The secret to the best barbecue from the man who barbecues the best: Keep it simple
In the world of competitive barbecue, nobody's won more prize money, more trophies, or more adulation than Myron Mixon. And he comes by it honestly: From the time he was old enough to stoke a pit, Mixon learned the art of barbecue at his father's side. He grew up to expand his parent's sauce business, Jack's Old South, and in the process became the leader of the winningest team in competitive barbecue. It's Mixon's combination of killer instinct and killer recipes that has led him to three world championships and more than 180 grand championships and made him the breakout star of TLC's "BBQ Pitmasters. "
Now, for the first time, Mixon's stepping out from behind his rig to teach you how he does it. Rule number one: People always try to overthink barbecue and make it complicated. Don't do it Mixon will show you how you can apply his "keep it simple" mantra in your own backyard. He'll take you to the front lines of barbecue and teach you how to turn out 'cue like a seasoned pro. You'll learn to cook like Mixon does when he's on the road competing and when he's at home, with great tips on
- the basics, from choosing the right wood to getting the best smoker or grill
- the formulas for the marinades, rubs, injections, and sauces you'll need
- the perfect ways to cook up hog, ribs, brisket, and chicken, including Mixon's famous Cupcake Chicken
Mixon shares more than 75 of his award-winning recipes--including one for the most sinful burger you'll ever eat--and advice that will end any anxiety""over cooking times and temps and change your backyard barbecues forever. He also fills you in on how he rose to the top of the competitive barbecue universe and his secrets for succulent success. Complete with mouth-watering photos, "Smokin' with Myron Mixon" will fire you up for a tasty time.

It was a beautiful fall day in Connecticut when Colleen Alexander, a lifelong competitive athlete, rode her bike home from work, having just learned her job with the nonprofit PeaceJam was secure. She had survived a diagnosis of lupus and brain surgery that almost took her life, and was married at last to the love of her life, Sean. Life was good as she met the eyes of a truck driver rolling up to the stop sign beside her.

He didn't stop.

The truck hit Colleen, running over her lower body with front and back tires and dragging her across the pavement. As she bled out in the street, nearby stranger surrounded her and the driver attempted to get away. An EMT herself, Colleen knew she had to stay awake. "I've just been reconnected with my soulmate," she told the medic. "We want to have a baby. I can't die now. Please don't let me die." Colleen spent five weeks in a coma and had 29 surgeries. But she survived, and despite losing her job and suffering from PTSD, she began to focus on all the heroes who saved her life. Determined to find a way to make something positive from her pain, she decided she'd run again. She would dedicate her race medals to the everyday heroes around us, including the medical staff and the 156 blood donors who saved her life.

Since the accident Colleen has run 50 races and completed 40 triathalons, including 4 half-Ironman events (1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike ride, 13.1-mile run). She is now a spokesperson for the Red Cross, and shares her incredible inspirational story to encourage others to take that first step forward.

In My Year Off Men, Kelly Alexander reveals what happened when she made a One Year resolution to take a year off the search for a man to search within. Her Eat Pray Love-type journey, mixed in with a smattering of He's Just Not That into You humor turned into a guide for her girlfriends who were having a terrible time in the dating scene. Taking a "man-batical" offers a woman a chance to focus on herself for the next year of her life without the distraction of wondering, "What does he think?"-because who cares; this year is all about you Just as Kelly discovered during her year off from men, you too can learn to put yourself first, find out what you really want in a partner, and never again settle for less than you deserve. What are you waiting for? Start your year off men today "Kelly Alexander's book, My Year Off Men, speaks to women of any age seeking to discover who they really are. Kelly's 'Notes to Self' and 'Reflections' at the end of each chapter are insightful signposts for the reader on her path to self discovery." -Antoinette Asimus, coach, facilitator and senior teaching faculty, Tantra Heart, LLC "My Year Off Men was a truly honest look at the pitfalls that women fall into to be in a relationship. I recommend this book for the person who has been searching for love outside of themselves." -Helen Everest, author of Finding Home: the Journey Within

A rollicking biography of a pioneering American woman and one of our greatest culinary figures
In "Hometown Appetites," Kelly Alexander and Cynthia Harris come together to revive the legacy of the most important food writer you have never heard of. Clementine Paddleford was a Kansas farm girl who grew up to chronicle America's culinary habits. Her weekly readership at the "New York Herald Tribune" topped 12 million during the 1950s and 1960s and she earned a salary of $250,000. Yet twenty years after "America's best-known food editor" passed away, she had been forgotten-until now.
Before Paddleford, newspaper food sections were dull primers on home economy. But she changed all of that, composing her own brand of sassy, unerringly authoritative prose designed to celebrate regional home cooking. This book restores Paddleford's name where it belongs: in the pantheon alongside greats like James Beard and Julia Child.

Whether you swear by peaches from Georgia or from South Carolina, there's no doubt that the fruit is sacred to southerners. From the moment the first mouthwatering Elberta variety was grafted in the 1870s, the peach has been an icon of summertime and a powerful symbol of the South's bounty. Peaches showcases the sweet richness of this signature fruit. Native Atlantan and award-winning food writer Kelly Alexander explores the fruit's history, offers advice for selecting, storing, and cooking, and reflects on the place of peaches in southern identity. Peaches includes forty-five recipes ranging from classic desserts to internationally inspired preparations. In this book, the desserts come first, and all the recipes--from The Best Peach Ice Cream and Roasted Peach-Basil Chicken to Pickled Peaches and Peach Clafoutis--will leave us certain that we should all dare to eat a peach, as often as we're able.