The daughter of a British Foreign Service officer, MoiraHodgson spent her childhood in many a strange and exotic land. Shediscovered American food in Saigon, ate wild boar in Berlin, andlearned how to prepare potatoes from her eccentric Irishgrandmother. Today, Hodgson has a well-deserved reputation as adiscerning critic whose columns in the New York Observer were devoured by dedicated food lovers for two decades. A delightful memoir of meals from around the world—completewith recipes— It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time reflectsHodgson’s talent for connecting her love of food and travel withthe people and places in her life. Whether she’s dining on Moroccan mechoui , a whole lamb baked for a day over coals, orstruggling to entertain in a tiny Greenwich Village apartment, herreminiscences are always a treat.

The Surprising Power of Family Meals is the first book to takea complete look at a ritual that was virtually universal ageneration ago but has undergone a striking transformation. Nolonger honored by society as a time of day that must be set aside,some families see family supper as little more than a quaint relic.But others are beginning to recognize it as a lifeline – a way toconnect with their loved ones on a regular basis and to get moreenjoyment out of family life. The Surprising Power of Family Mealspresents stories, studies, and arguments from the fields ofpsychology, education, nutrition, family therapy, anthropology,sociology, linguistics, and religion. It provides examples offamilies and communities around North America responding creativelyto the pressures of a 24/7 world to share strategies for takingwhat is best from our past and transforming it to meet currentneeds.

What was eating them? And vice versa. In What the Great Ate, Matthew and Mark Jacob have cooked up abountiful sampling of the peculiar culinary likes, dislikes,habits, and attitudes of famous—and often notorious—figuresthroughout history. Here is food · As code: Benito Mussolini used the phrase “we’re makingspaghetti” to inform his wife if he’d be (illegally) dueling laterthat day. · As superstition: Baseball star Wade Boggs credited his on-fieldsuccess to eating chicken before nearly every game. · In service to country: President Thomas Jefferson, America’soriginal foodie, introduced eggplant to the United States and wrotedown the nation’s first recipe for ice cream. From Emperor Nero to Bette Davis, Babe Ruth to Barack Obama, thebite-size tidbits in What the Great Ate will whet your appetite fortantalizing trivia.

What's the secret to making foolproof friands? How do you bakethe perfect piped cookie dough pinwheel? And what puts the snap inthe very best ginger snaps? Find out in "Field Guide to Cookies", ahandy pocket reference to more than 100 cookie recipes, completewith the fascinating historical background (the first known recipefor brownies was published in the 1897 Sears, Roebuck Catalogue),season (April 9 is Chinese Almond Cookie Day), and helpful bakingnotes for each delicious variety, from traditional favourites tomore exotic concoctions from all over the world. Including drop,bar, piped, rolled, puffed, sandwich, savoury, and mouldedvarieties, every cookie is illustrated in glorious full colour,with step-by-step instructions on how to prepare, bake, serve, andstore your creations. Gooey, delicious, home-baked confections arejust minutes away with "Field Guide to Cookies" in your pantry!

From the legendary editor who helped shape modern cookbookpublishing-one of the food world's most admired figures-comes thisevocative and inspiring memoir. Living in Paris after World War II, Jones broke free of blandAmerican food and reveled in everyday French culinary delights. Onreturning to the States she published Julia Child's Mastering theArt of French Cooking. The rest is publishing and gastronomichistory. A new world now opened up to Jones as she discovered, withher husband Evan, the delights of American food, publishing some ofthe premier culinary luminaries of the twentieth century: fromJulia Child, James Beard, and M.F.K. Fisher to Claudia Roden, EdnaLewis, and Lidia Bastianich. Here also are fifty of Jones'sfavorite recipes collected over a lifetime of cooking-each with itsown story and special tips. The Tenth Muse is an absolutelycharming memoir by a woman who was present at the creation of theAmerican food revolution and played a pivotal role in shapingit.

The wickedly entertaining, hunger-inducing, behind-the-scenesstory of the revolution in American food that has made exoticingredients, celebrity chefs, rarefied cooking tools, anddestination restaurants familiar aspects of our everydaylives. Amazingly enough, just twenty years ago eating sushi was a daringnovelty and many Americans had never even heard of salsa. Today, wedon't bat an eye at a construction worker dipping a croissant intorobust specialty coffee, city dwellers buying just-picked farmstandproduce, or suburbanites stocking up on artisanal cheeses and extravirgin oils at supermarkets. The United States of Arugula is arollicking, revealing stew of culinary innovation, food politics,and kitchen confidences chronicling how gourmet eating in Americawent from obscure to pervasive—and became the cultural successstory of our era.

By now, you’ve heard of (and maybe tried) them all: thelow-carb diet, the grapefruit diet, the miracle diet . . . the listgoes on and on. Fad diets may promise a quick fix, but few deliverlasting results. If you’re like millions of other Americans, you’restill struggling to lose weight and get in shape—without harmingyour long-term health in the process. It’s time to leave behind the one-size-fits-all approach todieting. Now, the American Heart Association, the nation’s mosttrusted authority on heart-healthy living, introduces itsfirst-ever comprehensive weight-loss book. No-Fad Diet helpsyou create a personalized plan to lose weight in a healthful way.After a simple assessment of your current habits, you choose theeating and exercise strategies that best fit your needs. You’lllearn how to set realistic goals, eat well to lose extra poundssafely, and add physical activity to keep the weight off forgood. This book offers more than 190 delicious, all-new recipes,including Cream of Triple-Mush