"Peacocks on my Porch"

Some little known benefits to having a husband who spends the equivalent of a part time job every week on a bike.

1. He has sexier legs than me. Actually that's not great when we're both wearing shorts.

2. After spending lots of money on a new bike, new equipment, or a race entry fee, he feels guilty and surprises me with a new bed, sofa, or that cherry red dutch oven I’ve had my eye on.

3. I became a cycling widow.

What? Number three doesn't sound like a perk, you say? Let me explain. Yes, I may lose my husband for 15-20 hours every week, but I have gained the friendship and support of some incredible women. These "cycling widows"…we form a club.

We are the women who bond together while chatting on the sidelines of countless criterium races. We are the friends who bundle up their kids in snow gear so we can watch a great cyclocross race in December. We are the women who pile into a rented Suburban and spend a full day in the car, girl talking, and following our bikers on narrow (not always paved) roads from Logan, UT to Jackson Hole, all the while assembling PB&J’s and partially peeled bananas to quickly hand off to the men at bustling feed zones. And we are the ones with tears in our eyes when our husbands cross the finish line.

Through all of this, dear friendships are born and I have met some exceptional women.


A few years ago, a group of these women decided to compile a cookbook of their favorite tried and true recipes, and I was invited to participate. The result: "Peacocks on My Porch", one of my favorite cookbooks. It's a beautiful, hard bound cookbook, filled with all kinds of wonderful recipes, including decadent desserts and hands down some of THE BEST salad recipes I have ever tried.


When we originally published it, I ordered 25 books. I gave a few copies to the women in my family for Christmas gifts that year. They all loved it. Word got out and I sold out my stash before the end of the year. We ordered a second printing, and again it sold out within weeks. I have since been approached by several people who want a copy.

A few months ago, we decided to do one final order, but since we were going to make this the last printing, we went all out and added over 300 new recipes, bringing the total to around 700.



If you would like to purchase a copy, leave me a comment with your email address, or send me an email at bradleykitchen@comcast.net