Cookbook Inspiration Quotes

Don't use yesterday's state of mind, to make today's decision.

If you’re going to get comfortable, baby, find comfort in your gratitude.

the more you understand how worthy you are, the more likely you’ll find your strength again.

be kind. People are just happy to be alive. Our kindness fuels their gratitude, and hopefully our own.

Despite what anybody may have to say to you or about you today, you are enough. Yesterday, you were enough. Today, you are enough. Tomorrow, you’ll be enough. Forever, you’re enough. Change the way you think, baby. Don’t give control over your life, your self-perception, to people who have no business having that kind of power.

You never know whose chains you’ll unlock by having the courage to tell your truth, and you may even unlock your own.

I encourage you to take time to focus on your relationship with the Creator, if you want to, and I’ll work on mine. Because that right there is all our business.

Work on your dash, honey. You know . . . that line between the year of your birth and the year of your death that shows up on the tombstone

remember, the same day we plant our seeds is not the same day we eat the fruit.

We are all capable of so much more than we allow ourselves to be... So let’s hit reset. Let's begin anew the process of stepping into that person we always wanted, and deserve, to be.

love the Lord. I am a Christian. But I’m definitely not religious. I see how religion, particularly as an institution, has caused all kinds of separation between people who need each other.

If you are having second and third thoughts about someone, it’s probably good to not have a fourth one.

You are the only person who knows how you feel.

sometimes an interruption is a sign that something needs to be tended to. So if it requires my energy and time in order to make room for peace within, then I handle it as it comes.

Listen to the wisdom around, no matter what form it takes.

Fear tainted my thoughts. Made me think I couldn’t be successful being myself.

when everything and everyone is telling you that you can’t do something, there’s still a way. When you feel like you’ve tried everything, there’s still a way.

Sometimes as we grow, we will inevitably shed some folk naturally from our lives. But losing them isn’t going to stunt your growth. Nope, not one single bit. You’re going to keep growing.

This degree that life gives you is everything, honey. And you can use it anywhere. Life will give you a master’s, maybe even a doctorate, in whatever that thing is you’re doing right now. Use that. Use your life experiences, okay? Let your life experiences make room for your dreams.

Living the artist’s life, it turns out, is full of surprises. Yes, it is about being sensitive to beauty, about creating exquisite objects and developing a critical eye and drawing inspiration from the rich tapestry of the surrounding world. In some intriguing and evocative way, it is also about delving into the very depths of human perception, into the wellspring of consciousness itself, and living to tell about it. And for John and me, it has also always been about the planning, preparation, and enjoyment of good food. Sixty years later, we’re still following that path.

Find your lane, baby. I’ve seen highways with six, sometimes eight lanes. If everyone is going the same way, then everyone is going to pick a lane and ride in it. Yes, depending on the lane chosen, some folks are going to get there a little bit quicker and some are going to take their time. But we’re all on the same road. You don’t have to do everything just like somebody else to be successful. Figure out your own way and be alright with getting off on a different exit, your exit.

there will be folks around you trying to convince you that you are crazy. Or they’ll say it’s the devil. They told Jesus the same thing, you know. He’s healing people and working miracles and those daggone church folks claim he’s doing it by the power of the devil. So if people did it to him, they’ll do it to you.

Feeling inspired, I grabbed one of Jay’s cookbooks from the kitchen shelf and flicked through until I found a recipe for something I recognised. Lasagna. That was just pasta, and pasta was easy, right? Trying not to be put off by the list of ingredients longer than my small intestine, I scanned the instructions. Chop onions… I could do that. Brown mince…trickier but manageable. Probably. Make a roux in the usual way… I sighed, shut the book with a snap and went off to make dinner in my usual way: pierce film; bung in microwave; wait for bell.

Have I added to their building blocks, shoring them up with strength and their own magnificence? Have I shown them enough color? Did I let them have enough ice cream and leave them alone enough without my anxieties? How can we know which is the right way? We have to go with our inner instincts and the feeling in our bones. But I can contribute to their growing cells, show them some foods that are better than others, walk with them, and encourage their own tastes. I can teach them to love and appreciate food, help them treat their bodies like gold, listen to them wanting more or less. The rest I have to trust.

And to all those out there who feel stuck, lost, in a rut, or just unable to transcend habits or behaviors that no longer serve you, understand that we are with you. You are all an integral and vital part of this movement. Keep rising. We are with you in each breath and in every moment. This book is for you.

And to all those out there who feel stuck, lost, in a rut, or just unable to transcend habits or behaviors that no longer serve you, understand that we are with you. You are all an integral and vital part of this movement. Keep rising. We are with you in each breath and in every moment. This book is for you.

Perhaps it’ll give me an idea for the perfect main course. What do you think of roasted goat?” “After witnessing its beheading or before?” she asked, looking like she was moments away from vomiting. “You do know that’s what cookbooks are for, correct? Inspiration without the labor. Or carnage. I swear you miss being surrounded by death.

whenever I’m in a traffic jam I assume God has placed me there to have some alone time with Him.

I know who I am. I know I’m not the problem.

rapper and entrepreneur Nipsey Hussle once said, and it rings true: If your circle does not serve you or does not make you better, you ain’t in a circle—you’re in a cage.

let us acknowledge that our true self is enough, and stop it. You’ll probably be more productive that way. And you’ll definitely feel free.

Go to the root of your hurt so you can stop dumping your pain on people you don’t know on the internet.

It was never my job to make anybody else feel comfortable about my life. This is my life. Your life is yours.

Let ketchup do its job. And don't make "house-made ketchup" either. Why would you do that? If it's not broken, as they say, why the fuck would you fix it?

I hope this book will inspire the kitchen con-artist in you, increase fruit and veggie consumption in your family, and motivate you to become an Accidental Cook. Pass it on!

Don't just live your life, set it on fire!

Honey, remember, the same day we plant our seeds is not the same day we eat the fruit. It takes time before the harvest comes.

Drink as soon as you hear the orcs approaching in the distance.

Eat like you love your body...not like you hate it.

Delicious, nutritious recipes inspired by a plant based diet. Amazing clean and light feeling foods. All recipes are… Vegan, Gluten Free, Low Sugar, Guilt Free with a variety of raw recipes

I have started to see poetry in the strangest of things: from the roughest nub of nutmeg to the pale parsnip seamed with soil. And this has made me wonder if I can write a cookery book that includes the truth and beauty of poetry. Why should the culinary arts not include poetry? Why should a recipe book not be a thing of beauty? My thoughts come quickly and smoothly in the solitude of the kitchen, and as I beat the eggs I find myself comparing the process of following a recipe to that of writing a poem. Fruit, herbs, spices, eggs, cream: these are my words and I must combine them in such a way they produce something to delight the palate. Exactly as a poem should fall upon the ears of its readers, charming or moving them. I must coax the flavors from my ingredients, as a poet coaxes mood and meaning from his words.

takes a lot of time, patience, and love to forgive, so definitely do it when the time is right. But please do it. The pain you are holding in your heart because of it is keeping you from your most amazing life.

be your own person. No one can live for you. Choose freedom. Choose to be yourself no matter who likes it or who doesn’t. You can still be loving to people. You can love people and still demand respect for yourself.

This may have looked like a cookbook, but what it really is is an annotated list of things worth living for: a manifesto of moments worth living for. Dinner parties, and Saturday afternoons in the kitchen, and lazy breakfasts, and picnics on the heath; evenings alone with a bowl of soup, a or a heavy pot of clams for one. The bright clean song of lime and salt, and the smoky hum of caramel-edged onions. Soft goat's cheese and crisp pastry. A six-hour ragù simmering on the stove, a glass of wine in your hand. Moments, hours, mornings, afternoons, days. And days worth living for add up to weeks, and weeks worth living for add up to months, and so on and so on, until you've unexpectedly built yourself a life worth having: a life worth living.

Exchanging life with Jesus Christ as taught by Jesus and His designated witnesses is not following a set of laws, rules, codes, principles, disciplines, scripts or cookbook formulas in our own power in an attempt to be like Jesus. Exchanging life with Jesus is not us giving imitation performances with our own acting abilities of what we think Jesus would be or do. Exchanging life with Jesus is Jesus giving repeat performances of His life in anyone who allows Jesus to do so. Jesus then lives out the supernatural performance of His Life in and through their lives.

Can we train ourselves to be a good partner in a relationship? A good business partner? Can we train ourselves to do better at managing our finances? Absolutely. Honey, you can always be the best version of yourself if you put the time in. But if you are getting into these relationships with whoever comes your way and still not developing yourself, you are going to fail every time. Focusing on readying yourself will also give you the discernment to recognize who might be the right partner in the first place. I don’t want you to lose the fight, honey, so stay out of the ring until you’re ready to be there.

Recipe for a Perfect Wife, the Novel INGREDIENTS 3 cups editors extraordinaire: Maya Ziv, Lara Hinchberger, Helen Smith 2 cups agent-I-couldn’t-do-this-without: Carolyn Forde (and the Transatlantic Literary Agency) 1½ cup highly skilled publishing teams: Dutton US, Penguin Random House Canada (Viking) 1 cup PR and marketing wizards: Kathleen Carter (Kathleen Carter Communications), Ruta Liormonas, Elina Vaysbeyn, Maria Whelan, Claire Zaya 1 cup women of writing coven: Marissa Stapley, Jennifer Robson, Kate Hilton, Chantel Guertin, Kerry Clare, Liz Renzetti ½ cup author-friends-who-keep-me-sane: Mary Kubica, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Amy E. Reichert, Colleen Oakley, Rachel Goodman, Hannah Mary McKinnon, Rosey Lim ½ cup friends-with-talents-I-do-not-have: Dr. Kendra Newell, Claire Tansey ¼ cup original creators of the Karma Brown Fan Club: my family and friends, including my late grandmother Miriam Christie, who inspired Miriam Claussen; my mom, who is a spectacular cook and mother; and my dad, for being the wonderful feminist he is 1 tablespoon of the inner circle: Adam and Addison, the loves of my life ½ tablespoon book bloggers, bookstagrammers, authors, and readers: including Andrea Katz, Jenny O’Regan, Pamela Klinger-Horn, Melissa Amster, Susan Peterson, Kristy Barrett, Lisa Steinke, Liz Fenton 1 teaspoon vintage cookbooks: particularly the Purity Cookbook, for the spark of inspiration 1 teaspoon loyal Labradoodle: Fred Licorice Brown, furry writing companion Dash of Google: so I could visit the 1950s without a time machine METHOD: Combine all ingredients into a Scrivener file, making sure to hit Save after each addition.

The Enchanted Broccoli Forest. Oh, what a pleasure that was! Mollie Katzen's handwritten and illustrated recipes that recalled some glorious time in upstate New York when a girl with an appetite could work at a funky vegetarian restaurant and jot down some tasty favorites between shifts. That one had the Pumpkin Tureen soup that Margo had made so many times when she first got the book. She loved the cheesy onion soup served from a pumpkin with a hot dash of horseradish and rye croutons. And the Cardamom Coffee Cake, full of butter, real vanilla, and rich brown sugar, said to be a favorite at the restaurant, where Margo loved to imagine the patrons picking up extras to take back to their green, grassy, shady farmhouses dotted along winding country roads. Linda's Kitchen by Linda McCartney, Paul's first wife, the vegetarian cookbook that had initially spurred her yearlong attempt at vegetarianism (with cheese and eggs, thank you very much) right after college. Margo used to have to drag Calvin into such phases and had finally lured him in by saying that surely anything Paul would eat was good enough for them. Because of Linda's Kitchen, Margo had dived into the world of textured vegetable protein instead of meat, and tons of soups, including a very good watercress, which she never would have tried without Linda's inspiration. It had also inspired her to get a gorgeous, long marble-topped island for prep work. Sometimes she only cooked for the aesthetic pleasure of the gleaming marble topped with rustic pottery containing bright fresh veggies, chopped to perfection. Then Bistro Cooking by Patricia Wells caught her eye, and she took it down. Some pages were stuck together from previous cooking nights, but the one she turned to, the most splattered of all, was the one for Onion Soup au Gratin, the recipe that had taught her the importance of cheese quality. No mozzarella or broken string cheeses with- maybe- a little lacy Swiss thrown on. And definitely none of the "fat-free" cheese that she'd tried in order to give Calvin a rich dish without the cholesterol. No, for this to be great, you needed a good, aged, nutty Gruyère from what you couldn't help but imagine as the green grassy Alps of Switzerland, where the cows grazed lazily under a cheerful children's-book blue sky with puffy white clouds. Good Gruyère was blocked into rind-covered rounds and aged in caves before being shipped fresh to the USA with a whisper of fairy-tale clouds still lingering over it. There was a cheese shop downtown that sold the best she'd ever had. She'd tried it one afternoon when she was avoiding returning home. A spunky girl in a visor and an apron had perked up as she walked by the counter, saying, "Cheese can change your life!" The charm of her youthful innocence would have been enough to be cheered by, but the sample she handed out really did it. The taste was beyond delicious. It was good alone, but it cried out for ham or turkey or a rich beefy broth with deep caramelized onions for soup.

Those who were leaving this world seemed to have the ability to see beauty restored to them. What most others overlook, the dying were able to see. The dewdrops on the spiderweb, the beauty of a mother’s scribbled notes in an old cookbook, the scent of damp earth after a rain – the dying understand that these tiny sensory experiences are what life is made of. Each moment is a precious doorway to experience love, curiosity, awe, reverence, hope, connection

She gave me inspiration for my restaurant business I continued later as McHalumi and the reason for this book to appear - to pass the knowledge gathered from ayurvedic cooking classes.

Okinawa-Inspired Smoothie I’ve been experimenting with a recipe for a delectable bright-purple smoothie that tastes like you are drinking a pumpkin pie. The sweet potato gives it an especially silky-smooth texture. There are a lot more recipes to come in my forthcoming The How Not to Age Cookbook, but to whet your appetite:

Your dream is like your baby. When you first conceive, it’s important to get through the first trimester. However, just like with an actual baby, if you try to give birth in that first trimester, you will likely lose the dream. And yes, a baby can be born in the second trimester, but the complications are high and survival rates are low. The best outcome is for the baby—and your dream—to develop to full term before delivery. Give that dream time to develop.

know you want it really bad. That dream is burning in your heart and you are ready to do all the things. The problem is, you don’t know what you’re doing. You’re off to the races but don’t know anything about running. Slow down, baby. Do the research. Ask questions. It’s okay to take your time. This journey, this life, is not a sprint. Success is not a sprint; it’s a marathon. The culture tells you to rush. To hurry up and get it done, whatever it is. But Tab is telling you to take your time. Take a minute or more to figure out what you’re doing. Get you a mentor. Watch some videos. Honey, read some books. Spend the time right now to get what you need, in order to see everything you’ve longed for come to pass.

There are some things in our lives we just spend too much time on. It’s time to let it go. I don’t care what it is. If you’re stressing over it, then you probably need to be still for a pair of seconds or maybe even part ways with it. You’ve been praying and worrying all at the same time, and that doesn’t make much sense, does it? You’ve spent enough time on a situation that probably won’t matter in the long run, alright? Very good. And here’s the thing about time: It will not wait for you. You only have 24 hours in a day, 7 days in a week, and 365 days in a year. All the time you spent worrying about something you have no control over could have been spent working toward your dream. If the situation is not serving you, honey, let it go. Whatever they said, they can’t take it back and you can’t erase it. Don’t waste your time on things that aren’t serving you.

I blew more time trying to be skinny. I worked out to be thin, never to be healthy. And my body eventually let me know just how that was working out for me. Now, don’t get me wrong. It’s okay to want to look good. But when the external supersedes the internal, you have a problem. If the only reason you are working out is to look better, that’s a problem.

You deserve to know yourself. You deserve to love on yourself. Take yourself out. If you feel good about being with you then you can trust that the right person or people will feel good around you. You’ll also prevent yourself from falling for some foolishness. When you don’t know yourself, or what you like, you’ll fall for anything. We’re not doing that anymore, okay?

Let’s choose joy and love. Let’s choose peace. And then once we’ve got it for ourselves, let’s spread it around. So, let go of trying to fit in. Let go of trying to please other people over yourself. You are an original creation. It’s okay to be whoever God created you to be. There’s nothing better than originality. When I let go of the old Tab, a weight was lifted. I thought, You mean to tell me all these years I was trying to fit in, trying to look and be and talk like other people, I was keeping myself from being free? Yep!

Let me share this with you: You can have some amazing mentors in your life. You can follow all the awesome influencers out there and they can certainly offer you guidance and inspiration in your decision-making and ideas. But you should never allow a person to influence you so much that you lose yourself in the process. Influence is just that: influence. It does not mean you have to be that person. It does not mean you have to do exactly what they’ve done. Your journey is unique to you.

There is something within some people that’s broken and scared, but I don’t have to carry that.

her capacity, the wisdom that she imparted to me my whole childhood, wasn’t diminished a single bit by her deafness—no matter to what degree it actually existed in my imagination.

I know what society says. I know what the culture demands. But at what point are we going to get off that ride?

Be careful about praying for more without praying that you are ready for it when more comes!

But here’s the real catch: If you don’t have empathy, you might be quick to respond to that person with the same energy they’re giving. Then it becomes a never-ending circle of toxic communication.

know that returning negative energy to someone who is already sitting deep in it won’t change them or me. It will only put more negative energy into the world.

I never thought about food like that, but it makes sense. You aren't a different person when you read versus when you eat or do anything else----everything in us does intersect, I guess..." Cecilia's voice drifted away as she thought, and a blush suffused her face. "Put it that way, I see why I eat terribly. I love American teenage food, and it fits with my soft spot for eighties teen movies. You know, Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink... I even dress like that when I feel sad. Austen's much more intellectual." "That's Jane. If it makes you feel better, I read only cookbooks, and they really shouldn't count as real books." I thought for a moment. "But I never forget a food reference." "Never?" I shrugged. "It's a gift." "Sixteen Candles?" "The cake, of course. Oh, but there's that quiche dinner too. See? Sixteen Candles and Dickens---all about breakfast." "Under the Tuscan Sun?" "Never read it, but I'm assuming a ton of Italian?" "That was obvious." Cecilia smiled. "What's your favorite food reference?" "I've got two. I think the best opening line in literature is Peter Mayle's A Year in Provence. 'The year began with lunch.' All books and all years should begin that way." "And the other?" "Coldtonguecoldhamcoldbeefpickledgherkinssaladfrenchrollscressandwichespottedmeatgingerbeerlemonadesodawater-----" "That's too much!" She laughed. "That's exactly what Mole said. But Rat said, 'It's only what I always take on these little excursions, and the other animals are always telling me that I'm a mean beast and cut it VERY fine!'" I grinned. "I love that line." "What's that even from?" "The Wind in the Willows. It's the best picnic ever.

I know people who won’t even go to the gym and work out unless they have someone with them. They want a workout partner, which is fine, but if they don’t have one, they just don’t go to the gym. Why is it okay to sacrifice your fitness goals because you are afraid to enter the building alone? No, honey. That’s not the way.

There are going to be parts of your journey that will require you to go it alone. Everyone can’t go with you. In fact, I’d argue that there are things that must be done on your own or you’ll never see the fullness of it. You’ll never get it done.

I know how it feels to feel stuck. It’s uncomfortable. But there’s also a discomfort that comes when God has been trying to move you and you won’t move. He’ll make you uncomfortable until you get forced to move. He did that to me many times as well. Don’t wait until things get so bad that God has to make you so uncomfortable just to push you out of your comfort zone. Take those steps yourself. Be ready to take your leaps of faith. Trust yourself. Trust that gut, that feeling deep down on the inside. It’s there. That’s our gift. And remember, wherever you are, it’s only temporary.

Our grandparents, mothers, and fathers often do a phenomenal job in holding us together. But when God calls them home, that doesn’t mean the family should be scattered and divided. We are supposed to try to do our best to stick together and love each other, just like they taught us.

Let’s get back to loving each other. Not from a distance. I mean up close. Let’s go see each other. Check on each other. Sometimes I think that’s all we need. Let’s tap into the spirits of our grandmas and great-grandmas, our granddaddies, aunts, and uncles. It feels good when you have family, and it feels even better when you’re together. There’s somebody out there who doesn’t have family. Who has to create one, not because they are far away like me, but because they literally don’t have anyone left. They are wishing they had someone they could call. So think about that, alright? Even if they cut up and act a fool sometimes, they are still your family, and you are a part of them. Go fix that thing.

at one point in time, that tradition, that way of doing things, was new, too. Whoever created the traditional way of doing [fill in the blank] was an innovator. So what’s stopping you from innovating, too?

Look at you not needing measurements and things. Cooking by the spirit is the only way, honey.

Whenever you find yourself focused on things that aren’t suited for you or holding on to things you clearly need to let go, it’s time to have an honest conversation with yourself. Who am I trying to be? Why do I resist being myself? I’m claiming that I’m “doing me,” but am I really? Love yourself first. Then you can go out and give other people love. Then you will know how to be loved. That might be why your relationships don’t work. Maybe every time you engage with someone, it fails because you don’t love yourself. You can’t teach them how to love you because you don’t know what that even entails. What does it mean to love you? You might be feeling lonely and praying that God sends you a partner, a lover. Well, the way you get there is learning how to partner with yourself. Be your own lover. Get to know you. Figure out what you love and like, so when somebody comes around and they are potentially that special one, you’ll be able to tell them what you need. If somebody asks you, “What you like to do?” and your answer is “I don’t know,” that’s your sign.

We know that death and life are in the power of the tongue, and yet we use our words to put people who are different from us, or who don’t believe the way we believe, in a kind of bondage. I’ve seen this happen, especially with the LGBTQIA+ community. Some families who have children or family members who are LGBTQIA+ have this notion that these beautiful humans are not okay and are constantly telling them that they are living in sin or going to hell, or that something is wrong with them. That is just not right. I’ve met so many children and adults whose family have turned their backs on them for simply existing. People who have been rejected because of who they are, for being the way that God created them. Honey, just because someone is different from you does not make them wrong. It just simply makes them different. We are all different, and we should all be able to live our lives as we feel we were created to live it, without judgment, without hate being spewed at us, and without worry about whether a family member—someone who claims to love us—will turn on us. Turning your back on anyone is not an action rooted in love.

day by day, I stripped off all the stuff that wasn’t me. And honey, no wonder I was so sick. Tab was being suffocated. The true me was being smothered by the false mask I was wearing. Layers of other people, other voices, and other personalities that I’d accumulated while seeking validation came off. All the ways I was trying to fit in and be accepted were released. No wonder I was exhausted. It was tiring being someone else.

Let us stop destroying our little boys’ emotional lives by preventing them from being able to express themselves.

if you keep fighting those natural emotions, rest assured they will eventually fight against you.

When you know your name, you should hang on to it, for unless it is noted down and remembered, it will die when you do.” —Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon

Baked

As a lone star in the vast universe, being single illuminates the night sky, reminding us that our uniqueness is the brightest guide.

GORGONZOLA & CANNELLINI DIP WITH A TRICOLORE FLOURISH I LOVE THIS COMBINATION OF BLUE CHEESE AND WHITE BEANS, but I have to say its gorgeousness is due in no small part to the mascarpone and Marsala that add creaminess of texture and smoky depth of tone respectively. I like this dip to have real tang: I need to feel that burning, blue-cheese buzz.

I have never aspired to be the greatest cook, but rather the greatest at inspiring others to cook. I believe the best way to do that is to make cooking approachable to all - with unpretentious recipes and delicious results, people are hooked. I hope my cookbooks are the ones covered in chocolate fingerprints with oil splatters and crinkled pages. The ones that never make it onto the bookshelf in the living room as they are tucked safely in the kitchen.

Right now in Harlem, for every bank and chicken wing franchise joint, there is a small business owner who has spent a decade trying to figure out how to cater to a neighborhood he has fallen in love with. For every man or woman who has succumbed to that spell, I want to tell them: Go for it, do it. I want to pass the word like gospel. Let me tell you something: Right now in Harlem authorship is on the move. This is ours, we tell each other. We have made it, chopped it, cooked it, played it. This is our story. Gordon Parks, photographer, musicians, writer, film director paved a way for us. Bear witness, he told us. That was his gift to the neighborhood. Whatever goes down, whatever turns up - make food and music and dance and story out of it. Right now and since forever, the world keeps telling us there's only room for one: Serena and that's it. Toni and that's it. I wonder if they can hear Harlem across the divide. Come one, come all. That's how we wrestle with urban renewal, black removal. The church ladies know this, and so do the hustlers. Right now in Harlem, we don't shy away from the ugly; we don't bow our heads to what's beautiful. We just keep asking, how does all this new s**t fit with the old? Right now in Harlem there's room; there's hope; there's inspiration; there's good food. I may not be able to explain the magic, but it is there. To be in Harlem and make it takes luck, but nobody told me different. One thing is certain, wherever you are, you should come to Harlem - right now.

is cooked

Regardless of which world you choose to cook from, the recipes in this cookbook are a fun and delicious way for you and your family to transport yourselves alongside Katniss, Peeta, and Gale while they fight for their freedom—and the right to a full stomach. Enjoy!

BEEF STRIPS FROM THE BACKPACK Katniss finds beef jerky in the backpack that she grabs at the beginning of the 74th Hunger Games. This dried meat reinforces the fact that Katniss hasn’t been able to find any water and feels pretty dried up herself. (The Hunger Games, Chapter 11) Yields

PLUTARCH HEAVENSBEE’S ROASTED SUCKLING PIG SURPRISE One

95 percent of us are not even getting the minimum recommended amount of fiber in our diets...We are the mot fiber-deprived society of the modern era, and there are no signs of that letting up.

Butter Cookies. (The Hunger Games, Chapter 4) Yields 1 dozen cookies 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter 1 cup granulated sugar, plus more for kneading dough 1⁄2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1 large egg yolk 2 cups all-purpose flour

But I do not believe that guilt and shame is the way to bring people closer to God.

When. you stress, you live less.

When you stress, you live less.

If you don't eat your vegetables, you will be a vegetable.

Educate a woman to cook and you educate a family to cook.

Ah, summer! The season when worry steps aside, delight takes over, and every day is as good as the amount of time spent outdoors. It's a chance to swim past the breakers, take outdoor showers, hold court from a pool float, or rely on nothing but your wits, a pineapple, rum, and a blender to make the most of an afternoon. When the only imperative is to unwind, unplug, and open up to a day of possibilities, you know you're going to have fun.

We hope to inspire a communal kitchen, where one person makes the salad, another readies the grill, others set the table, more run to the fish shop, and someone dozes off on the beach and emerges around dessert time with renewed enthusiasm for margarita making. (That's an important role, too.)

... or literally stake your claim with a tiki-torch perimeter (aggressive, but effective).

10. maritime mail service When you're keen on sending a message in a bottle but dubious about the delivery mechanism, consider the following factors from science-minded seafarers: choose a dark bottle, roll the message inward to avoid the ink fading in the sun, drop the bottle in a place with a steady current, and wait a loooooong time. (As of this book's publication, the world's oldest message in a bottle was discovered 132 years after it was sent.) Is this the wrong time to mention that the greatest predictor of survival is hope?

5. not-so-magic hour The most flattering light for vacation photos is the golden glow just before sunset or right after sunrise, and the most unflattering is, undoubtedly, the full-strength glaring sun. Make the best of a bright situation by seeking the softer light created by the shade of a beach umbrella, cabana, lifeguard tower, or tall lifeguard. If there's no shade in sight and you're truly committed, ask your subject to face their own shadow, and angle a boogie board to bounce light on their face. Or just ask everyone to close their eyes and look down, then, on the count of three, look up and say "Pina colada." Smiles, guaranteed.

3. burn, baby, margarita burn Avoid phytophotodermatitis, aka margarita burn, aka what happens when you gallantly make lots of gin and tonics on a sailboat, inadvertently squeeze citric acid on your skin, and spend the day in the sun, inviting a low-grade chemical burn. You can skip this very specific seasonal hazard by always washing your hands after playing beach bartender.