Wabi-Sabi Welcome applies the basic principles of the wabi-sabi aesthetic to modern entertaining. It's about being ! attentive to your guests (listen without being distracted; unplug), creating a welcoming environment (leave the door unlocked; make time to be together), choosing modest decor (dishes and furniture made from materials that endure, such as wood or clay), decorating with nature (with an emphasis on foraged, not store-bought, blooms), finding beauty in imperfections (wrinkled linen napkins, along with a relaxed attitude about late-coming guests), and much more. The book is organised into chapters of five locations - Japan, Denmark, California, France, and Italy - places where the approach to home decor and entertaining best reflects wabi-sabi principles. The book is complete with lush photography and practical checklists.

In this stunning and important work, the prominent critic, poet, and memoirist Sandra M. Gilbert explores our relationship with food and eating through discussions of literature, art, and popular culture. Focusing on contemporary practices, The Culinary Imagination traces the social, aesthetic, and political history of food from myth to modernity, from ancient sources to our current wave of food mania.

What does it mean to transform raw stuff into cooked dishes, which then become part of our own bodies; to savor festive meals yet resolve to renounce gluttony; to act as predators where in another life we might have become prey? Do the rituals of the kitchen have different meanings for men and women, for professional chefs and home cooks? Why, today, do so many of us turn so passionately toward table topics, on the page, online, and on screen? What are the philosophical implications of the food chain on which we all find ourselves?

In The Culinary Imagination, Gilbert addresses these powerful questions through meditations on myths and memoirs, children s books, novels, poems, food blogs, paintings, TV shows, and movies. Discussing figures from Rex Stout to Julia Child and Andy Warhol, from M. F. K. Fisher and Sylvia Plath to Alice Waters and Peter Singer, she analyzes the politics and poetics of our daily bread, investigating our complex self-definitions as producers, consumers, and connoisseurs of food. The result is an ambitious, lively, and learned examination of the ways in which our culture s artists have represented food across a range of genres."

Sharp is a knife skills class in book form and an introduction to the best knives you can buy from all over the world. From a premier knife purveyor and go-to knives expert, this comprehensive guide details the elements of buying and caring for good knives, including sharpening and knife skills. Step-by-step instructions and photography cover a range of techniques with 15 recipes from great chefs-including Stuart Brioza of State Bird Provisions and Melissa Perello of Frances-which feature all the cuts that mark an accomplished cook. Sharply packaged with a textured cover, a foil spine, and more than 150 striking photographs of knifemakers, coveted knives, and beautiful food, this is the cookbook, handbook, and visual journey for anyone wanting to hone their skills in the kitchen.

'The perfect stocking filler for any cat lover.' - Pick Me Up! magazine

20 mouth-watering recipes to cook for your cat at home.

In her latest book, food writer Debora Robertson has created a fun, indulgent book for feline fanatics.

Inspired by her cat, Dixie, she's devised an exciting menu of simple, inexpensive dinners and treats made using readily available ingredients, so they fit easily into your everyday life. With 20 recipes, there is something to tempt even the most finicky of feline palates.

The book is packed full of advice on your marvellous moggy's diet. It begins with a indispensable larder section before guiding you through everyday treats, easy one-pot dinners and delicious dishes for special occasions. Many of the dishes can be made cheaply in batches, and there is advice on how best to feed your cat.

The book includes recipes not only for good general health, but also advice on nutrition for sick or recovering cats. And because play is important, the book also contains simple craft projects, too, including a fishing pole toy, scratching post, indoor kitty garden, catnip mouse, cardboard cat playhouse and cat pillow.

There are also suggestions on making presents for your kitty, as well as tips on training and general good cat behaviour.

Fermentation and the use of micro-organisms is one of the most important aspects of food processing - an industry that is worth billions of US dollars world-wide. Integral to the making of goods ranging from beer and wine to yogurt and bread, it is the common denominator between many of our favorite things to eat and drink. In this updated and expanded second edition of Food, Fermentation, and Micro-organisms, all known food applications of fermentation are examined. Beginning with the science underpinning food fermentations, the author looks at the relevant aspects of microbiology and microbial physiology before covering individual foodstuffs and the role of fermentation in their production, as well as the possibilities that exist for fermentation's future development and application. Many chapters, particularly those on cheese, meat, fish, bread, and yoghurt, now feature expanded content and additional illustrations. Furthermore, a newly included chapter looks at indigenous alcoholic beverages. Food, Fermentation, and Micro-organisms, Second Edition is a comprehensive guide for all food scientists, technologists, and microbiologists working in the food industry and academia today. The book will be an important addition to libraries in food companies, research establishments, and universities where food studies, food science, food technology and microbiology are studied and taught.

Whether you're looking for a classic peperoni pizza or a vegetarian pita pocket, Pizzas and Flatbreads is stuffed full of flavorful recipes to satisfy all your doughy cravings! Featuring international pizza and flatbread recipes for every meal of the day, with recipes for everything from making your own dough to cooking the perfect batch of naan, you're sure to find yourself going back for seconds. Like all the books in the "Art of Entertaining" series Pizzas and Flatbreads offers easy-to-follow recipes and colorful photographs that will help make you the hero of family meals and parties.

An undertaking without parallel or precedent, this monumental two-volume work encapsulates much of what is known of the history of food and nutrition throughout the span of human life on earth. It constitutes a vast and essential chapter in the history of human health and culture. Ranging from the eating habits of our prehistoric ancestors to food-related policy issues we face today, this work covers the full spectrum of foods that have been hunted, gathered, cultivated, and domesticated; their nutritional makeup and uses; and their impact on cultures and demography. It offers a geographical perspective on the history and culture of food and drink and takes up subjects from food fads, prejudices, and taboos to questions of food toxins, additives, labeling, and entitlements. It culminates in a dictionary that identifies and sketches out brief histories of plant foods mentioned in the text--over 1,000 in all--and additionally supplies thousands of common names and synonyms for those foods. The essays in this volume are the work of 220 experts in fifteen countries, in fields from agronomy to zoology. Every chapter is accompanied by bibliographical references. The volumes are organized in the following sections: 1. A determination of what our Paleolithic ancestors ate during their stay on the planet (over 99 percent of the time humankind has lived on earth). 6 chapters 2. An extensive treatment of the domestication and development of each of humankind's staple foods. 60 chapters 3. The history of our dietary liquids from beer through soft drinks to water. 13 chapters 4. Studies on the discovery of vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, and the essential fatty acids along with a look at what they do for us. 37 chapters 5. A history of food and drink for all of the countries in the world. In addition there is a chapter on culinary history. 23 chapters 6. Historical issues involving human health, such as nutrition and mortality decline, height and nutrition, infection and nutrition. 18 chapters 7. Contemporary food-related policy issues are treated in this penultimate section of the work. Examples include chapters on food labeling, food biotechnology and the RDAs. 13 chapters 8. The last section of the work is a food-plant dictionary with over 1,000 entries that emphasize history and usage. The dictionary also includes over 4,000 synonyms for the names of plant food. Here readers well-informed about potatoes or asparagus can learn about lesser-known or strictly regional foods such as ackee or zamia and--among the thousands of synonyms provided--can discover that an aubergine is an eggplant, that "swedes" are rutabagas, and that "bulgar" comes from bulghur, which means "bruised grain."

Explore the wonderful world of vegetables with Vegetables: The Ultimate Cookbook. A celebration of vegetables by chef and farmer Laura Sorkin. Learn about where specific vegetables originated, which countries produce the largest amount of radishes, how to select the best avocado, ways to use jicama, and more. With this book on hand, it's easy to delight all tastes by making vegetables the star of any dish. Inside you'll find: - 300+ easy-to-follow recipes, including options for snacks, salads, soups, stews, side dishes, and entrees - A heavily illustrated A-Z of over 50 vegetables comprised of the author's expertise as both a chef and farmer - Mouthwatering photography, archival imagery, and colorful original illustrations - Recipes for essential ingredients, including stocks, pastas and noodles, dumpling wrappers, and condiments - Thoughtful analysis of various farming methods Laura Sorkin was born in New York City and grew up in Connecticut. She has a BA from McGill University, a Culinary degree from the French Culinary Institute, and a Masters of Environmental Management from Duke University. She ran an organic vegetable farm for over 15 years and has been co-owner of Runamok Maple since 2009. Laura has written for Edible Green Mountains, Kids VT, Seven Days, Modern Farmer, Local Banquet, Northern Woodlands, and Better Homes and Gardens. She lives in northwestern Vermont with her husband and two children.

Bestselling Australian slow-cooker cookbook series Over 150,000 copies sold A book for every parent who wants to be free from mealtime tussles with their kids! 'Amazing books, they get used at least 5 times a week sometimes more' 'I was hooked from the first book. Slow cooking has changed my life' 'I am a cookbook junkie and have not bought another cook book since I purchased all three Slow Cooker Central books' From the trusted bestselling Slow Cooker Central series comes a book packed with more than 200 recipes that your kids will love to eat and are simple enough for them to help cook! How do we know that? Because these are recipes from real mums and dads, who've road-tested these dishes in their own families, with their own kids. With so many recipes to choose from, you don't need to cook the same old boring meals week in week out - you can try something new with the confidence that there will be smiling faces and happy tummies at the table.

Escape to the coast with this delicious collection of short stories and beach-hut inspired recipes from Sunday Times bestselling author Veronica Henry - the perfect summer treat! **** 'Beach bliss! A delicious combination of food and fiction' SARAH MORGAN 'The essential accompaniment to summer. A pure delight of a book!' MILLY JOHNSON 'The perfect book to take on beachside holiday or a weekend away' CRESSIDA MCLAUGHLIN On a shimmering summer's day, the waves are calling, the picnic basket is packed, and change is in the air. It's just the start of an eventful day for a cast of holidaymakers: over one day, sparks will fly, the tide will bring in old faces and new temptations, a proposal is planned, and an unexpected romance simmers... This uplifting collection of eight original short stories and over fifty delicious recipes will transport you to the golden sands of Everdene for a perfect day at the beach hut, wherever you are. **** Your favourite authors love to escape with Veronica Henry's feel-good stories! 'As uplifting as summer sunshine' SARAH MORGAN 'A delicious treat of a book' MILLY JOHNSON 'An utter delight' JILL MANSELL 'Truly blissful escapism' LUCY DIAMOND 'A heartwarming story combined with Veronica's sublime writing' CATHY BRAMLEY

A deliciously different travelogue

In 2005, Cathy and Jason threw in successful careers as TV presenters and producers to become olive farmers in Italy. With their one year old daughter and Italian dictionary in tow, they found themselves in the middle of a European nowhere untouched by modernity.

They were on a steep learning curve in more-or-less everything finding out how to prune an olive tree so that a sparrow can pass through its branches, learning what beauty products are de rigeur in the changing rooms of a local Italian football team, being trained, by a local Italian choir, how to sing in English but with an Italian accent and learning the rigorous rules of when one is allowed to consume a cappuccino. Armed with their indefatigable love of food, they headed off many a potentially tricky situation by cooking their way out of it, a sure route to the heart of any Italian.

They discover that olive farming is dominated by the big boys and desperate to turn their new home into a way of making a living they cast around for ideas of how they can do so. A flash of inspiration led them to launch an 'Adopt-an-Olive-Tree' scheme. For a fee buyers could adopt a tree, receive produce from it and even go and visit it to give it a hug. The scheme became hugely popular with trees selling out way ahead of expectations. A contract with Selfridges followed and suddenly Cathy and Jason's dream is realised. Or nearly anyway. It's a hard slog and they meet every challenge with fortitude and humour but what they hadn't expected was that the biggest challenge would be the quiet of the countryside. Soon they find themselves hankering for the sounds and stench of the city and facing a difficult decision on what they should do next."