. . But I know that for a lot of people, putting together a meal, especially for guests, is the opposite of relaxing . . . I'm here to tell you: It doesn't have to be that way."--from the IntroductionAussie Curtis Stone, host of TLC's Take Home Chef, is best known for his laid-back approach to cooking. Though he's worked as head chef in several Michelin-starred London restaurants, some of his most memorable meals are the ones he's shared with friends at home. Now, Curtis shows you how to have as much fun in the kitchen as your guests are sure to have over a comfortable, unforgettable meal.In Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone, you'll find everything from "First Thing in the Morning" bites and "Brunches to Blow Their Minds" to "Weekend Lunches" and "Something to Eat on the Sofa." With the home cook in mind, Curtis avoids off-putting culinary lingo and hard-to-find ingredients. Instead, he picks what's in season and just around the corner. This down-to-earth approach results in wonderfully interesting and flavorful taste combinations that are perfect for parties or just hanging out with a close friend or loved ones.Recipes include:- Caramelized Nectarines with Yogurt and Honey- Crispy Tortilla with Ham, Chile, Spinach, and Fried Eggs- Heirloom Tomato and Burrata Salad with Pepper-Crusted New York Steak- Pan-Fried Calamari with Roasted Asparagus Salad- Homemade Salted Caramel Popcorn- Baby Baked Potatoes with Sour Cream and Chives- Sticky Chicken Drumsticks- Red Curry with Lobster and Pineapple- Veal Cutlet Coated in an Aged Jack Cheese Crust- Slowly Cooked Brisket with a BBQ Bourbon Sauce- Creamy Mascarpone and Parsley Polenta- Brownie CupcakesThese delicious recipes and Curtis's infectiously easygoing attitude are all it takes to end your entertaining stress and get you and your guests into a relaxing mood.

    A fresh take on modern homemaking, this is a practical (and sometimes sassy) guide to maximizing your time, effort, and energy in the kitchen and beyond. With a focus on less consumerism, it will teach you how to organize your kitchen and home to make the best use of your time. For those yearning to live a more ecologically minded, grounded lifestyle, this book is full of practical, no-nonsense advice, fabulous recipes, and time- and money-saving techniques.

    Rejecting both end-times hand wringing and dewy-eyed faith that technology will save us from ourselves, urban homesteaders choose instead to act. By growing their own food and harnessing natural energy, they are planting seeds for the future of our cities.If you would like to harvest your own vegetables, raise city chickens, or convert to solar energy, this practical, hands-on book is full of step-by-step projects that will get you started homesteading immediately, whether you live in an apartment or a house. It is also a guidebook to the larger movement and will point you to the best books and Internet resources on self-sufficiency topics.Projects include: How to grow food on a patio or balcony How to clean your house without toxins How to preserve food How to cook with solar energy How to divert your greywater to your garden How to choose the best homestead for you Written by city dwellers for city dwellers, this illustrated, smartly designed, two-color instruction book proposes a paradigm shift that will improve our lives, our community, and our planet. Authors Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen happily farm in Los Angeles and run the urban homestead blog www.homegrownrevolution.org.

    There are entries in praise of earthworms and in protest of rock gardens, a treatise on the sexual politics of tending plants, and a paean to the salubrious effect of gardening (see “Longevity”). Twenty years after its initial publication, Green Thoughts remains as much a joy to read as ever. This Modern Library edition is published with a new Introduction by Allen Lacy, former gardening columnist for The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times and the author of numerous gardening books.

    --Theodore Sectish, MD, associate professor of pediatrics, Harvard Medical School; program director, Children's Hospital Boston Dr. Le-Bucklin's new parenting book is the first by a pediatrician who is also a mother of twins. No other pregnancy and parenting book for multiples offers this unique and much-needed perspective.Twins 101 features practical advice and well-researched information in an easy-to-read format. From maintaining a healthy twin pregnancy to meeting the daily challenge of caring for twins, Twin 101 guides families through each stage with insightful tips, practical advice, useful resources, and inspirational stories.

    This friendly guide breaks it down for you, meaning you won’t need to calculate any complex measurement conversions. Just follow the tips and instructions and you’ll be whipping up smaller batches of cakes, brownies, breads, pies, and so much more.Exactly the right amount―Portioned for just 6 cupcakes or 12 cookies, these baking recipes make the perfect number for serving a small gathering or just yourself.Customizable recipe yields―All of the ingredients are measured by both weight and volume so it’s easy to double or triple a recipe if you need to make more.Simple kitchen equipment―These sweets can be made with standard bowls and pans, with no need for any specialty or mini bakeware.Create perfectly portioned treats anytime with the Small Batch Baking Cookbook.

    They have captured the hearts of crafters, decorators, and plant lovers all over the world. Always popular as an outdoor plant in warm climates, succulents have found a new popularity as a try indoor plant that's easy to care for and fun to look at. Idiot's Guides: Succulents includes:+ Everything needed to select, pair, pot, and care for succulent plants. + Snapshots of 100 of the most popular varieties of succulent plants, including care, color, hardiness, pairing, and a full-color photo for each. + 16 beautiful craft projects with how-to steps and color photos, including picture frames, wreaths, terrariums, centerpieces, and bouquets. + Tips on successfully propagating new succulents from existing plants. + Extensive advice on choosing pots and unique planters, repotting succulents, and pairing varieties for maximum impact. + An index of succulents by color and height that gives readers another tool for selecting the succulents that will look.

    The food served in Le Bernardin's beautiful dining room is as subtle and refined as any in the world, and because fish and shellfish are often best turned out quickly and simply, the recipes in this book can be reproduced by any home cook.Maguy Le Coze traces the origins of Le Bernardin's simplicity to her late brother, Gilbert, the restaurant's legendary cofounder and first chef. Today, Chef Eric Ripert carries on Gilbert's simplistic tradition with dishes such as Poached Halibut on Marinated Vegetables, Pan-Roasted Grouper with Wild Mushrooms and Artichokes, and Grilled Salmon with Mushroom Vinaigrette. And, of course, there are the desserts for which Le Bernardin is also so well known--from Chocolate Millefeuille to Honeyed Pear and Almond Cream Tarts.Essential to the experience of dining at Le Bernardin and to the Le Bernardin Cookbook are the dynamic and charming personalities of Maguy Le Coze and Eric Ripert, whose lively dialogue and colorful anecdotes shine from these pages as brightly as the recipes themselves.

    Lonely Planet Belize Spy on the rare red-footed booby before diving into the Blue HoleBuzz across treetops on a zip-line at Jaguar Paw Jungle ResortHear howler monkeys stake their territory as dawn breaks in the Spanish Creek Wildlife SanctuaryTake a riverboat through the jungle to the magnificent Maya ruins of Lamanai In This Guide Two authors, 60 days of in-country research, 50 more pages of coverage and reviewsThe best snorkel and dive sites of the second-longest coral reef system in the worldVisit lonelyplanet.com for up-to-the-minute reviews, updates and traveler insights

    The contents include: Just One Step Beyond Cooking; Fruits, Juices and Tomatoes; Jams, Jellies and Fruit Spread; Chutneys, Pickles and Relishes; Meats, Seafood and Vegetables; Low Sugar and Low Salt Recipes; Sweet and Savory Condiments, Gourmet Spreads and Salsas; Spreads, Meats, Vegetables and Prepared Foods; Fruit Leathers, Jerky and Rubs; From Harvest to Preserving.

    A brand-new collection of irresistible, light and simple step-by-step recipes using fresh ingredients by Jane Hornby, author of What to Cook and How to Cook It.

    Twenty-five years later, she and a small group of teachers and volunteers turned over long-abandoned soil at an urban middle school in Berkeley and planted the Edible Schoolyard. The schoolyard has since grown into a universal idea of Edible Education that integrates academics with growing, cooking, and sharing wholesome, delicious food. With inspiring images of the garden and kitchenand their young caretakersEdible Schoolyard is at once a visionary model for sustainable farming and childhood nutrition, and a call to action for schools across the country.

    She lives in a home not unlike the average home in a neighborhood that is, more or less, typically suburban. What sets her apart from the rest of us is that she thinks more deeply - and in more eloquent detail- about food. In sharing her ponderings, she sets a delightful example for those of us who seek the healthiest, most pleasurable lifestyle within an environment determined to propel us in the opposite direct. Joan is a suburbanite with a green thumb, but also a feisty, defiant spirit with a relentlessly positive outlook.This Organic Life begins with Joan and her husband Alan's trials and tribulations growing vegetables for their own table while coping with careers and a sprawling Victorian house in Congers, New York. Motivated to go "off -the-grid" of the global food system in their later years, the Gussows find and fall in love with a dilapidated Odd Fellows Hall on the banks of the Hudson River. Joan's often hilarious accounts of the "renovation" of the "dream" (some would say "nightmare") house and the creation of their new gardens are spiced by extracts from her own journal, and over thirty wonderful recipes using fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables.There is also an occasion pontification about a food distribution system run amok! At the heart of This Organic Life is the premise that locally grown food eaten in season makes sense economically, ecologically, and gastronomically. Transporting produce to New York from California -- not to mention Central and South America, Australia, or Europe -- consumes more energy in transit than it yields in calories. (It costs 435 fossil fuel calories to fly a 5-calorie strawberry from California to New York.) Add in the deleterious effects of agribusiness, such as the endless cycle of pesticide, herbicide, and chemical fertilizers; the loss of topsoil from erosion of over-tilled croplands; depleted aquifers and soil salinization from over-irrigation; and the arguments in favor of "this organic life" become overwhelmingly convincing.

    Honeybees Make Honey; Mason Bees Make Food.

    Written by the author of The Sonoma Diet, this title features: more than 150 recipes; a variety of flavorful dishes - from breakfast to dinner, including snacks, desserts, vegetarian dishes, and holiday specialties; full-color photographs of recipes, as well as cooking hints and tips; nutrition information; and more.