What When Wine: Lose Weight and Feel Great with Paleo-Style Meals, Intermittent Fasting, and Wine


Melanie Avalon - 2018
    It’s all about the what (mostly Paleo, but she’s not a monster about it), the when (believe it or not, brief fasting can mean freedom rather than restriction), and the wine (red wine can be a secret bullet for weight loss—who knew?). It’s a combination that Avalon discovered after years of self-experimentation and intense research on the mechanics of body fat regulation.In What When Wine, Avalon shares her journey to a healthier lifestyle, with the tips and tricks she learned along the way, as well as a jumpstart plan including 50 delicious Paleo-friendly, gluten-free recipes by chef Ariane Resnick.

Always Home: A Daughter's Recipes & Stories


Fanny Singer - 2020
    Across dozens of vignettes with accompanying recipes, she shares the story of her own culinary coming of age and reveals a side of her legendary mother that has never been seen before. A charming, smart translation of Alice Waters's ideals and attitudes about food for a new generation, Always Home is a loving, often funny, unsentimental, and exquisitely written look at a life defined in so many ways by food, as well as the bond between mother and daughter.

Two Decades Naked


Leigh Hopkinson - 2016
    None of them fit so well, however, as stripping. She figured it couldn't be that difficult - she was just going to dance on stage in front of a bunch of strangers. She'd show them a bit of skin, but the gig wasn't going to last that long. Or so she imagined. While stripping was harder than Leigh thought it would be, she hadn't counted on it being so exhilarating - or lucrative. So when she moved to Melbourne and needed to make a living, the lure of her old job was strong. The world of the strip club had become familiar, even reassuring, though some of the people she met during the course of her job didn't exactly give her faith in the future of humanity. Over the course of Leigh's career, she learnt a lot about other people and even more about herself, and the result is a story that delves into a world that not everyone visits but everyone finds fascinating.

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.

Tales from the Hilltop: A Summer in the other South of France


Tony Lewis - 2013
    Pedalling along curvaceous country lanes or freewheeling through valleys and vineyards – earning your supper in this sleepy corner of France is nothing short of a privilege.Tony and Ludmilla have landed a job with a specialist cycling and walking holiday company in the South of France … but that’s not something we can hold against them for too long!They head off to the mediaeval marvel of Cordes-sur-Ciel in the Tarn – a region so achingly beautiful and laden with history and mystery they have to pinch themselves to be sure such a place really does exist.When their cyclists turn up for a week’s pedal-powered adventure they will need a reliable back-up service when they puncture a tyre or come face to jowl with a ‘devil dog’ intent on devouring their panniers. And when their walkers take the wrong trail and find themselves humming Bonnie Tyler’s ’70s hit ‘Lost in France’, they too will need a timely rescue. Well, that’s the theory …

The Ungarnished Truth: A Cooking Contest Memoir


Ellie Mathews - 2008
    When Ellie Mathews entered her Salsa Couscous Chicken in the venerable Pillsbury Bake-Off, she never imagined she'd win the grand prize. Immediately after Alex Trebek announced that her dish had won a million dollars, she was thrown into the limelight. Booked with Oprah and Rosie-even photographed for the New York Times in a vest made of ostrich feathers-she instantly became the reigning queen of chickendom, the Pillsbury "It Girl" of the moment. With a dash of self-deprecating humor and a pinch of biting social commentary, Ellie takes readers on her roller coaster ride to the top of the food chain as the Pillsbury prizewinner. As a cooking contest insider, she goes behind the counter and beyond the aprons and oven mitts to reveal a fascinating slice of Americana.

Fragrant Rice: My Continuing Love Affair with Bali [Includes 115 Recipes]


Janet De Neefe - 2004
    Though curious about Bali's culture, its warm people and its mouthwatering cuisine, she didn't expect to fall in love with a Balinese man and make a new life there. Now, years later, Janet and her husband have four children and run two of the most successful restaurants in Bali.In this delightful memoir, Janet shares entertaining stories of being 'gently shaped like warm rice for offerings' as she adapts to another culture and way of life. She offers insights into the ancient myths and rituals still alive in Bali today and passes on delicious recipes handed down through generations of her husband's family. Fragrant Rice shows how the love, hope and warmth that makes this island such a special place is still very much alive today.Family recipes included are:Ayam Gerang Asem (Sour Chicken Stew)Bubur Injin (Black Rice Pudding)Ikan Mekuah (Fish Soup)Nasi Goreng (Fried Rice)Satay Manis (Beef Satay)Babi Kecap (Pork in Sweet Chilli Sauce)Gado-Gado (Vegetables in Peanut Sauce)Bregedel Tahu (Tofu Fritters)Kolak (Fruits in Coconut Milk)

Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia


Elizabeth Gilbert - 2006
    Around the time Elizabeth Gilbert turned thirty, she went through an early-onslaught midlife crisis. She had everything an educated, ambitious American woman was supposed to want—a husband, a house, a successful career. But instead of feeling happy and fulfilled, she was consumed with panic, grief, and confusion. She went through a divorce, a crushing depression, another failed love, and the eradication of everything she ever thought she was supposed to be. To recover from all this, Gilbert took a radical step. In order to give herself the time and space to find out who she really was and what she really wanted, she got rid of her belongings, quit her job, and undertook a yearlong journey around the world—all alone. Eat, Pray, Love is the absorbing chronicle of that year. Her aim was to visit three places where she could examine one aspect of her own nature set against the backdrop of a culture that has traditionally done that one thing very well. In Rome, she studied the art of pleasure, learning to speak Italian and gaining the twenty-three happiest pounds of her life. India was for the art of devotion, and with the help of a native guru and a surprisingly wise cowboy from Texas, she embarked on four uninterrupted months of spiritual exploration. In Bali, she studied the art of balance between worldly enjoyment and divine transcendence. She became the pupil of an elderly medicine man and also fell in love the best way—unexpectedly. An intensely articulate and moving memoir of self-discovery, Eat, Pray, Love is about what can happen when you claim responsibility for your own contentment and stop trying to live in imitation of society’s ideals. It is certain to touch anyone who has ever woken up to the unrelenting need for change.

Serious Eats: A Comprehensive Guide to Making and Eating Delicious Food Wherever You Are


Ed Levine - 2011
    Serious Eats crackles with the energy and conviction that has made the website the passionate, discerning authority on all things delicious since its inception in 2006. Are you a Serious Eater? 1. Do you plan your day around what you might eat? 2. When you are heading somewhere, anywhere, will you go out of your way to eat something delicious? 3. When you daydream, do you often find yourself thinking about food? 4. Do you live to eat, rather than eat to live? 5. Have you strained relationships with friends or family by dictating the food itinerary—changing everyone’s plans to try a potentially special burger or piece of pie?Ed Levine, whom Ruth Reichl calls the “missionary of the delicious,” and his SeriousEats.com editors present their unique take on iconic foods made and served around the country. From house-cured, hand-cut corned beef sandwiches at Jake’s in Milwaukee to fried-to-order doughnuts at Shipley’s Do-Nuts in Houston; from fresh clam pizza at Zuppardi’s Pizzeria in West Haven, Connecticut, to Green Eggs and Ham at Huckleberry Bakery and Café in Los Angeles, Serious Eats is a veritable map of some of the best food they have eaten nationwide.             Covering fast food, family-run restaurants, food trucks, and four-star dining establishments, all with zero snobbery, there is plenty here for every food lover, from coast to coast and everywhere in between. Featuring 400 of the Serious Eats team’s greatest food finds and 50 all-new recipes, this is your must-read manual for the pursuit of a tasty life.             You’ll learn not only where to go for the best grub, but also how to make the food you crave right in your own kitchen, with original recipes including Neapolitan Pizza (and dough), the Ultimate Sliders (which were invented in Kansas), Caramel Sticky Buns, Southern Fried Chicken, the classic Reuben, and Triple-Chocolate Adult Brownies. You’ll also hone your Serious Eater skills with tips that include signs of deliciousness, regional style guides (think pizza or barbecue), and Ed’s hypotheses—ranging from the Cuban sandwich theory to the Pizza Cognition Theory—on what makes a perfect bite.

Girl By Sea: Life, love and food on an Italian island


Penelope Green - 2009
    

A Year Under Sharia Law: Memoir of an American Couple Living and Working in Saudi Arabia


Alex Fletcher - 2019
    The choice of Saudi Arabia is based primarily on the best salary offer, an all expenses paid round trip flight and secondarily to satiate a desire to explore a country steeped in mystery and taboo. Little do they know that the experience will come with a price and change their lives in a profound way, witnessing human rights violations that go unchecked even up to today and an ultra-conservative culture wrestling with tradition and modernity. A Year Under Sharia Law is written as a travel memoir with vignettes of daily life and interactions with the community at large. It was also written to shine a spotlight on the plight of impoverished ladies who come to Saudi Arabia in the hopes of earning a salary to send money back to their family. They find work as nannies and house maids primarily. These ladies are often stripped of their rights in a patriarchy that makes them prime targets for unspeakable abuses. Their passports are held by their Saudi employees and they essentially become prisoners. This memoir is not only dedicated to them and their plight but also the tireless and dangerous work done by journalists who are critical of Saudi Arabia’s human rights record. Some have paid the ultimate price.

Divided: A Walk on the Continental Divide Trail


Brian Cornell - 2019
    However, trail life is not always as rewarding and romantic as the pictures you see or second-hand stories you hear. "Divided" provides an accurate account of life on trail: what hikers ponder, eat, love, loathe, and the questions they tire of answering. Some moments are too short, some are painfully long while others are whisked away unceremoniously with the wind. Follow along on the journey as Brian navigates difficulties, successes and everything between while attempting to walk from Mexico to Canada. “The greatest challenge of being a long-distance backpacker is learning how to live fully on - and off - the trail. In 'Divided,' Brian shares the rugged beauty and grueling challenges of the Continental Divide Trail along with thought-provoking insights which encourage the reader to reassess his or her own path and consider new alternatives.” Jennifer Pharr Davis, "The Pursuit of Endurance" “If you’ve ever wondered what it is like to wander along the entire length of the multi-thousand mile Continental Divide Trail, Brian Cornell’s 'Divided' will take you on a journey from Mexico to Canada that just may have you planning your own hike of this magnificent trail!” Lawton Grinter, "I Hike Again" " 'Divided' is unlike any hiking memoir I've read. Cornell is undeniably talented and his unique prose vividly conveys the hypnotic nature of long-distance hiking without leaving the reader in a trance. A modern-day 'Desert Solitaire.' " Gary Sizer, "Where’s the Next Shelter?" "An honest look at what life on the Divide is truly like." Heather Anderson, "Thirst: 2600 Miles to Home"

Life From Scratch


Melissa Ford - 2010
    And so is her kitchen.Divorced, heartbroken and living in a lonely New York apartment with a tiny kitchen, Rachel Goldman realizes she doesn't even know how to cook the simplest meal for herself. Can learning to fry an egg help her understand where her life went wrong? She dives into the culinary basics. Then she launches a blog to vent her misery about life, love and her goal of an unburnt casserole. To her amazement, the blog's a hit. She becomes a minor celebrity. Next, a sexy Spaniard enters her life. Will her souffles stop falling? Will she finally forget about the husband she still loves? And how can she explain to her readers that she still hasn't learned how to cook up a happy life from scratch?

Hawksmoor at Home: Meat - Seafood - Sides - Breakfasts - Puddings - Cocktails


Huw Gott - 2011
    We travelled the world searching for the perfect steak, but discovered that beef from traditional breeds, reared the old-fashioned way right here in Britain, and cooked simply over real charcoal, packed more flavour than anything we tried on our travels.'The critics have hailed Hawksmoor as one of the great restaurant openings of recent years. Their credo is simple: the best ingredients - dictionary-thick steaks from Longhorn cattle traditionally reared in North Yorkshire by multi-award-winners The Ginger Pig, dry-aged for at least thirty-five days, simply cooked on a real charcoal grill. Their cocktails, wines and desserts too have been applauded to the echo.Hawksmoor at Home is a practical cookbook which shows you how to buy and cook great steak and seafood and indeed much else (including how to cook the both the 'best burger in Britain' and the 'best roast beef in Britain'); how to mix terrific cocktails and choose wine to accompany your meal. Above all Hawksmoor at Home entertains and informs in the inimitable 'Hawksmoor' way.

Not Your Mama's Canning Book: Modern Canned Goods and What to Make with Them


Rebecca Lindamood - 2016
    She will also provide recipes that highlight these unique flavor combinations so you can make use out of every canned good! From jams, jellies and preserves to pickles and relishes to drunken fruit and pressure canning, this book has something for everyone. Some recipes will require the use of pressure canners, but not all.Make your mama proud but don't tell her you can can better than her!