will be released with the cookbook. Did you design the avatar? Can you give us a sneak peak of the avatar?

Will the code be unique to each cookbook and only redeemable once? If yes, does it count towards your avatar score?

Howdy! I did not design the avatar. Woooof, it would be terrible if I did haha, I'm not a designer. TNT did amazing work on it.

It will count towards avatar score.

I'm not the biggest fan of paywalling an avatar, and I also want to make sure the avatar feels unique and special. I think people will be pleasantly surprised by what we've managed to do. ~ Erinn

Just to clarify, it WILL or it WON'T count towards avatar score?

It will count towards avatar score. ~ Erinn

Sorry, I'm abit confused here. The exact outcome of making it count towards the avatar score is the avatar being paywalled. Why would this avatar which costs money count towards avatar score if you're not the biggest fan of paywalling an avatar?

It's a good question and I appreciate you asking it for clarity! Correct, not a fan of it being paywalled. I'm being vague here, of course, because the cookbook does come out next month so I'm not trying to give everything away :) I did spend a lot of time looking at what previous books did for codes (the ones in 2007/2008) and while the cookbook doesn't follow the same model, it is similar.

If you are buying the cookbook for the avatar only and will never use it aside from that, I would not recommend you buy it. Does that help? ~ Erinn

so, you say it WILL count, which means it will add a +1 to our avatar counts on our profile. Just clarifying, because we do have avatars that we can use on the neoboards that dont count to our avatar score meaning they dont add a +1 to our scores despite having them available to use.

Yes, the avatar is a +1 to your profile! ~ Erinn

I was wondering the same thing! Not to hijack your question, but also wondering if the kindle version will come with the code.

The eBook will have the code. ~ Erinn

I am a bit scared to ask this but will there be any "Gross Food" recipies included? if so any sugestions lol

Yep! The Iced Fish Cake is actually one of my favorites visually. I squealed when we got photos from the photographer. It's fondant, but I guess it doesn't have to be. ~ Erinn

Favorite recipe from the book?

Wocky Tacos for sure. The original recipe has halloumi but I'm vegan so I substitute with Violife's Mediterranean Style Grill Me cheese. ~ Erinn

Really appreciate that you're vegan too! I actually completely wrote off the cookbook until this point because I assumed—since Neopia is full of really awful neopets-based "cuisine"—the cookbook wouldn't be remotely vegan-friendly. I'm coming up on 10 years vegan and (intermittently) over 20 as a neopets player, so this is great to see :)

Oh wow, 10 years! Congratulations! I've been vegan since 2019, vegetarian since 2016.

Yeah, making sure recipes are inclusive is paramount. There's also gluten-free and nut-free options. Some recipes work better vegan and some don't. The Ghostmallow Smore I had a lot of trouble with because it's gelatin based, but agar agar is a decent substitute. If you have specific questions, feel free to DM. ~ Erinn

I am a fan of weird flavor combos (flavor babies, if you will). flank steak and fudge. Pb&J and green onions. sugar cookies with lime pepper asparagus.... are there any "gross foods" or strange neopets creations that you think would legitimately taste good, even if they were a joke?

Hi, Jeran! First of all, is that your podcast, because if so, Strawberries and Ranch sounds ... terrifying and intriguing and now I might have to listen to all of this?

Most of the recipes in the cookbook taste good. THAT BEING SAID, there's definitely Gross Food from Neopia. It wouldn't be Neopian otherwise. There's Iced Fish Cake, which you could theoretically put two big fish heads on . . . ORRRRR you could use fondant. I will let you decide there :D

There's also jokes throughout, like washing your ingredients before cooking. You don't want a Rotten Negg and Onion Quesadilla on your hands!

~Erinn

Hi Erinn! Excited for the book.

I am wondering if you are working on anything else for Neopets right now? Considering the cookbook is almost at the finish line, what's next??

There is more ... hmmmm ~ Erinn

If Neopets existed for real, which species do you think would taste the best?

Sooooo I am vegan but that Avocado Chia does look a little delicious.... ~ Erinn

A faerie foods themed cookbook would be amazing. I plan to recreate some of my favorite faerie foods (kitchen renovations now, blerg). Do you have many faerie foods in the cookbook or do you maybe plan on creating a cookbook specifically to showcase raspberry faerie bubbles and chocolate cloud cookies?

Good luck in the kitchen renovations! Yep, there’s tons of Faerie food. I’d be so interested in a Faerie-food only book. Let’s see how book 1 does, but I am SO game for more! And Orange Cloud Cookies are in this book :) ~ Erinn

Hey Erinn, did you ever play the "Neopets the Darkest Faerie" game on the PS2? Related question: Were any recipes inspired by it? (Juppies for dinner!)

THE BEST GAME EVER. But actually. Well, aside from Pokemon Crystal :D

No specific recipes inspired by the PS2 game, but there are lots of faerie-inspired ones. ~Erinn

Darkest Faerie is probably my most wanted game to be ported/remade for modern systems.

100% agree. Not even sure I want it remade, just available for current systems. ~ Erinn

Hello Erinn! Congratulations! I’m so excited for your book and I already have mine preordered since the day it was announced! My question is, if this book is successful, will you make Volume 2 and maybe even 3? There are just SO many foods in this series and I have so many I want to cook in my kitchen. Thank you! 🙏❤️

Thank you so much! Yes, I am not being subtle haha I'd LOVE a second book. I think a Holiday one would be awesome. ~ Erinn

Really excited to see from one of your answers that more stuff is being worked on. Obviously I doubt you can tell us anything specific but is it leaning in the same direction as this, being informational, or more narrative driven?

I'm not being subtle about this haha I want a second cookbook.

But of stuff that's in the works? Narrative could be interesting.

I do edit a lot of graphic novels. Hmm.

~Erinn

Hi Erinn! Who is your team for the Altador Cup? (I've been Haunted Woods since the 1st AC)

Haha, so I picked Kiko Lake last year because I like a good underdog. Don't hate me. :P ~ Erinn

Whenever I get the RE with Kiko Lake stealing my items, I'll think of you.

Honored. ~ Erinn

Hey Erinn. I’m excited to read through this project—it’s going to be so nostalgic. So Neopets has some pretty iconic gross food. Is there any recipe you were experimenting with that just wasn’t turning out and didn’t make the final cut?

Neostalgic, you say?

Chia Pops was the biggest bummer. I would've loved it, and they got cut at the end in the experimenting stage. There's recipes for Chia Pops that we could've done, sure, but nothing that worked visually. Bye, Chia Pops :-(

Bagel with Scream Cheese also got cut. It would've been cool but not very edible. ~ Erinn

Hi Erinn! As a self described terrible cook, are the recipes included doable for Neopians of all culinary skills? Cheers!

Yes! They vary in difficulty. I'd say the hardest ones are for a medium cook. The easiest ones, well . . . how good are you at making Slushies? ~ Erinn

What is your honest opinion of borovan the drink? LOL

It's like an earthy hot chocolate. ~ Erinn

Thanks so much for doing this! Sorry if this one has been asked, but what's your favorite thing to do on the site? Are you a restocker, avatar collector, big on pet customization?

Thank you for being here!

I love pet customization and trading. I also really like Food Club (shoutout to u/nsheng) and have a goal of 100 mil np. I'm at 79 now, and it feels like getting to 80 is taking foreverrrr, but that's because I keep buying Valentine PBs. The Toy Kougra announced last week is also so, so tempting.

~Erinn

Thank you for the AMA! Looking forward to the cookbook 🙂

Well now I feel famous. Thank you! ~ Erinn

Did you ever create a Gallery on Neopets? If so, what was it themed after? Mine was themed after Dung food... is it fair to guess the Cookbook will be dung-free? :P

I'm not a gallery person, but my best friend Dani was! She had a plushie gallery. I used to send her all of my plushies.

As a kid, I was an avid Pound Surfer. And I was on the Roleplaying board a lot too haha. For a few years I primarily frequented the PC (Pet Trading now). I really enjoy NC trading now. My wallet does not. ~ Erinn

Erinn!!! Already have the book preordered and I'm excited for it. My question: Can you give more insight on how recipes were picked? As we both know, Neopets has a TON of food so I imagine the process was lengthy in that regard.

ps: hope you get a nerk or two from the BD :)

SO MUCH FOOD. It was really hard! We originally said 40 recipes, but somewhere down the line it teetered just over (obviously, the joke recipes and 2/3 Omelette vs. 1/3 Omelette don't count). We knew we had to have a section on Omelettes, Cup of Borovan, and some Jellies. We also tried to pick dishes that varied in complexity (Meaty Asparagus, for example, isn't that difficult, whereas the Ghostmallow Smore is a little more involved).

The Neopets Team and I met before production began, and we just went over some recipes we think would be fun. Then I met with the recipe writer, the fantastic Rebecca Woods, who weighed in on what she thought would make most sense.

I also kept a spreadsheet of all the Neopets featured, to make sure every species was prominently displayed at least once (Poogles, for example, are the star of Poogle Sushi, but Kaus, which do not have their own food in the cookbook, are on the Checkerboard Pizza page. It's a Checkered Kau and it's their favourite food - d'oh!).

But honestly, there's a lot more I would've loved to do too. If we get greenlit for a sequel, I'd like to lean more into the Gross Foods. ~ Erinn

How canonically large is the Giant Omelette on the Tyrannian Plateau? Big fan of the behemoth omelette for years now.

Well, a dinosaur of GIGANTIC proportions laid it ... so GIGANTIC proportions sounds about right. ~ Erinn

Which recipe did you have the hardest time getting correct?

What was the easiest one to make? (that’ll be the one I make first! LOL).

Chocolate Doughnutfruit took the most time! It's probably my favorite of the sweet recipes, though, so quite rewarding.

Easiest? Skeith Burger! ~Erinn

If you had a shop within Neopia, who would you collab with first and why?

"If you had a shop" I meannnnnnn okay, my main account's Spotted Kougra shopkeeper might have something to say about this.

But if it could be ANYONE, the Pizzaroo Shopkeeper! Uniquely flavoured pizzas straight from the oven! ~Erinn

Was there a recipe you were unsure of that ended up being amazing?

Chocolate Omelette, full stop. Genuinely DELIGHTFUL. ~ Erinn

What are your favorite foods/cuisines IRL?

I really love all kinds of food haha I'm a big foodie. Tacos, baked goods, sushi. Right now I'm craving mac and cheese. How about you? ~ Erinn

Hooray, I have been hoping for an official Neopian Cookbook for forever now and definitely gonna be grabbing this one! Do you remember any of the promotional tie-in material, such as the Jamba Juice Tigerberry Slushie, or the cereal? I can't remember if there were any other neo food stuff that got released. I'm from the UK so sadly never got to try the Tigerberry slush but desperately wanted to! How do you think it would be best recreated if you ever got to try it? Thanks for reading and your hard work for the book! :D

YES. So fun fact, did you know the Jamba Juice page is still up?? https://www.neopets.com/jambajuice/

~Erinn

did you ever think "what if i just made Spiced Apple Pie?" i am a big fan of the Spiced Apple Pie and other Grundo's Cafe treats, like cheese manicotti. my full question is, is there an impossible neopets food you wanted to try but couldn't?

Like . . . normal recipes? Sure, we can make normal recipes, but it's just kind of cheating haha. Like that's not the point of why you'd want a Neopets cookbook, right?!? There are little asides here and there, like pairing the Illusen Biscotti with Illusen Tea. Jhudora thinks that's kinda weird though.

Impossible food? Dare I say it? Blumaroo Steak :D ~ Erinn

heres what Neopets Spiced Apple Pie looks like! it's one of my faves because it's a ball of light in a pink vortex with lightning crackling out.

Oh!! I gotchu now, thank you for the visual. Hmm you know what, let me play around and I might make a virtual one (with way worse photography) for ya ~ Erinn

Best way to cook jubjubs?

Broiled, preferably ~ Erinn

Hey there! Super excited for the Book! Curious are there any Bori Recipes?

I'm excited for you to have it! There isn't a Bori recipe specifically. There is a Purple Bori on the templates page though. I have a Robot Bori myself! ~Erinn

Hi Erinn! Your cookbook sounds like a treat!

I've always wondered if cookbook authors ever concoct recipes that include ingredients that they themselves don't like, and, if so, if they have to rely on the opinion of their taste testers more for those dishes. Is that something you and/or Rebecca had to deal with while you were designing the cookbook?

Also, if I may make a suggestion, if you get to do a second Neopets cookbook would you consider having a few recipes for our real life pets? I can think of quite a few Neopian dishes dogs and cats would like, and even some for cybunnies and other popular pets. Just a thought!

Oh, and because I don't see this elsewhere (although I may have missed it), could we pretty please with Nerkmids on top see a photo from the book? (A photo of Peophin-sized Pteri would also satisfy.)

Looking forward to trying out the cookbook!

Hi u/Digresser!

Oh, definitely. I think Becci tried some new ingredients she wouldn’t have normally done. The Chocolate Omelette comes to mind. You don’t think chocolate and eggs works until it does. And it REALLY does! Like a chocolatey soufflè. For me, I’m actually a picky eater! I’m also vegan so I veganized everything to varying degrees of success haha.

Also a very cool suggestion of a Neopet-pet cookbook. Honestly I think I would want to loop in a pet nutritionist there, since pets are SO specific.

And since you asked so nicely … sweet or savory? :D ~ Erinn

Not to hijack this question, but I'm curious as to which recipes that you veganized were the best and the worst in terms of flavor and/or texture?

Ghostmallow Smore was my least successful. I’m confident I’ll get it eventually though!

Haunted Hummus is naturally vegan, so that’s an easy one! Pteri Kabob is also really good too ~ Erinn

Thank you for your thoughtful response!

Savory, please. I'll let someone else ask sweetly for a sweet and nifty sweet recipe.

Thanks again!

Here you go!

https://i.imgur.com/Vu05hlX.png

https://i.imgur.com/yux6j6N.png

Also paging u/smooth_baby ~ Erinn

What were your favorite site events or plots that you participated in?

Most of them, honestly. Purge 2012 might be my favorite though. My best friend growing up, Dani, and I were constantly texting each other during it. I was in college and missed a Shakespeare class for it. Sorry, Professor Henry. ~ Erinn

have any of the recipes in the book become something you regularly make? what's the luckiest random event that you've gotten in neopets??

Yep! Meaty Asparagus Dish (I make it with the Trader Joe's beefless bulgogi) has become such a staple. Well, technically, Unmeaty Asparagus Dish, 'cuz, you know...

Luckiest random event? I once won a Split Paint Brush at the Fruit Machine. I was eight. It was exciting. I have yet to win anything as cool. ~ Erinn

What was/is your favourite Neopets flash game? :))

Destruct-O-Match for SURE. And I was playing it yesterday! ~Erinn

Hi, Erinn!

My good and close personal friend is a vegan. Will there be any recipes in the book that she can enjoy? Thanks again and good luck with Jetsam!

I read your username and thought "oh that sounds like my friend Terrance." Curious!

Yes, your friend Erinn is a vegan and she made sure there are vegan options in this. ~ Erinn

This is wonderful news, now I can traumatize my vegan friends with wacky recipes :)

Traumatize, or delight? :D Or a mix of both? ~ Erinn

Would love to see your Kougras! I'm a huge Acara fan myself. I'm glad to see that the wider Neopets community seems to be expanding, I'm excited for the future of the site! Curious what quality of life changes you'd like to see?

Thank you! Acaras are good too :)

I really like how TNT has a road map up; if you haven't seen it, check it out here!

I'd also like to see more games back up and running. ~ Erinn

What recipe was the most challenging to perfect? As we all know, Neopets has no shortage of creative and colorful dishes! I imagine that it could be difficult to balance making something that tastes good vs. staying true to the unique spirit of the pixelated foods.

The Chocolate Doughnutfruit was the hardest for the recipe writer and myself! But it might be one of my favorite sweet recipes. We did stay pretty true to the site, I think. Obviously I am biased haha but I hope people see that. ~ Erinn

Would you eat food chia? Are any recipe's based on them?

Would I eat them? I am vegan, so alas, the Chias are marked safe from Erinn. I'll keep them away from my Spotted Lupe, though.

There's no Chia food recipe, but they do have funny appearances in the book! ~ Erinn

Creates the larger question of if a plant chia is more plant than animal, thank you!

Cha-cha-cha-chia... oops wrong commercial! ~Erinn

If they would make a neopian NPC of you what species/color would it be and what would be their role? I feel like food vendor would be the most obvious but who knows!

Oh food vendor is so fun! So I do have a Neopet with my name :D I dressed her up kind of as my NPC. She's really easy to find if you look for her haha. ~ Erinn

Okay here she is!

Are there any candy recipes in the cookbook?

White Chocolate Grarrl Teeth and jellies (if they count!). ~ Erinn

As the author of the Official Cookbook, what's your favorite recipe? Are neopets better braised, broiled, roasted, or grilled?

So here's a fun fact. When I initially pitched this cookbook to my sales team, it was The Official Neopets Cookbook. And then our sales director asked if you eat the Neopets. So we changed it to Neopets: The Official Cookbook. These are the very important and high level conversations at my job. This is why I have a degree in things.

I'm a big fan of the Wocky Tacos. Best omelette is Chocolate Omelette, but I've got a sweet tooth. One I haven't mentioned yet is the Banana Faellie Cake, which tastes as good as it is cute. ~ Erinn

I've seen a lot of cool art on the prerelease pages, Is it custom art or preexisting artwork? What is your favorite art in the cookbook?
Also, are there any photogenic foods? They're all beautiful and delicious, but what would be your most "instagram food photo" dish?

I'm glad you like it! :D So most of the art was pre-existing; however, in order to be print quality, it has to be a certain DPI (dots per inch). A lot of the foods used for the recipes are from the 90s/early 00s and were not the resolution we needed. Major shoutout to TNT for resizing some images. And of course, the photography is all new.

I think the omelettes are most photogenic because you see a rectangle omelette and immediately think Neopets. But honestly, most if not all of the recipes are really "instagrammable." The Mutant Pancakes are cool 'cuz they've got green syrup. ~ Erinn

hey, Erinn! what was the first neopian dish you made and why? was it before thinking of the cookbook? i’m super stoked about the book, it’s a dream come true to me ahaha thank you for making it happen!

I’m so glad you’re excited!! :D I am too! First Neopian dish everrrrr? Meaty Asparagus Dish. It’s a good trial one! ~ Erinn

Do you think you’d make a Negg-themed book next?

I mean, I’d love that! We have a Negg recipe in this cookbook and were like, but wait. What are Neggs in this world?!? ~ Erinn

Hi Erinn, I just wanted to say I'm so excited for your cookbook! I love cooking and have loved neopets for forever. Do you have any of the old magazines or any plushies IRL?

Also, what was the most recent awesome experience you had on neopets? Mine was getting a petpetpet from the coincidence (literally told myself after buying the 3rd brown sauce this is NOT WORTH IT) and got an Aboogala! It's things like that that happen and keeps me into it with doing my dailies and Restocking daily!

Again I'm so excited and thank you for this! 🥰

Hi there! I’m glad you’re excited, I am too! I had all the magazines and tons and tonnnnnns of Limited Too plush. I remember lining up for the Disco Aisha plush. Sadly I gave most of it away, aside from my Faerie Poogle and Plushie Cybunny plush. I also have the new Faerie Draik and a lot of the pins from What’s Your Passion? (Hugeeeee shoutout to WYP?, I wear the star crawlers almost daily). I also have Geekify’s Tarot deck and Cakeworthy’s Faerie pets backpack. The Neopets agent asked if I wanted any merch as a partner and I was like, oh, I bought or preordered that already haha.

Also CONGRATS on the P3!!! I honestly gave up with The Coincidence. I can’t in good consciousness pay so much for like … a Toy sailboat 😢 But clearly I am wrong because that’s an amazing haul!

I did get a Chia Transmogrification Potion once! And a Split PB from Fruit Machine when I was eight so that one was extra special. ~ Erinn

Limited tooooo lol the best! I still have my magazines not my plushies tho I def also had the plushie Cybunny!! Side note I did not know there was a tarot deck I own the skyrim tarot deck tho not sure if you're a fellow skyrin fan 😆

Awh thank you so much I was so completely mind blown! But I totes get it cause I felt the same way the prices on stuff like fricken salmonella is crazy to me I check everything on ssw nowadays cause ya never know 😄 thank you so much for responding if you ever wanna add me my un is gingamba!!

Yeah the tarot deck is awesome!! I’m such a sucker for gilded edges so I keep admiring them on my deck. Geekify did such a great job. I’m not a fan of Skyrim myself but it’s kind of an adjacent fandom for me because tons of my friends are in it. It does look fun!

Also I’ll neofriend ya later today! ~ Erinn

Remember when Neopets had actual humans as pets?

The original art for Bruces and Myncis is always interesting to look at ~ Erinn

I saw there's a Negg Lasagna recipe. What did you use as a Negg?

I was just asked very kindly for a savory recipe preview, so in your honor I chose the Negg Lasagna. Tagged you in that comment! ~Erinn

Favorite recipe from the book?

Wocky Tacos are my favorite overall. Honestly I really do like all of them with the exception of the Cantaloupe Slushie. Cantaloupe just isn't my vibe, but you can always try cramming a Cheeseburger in instead. Just don't feed to Skeiths. ~ Erinn

Hi! I'm just wondering if by any chance, there will be a season based book like a cookbook only containing Spooky/Halloween/Haunted Wood based food? Really love collecting those kinds of food in Neo! :)

I wonder how spooky Spooky Jelly Brains and Brains a la Tree would be made of in real life? XD (Sadly though I still don't have these items in my neo collection)

Hi there! I'd really love this. My top "second cookbook" wishlist items include a holiday-themed one and a Gross Food-themed one. We are not yet working on a second cookbook though. To be totally honest, we have to see how the first cookbook does before working on a second one.

Spooky Jelly Brains - Hmm, I think you could definitely modify the ingredients for the 1/2 Rainbow Jelly in this current cookbook to the recipe here. Just use blue, of course. The blue in the Jelly Brains is a bit translucent; you might be able to get the same look by using a brain mold and going over the lines/shadows with a gentle hand and an icing pen and reducing the blue food coloring in the Rainbow Jelly by 50%.

Brains a la Tree . . . I'm getting a pumpkin pasta vibe. Maybe make the dough into a nest, cook in a slotted spoon so it stays together best as possible, smother in drippy cheese and trees.

Obviously haven't tested either of those recipes out so they may not work. Just getting some ideas :D ~ Erinn

OMG! Thanks for replying! ^^
The second concept I have in mind is a holiday-themed, specifically related to Christmas. Some of the Faerieland-based cuisine actually do give holiday vibes so I guess they would make a great addition to the next set of cookbooks! :D

I love how you have a preview on how both Spooky Jelly Brains and Brains a la Tree come to life. I would surely love that Brains a la Tree as I am a certified cheese lover.

I'm actually from a country in Southeast Asia so I have to know first how shipping works when I buy the cookbook. I'm also hoping that this current cookbook does well. :D

Ooh, I just said I was going to close questions, but I'll answer you here since it's a good one!

If you go to your bookstore, they should be able to place a preorder in for you and ship to the store. That should save you $ in shipping! The eBook is also a reduced price and delivered immediately. ~Erinn

Did you ever put your neopets in the Cockroach Towers?

Maybe …. sorry, Neopets. But you’re fed!!! ~ Erinn

Which UC pet do you want most???

I have a UC Grey Kougra! My biggest goal for a long time.

But I would looooove a UC Plushie Lupe. ~ Erinn

Are there a lot of really inventive/creative recipes in the book? I'd bet so because of how fantastical a lot of Neopets foods are, but a lot of fandom cookbooks feel not as inventive as they should be in their recipes

All of the recipes come from Neopets.com, so I think that's already quite organic to the site versus some other cookbooks (but I did also edit The Official Harry Potter Baking Book and The Official Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood Cookbook soooooo). ~ Erinn

I’m so excited for this and have already preordered! How did you decide which recipes to replicate — was it by popularity, your personal favorites, ease of replication, etc?

Yay, I'm excited for you to have it :D

It was honestly a mix. We of course needed to have Jellies and Omelettes. The other recipes are a nice smattering of the site--sandwiches, burritos, soups, quesadillas, cake, cookies, etc.! And we wanted to make sure they came from a variety of Neopets and lands. ~ Erinn

Have any of the recipes entered into your regular rotation for meals (or snacks/desserts/other)? Or were any of the recipes inspired by dishes that you enjoy regularly but Neopian-style?

Meaty Asparagus Dish is a pretty good one to have on repeat. ~ Erinn

• Will there be any “Gross Food” recipes? 😁
• What’s your favorite region of Neopia?

Yep, the Iced Fish Cake is in the cookbook! :)

And my favorite region . . . ooh, I have a lot of fondness for Meridell, because I remember when it was unveiled and thinking it was the BIGGEST NEWS EVER. Also, Draiks. ~ Erinn

What was your favourite recipe to create and why?!

Wocky Tacos are my favorite, but the most satisfying are the omelettes. It's just Neopia, you know? ~ Erinn

If you could eat from one Giant Omelette for the rest of your life what flavor would it be?

Honestly the Chocolate Omelette is really good and I have a sweet tooth, so!! That one! ~ Erinn

What is your favorite pet? Petpet? Petpetpet?

I love this question, thank you! As a kid, my favorite pets were Poogles. Obsessed with Poogles. Honestly, I still kind of am, but I'm a Kougra gal now.

Petpet - Cirrus!!!

Petpetpet - Strale, so basically a Cirrus haha ~ Erinn

Hi Erin! Excited to have you here. What's the recipe that you're the most proud of in this book? As a Neopets player this project has been incredibly heart warming to me hahaha. Take care!

Thank you, excited to be here! I'm really proud of the way the Omelettes turned out. They're just so iconic and it was important to get them right. I hope you have a great day too! ~Erinn

Do you have a favorite type of neopet food? Such as Faerie Foods, Spooky Foods, Healthy foods? And if so which one did you have the most fun making?

I'm such a SCI FI person hahaha so it has to be Space Food for me. The Space Quesadilla is fun with star cut-outs. ~ Erinn

What level of freedom were you given by TNT when writing this? Was there a heavy review process, or have you largely been able to include everything you wanted?

TNT was really great in the review process. After getting the cookbook proposal reviewed/accepted, we submitted an outline with recipes for their approval, then the text copy of the book, then all photos/images and requests for higher res images. They provided some great insight and looked into the archives for the Cup of Hot Borovan recipe. ~ Erinn

What are your favorite genres to write?

I work pretty much only in licensing, but I do love guidebooks. You just get to really sink your teeth into fandoms. I had a lot of fun on Neopets, of course, and a lot of fun when I did the Voltron: Legendary Defender publishing program. Team Lance forever. ~ Erinn

what's a Neopets food item you wanted to feature in the book, but ultimately did not make it?

Chia Pops and Bagel with Scream Cheese were soooo close, but too difficult to make the cut! I also would've liked things like Tchea Fruit, but since that doesn't really grow out of non-Neopian lands... ~Erinn

Any new food items/recipes in the cookbook or are they all exisiting neo items? Which is you favourite from the book?

They're all existing items. It honestly would've felt inauthentic any other way. My favorite is the Wocky Taco recipe! ~ Erinn

Thanks for answering!
It's understandable, maybe if there is a Part 2..
For any TNT lurkers it seems like a missed opportunity to have the cookbook tie in with an existing site feature (The Cooking Pot!)

We chatted about that at first, actually! As well as some other ideas. Never say never. There's some more stuff coming too. ~ Erinn

Omg hii Erinn!! First of all, good luck battling Jetsam!! I hope you get the best drops ☺️ it’s so nice of you to take the time to do this AMA!! ❤️

My question for you is this!! If you could create ANY Neopet paint color, what would it be?!

Thank you!! No Nerkmids so far ... cough 'em up, Jetsam!

Hmmmm, such a good question. Honestly up until this year I would've said Valentine but now it's real!! Maybeeee . . . hmmm . . . okay, hear me out. A Galaxy Brush. It took me what felt like 100 years to hunt down the Constellation Markings. ~Erinn

Oh my gosh that would be an amazing paint color!!! I love everything space-related and neopets always does such a good job with spacey aesthetics!! (Like the Space Faerie omg!) So that would be the best idea!!! Thank you so much for replying it means so much!🥰🥰🥰❤️❤️❤️

Absolutely! Good luck in Neopia. Hopefully the Space Faerie is in a good mood. ~ Erinn

Hiya! What was your favorite recipe from the cookbook?

Wocky Tacos! I also really like tacos. The addition of Halloumi cheese (or my vegan Violife) is chef's kiss. ~ Erinn

Did you get any exclusive Neo-loot for writing the book?

Nah I did not. My accounts are quite personal, although I'm not exactly keeping them secret either. You could probably find them within 3 tries if you really looked haha. I also post on the Neoboards from time to time, like anyone else! ~Erinn

Would you mind laying out all of the timeline/steps from conception to final product of the cookbook?

(really interested in the publishing world as an amateur author/home cook/blogger)

Sure, but I’m on my phone now so if it’s cool I’ll reply tomorrow when I have my laptop/can be more detailed ~ Erinn

How were the recipes chosen?

Howdy! I answered this a bit above, let me know if you can't find it and I'll tag you! ~Erinn

Are there any foods you wish you could have made a recipe for but it would have been too difficult to bring to life in the real world?

Chia Pops and Bagel with Scream Cheese! ~ Erinn

The book looks amazing! I can't wait to see which recipes you've decided to recreate. I love to bake :) how many baking recipes are in the book?

Thank you so much! This is a good question. We've split the book into savory, sweet, and omelette sections.

Is pizza baked? I actually do not know haha. If that counts, +1 in savory.

For Sweets, 8 are baked. ~ Erinn

What do you think about skunks? And do you think there needs to be a real skunk Neopet?

Skunks are cool. 🦨 🦨 🦨

And Skunk is a color you can paint your Neopet! Long live Skunks. ~ Erinn

Thank you all for joining me on this r/IAmA, and thank you mods for the scheduled post!

I've been hanging for a few hours to make sure I hit a few more timezones, but I do now have to call it a day. I hope you all enjoy the cookbook as much as we loved creating it.

Sharing some final links:

Play Neopets today!

Preorder Neopets: The Official Cookbook here!
Direct retailer sites: Amazon /Barnes & Noble / Books a Million / Bookshop / Target / Walmart

How to request a book from a library (libraries have a great stock of cookbooks!). This link is to my local Los Angeles library; ask your librarian if you need help!
Neopets social media: Instagram / TikTok / Twitter / Facebook

My own social media: Twitter

Andrews McMeel social media: Website / Instagram / Kids Instagram / TikTok / Twitter / Kids Twitter / Facebook

See y'all in Neopia! ~Erinn

Okay. How did you start cooking?

Sorry for a simple question. Not good with asking or saying a lot.

This is a great question. Don't sell yourself short!

For me, it was entirely a pandemic hyperfixation. Up until 2020, I was the person who would laugh and say she could maybe boil pasta. At some point during the pandemic, I started creating really extravagant dishes. My partner certainly wasn't complaining haha.

That being said, while I love to cook and give myself a high score on the cooking scale, I did NOT write the recipes. That was the fantastic Rebecca Woods, who is a real chef. Becci and I worked together, and alongside TNT, to select the recipes and create the book. I added a lot of the Neopets lore and text. I also added the vegan options since I'm vegan and Becci is not! ~Erinn

Why only 2/3rds of the mushroom omelette?

Well, a bite has already been taken out of it ... ~Erinn

Thanks for setting this up! Very excited to see what's in the book.

Were there any weird recipes that you tried to make work (but struggled to replicate)?

Excited for you to have it!

Yep, Chia Pops were super hard to do visually! ~ Erinn

What do you suppose tigersquash tastes like?

Like a Kougra snacked on a zucchini ~ Erinn

Are you a Scientologist?

Edit: I asked because of the ties between Neopets and Scientology.

I am not ~ Erinn