Eat Joy: Stories & Comfort Food from 31 Celebrated Writers


Natalie Eve Garrett - 2019
    Luscious, full-color illustrations by Meryl Rowin are woven throughout, and accompanying each story is a recipe from the writer’s own kitchen.Lev Grossman explains how he survived on “sweet, sour, spicy, salty, unabashedly gluey” General Tso’s tofu after his divorce. Carmen Maria Machado describes learning to care for herself during her confusing young adulthood, beginning with nearly setting her kitchen on fire. Claire Messud tries to understand how her mother gave up dreams of being a lawyer to make “a dressed salad of tiny shrimp and avocado, followed by prune-stuffed pork tenderloin, served with buttered egg noodles” for her family. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie remembers a childhood friend―who later died as a soldier in Nigeria―with a pot of fragrant jollof rice. What makes each tale so moving is not only the deeply personal revelations from celebrated writers, but also the compassion and healing behind the story: the taste of hope.

The Mediterranean Method: Your Complete Plan to Harness the Power of the Healthiest Diet on the Planet -- Lose Weight, Prevent Heart Disease, and More!


Steven Masley - 2019
    News and World Report in 2021--helps readers lose weight and improve the health of their heart, brain, gut, and microbiome.From southern Italy, Sardinia, and France to Spain, Greece, and Northern Africa the Mediterranean region is synonymous with sparkling azure waters and clear blue skies. It's also home to most of the world's longest-lived and vibrantly healthy people. Now we know why! Repeatedly ranked the #1 diet by U.S. News and World Report, the Mediterranean eating style--abundant seafood, vegetables, fruits, beans and nuts; lots of olive oil; a wide variety of herbs and spices; and even dark chocolate and red wine--has been scientifically proven to maintain a healthy gut and healthy weight, thereby reducing your risk for heart disease, dementia, memory loss, and many cancers in the process.Taking this famously healthy and life-enhancing "prescription" one step further, Dr. Steven Masley--renowned physician, nutritionist, bestselling author, and trained chef--offers all the flavors and benefits of the Mediterranean diet, but with a "skinny" twist: he focuses on delicious ingredients with a low-glycemic load. Including 50 recipes for food everyone at the table will love--from hearty breakfasts, crowd-pleasing appetizers, soups, and sides, to family-style salads, memorable main meals, and irresistible desserts--The Mediterranean Method is a revolutionary program for losing weight and maintaining the amazing health you regain. Slim down and protect your heart, your brain, and your healthy longevity--all while you enjoy the amazing bounty, variety, and joy of Mediterranean cooking!

The Complete Guide to Fasting: Heal Your Body Through Intermittent, Alternate-Day, and Extended Fasting


Jason Fung - 2016
    But a key element in any successful nutritional health program is a tried-and-true method that most people haven't thought about—yet it could be revolutionary for taking health to the next level. This ancient secret is fasting. Fasting is not about starving oneself. When done right, it's an incredibly effective therapeutic approach that produces amazing results regardless of diet plan. In fact, Toronto-based nephrologist Dr. Jason Fung has used a variety of fasting protocols with more than 1,000 patients, with fantastic success. In The Complete Guide to Fasting he has teamed up with international bestselling author and veteran health podcaster Jimmy Moore to explain what fasting is really about, why it's so important, and how to fast in a way that improves health. Together, they make fasting as a therapeutic approach both practical and easy to understand. The Complete Guide to Fasting explains: why fasting is actually good for health who can benefit from fasting (and who won't) the history of fasting the various ways to fast: intermittent, alternate-day, and extended fasting what to expect when starting to fast how to track progress while fasting the weight loss effects of fasting how to ward off potential negative effects from fasting The book also provides tools to help readers get started and get through their fasts, including a 7-Day Kick-Start Fasting Plan and healing liquid recipes.

How to Eat Better: How to Shop, Store & Cook to Make Any Food a Superfood


James Wong - 2017
    It's fascinating, and better than cutting out food groups or paying for so-called superfoods. --Delicious MagazineSELECT a Braeburn apple over a Fuji and get almost double the antioxidants from a fruit that tastes just as sweet.STORE strawberries on the counter, instead of in the fridge, and in just four days they will quadruple their heart-healthy compounds.COOK broccoli with a teaspoon of mustard and send its levels of cancer-fighting potential skyrocketing ten-fold.Between the rush to keep up with the latest miracle ingredient, anxiety about E-numbers and demonization of gluten/dairy/sugar (or the next foodie villain du jour) many of us are left in a virtual panic in the supermarket aisle. Tabloid headlines, 'free-from' labels and judgemental Instagram hashtags hardly help matters - so what should we be buying?How to Eat Better strips away the fad diets, superfood fixations and Instagram hashtags to give you a straight-talking scientist's guide to making everyday foods far healthier (and tastier) simply by changing the way you select, store and cook them. No diets, no obscure ingredients, no damn spiralizer, just real food made better, based on the latest scientific evidence from around the world. With over 80 foolproof recipes to put the theory into practice, James Wong shows you how to make any food a superfood, every time you cook.

Food in Jars: Preserving in Small Batches Year-Round


Marisa McClellan - 2011
     Popular food blogger and doyenne of canning, Marisa McClellan, is using small batches and inventive flavors to make preserving easy enough for any novice to tackle. If you grew up eating home-preserved jams and pickles, or even if you're new to putting up, you'll find recipes to savor. Sample any of the 100 seasonal recipes:In the spring: Apricot Jam and Rhubarb SyrupIn the summer: Blueberry Butter and Peach SalsaIn the fall: Dilly Beans and Spicy Pickled CauliflowerIn the winter: Three-Citrus Marmalade and Cranberry KetchupMarisa's confident, practical voice answers questions and quells any fears of accidental canning mistakes, and the book is written for cooks of any skill level. Stories of wild blackberry jam and California Meyer lemon marmalade from McClellan's childhood make for a read as pleasurable as it is delicious; her home-canned food-learned from generations of the original "foodies"-feeds the soul as well as the body.

And a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails


Wayne Curtis - 2006
    With a chapter for each of ten cocktails--from the grog sailors drank on the high seas in the 1700s to the mojitos of modern club hoppers--Wayne Curtis reveals that the homely spirit once distilled from the industrial waste of the exploding sugar trade has managed to infiltrate every stratum of New World society. Curtis takes us from the taverns of the American colonies, where rum delivered both a cheap wallop and cash for the Revolution, to the plundering pirate ships off the coast of Central America, to the watering holes of pre-Castro Cuba, and to the kitsch-laden tiki bars of 1950s America. Here are sugar barons and their armies conquering the Caribbean, Paul Revere stopping for a nip during his famous ride, Prohibitionists marching against "demon rum," Hemingway fattening his liver with Havana daiquiris, and today's bartenders reviving old favorites like Planter's Punch. In an age of microbrewed beer and single-malt whiskeys, rum--once the swill of the common man--has found its way into the tasting rooms of the most discriminating drinkers. Awash with local color and wry humor, "And a Bottle of Rum" is an affectionate toast to this most American of liquors, a chameleon spirit that has been constantly reinvented over the centuries by tavern keepers, bootleggers, lounge lizards, and marketing gurus. Complete with cocktail recipes for would-be epicurean time-travelers, this is history at its most intoxicating.

Paula Deen: It Ain't All about the Cookin'


Paula H. Deen - 2007
    You may have even visited The Lady & Sons to taste for yourself the down-home delicacies that made her famous and even heard some version of her Cinderella story (a single mom with two teenage sons started a brown-bag lunch business with $200 and wound up with a thriving restaurant, a fairy-tale second marriage, and wildly popular television shows), but you have never heard the intimate details of her often bumpy road to fame and fortune.Courageously honest, downright inspiring, and just a little bit saucy, Paula shares the highs and lows of her life in the inimitable charming and irreverent style that you know from her television shows and personal appearances. She talks about long childhood summers spent in a bathing suit and roller skates and hard years living in the back of her father's gas station; a buzzing high school social life of sleepovers, parties, cheerleading, and boys; and a difficult marriage. The death of her beloved parents precipitated a debilitating agoraphobia that crippled her for years. But even when the going got tough, Paula never lost the good grace and sense of humor that would eventually help carry her to success and stardom. Of course, you can't get by on charm alone: as Paula has learned, you need plenty of willpower, hard work, and, above all, the love and support of family and friends to finance, sustain, and run a successful restaurant.In each chapter, Paula shares new recipes: there's serious comfort food like her momma's Chocolate-Dippy Doughnuts, Courage Chili for when you know life's going to get tough, Sexy Oxtails for seducing that special someone, and the recipe for her new mother-in-law's Banana Nut Delight Cake that Paula finally got just right. And you'll love the never-before-seen photos of her family.In this memoir, Paula Deen speaks as frankly and intimately as few women in the public eye have ever dared. Whether she's telling tales of good times or bad, her story is proof that the old-fashioned American dream is alive and kicking, and there still is such a thing as a real-life happy ending.

How to Break Up with Your Phone: The 30-Day Plan to Take Back Your Life


Catherine Price - 2018
     Is your phone the first thing you reach for in the morning and the last thing you touch before bed? Do you frequently pick it up "just to check," only to look up forty-five minutes later wondering where the time has gone? Do you say you want to spend less time on your phone--but have no idea how to do so without giving it up completely? If so, this book is your solution.Award-winning journalist Catherine Price presents a practical, hands-on plan to break up--and then make up--with your phone. The goal? A long-term relationship that actually feels good. You'll discover how phones and apps are designed to be addictive, and learn how the time we spend on them damages our abilities to focus, think deeply, and form new memories. You'll then make customized changes to your settings, apps, environment, and mindset that will ultimately enable you to take back control of your life.

Momofuku


David Chang - 2009
    A once-unrecognizable word, it's now synonymous with the award-winning restaurants of the same name in New York City: Momofuku Noodle Bar, Ssäm Bar, Ko, and Milk Bar. Chef David Chang has single-handedly revolutionized cooking in America with his use of bold Asian flavors and impeccable ingredients, his mastery of the humble ramen noodle, and his thorough devotion to pork.  Momofuku is both the story and the recipes behind the cuisine that has changed the modern-day culinary landscape. Chang relays with candor the tale of his unwitting rise to superstardom, which, though wracked with mishaps, happened at light speed. And the dishes shared in this book are coveted by all who've dined—or yearned to—at any Momofuku location (yes, the pork buns are here). This is a must-read for anyone who truly enjoys food.

Snacking Cakes: Simple Treats for Anytime Cravings: A Baking Book


Yossy Arefi - 2020
    Expert baker Yossy Arefi's collection of no-fuss recipes is perfect for anyone who craves near-instant cake satisfaction.With little time and effort, these single-layered cakes are made using only one bowl (no electric mixers needed) and utilize ingredients likely sitting in your cupboard. They're baked in the basic pans you already own and shine with only the most modest adornments: a dusting of powdered sugar, a drizzle of glaze, a dollop of whipped cream. From Nectarine and Cornmeal Upside-Down Cake and Gingery Sweet Potato Cake to Salty Caramel Peanut Butter Cake and Milk Chocolate Chip Hazelnut Cake, these humble, comforting treats couldn't be simpler to create. Yossy's rustic, elegant style combines accessible, diverse flavors in intriguing ways that make them easy for kids to join in on the baking, but special enough to serve company or bring to potlucks.Whether enjoyed in a quiet moment alone with a cup of morning coffee or with friends hungrily gathered around the pan, these ever-pleasing, undemanding cakes will become part of your daily ritual.

Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream Desserts


Jeni Britton Bauer - 2014
    Her one-of-a-kind cakes and cookies are not only served with ice cream, they get crumbled on top and incorporated into the ice cream base itself.Sundae combinations dazzle with bold and inspired sauces, such as Whiskey Caramel and Honey Spiked with Chilies. And Jeni’s crunchy “gravels” (crumbly sundae toppings)—such as Salty Graham Gravel and Everything Bagel Gravel—are unlike toppings anyone has ever seen before.Store-bought ice cream can be used for all the desserts in the book, but it will be hard to resist Jeni’s breakthrough recipes for dairy-free ice cream, frozen custard, and soft-serve. Thirty brand-new flavors, including Cumin & Honey Butterscotch and Extra-Strength Root Beer Ice Cream, attest to the magic of this unique and alluring collection.

The Nerdist Way: How to Reach the Next Level (In Real Life)


Chris Hardwick - 2011
    As a lifelong member of "The Nerd Herd," as he calls it, Chris Hardwick has learned all there is to know about Nerds. Developing a system, blog, and podcasts, Hardwick shares hard-earned wisdom about turning seeming weakness into world-dominating strengths in the hilarious self-help book, "The Nerdist Way."From keeping their heart rate below hummingbird levels to managing the avalanche of sadness that is their in-boxes; from becoming evil geniuses to attracting wealth by turning down work, Hardwick reveals the secrets that can help readers achieve their goals by tapping into their true nerdtastic selves.Here Nerds will learn how to: Become their own time cop Tell panic attacks to go suck it Use incremental fitness to ward off predatorsA Nerd's brain is a laser-it's time they learn to point and fire!

Unprocessed: My City-Dwelling Year of Reclaiming Real Food


Megan Kimble - 2015
    But she cared about where food came from, how it was made, and what it did to her body: so she decided to go an entire year without eating processed foods. Unprocessed is the narrative of Megan's extraordinary year, in which she milled wheat, extracted salt from the sea, milked a goat, slaughtered a sheep, and more--all while earning an income that fell well below the federal poverty line.What makes a food processed? As Megan would soon realize, the answer to that question went far beyond cutting out snacks and sodas, and became a fascinating journey through America's food system, past and present. She learned how wheat became white; how fresh produce was globalized and animals industrialized. But she also discovered that in daily life, as she attempted to balance her project with a normal social life--which included dating--the question of what made a food processed was inextricably tied to gender and economy, politics and money, work and play.Backed by extensive research and wide-ranging interviews--and including tips on how to ditch processed food and transition to a real-food lifestyle--Unprocessed offers provocative insights not only on the process of food, but also the processes that shape our habits, communities, and day-to-day lives.

It's All Easy: Delicious Weekday Recipes for the Super-Busy Home Cook


Gwyneth Paltrow - 2016
    All the dishes are surprisingly tasty, with little or no sugar, fat, or gluten. From easy breakfasts to lazy suppers, this book has something for everybody. Yummy recipes include Chocolate Cinnamon Overnight Oats, Soft Polenta with Cherry Tomatoes, Chicken Enchiladas, Pita Bread Pizzas, Quick Sesame Noodles, and more! Plus, an innovative chapter for "on-the-go" meals (Moroccan Chicken Salad Wrap, Chopped Salad with Grilled Shrimp, and others) that you can take for lunch to work or school, to a picnic, or to eat while watching soccer practice!

The Fast Metabolism Diet: Lose 20 Pounds in 4 Weeks and Keep It Off Forever by Unleashing Your Body's Natural Fat-Burning Power


Haylie Pomroy - 2013
     On this plan you’re going to eat a lot—three full meals and at least two snacks a day—and you’re still going to lose weight. What you’re not going to do is count a single calorie or fat gram, or go carb-free or ban entire food groups. Instead, you’re going to rotate what you eat throughout each week according to a simple and proven plan carefully designed to induce precise physiological changes that will set your metabolism on fire. In four weeks you’ll not only see the weight fall off, but don’t be surprised to find your cholesterol drop, blood sugar stabilize, energy increase, sleep improve, and stress melt away as well. Complete with four weeks of meal plans and more than fifty recipes—including vegetarian, organic, and gluten-free options—this is the silver bullet for the chronic dieter who has tried every fad diet and failed, for the first-time dieter attempting to boost their metabolism, and for anyone who wants to naturally and safely eat his or her way to a skinnier, healthier self.