About this product: There's something for everyone in Darby Conley's popular comic strip Get Fuzzy. Dog people can praise Satchel's sweetness and point out Bucky's generally irascible disposition, while cat defenders can cite Bucky's independence and deride Satchel's overriding cluelessness. Those with even a shred of empathy can pity poor Rob as he tries to manage the interspecies household. All can agree, though, that the 2009 Get Fuzzy calendar is a hilarious way to spend the year, regardless of which side of the invisible fence you're on.* Get Fuzzy was named Best Comic Strip of 2002 by the National Cartoonists Society.
Though Satchel--who sees in only black and white--won't be much impressed, this Get Fuzzy format just got an upgrade. For the first time, each page's cartoon is presented in full color.
About this product: America’s most sought-after executive coach shows how to climb the last few rungs of the ladder
The corporate world is filled with executives, men and women who have worked hard for years to reach the upper levels of management. They’re intelligent, skilled, and even charismatic. But only a handful of them will ever reach the pinnacle -- and as executive coach Marshall Goldsmith shows in this book, subtle nuances make all the difference. These are small "transactional flaws" performed by one person against another (as simple as not saying thank you enough), which lead to negative perceptions that can hold any executive back. Using Goldsmith’s straightforward, jargonfree advice, it’s amazingly easy behavior to change.
Executives who hire Goldsmith for one-on-one coaching pay $250,000 for the privilege. With this book, his help is available for 1/10,000th of the price.
About this product: An outspoken entrepreneurial dynamo reveals the secrets behind his self-made fortune
Starting as a college dropout with no family money, Felix Dennis made himself the sixty-fifth richest individual in the U.K. And had a blast in the process.
How to Get Rich, his #1 British bestseller, is different from any other book on the subject because Dennis isn’t selling snake oil, investment tips, or motivational claptrap. Having already made his fortune, he merely wants to help readers embrace entrepreneurship—and learn from his successes and failures.
Dennis reveals, for example, why a regular paycheck is like crack cocaine; why being young, penniless, and inexperienced is a fine combination; why great ideas are vastly overrated; and why “ownership isn’t the important thing, it’s the only thing.”
Part naked memoir, part contrarian manual, this book is invaluable for anyone willing to stare down failure and take a chance on not just getting rich, but very rich indeed!
About this product: On the Media lauds Darby Conley as "the most successful cartoonist of the new generation." --National Public Radio
As Darby Conley's fourth treasury, this title presents strips from I'm Ready for My Movie Contract and Take Our Cat, Please!
Named Best Comic Strip of the Year in 2002 by the National Cartoonists Society, Darby Conley's Get Fuzzy takes a keen and witty look at the dynamics of interspecies cohabitation.
Beleaguered ad exec Rob Wilco is the mild-mannered guardian to Bucky, a sharp-fanged, self-absorbed house cat with a penchant for scheming and screenwriting, and Satchel, a gentle laid-back Shar-pei-Lab who frequently finds himself on the receiving end of Bucky's mischief.
Inside this fourth treasury, Get Fuzzy fans will follow Bucky's vainglorious pursuit of fame while Rob holds a magazine intervention with Satchel.
About this product: Why don't zebras get ulcers--or heart disease, diabetes and other chronic diseases--when people do? In a fascinating look at the science of stress, biologist Robert Sapolsky presents an intriguing case, that people develop such diseases partly because our bodies aren't designed for the constant stresses of a modern-day life--like sitting in daily traffic jams or growing up in poverty. Rather, they seem more built for the kind of short-term stress faced by a zebra--like outrunning a lion.
With wit, graceful writing, and a sprinkling of Far Side cartoons, Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers makes understanding the science of stress an adventure in discovery. "This book is a primer about stress, stress-related disease, and the mechanisms of coping with stress. How is it that our bodies can adapt to some stressful emergencies, while other ones make us sick? Why are some of us especially vulnerable to stress-related diseases, and what does that have to do with our personalities?"
Sapolsky, a Stanford University neuroscientist, explores stress's role in heart disease, diabetes, growth retardation, memory loss, and autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis. He cites tantalizing studies of hyenas, baboons, and rodents, as well as of people of different cultures, to vividly make his points. And Sapolsky concludes with a hopeful chapter, titled "Managing Stress." Although he doesn't subscribe to the school of thought that hope cures all disease, Sapolsky highlights the studies that suggest we do have some control over stress-related ailments, based on how we perceive the stress and the kinds of social support we have.
About this product: It's a good book if you are looking for inspiration. Tovani discusses her experience in trying to promote reading in all classrooms. However, I feel that it is more reminiscient than a tool for instruction, although she does offer suggestions to use in the classroom at the end of her chapters.
About this product: The message of this book could be a blessing or a curse, depending on your perspective. There is no hard science, no clearly-defined plan, and no lists of food to have or have not; instead, you'll find simple tricks that boil down to eating carefully prepared seasonal food, exercising more and refusing to think of food as something that inspires guilt. It's both a practical message and far easier said than done in today's "no pain, no gain" culture.
Author Mireille Guiliano is CEO of Veuve Clicquot, and French Women Don't Get Fat offers a concept of sensible pleasures: If you have a chocolate croissant for breakfast, have a vegetable-based lunch--or take an extra walk and pass on the bread basket at dinner. Guiliano's insistence on simple measures slowly creating substantial improvements are reassuring, and her suggestion to ignore the scale and learn to live by the "zipper test" could work wonders for those who get wrapped up in tiny details of diet. She sympathizes that deprivation can lead straight to overindulgence when it comes to favorite foods, but then, in a most French manner, treats them as a pleasure that needs to be sated, rather than a battle to be fought.
A number of recipes are included, from a weight-loss enhancing leek soup to a lush chocolate mousse; they read more like what you'd find in a French cookbook rather than an American diet book. Most appealingly, these are guidelines and tricks that could be easily sustainable over a lifetime. If you agree that food is meant to be appreciated--but no more so than having a trim waist--these charmingly French recommendations could set you on the path to a future filled with both croissants and high fashion. --Jill Lightner
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Stuffed Cornish Hens Serves 4
When I grew up, the holidays always meant lots of visitors and a series of requisite celebratory meals, mostly at lunchtime. This easy dish was always on one of the menus. Mamie was usually busy (what else during late December?) and would make the stuffing in advance so lunch could be ready in less than an hour. The recipe serves a family of four for lunch in style, but double the ingredient portions and obviously you are ready for a full table with guests.
Ingredients: 2 Cornish hens (or poussins) 2 tablespoons butter, melted 3 tablespoons chicken stock Stuffing: 2 cups water 2/3 cup brown rice 1/2 cup mixed nuts (pine nuts, walnut pieces, whole hazelnuts) 2 tablespoons golden raisins 1/3 cup chicken stock 1 tablespoon parsley, freshly minced 1 teaspoon dry herbs (chervil and savory or rosemary and thyme) Salt and freshly ground pepper
1. For stuffing: Bring water to a boil. Add rice and cook for 15 minutes. Drain and mix well with remaining ingredients. Season to taste and refrigerate overnight. 2. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Rinse Cornish hens, dry the inside with paper towels, and season. Add stuffing loosely and truss hens. Reserve remaining stuffing in aluminum foil. 3. Put hens in baking dish and brush them with melted butter and other seasonings. Put in oven and baste 10 minutes later with chicken stock. Continue basting every 10 minutes. After the hens have cooked for 20 minutes reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and put the remaining stuffing in a small ovenproof dish. Roast the hens for another 20 minutes. Serve (half a hen per person) immediately with a tablespoon of stuffing on each side of the hen as garnish. N.B. For a wonderful tête-à-tête romantic dinner, serve one hen each with a vegetable then dessert. I have prepared it successfully to my husband on Valentine’s Day. While the hens are in the oven, you have time to concoct a little dessert, et voilà, you can pop a cork of bubbly, sit for candlelight dinner and have your husband serve dessert.
Hot Chocolate Soufflé Serves 6
During the season of overindulgences—Christmas, New Year and all the festivities in between—there is in our home a succession of store-brought, traditional goodies: Bûche de Noël (yule log), marrons glacés (glazed chestnuts), the 13 desserts of Christmas in Provence. This is not to say that the holidays don’t bring out the baker in all of us, but whether it is to give as gifts or to maintain tradition, people do load up with holiday sweets from pastry shops (as I can attest from seeing from the window of our Paris apartment the annual long lines of people outside the pastry shop across the street). When I grew up, however, come New Year’s Day, and there was a home-cooked chocolate ritual. Our big festive meal was on New Year’s Eve, which left New Year’s Day as a quiet, family "recovery" day. (I appreciate some reverse the big meal day… or have one both days.) Anyway, for us, breakfast was well… late (especially for those of us who went partying after dinner), and limited to a piece of toast and a cup or two of coffee. Lunch was mid afternoon and usually made up of leftovers or an omelet, but the first dinner of the year was marked with a special dessert. The simple meal at the end of a week of overindulgences consisted of a light consommé, some greens, cheese, and the chocolate treat. There were no guests, plenty of time, and Mamie was ready for the flourless soufflé. She is a chocoholic and it would be unthinkable to start the year off without chocolate. So, what better way to end the first day of the New Year than with one of her favorite chocolate desserts as both a reward and I’m sure good-luck charm?
Ingredients: 1 cup milk 1 cup unsweetened Dutch cocoa powder 1/3 cup sugar 4 eggs at room temperature 2 tablespoons butter at room temperature Pinch of salt
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 1-quart soufflé mold by lightly buttering it, dusting the insides with sugar and tapping out the excess. Place mold in refrigerator. 2. Pour the milk, cocoa powder and sugar into a heavy saucepan and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over moderate heat while stirring constantly. Reduce the heat and cook while stirring until the mixture thickens (about 10 minutes). Transfer to a bowl and cool slightly. 3. Separate the eggs and stir the egg yolks into the warm chocolate mixture. Stir in the butter. 4. Beat the egg whites until they reach soft peaks. Add the salt and beat until stiff. Whisk half of the egg whites mixture into the chocolate mixture. Fold in the remaining whites gently with a spatula. Pour the mixture in the soufflé mold and smooth the top. 5. Bake in the lower-middle shelf of the oven until puff and brown for about 18 minutes which will give you a soft center. Serve at once with softly whipped cream.
Red Mullet with Spinach en Papillote Serves 4
Ingredients: 2 teaspoons olive oil 8 fillets of red mullet, about 2 ounces each 1 lb. spinach, washed and dried in a salad spinner 4 teaspoons shallots, peeled and sliced 8 slices of lime 4 tablespoons of crème fraîche Salt and freshly ground pepper
1. Cut 4 pieces of parchment paper (or aluminum foil) into squares large enough to cover each fillet and leave a 2-inch border all around. Lightly brush the squares with olive oil. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. 2. Put the spinach in the center of each square and top it with a tablespoon of crème fraîche. Top with two fillets and add one teaspoon of shallots, two slices of lime. Season with salt and pepper. 3. Fold up the edges to form packets. Put the papillotes on a baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes. Serve at once by setting each papillote on a plate. N.B. You can use sole or snapper instead of red mullet
Pappardelle with Spring Veggies Serves 4
Ingredients: 12 ounces pappardelle 1 lb. green asparagus 2 cups fresh peas, shelled 2 tablespoons of shallots, peeled and minced 1 cup extra virgin olive oil 1 cup of pine nuts, toasted 1 cup freshly grated parmesan 1 cup roughly chopped parsley Coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1. Cut off end of asparagus and blanch in salted water until just tender (about 5 minutes). Blanch peas separately for about 1 minute. 2. In a heavy saucepan, gently sauté the shallots in olive oil until they begin to turn gold. Add peas and asparagus and cook for a few minutes. 3. Cook the pappardelle in boiling water, drain and pour into saucepan. Add pine nuts, parmesan and parsley and season to taste. Serve immediately.
Croque aux Poires Serves 4
Ingredients: 4 slices of brioche 2 ripe pears 2 tablespoons of sliced almonds 2 tablespoons of honey 1 tablespoon butter 1. Peel the pears and cut into small cubes. Melt butter in a saucepan and sauté the pear cubes for 2-3 minutes. 2. Arrange pear cubes on brioche slices. Cover with honey and almonds. Put under broiler for two minutes watching carefully. Serve warm with a dollop of sour cream or crème fraîche. A yummy dessert also wonderful for a weekend breakfast or brunch.
Life can really suck. But it doesn't have to. With the help of esteemed consultant and coach Michelle DeAngelis, life can really rock. DeAngelis serves up a combination of street-smart wisdom and cheerful irreverence as she shows readers how to enjoy the "ride of their lives," regardless of the roadblocks or potholes along the way. By providing the specific mechanics to joy, DeAngelis shows that joy is a repeatable by-product of living one's life in integrity and of making conscious choices every day that kick misery, worry, and guilt to the curb. She explains how most people are not naturally equipped to deal with life's challenges and then introduces foundational tools and effective techniques to take readers from crappy to happy.She starts with a Joy Quotient Quiz that gives readers their "JQ" score and identifies their "Gap"--the measurable difference between what people think and what they do--which is where life sucks. She then teaches a four-step, fast-acting process that provides "suck relief" to solve everyday problems. The centerpiece of the work is DeAngelis's 10 Life-Changing Ahas. From the title to the very last line, Get a Life That Doesn't Suck is not your everyday self-help book. Through humor and real-life examples, DeAngelis explains how readers can reduce their stress, improve their outlook, and get rid of whatever is holding them back. She provides the formula for readers to make joy real and accessible so that the journey from "life sucks" to "life rocks" is worth the trip.
About this product: "The humor is a wickedly authentic blend of young-professional-bachelor shtick and pets-from-hell high jinks. . . . And, perhaps best of all, the strip keeps getting better." --Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
Get Fuzzy was named Best Comic Strip of the Year in 2002 by the National Cartoonists Society.
Satchel, the Shar-pei-Lab mix in the Get Fuzzy family who actually believes what TV commercials say, and his owner-housemate Rob Wilco, a single, somewhat befuddled, Red Sox-best-sellers obsessed ad exec, endure the scourge of their daily existence, Bucky Katt. Whether baiting the ferret down the hall for battle, gorging on rubber bands (and the ensuing gastric consequences), or joining the gun repair club, Bucky continuously tests the patience and endurance of his hapless mates.
Three Get Fuzzy books, Bucky Katt's Big Book of Fun, Blueprint for Disaster, and Say Cheesy, have been New York Times best-sellers.
Rocco comes to the home cook's rescue with more than 130 quick and easy dishes, many of which can be seen on his new A&E TV show, Rocco Gets Real (title pending).
Chapters are focused on the center of the plate and include pastas, chicken, beef, pork, fish, and seafood.
Special chapters include Healthy Meals (recipes seen on The Biggest Loser) and Rocco's Holiday Table.
Rocco's recipe headnotes teach, inspire, and encourage home cooks through every step in the kitchen.
Short ingredient lists, quick and easy prep times, and clever shortcuts for streamlined techniques that don't compromise flavor.
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