Tag Archives: Books

Book Review: Cocktails Southern Style

Smith-Sullivan, Belinda (2025). Cocktails: Southern Style. Utah: Gibb-Smith.

“Some drink to forget, I drink to remember. I drink in order to understand what I mean and to discover what I know.” Peter Ackroyd, The Last Testament of Oscar Wilde
“A cocktail should make you feel better, not worse.” – Unknown

“Cocktails: the elixir of good times and great memories.” – Unknown

Humans imbibe alcohol for countless reasons. But Cocktails: Southern Style isn’t just about alcohol. It’s a collection of poems and possibilities, framed as cocktail recipes. Smith-Sullivan reflects on her family’s tradition of “cocktail hour” — a ritual that signaled the end of the day and brought everyone together. Though I’d never considered myself a mixologist for merely stirring whiskey and ginger beer, reading this book made me realize I was only a few steps away from elevating my “mixed drink” skills to something closer to cocktail artistry.

I enjoyed imagining myself crafting my own syrups to add that perfect touch of sweetness to drinks. While I’ve never been a big fan of the fake-tasting syrup-heavy cocktails, I appreciated the author’s suggestions for using homemade versions and using them beyond mixed drinks. The emphasis on balance and flavor is mirrored in the photographs of the cocktails — presenting elements I don’t often see in everyday bar drinks, like delicate layers and thoughtful garnishes.

The book offers its recipes without judgment, only inspiration. It’s straightforward, unpretentious tone provides confidence even to the most novice mixers. Eager to dive in, I looked for a recipe that matched what I had on hand. I settled on the Berry Slush — a delightful blend of wine (I used red), frozen berries, honey, and mint leaves (I had to make a quick trip to the store for those). I was pleasantly surprised by how filling and refreshing the cocktail felt.
My children enjoy experimenting with cooking and mixing drinks, so I was glad to find the chapter dedicated to mocktails. We had everything we needed to try the Pineapple Ginger Beer. It was delicious on its own, but I couldn’t resist adding a splash of whiskey to mine.
I’m grateful for this book of creative recipes — perfect for entertaining or simply amusing myself with new concoctions. You can also find some recipes for popular southern bites and nibbles in the back of the book to pair with your tasty drink. Cheers!

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Book Review: The Young Runner’s Guide to Nutrition

This review examines Michelle Pettinger’s The Young Runner’s Guide to Nutrition, a thorough resource designed for adolescent runners, with the subtitle How to fuel your body to train smarter, run faster, and recover quicker.

Although the nutritional information presented is not necessarily groundbreaking, Pettinger’s work excels in its presentation and accessibility, particularly for young readers. A key strength of the book lies in its holistic approach, seamlessly integrating discussions of macro and micronutrients with vital topics such as neuroplasticity, bone development, and the management of training stress alongside academic demands and adequate rest. The author effectively employs a spiral learning technique, revisiting essential facts throughout the text to reinforce understanding.

A notable feature is the book’s attention to physiological differences between male and female athletes. Pettinger provides tailored nutritional advice for girls, considering their menstrual cycles. The inclusion of daily meal plans with macro breakdowns and explanations of nutrient timing is particularly valuable. These plans are designed around the typical schedules of student runners, including variations for afternoon practice and race days.

Furthermore, the book addresses the crucial aspect of mental health, focusing on fueling the brain for academic performance and tackling issues such as body image and eating disorders. Rather than dwelling on the problems themselves, Pettinger emphasizes proactive solutions, such as fostering team support, recognizing signs of imbalance, and promoting a healthy team dynamic. A practical section on how to approach someone suspected of having an eating disorder is included.

The text also touches upon the female athlete triad: energy availability, hormonal function, and bone mineral density. Anecdotes from athletes who began training in childhood further illustrate the importance of balancing various factors for optimal athletic and overall well-being.

Pettinger has developed an accompanying curriculum, accessible via a QR code in the book. This curriculum appears to offer user-friendly resources at a reasonable cost. A dedicated chapter on meal prepping, including cooking safety tips and family-friendly recipes, adds further practical value.

Overall, The Young Runner’s Guide to Nutrition is an impressive resource that effectively conveys a wealth of information in a readable and multifaceted manner. Pettinger successfully broadens the scope of “nutrition” to encompass a range of interconnected factors crucial for young athletes.

While this book focuses on the specific needs of runners, it prompts consideration for similar guides tailored to other types of athletes or even non-athletes seeking to enhance their mental energy.

For more information click here

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Dry January: Mindful drinking tips & healthy mocktails from a functional doctor

To stay healthy and mentally sharp, you should embrace a Dry January this year, says Dr. Stacie J. Stephenson, bestselling author of Glow: 90 Days to Create Your Vibrant Life from Within and a recognized leader in functional and integrative medicine.

Alcohol is damaging to the brain and excessive drinking can lead to irregular heart rhythms, coined as “holiday heart syndrome”. Immune function and liver function can be affected, as well as your mental health. Add in the extra calories and sugar from drinks with very little nutrition, and the advice is clear: make every decision to drink a purposeful and considered decision.

Taking a month off for Dry January can significantly improve your cognitive functioning, memory, and sleep quality. Dry January reshapes your cravings for alcohol, changes your neurotransmitter levels, and improves cerebral circulation in areas of the brain that have been impaired by these toxic substances.

Try the Rule of Halves, a moderation technique to cut your vices. Cutting out vices cold-turkey can be tough, so the Rule of Halves starts with 50%: one glass of wine instead of two, a single shot instead of a double. After you’ve adjusted to the new amount, you can cut your vice in half again, then again, etc. until you have eliminated it from your life. Another easy way to cut back is by crafting healthy mocktails, and Dr. Stephenson has plenty of delicious recipes using fresh ingredients:

Mindful Margarita – antioxidant boost of vitamin C from lime and grapefruit, as well as calming, anti-anxiety properties in cilantro
Sweet and Serene Sangria – non-alcoholic red wine, cranberry juice, orange juice, apples, plums, and oranges make this drink burst with vitamin C and other free-radical-wrecking antioxidants, as well as flavonoids like resveratrol that have anti-inflammatory, cholesterol-lowering, blood-sugar-stabilizing, brain-strengthening properties
Guiltless Gin and Tonic – go heavy on the freshly squeezed lime juice, which will dose you with immune-backing vitamin C, as well as calcium and potassium

Apple Ginger Crush – full of soluble fiber (helps keep you regular and bring down cholesterol) and brimming with polyphenols with anti-inflammatory properties

For more information click here

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Frida Kahlo and the Bravest Girl in the World – All for Art

Performances Friday November 10 at 2pm  and 4pm at the Mount Dora Music Hall
Also Saturday November 18 at Broadway United Methodist Church

Frida Kahlo and the Bravest Girl in the World is based on the book of the same name by Laurence Anholt. Share the book with your little ones, then join us for these community performances.

Music by Joe Illick
Libretto by Mark Campbell
Adapted from the book Frida Kahlo and the Bravest Girl in the World by Laurence Anholt
Commissioned by Fort Worth Opera
By arrangement with Barbara Hogenson Agency, Inc.

For more information click here

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THE GERMAN BAKING BOOK

Jürgen Krauss has been called “possibly the best-loved contestant in Great British Baking Show history.” Now, Weldon Owen is pleased to announce Jürgen’s new book THE GERMAN BAKING BOOK: CAKES TARTS, BREADS AND MORE FROM THE BLACK FOREST AND BEYOND (Weldon Owen; Out August 29)- a celebration of German home baking. Readers will learn to make classic German pastries, from apple strudel and stolen to show stopping celebration desserts such as Black Forest cake and “Blushing Maid.” It’s sehr gut!

For more information click here

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DC Scavenger

DC Scavenger is an interactive treasure map spanning seventeen distinct neighborhoods throughout our nation’s capital. If you think you know everything there is to know about Washington, DC—even the most weird, wonderful, and obscure parts of it—get ready to embark on an adventurous discovery of DC’s most hidden gems.

The author and explorer meticulously designed this ambitious hunt for adventurists, foodies, culture enthusiasts, history buffs, and anyone curious about our capital city. Solve the riddles on your own or team up with family and friends to experience Washington, DC in a unique and engaging way. You’ll be amazed by what you discover along the way.

Author JoAnn Hill provides new ways to explore Washington, D.C. neighborhoods, including:

– World-renowned monuments and their lesser-known counterparts
– Innovative artworks promoting activism and celebrating diversity
– Overlooked historical markers
– Architectural oddities

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JoAnn Hill, author of Secret Washington, DC: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure, has affectionately called Washington, DC home for over twenty years. She has written extensively about DC living, its food, and her world travels on her blog dcglobejotters.org and other mediums and publications. Through her writing and research, she shares stories and tips that inspire the insatiably curious traveler. When she’s not writing and exploring, you will find her teaching yoga and barre, indulging in DC’s culinary and theater scenes with her husband, and spending as much time outside as possible being active. She lives in Washington, DC with her husband Thalamus and dog Jackson.

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I’ll Drink to That! Broadway’s Legendary Stars, Classic Shows, and the Cocktails They Inspired

We’d like to propose a toast! Broadway has always raised a glass to celebrate itself, both on-stage and off. I’ll Drink to That! is a celebration of theatrical tradition, a souvenir of magic moments on stage, and a practical guide to make one-of-a-kind craft cocktail recipes inspired by the best of Broadway.

I’ll Drink to That! expertly mixes clever cocktails that pay homage to Broadway shows, such as the Rainbow High from Evita and the Bali Ha’i M’ai T’ai from South Pacific with authentic recipes for drinks that play supporting roles in beloved shows, like the infamous Vodka Stinger from Company, and shakes it up with a history of the cocktail on Broadway, detailed by one of the leading musical theater historians, Laurence Maslon.

Featured throughout are fantastic images, from vintage liquor ads featuring Broadway stars, to profiles of classic shows and the luminaries famed for their effervescence. The specialty cocktails get their own spotlight, photographed by the legendary Broadway photographer Joan Marcus at the iconic Sardi’s restaurant, home to hundreds of opening nights for the past 100 years.

With thirty unique drink recipes ranging from Mame’s Mint Julep to Beetlejuice’s the Dead Thing, and illustrated with a wide range of rare drawings, posters, and advertisements, as well as original glamorous photographs by Joan Marcus, I’ll Drink to That! is the perfect gift for anyone who loves the theater, enjoys an elegant bend of the elbow, and wants to be part of long and bubbly theatrical history.

I’ll Drink to That!

Broadway’s Legendary Stars, Classic Shows, and the Cocktails They Inspired

By Laurence Maslon, Photography by Joan Marcus

Weldon Owen | 7.5 x 0.47 x 9.5 in | 176 pages

Hardcover | $27.99

ISBN:978-1-68188-965-8 | May 23, 2023

About the Author

Laurence Maslon is an arts professor at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, as well as associate chair of the Graduate Acting Program. His most recent book is an updated companion volume to the PBS series Broadway: The American Musical. He is also the host and producer of the weekly radio series, Broadway to Main Street (winner of the 2019 ASCAP Foundation/Deems Taylor Award for Radio Broadcast) on the NPR station WLIW-FM. He edited the two-volume set American Musicals (1927-1969) for Library of America, as well as their Kaufman & Co., Broadway comedies by George S. Kaufman. Other books include the companion book to Come From Away, Broadway to Main Street: How Show Music Enchanted America (Oxford), The Sound of Music Companion, and the South Pacific Companion. He is the writer and co-producer of the PBS American Masters documentary, Sammy Davis, Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me, and wrote American Masters documentary Richard Rodgers: The Sweetest Sounds. He served on the nominating committee for the Tony Awards from 2007 to 2010. He has written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Opera News, Stagebill, and American Theatre. Mr. Maslon, otherwise a nice guy, mixes a mean drink.

Joan Marcus is one of the preeminent theatrical photographers working in the US today. Over the past 25 years, she has photographed more than 500 shows on and off Broadway and regionally. A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Joan graduated from George Washington University. In 2014 she received a Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theater.

About Weldon Owen International

Founded in 1984, Weldon Owen International is a high-quality, nonfiction book publisher specializing in producing innovative, richly illustrated lifestyle books in the categories of food and drink, sports and fitness, popular science, craft and design, and popular culture for the global market. Weldon Owen International illustrates great ideas and breaks down complex skills so anyone can learn them, while being entertained and inspired along the way. Weldon Owen is a division of Insight Editions. For more information and inspiration, visit, weldonowen.com.

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The Fresh Eggs Daily Cookbook

Eggs are geting a lot of buzz these days because let’s face it, they are an essential food with unending uses!
Easter brunch season, Passover, Mother’s Day – you name it. Spring is the best time to enjoy eggs! Just ask the wonderfully talented Lisa Steele, dubbed “Queen of the Chicken Coop” by the media.

This fifth-generation chicken keeper, lifestyle expert, and blogger is the authority on raising chickens and the best-selling author of a must-have new book, The Fresh Eggs Daily Cookbook, an Amazon Editor’s Pick with over 100 fabulous recipes!

Lisa is the “Eggspert” to keep on your radar for in-studio live cooking demonstrations. The backdrop of her beautiful farm in Maine is splendid for a spring story!

For over a decade, Lisa has offered her sage advice through the popular blog Fresh Eggs Daily with Lisa Steele, and countless features (The View, Martha Knows Best on HGTV, Wall Street Journal, NPR’s Here & Now and The Splendid Table, and the Hallmark Home & Family Show, to name a few).

Watch as Lisa prepares a recipe from her new cookbook, such as Asparagus and Parmesan Omelet, Fried Egg with Asparagus and Hollandaise, Lemon Blueberry Whoopie Pies, or Deviled Eggs with Avocado Oil and Sage.
Spring go-to recipes for everything from breakfast and brunch staples, like Eggs Benedict and a classic French trifold “omelet,” to breads, sandwiches, beverages, snacks, soups, salads, pasta, cakes, pies, and condiments.
Learn everything you don’t know about eggs—such as what the different labels on grocery store egg cartons mean—and bust some common egg myths.
Discover new and exciting ways to incorporate fresh eggs into your daily cooking and baking repertoire year-round.

For more information click here

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Once Upon a Rind in Hollywood

Celebrate your favorite films with delicious cheese boards, creative charcuterie platters, and movie-themed snack recipes in this punny and tasty cookbook.

Introducing Once Upon a Rind in Hollywood: 50 Movie-Themed Cheese Platters and Snack Boards for Film Fanatics by the Editors of Ulysses Press with food and photographs by Rachel Riederman [ISBN: 9781646044092; $19.95; Ulysses Press; February 2023], a unique full-color cookbook starring 50 different snack board ideas, from timeless cheese boards and charcuterie to candy platters and cocktail pairings, all themed around iconic movies.

Whether you’re streaming an AFI classic or classically bad movie, munchies are a must-have. With gorgeous flat-lay photography for every movie-themed board, Once Upon a Rind in Hollywood outlines what you need to create cheesy cinematic pairings (and even cheesier puns) like:

  • May the Fromage Be with You (Star Wars)
  • Draw Me Like One of Your French Gruyères (Titanic)
  • I’ll Harvarti What She’s Having (When Harry Met Sally)
  • Here’s Looking at You, Curd (Casablanca)
  • Brie-king Dawn (Twilight)
  • Roquefort Horror Picture Show (Rocky Horror Picture Show)
  • and many more!

“If you love movies and you love cheese, this is the book for you,” says food photographer and recipe developer Rachel Riederman. “As you settle in to watch your favorite film, don’t merely serve popcorn, but rather a perfect selection of cheeses, meats, candies, and snacks, all perfectly paired to complement whatever 90- to 180-minute adventure you’re about to embark on.”

What goes better with a Lord of the Rings marathon than a “second breakfast”–inspired spread? Can you even watch Monty Python without shrubbery crudités nearby? Why not a Twilight rewatch with a selection of apple slices and salami rosettes?

For more information click here

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Life and Other Shortcomings by Corie Adams

Life and Other Shortcomings is a collection of linked short stories that takes the reader from New Orleans to New York City to Madrid, and from 1970 to the present day. The women in these twelve stories make a number of different choices: some work, others don’t; some stay married, some get divorced; others never marry at all. Through each character’s intimate journey, specific truths are revealed about what it means to be a woman―in a relationship with another person, in a particular culture and era―and how these conditions ultimately affect her relationship with herself. The stories as a whole depict patriarchy, showing what still might be, but certainly what was, for some women in this country before the #MeToo movement. Both a cautionary tale and a captivating window into women’s lives, Life and Other Shortcomings is required reading for anyone interested in an honest, incisive, and compelling portrayal of the female experience.

For more information click here

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One Hour Comfort by America’s Test Kitchen

Is there anything as satisfying as taking a seat and digging into your favorite comfort food? After all, Americans hold such a special place for feel-good foods and nostalgic childhood dishes that they would even name their kid after their favorite for a lifetime supply of it according to a Farm Rich survey. Thirty-five percent would name their kid “Pizza” for a lifetime supply of it, 28% would name their kid “Mozz Stick” and 27% “Ice Cream.”

While preference of dish might vary, comfort food as a whole encompasses what makes cooking so wonderful. Like a portal to your happy place, it can evoke fond memories of childhood, bring friends and family together around a table, or serve as the perfect addition to a relaxing night in. The downside of cooking when comfort-food cravings strike? Sometimes we don’t have time for the project of cooking our favorite comfort-food meals, causing us to cut corners, settle for less, or avoid the meal entirely.

Our new cookbook One-Hour Comfort offers up 170 favorite feel-good recipes that we’ve reengineered to be done in an hour (or less). There are a few recipes with cooling or chilling times that push them slightly over an hour–but we promise they’re worth it (chocolate cream pies in a jar . . . DEFINITELY worth it!). The book includes helpful hacks that break down how to complete traditionally time-intensive recipes in under an hour. An example of our test cook’s quick (cooking) thinking? Our Hoisin Glazed Meatloaf. Traditional meatloaf takes a long time to bake because of its sheer size. The solution to getting meatloaf on the table in less than an hour is simple: shrink it down to individual-size portions.

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WATERCOLOR SNACKS by Volta Voloshin-Smith

From a syrup-drenched stack of fluffy pancakes and a perfectly golden-brown flaky croissant for breakfast to an overflowing bowl of comforting ramen (complete with egg, meat, mushrooms, and nori sheets!) for dinner and an adorably sweet three-layer frosted strawberry cake for dessert, Watercolor Snacks: Inspiring Lessons for Sketching and Painting Your Favorite Foods [978-1681987156, $24.95, Rocky Nook, July 2021] by Volta Voloshin-Smith details everything needed to create mouthwatering images for every meal of the day.

Perfect for food lovers, beginning artists, and anyone who wants to explore the world of watercolors through easy and accessible prompts and exercises, Watercolor Snacks is a colorful guide that walks you through basic techniques and how to apply them to create beautiful, delicious-looking paintings. Noted artist and instructor Volta Voloshin-Smith shares step-by-step lessons for sketching and painting 35+ foods for breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner, dessert, and drinks.

Voloshin-Smith, who grew up in Moldova during the dissolution of the Soviet Union before moving to the US in 2002, is the founder of Color Snack, her creative agency where she makes ready-made prints and commissions.

“I love painting foods because it’s a way to celebrate people’s culture and create community,” she said. “My favorite part about food is being able to share a meal with someone else. Food brings people together and I try to celebrate that fact and also the ingredients with watercolor illustrations and animations.”

The first of its kind, this book also includes recommended watercolor supplies, basic watercolor techniques, color theory basics, and common watercolor problems and solutions.

Gather your supplies and your favorite snack, and take a bite out of this tasty guide as you create watercolor paintings of your favorite treats!

For more information click here

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