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The Earthbound Cook by Myra Goodman – A From Left to Write/This Week for Dinner Cookbook Club

November 17, 2010 6 Comments
Silicon Valley potluck dinner. Photo by Jane Maynard, This Week for Dinner

The Earthbound Cook by Myra Goodman

Why eat organic? What is fennel anyway and how in the world do you slice the bulb? And, what…what should you make for dinner tonight anyway? Two kinds of clubs – the From Left to Write book club and the This Week for Dinner cooking club – have come together to form a Cookbook Club and our first selection, The Earthbound Cook, was a complete hit. We even got together IN PERSON for some potluck dinners/lunches and some good old fashioned book club chatting. Talk about a great way to try tons of dishes from one cookbook with only a little bit of work.

Silicon Valley potluck dinner. Photo by Jane Maynard, This Week for Dinner

We had a ball with this one, as you will see from all of the stories the From Left to Write bloggers are sharing today, inspired by the cookbook The Earthbound Cook by Myra Goodman, co-founder of Earthbound Farms.

{Stay tuned for an interview with author Myra Goodman later today on From Left to Write.}


From Left to Write / This Week For Dinner Cookbook Club Silicon Valley meetup for The Earthbound Cook

About the book:

As a busy working mom and creative cook, Myra Goodman knows how to make food taste good. And as the co-founder of Earthbound Farm, she knows how producing food sustainably can do good. Put those two things together, and you have her new cookbook, The Earthbound Cook: 250 Recipes for Delicious Food and a Healthy Planet.

In this, her second cookbook, Myra weaves all new recipes into an Earth-friendly theme from starters to seafood, meat to side dishes, breakfast to dessert. For example, there’s a chapter devoted to Vegetarian Entrées; the Vegetable and Grains Salads chapter shows imaginative ways to create tasty salads with substance; and there’s a Baking chapter full of wonderful breads, pita, and pizza.

Together with the delectable food, Myra includes easy guidance for conscientious shoppers about making eco-friendly choices at the market, plus primers on cooking methods and tools, sidebars with insightful ingredient information — and tons of Green Living tips, too.

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Visit Earthbound Farm’s website with information about The Earthbound Cook.

Visit the publisher’s website.

Purchase your *autographed!* copy of The Earthbound Cook.

Follow @earthboundfarm on Twitter.

Read about author Myra Goodman.

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Check out other From Left to Write upcoming book clubs and follow the From Left to Write Google Calendar to keep up to date on all of the book club events and dates.

Filed Under: Ana, Bay, Book Club Days, Cindy, Cookbooks, Cooking Club Announcements, Darryle, Emily, Eunice, Jacki, Jane, Jill, Kristina, Linda, Linsey, Lisa H, Meetups, Melanie, Melissa, Michele, Michelle F, Neena, Nicki, Nicole, Paige, Roxane, San Francisco Bay Area, Shannon, Stacy, Tiffany, Tracy, Vanessa

Connections in the kitchen

November 17, 2010 1 Comment
Tri-Color Potato Salad

Potluck at my place for The Earthbound Cook. Photo by Jane Maynard, This Week For Dinner.

I have been doing a lot of work in the kitchen lately. And by work I don’t mean putting on gray trousers and heading to My Cube – although that is a new thing in my life lately. Last week I headed back to an Office – not Starbucks or my dining room table or my car – to work as part-time corporate counsel for a tech company. It isn’t new work for me, per se, as I’ve been doing outsourced general counsel work for companies in my solo law practice for almost 7 years now. But physically going into an office on a regular basis, having a corporate email account (and an IT guy!), an ID card, a nameplate, a printer in a room full of printers…it is so strangely familiar. It is odd. I feel a bit giddy about it, I suppose. Though I have loved being an entreprenuer, I need a little less drama in my life (and a little more paycheck too, I have to admit!). I feel at home, even though…I’m not.

AT home, the work I have been doing in my kitchen has been evolving. I used to hate cooking and now I love it, love it. Cookbooks? I never used them. Now I am devouring them. Even making my own (meaning I rip pages out of magazines or print them out from recipe sites and put them in a binder…very low tech and lame, but hey its convenient when meal planning).

The Earthbound Cook by Myra Goodman

Last week, I was thrilled to host the first (of many, I hope!) Cookbook Club, a coming together of my book club at From Left to Writeand a new cooking club of my friend Jane’s, who writes the awesome blog This Week for Dinner (yes, her recipes are definitely in my binder! Pesto tortellini soup for example…love). About 30 women packed themselves into my (tiny) Silicon Valley house and potlucked, each bringing a dish made from the cookbook The Earthbound Cook by Myra Goodman, co-founder of Earthbound Farms (located in nearby Carmel – a gorgeous spot). I made the Tri-Color Potato Salad – it is so good that I think I might bring it to Thanksgiving dinner next week.I know, potato salad feels like a summer dish, but with all of the green beans, it screams turkey day to me.

Tri-Color Potato Salad

Wow, these women brought it! Such amazing food and company. I have to say that The Earthbound Cook is truly a wealth of great recipes. Not only that, but author Myra Goodman also spent time informing her readers about cooking with the earth in mind. It is not just about buying organic, but about conservation – what does it really mean to compost, to use cloth napkins (we did at the potluck and I’m inspired to switch at home too), to enjoy your food, to feel a connection to the earth in your kitchen.

Silicon Valley potluck for The Earthbound Cook. Photo by Linda De Los Reyes, Solheim Photography

Coming off of the fall cleanse through Yogahealer that I did a few weeks ago, recipes like the ones from The Earthbound Cook are helping me stay on track with living foods. I definitely don’t eat 100% nutritious, healthy, organic food, but I am a lot closer than I was a year ago. And sharing the connection with friends makes it that much sweeter.

Until the next cookbook club…

Disclosure: I received a free copy of The Earthbound Cook by Myra Goodman for the From Left to Write Book Club, a virtual blogging book club that I founded last June and which now has over 100 amazing bloggers participating. I was not obligated to write about the book and all opinions are my own.

If you are interested in joining the virtual book club site From Left to Write, please contact me. From Left to Write holds regular book clubs, writing not book reviews, but our own stories that are inspired by the books we read.

You can read more from Linsey at her blog, Me Too You.

Filed Under: Cookbooks, Linsey

The Kids Are All Right by Diana and Liz Welch, with Amanda and Dan Welch – A From Left to Write Book Club

October 12, 2010 4 Comments
The Kids Are All Right by Diana and Liz Welch, with Amanda and Dan Welch

The Kids Are All Right by Diana and Liz Welch, with Amanda and Dan Welch

What happens when both parents die, leaving young children behind? Have they prepared? How do siblings cope in the midst of trauma? Read the stories the From Left to Write bloggers are sharing today, inspired by memoir The Kids Are All Right by siblings Diana and Liz Welch, with Amanda and Dan Welch.

About the book:

“Perfect is boring.”

Well, 1983 certainly wasn’t boring for the Welch family. Somehow, between their handsome father’s mysterious death, their glamorous soap opera star mother’s cancer diagnosis, and a phalanx of lawyers intent on bankruptcy proceedings, the four Welch siblings managed to handle each new heartbreaking misfortune together. But all that changed with the death of their mother. While nineteen year-old Amanda was legally on her own, the three younger siblings—Liz, 16; Dan, 14 and Diana, 8—were each dispersed to a different set of family friends.

Visit The Kids Are All Right website.

Purchase your copy of The Kids Are All Right by Diana and Liz Welch, with Dan and Amanda Welch.

Check out other From Left to Write upcoming book clubs and follow the From Left to Write Google Calendar to keep up to date on all of the book club events and dates.

Filed Under: April, Book Club Days, Brandi, Brenda, Christy, Cristie, Elaine, Emily, Emily C, Evonne, Grace, Jen B, Kristina, Kristine, Linsey, Lisa, Lisa H, Marinka, Meghan, Meghan H, Melanie, Melissa, Memoirs, Nicki, Nicole, Samantha F, Sharon, Zen Mama Wannabe

ROOM by Emma Donoghue – A From Left to Write Book Club

September 27, 2010 5 Comments
ROOM by Emma Donoghue

ROOM by Emma Donoghue

How does a 5-year-old think? What would it be like to never be allowed to leave one room? How deep is a mother’s love for her child? Read the stories the From Left to Write bloggers are sharing today, inspired by book ROOM by Emma Donoghue.

Also, From Left to Write is giving away one copy of ROOM to a lucky reader. Read the giveaway details below to enter.

About the book:

To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it’s where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it’s not enough…not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son’s bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.

Told entirely in the language of the energetic, pragmatic five-year-old Jack, ROOM is a celebration of resilience and the limitless bond between parent and child, a brilliantly executed novel about what it means to journey from one world to another.

Visit Emma Donoghue’s website.

Fan Emma Donoghue on Facebook.

Pre-order your copy of ROOM by Emma Donoghue (the book will be released September 13).

Check out other From Left to Write upcoming book clubs and follow the From Left to Write Google Calendar to keep up to date on all of the book club events and dates.

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TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:

To enter to win a copy of ROOM by Emma Donoghue, please comment on the post below.

RULES:

-Only one comment/entry per person.

-A Valid email address must be entered in the private “email” section of the comment (not in the comment text). If a valid email address is not provided, another winner will be chosen.

-Winner must be located in North America (Canada/US). Shipments can only be made to Canada/US.

-From Left to Write is not responsible for any lost packages or incorrect shipping addresses. The prize is not redeemable in cash and must be accepted as awarded. Approximate value of the prize may vary.

-Winner will be chosen via Random.org on Thursday Sept 30th by 12pmPST.

Disclosure: From Left to Write did not receive compensation in any form for this post. The From Left to Write Book Club blogger members did receive copies of ROOM for review.

Filed Under: April, Bay, Book Club Days, Brandi, Cindy, Elaine, Elena, Gayle, Giveaways, Helen, Jen B, Linsey, Lisa H, Marianne, Meg, Meghan, Meghan H, Melanie, Melissa, Michelle, Michelle F, Neena, Nicki, Nicole, Novels, Pamela, Robin M, Sandie, Sarah, Sharon

Following Polly by Karen Bergreen – A From Left to Write Book Club

September 14, 2010 3 Comments

Following Polly by Karen Bergreen

Are you a stalker? Do you solve mysteries? Maybe just on Facebook, right? Read the stories the From Left to Write bloggers are sharing today, inspired by book Following Polly by Karen Bergreen. Also, be sure to weigh in on the From Left to Write poll about snooping.

Special thanks to Darryle Pollack from I never signed up for this… for sourcing this book.

About the book:

Would you call Alice Teakle a stalker? Or just someone with an, um, healthy obsession with golden girl Polly Linley Dawson? No one much notices Alice: not her boss, not the neighbors, not even her Mother.

Besides, everyone follows Polly: her business selling high-end lingerie you can imagine only her elegant self wearing, her all-over-the-social-pages marriage to movie director Humphrey Dawson, her chic looks, her wardrobe. Alice just follows her a little more….closely.

And when she loses her job and starts to follow Polly Dawson one Manhattan autumn afternoon, Alice stumbles on the object of her attention sprawled dead on the floor of a boutique. Alice is forced to become truly beneath anyone’s notice. Invisible, in fact. Because she’s accused of murder.

But can another obsession help save Alice with the fallout? Charlie is Alice’s longtime unattainable crush. He might be able to help her out of the mess she’s in…in return for a favor or two, that is. And how will Alice find out if Charlie is really the man Alice thinks he is?

Visit the publisher’s website and Karen Bergreen’s website.

Follow Karen Bergreen on twitter.

Purchase your copy of Following Polly by Karen Bergreen.

Check out other From Left to Write upcoming book clubs and follow the From Left to Write Google Calendar to keep up to date on all of the book club events and dates.

Filed Under: Akemi, Amy, Amy H, Book Club Days, Brandi, Christy, Cristie, Elaine, Emily, Heidi, Jen B, Kristine, Linsey, Lisa H, Melissa, Michelle, New York City, Nicki, Nicole, Novels, Roxane, Sharon, Tesa, Zen Mama Wannabe

Cowboy & Wills by Monica Holloway – A From Left to Write Book Club

September 2, 2010 8 Comments
Cowboy & Wills by Monica Holloway

Cowboy & Wills by Monica Holloway

A boy and a dog, a dog and a boy. Do you have a pet that has changed your family? Although we, as parents, all face challenges with our kids, some are more profound. What gets your through?  Read the stories the From Left to Write bloggers are sharing today, inspired by book Cowboy & Wills: A Remarkable Little Boy and the Puppy that Changed His Life by Monica Holloway.

Special thanks to Jen Bush from Anybody Want A Peanut? (a journal of life, love and early intervention) for sourcing this book and for leading us off here on From Left to Write with her post about Cowboy, Wills and a mother’s courage.

About the book:

In this exceptionally touching memoir, critically acclaimed author Monica Holloway shares the extraordinary, deeply moving story of Cowboy, the golden retriever puppy who changed her son’s life.

The day Monica learns that her lovable, brilliant threeyear- old son, Wills, has autism spectrum disorder, she takes him to buy an aquarium. It’s the first in a string of impulsive trips to the pet store to buy animals as a distraction from the uncontrollable, crushing reality of Wills’s diagnosis. But while Wills diligently tends to the growing menagerie, what he really wants is a puppy. And one Christmas, when Wills is six, Cowboy Carol Lawrence joins their family.

Like all dynamic duos, Cowboy and Wills complement each other perfectly. Wills is cautious, fastidious, and irresistibly tenderhearted. Cowboy, a rambunctious golden retriever, is overeager, affectionate, and impulsive. And from the moment Cowboy enters their lives, Monica sees her son step a little farther into the world.

Soon, the boy who could barely say hello to his classmates in kindergarten is sharing stories of his new “sister” Cowboy during morning circle. Children crowd around them at the park, and instead of running away, Wills, holding Cowboy’s leash in his sweaty fist, proudly answers all of their questions. With Cowboy, he finds the courage to invite kids over for playdates, overcomes his debilitating fear of water to swim along beside her in the family pool, and, after years of gentle coaxing, Wills finally sleeps in his own bed with Cowboy’s paws draped across his small chest. Through it all, Cowboy is there, dragging him toward other children, giving him the confidence to try new things and the courage to face his worst fears. And when Cowboy turns out to need her new family as much as they need her, they discover just how much she has taught them—about devotion, about loyalty, and about never giving up.

Sometimes it’s what you don’t know to hope for that saves you. For Monica, her husband, Michael, and their son, Wills, salvation came in the form of a puppy with pale blonde fur, chocolate brown eyes, a fondness for chewing the crotch out of underpants, and a limitless capacity for love.

Visit Monica Holloway’s website and the publisher’s website.

Fan Cowboy & Wills on Facebook.

Purchase your copy of Cowboy & Wills by Monica Holloway.

Check out other From Left to Write upcoming book clubs and follow the From Left to Write Google Calendar to keep up to date on all of the book club events and dates.

Filed Under: Alma, Amy, April, Book Club Days, Brenda, Cristie, Elaine, Elena, Emily, Emily C, Helen, Jen B, Jennifer M, Kristine, Linsey, Lisa, Lisa H, Max, Meghan H, Melanie, Melissa, Memoirs, Michele, Michelle F, Neena, Nicki, Robin M, Sharon

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