Poppy Markham practically grew up at the family restaurant in Austin, Texas, and, until recently, worked as a sous chef under her surly stepsister, Ursula. Poppy's not sure if her dad will ever forgive her for leaving the family business to become a public health inspector-the most reviled figure in the restaurant industry-but when he asks her back into the kitchen to help out during the restaurant's grand re-opening, she can't refuse. Chaos ensues when the guest of honor, Michelin-rated chef Évariste Bontecou, is found stabbed to death with Ursula's knife. Sacrebleu! Sorting through everyone who had it in for the hot-headed, philandering French chef is worse than deboning a Coho salmon. Could it be the bad-boy sous chef eyeing his chance at the top or the conniving waitress rumored to be Évariste's paramour du jour? The closer Poppy gets to solving the mystery, the hotter things get. And as everyone knows: if you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen.

Robert Medina was raised in New Orleans around family and friends where cooking is a way of life. They still get together to watch their beloved New Orleans Saints and have tailgate cook-a-thons that would rival anything, anywhere. Every sporting event, family event, or even a non-event is turned into an excuse for a party. It's the New Orleans way! Robert spent nearly twenty-four years as a firefighter in New Orleans, where he took over duties as the firehouse cook after honing skills he learned from his predecessors. To this day, he sticks with the credo that if you can satisfy a firefighter's palate, you can satisfy anyone's. If You Can't Stand the Heat...a New Orleans Firefighter's Cookbook brings you into the firehouse kitchen. It contains recipes for classic New Orleans fare as well as many original firefighter recipes from this culinary capital. If you've ever wanted to cook a gumbo, make an etouffee, or just master a basic roux, this book is for you. If You Can't Stand the Heat goes a step beyond the typical cookbook by including as many details as possible. Should the pot be covered while cooking? Should the ingredient be hot or cold when mixed in? These step-by-step instructions take all the guessing out of cooking. If you have ever had the desire to try Southern, Louisiana, or in particular, New Orleans-style cooking, Robert Medina breaks it down into easy-to-follow steps that will turn you into a great firehouse cook practically overnight. It is truly Big Easy cooking made easy!

Resisting temptation has never been so impossible… Living on the edge used to make wild-card war reporter Jack Chapman feel alive. These days he needs some time-out before he burns out. So what better distraction than delectable pastry chef Ellie Evans? She's oh-so-tempting…and sleeping right next door! Perfect for a short-term fling! Ellie knows it would be beyond stupid to fall for a guy with ice in his veins who's always on the move. But daredevil Jack is even more irresistible than her death-by-chocolate cake—and saying no has never been Ellie's strongpoint!

Derek Dunne is a Cordon Bleu-trained food critic for the prestigious New York Monitor, whose scathing review of a popular Italian bistro has driven away all but the most loyal neighborhood patrons. Lucrezia Serafina DiCicco is a clumsy business school drop-out, working as a chef and scrambling to keep her family's restaurant afloat, after her father develops diabetes and is banned from his kitchen for his own good. Now, with The Monitor folding, Derek is searching for his next career path and longing to get back to his first love—cooking—while Lu is desperate for an influx of cash to save the struggling restaurant…even as her father puts his foot down about non-family employees. Derek and Lu embark on a marriage of inconvenience to save the restaurant. But can Lu ever really trust the man who nearly destroyed her family, who once noted her initials spelled “LSD,” and her food was like a “bad trip?” Or will it be their hearts on the chopping block?

A chili cook-off at the local Pride Center sounds like fun for Reese and Kayla. But even the small act of deciding on a recipe to enter builds tension between the two women. On the day of the event, free-spirited Jane enters the picture. Kayla is tempted by Jane’s striking pink hair and seductive ways. Would she really leave Reese for a woman she barely knows? Will a simple pot of chili end in romance or disaster?

A time-honored compilation of recipe celebrating the rich history and memories of the Kansas City area's most famous couple, Harry and Bess Truman. In the spirit of their generosity, the proceeds of this collectors items fund various charitable needs within the hometown community.

The Gibbons women of Chesterton, Virginia, have built their reputation as a family of shameless--but refined--gold diggers. They even have a strict set of rules by which they operate. But the rebellious, youngest Gibbons is about to break them all. . . Lauren Gibbons is committing the ultimate family betrayal: abandoning the tradition of seducing men for money. Nothing is worth the abuse she's endured from her sugar daddy. Now a sous chef, Lauren is hoping to break from the past for good. And when she meets hot former NFL player Crisanto Weaver, she even lets herself imagine a future. But the small-town rumor mill--and her own sisters--aren't ready for a new Lauren. Between her conniving relatives, her vengeful ex, a mountain of debt, and a whole lot of haters, can she escape her old life, and create something new? "A deliciously sexy, sultry novel." --Daaimah S. Poole "Ellis starts her new Gibbons Gold Digger series. . .in fine form. . . Be ready to laugh and cry with these new reality stars of Chesterton, VA." --RT Book Reviews

A collection of Courtney's columns from the Texas Monthly, curing the curious, exorcizing bedevilment, and orienting the disoriented, advising "on such things as: Is it wrong to wear your football team's jersey to church? When out at a dancehall, do you need to stick with the one that brung ya? Is it real Tex-Mex if it's served with a side of black beans? Can one have too many Texas-themed tattoos?"--Amazon.com.

If you can't stand the heat, don't walk into the fire. Danny knew his sophomore year would be stressful . . . but he didn't expect his school to burn down on the first day. To make matters worse (and they were about to get a lot worse), he -- and his three best friends -- receive an email in their inboxes from the principal of their rival, King's Academy, offering full-rides to attend the town's prestigious boarding school. Danny wants nothing to do with King's Academy and says no. Of course his mother says yes. So off he goes to be bullied and picked on for not being part of the popular and rich "in crowd." From day one at King's, Danny encounters hazing, mocking insults from girls at the "popular and pretty" table, and cafeteria food that, for such a prestigious school, tastes as if it were purchased from a military surplus supply warehouse. If he survives, Danny will have to overcome his fears of failure, rejection, and loneliness--all while standing strong in his beliefs and walking into the fire.

Demonstrates how proverbs and to a lesser extent proverbial expressions, have played a significant role in political life during the 20th century. Takes as major examples the speeches and writings of Adolf Hitler, Winston Churchill, and Harry Truman to show how proverbs can be brought into the service of most any ideology. Also traces the use of proverbs and their cartoon analogues during the five decades of Cold War propaganda, and proverbial slurs against Native Americans and Asian Americans. Paper edition (unseen), $19.95. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR