Finding true love: priceless RUST CREEK RAMBLINGS People say that the odds of finding your perfect partner are rather like the odds of hitting the lottery: slim to none. It's hard to believe, faithful readers, but Nate Crawford may just have accomplished both. We have the scoop on Rust Creek Falls' best-kept secret: our former mayoral candidate is now a very wealthy man! Yet he is going out of his way to make sure no one finds out. The question is, why? Insiders whisper that Nate is also keeping another secret from his new girlfriend, nurse Callie Kennedy—a big one—and it could be a game changer. Place your bets, dear readers! What will she do when she learns her "regular guy" boyfriend is really a maverick millionaire?

In a whimsical and witty memoir, the author describes her odyssey into the heart of America's cooking competitions as she describes her participation in the Pillsbury Bake-Off contest, her amazement when she won the million-dollar prize, and the fame and hype that followed. By the author of The Linden Tree.

Cookoff: Recipe Fever in America is an anecdotal and entertaining look at the amazingly extensive subculture of cooking contests in America. Such contests range in importance from Spam contests at county fairs to the granddaddy of them all, the Pillsbury Bake-Off in San Francisco, where the grand prize is a cool million. In between are contests local and national, sponsored by agricultural groups, corporations, and neighborhoods. Competing in these contests are not only casual entrants, but “contesters”—mostly women—for whom the recipe contest is a way of life. Journalist Amy Sutherland follows a small group of such contesters through a year on the contest circuit, beginning with the National Chicken Cook-off and culminating in the Pillsbury Bake-Off. Along the way, we’ll be introduced to well-known cook-off luminaries as well as to some of the most bizarre cooks, and the recipes concocted for their national contests.

For over 50 years, people have looked to one contest for the most delicious, the most exciting and the most uniquely American recipes this country's home cooks have to offer. The Pillsbury Bake-Off(R) Contest presents the very best of what people today are cooking for their families and friends. Now, nearly 400 prizewinning recipes from this famed event are gathered in one book, complete with gorgeous color photographs and personal profiles highlighting the people who created the recipes. The first Bake-Off(R) Contest, in 1949, celebrated the culinary trends of the times--recipes were made from scratch, the ingredient lists and steps were lengthy and breads and desserts comprised the bulk of the entries. Today's Bake-Off(R) entries mirror the changing trends in home cooking with recipes that are quicker and easier to prepare. The use of convenience products has increased and flavors from around the world are featured, as reflected in a brand-new chapter: Quick & Easy Main Meals. Chicken Florentine Panini, the 2002 Grand Prize winner, is an Italian sandwich that gets its fresh-baked goodness from refrigerated pizza-crust dough. Bow-Thai Chicken takes a frozen stir=fry meal starter and combines it with the wonderful flavors of a Thai peanut sauce. "Pillsbury Best of the Bake-Off(R) Cookbook illustrates how home cooks have captured their ethnic heritages in dishes adapted from their grandparents' countries to modern kitchens and busier times. The stories are as inspiring as the recipes themselves, from 1996's Grand Prize winner, Kurt Wait, a single parent who developed his $1,000,000-winning recipe, Macadamia Fudge Torte, with the help of his son, to a 2002 winner for her GnocchiAlfredo Casserole, Kelly Lynne Baxter, who remembers learning to cook alongside her mom and aunts. All the recipes are organized by easy-to-use chapters: Soups, Sandwiches and Snacks; Main Dishes; Side Dishes and Salads; Breads; Sweet Rolls and Coffee Cakes; Cookies and Bars; Cakes and Tortes; Pies and Tarts; and Other Desserts; as well as the new chapter, Quick & Easy Main Meals. Each chapter is filled with wonderful and often humorous behind-the-scenes stories from the Bake-Off(R) Contest events. The recipes are sensational; the storeis are uplifting. "Pillsbury Best of the Bake-Off(R) Cookbook invites you into the kitchens and lives of the many people who have made the Pillsbury Bake-Off(R) Contest the most loved and respected showplace for everyone to share their creative cooking talents.

"The newest $1 million Pillsbury Bake-Off? winner is..." With that dramatic announcement, another talented amateur cook earns a place of honor in America's most prestigious culinary competition. Now, with Pillsbury Best of the Bake-Off?Cookbook, you can discover for yourself just what it takes to be a Bake-Off? champion. Inside, you'll find more than 400 Bake-Off? recipes that wowed the judges--and exemplify the nation's best, most creative home cooking over the last six decades. From 1951's French Silk Chocolate Pie to 2006's Baked Chicken and Spinach Stuffing, you get lots of great ideas for easy, crowd-pleasing family desserts and dinners. You may even discover the inspiration you need for your own $1 million Bake-Off? recipe! For more great ideas visit pillsbury.com

Melanie and Angie are determined to win the Challenge to the Chef to promote their Fairy Tale Cupcakes bakery. Mel's mentor from culinary school, Vic Mazzotta, may be one of the judges, but Mel and Angie will have to win fair and square. But, when Vic's dead body is found inside a freezer truck, Mel and Angie will need to use their best judgment to find the cold-blooded killer or they may lose more than the contest- they may lose their lives.

PRAISE FOR CHALLENGED: A TRIBUTE Inspiring, encouraging, and a few surprises. Challenged is a well-written story that makes you laugh, cry and reflect on the good old days and the many positive changes in our field over the past 30 years. Steve Grieger has seen it all... Sharing his successes and challenges of everyday life! --Mark R. Klaus, Executive Director, Home of Guiding Hands Written by someone with intimate knowledge of what it's like to be around grown-ups with mental retardation, this book will surely resonate among those in that difficult field who often feel that they are the ones who are 'challenged.' The book is highly humorous, which is part of its attraction. When working with these individual, there are laughs in every day, and these happy moments cover up some of the tears and fears that caregivers feel for their fragile, special charges. Kudos to Mr. Grieger.* --Barbara Bamberger Scott, U.S. Review of Books (*RECOMMENDED) Mr. Griegers witty and insightful book speaks to the heart of the human spirit. Through a series of eye-opening adventures it presents a unique and fascinating world, one that deserves recognition, filled with the joys and heartbreaks of self-discovery It is an important contribution to the field of intellectual disabilities and other allied professions, and would make a wonderful addition to any classroom or home library. --Dr. Tomeka S. Williams, Ph.D., clinical psychologist, BA Center for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

I'm Rebecca Hamilton, the founder and owner of a million-dollar bakery called Chick Boss Cake, the #1 bakery and dessert spot that all the locals in southwestern Ontario are obsessed with. I know what you're thinking: she must be highly educated with some kind of fancy business or baking diploma. Well, I'm not. Sorry to burst your idyllic bubble, but if I did happen to be armed with the "proper" education or "ideal" upbringing, I wouldn't be writing this book because, well... that never makes for a great story now does it? No one likes to read stories about prestigious, silver-spooned Harvard-educated know-it-alls who achieve success via entitlement and the birth canal of their rich mother. Nah, the best success stories come from someone like me. Allow me to explain... I dropped out of high school at the age of sixteen to move out with my (then) boyfriend. I never set foot in a college or university unless it was to attend a party when I was (very) underage. I got stuck in several unhealthy and abusive relationships and found myself in plenty of "what the fuck?" situations along the way. I was angry, depressed, stubborn, riddled with anxiety and basically a runaway freight train trying not to go off the rails. I'm here to keep it real and share my personal story of how I built a million-dollar bakery business from nothing but pure grit and tenacity when no one else believed in me. Let's be real: If I can create this much success with a little bakery in small-town Ontario, Canada, I absolutely know for a fact that you can create the same level of success within any industry! This book is for everyone who's been through the worst and is still here against all odds. It's for the woman who lost her voice but knows the world needs to hear what she has to say. It's for the wife who pursued a career that society made her feel was the only respectable option. It's for the girl who settled down too soon instead of chasing her wild and crazy dreams that everyone laughed at. It's for the entrepreneur-at-heart who shows up every day to their soul-crushing 9-5 job feeling unfulfilled instead of pursuing their passion and igniting the fire within. This is the story of how I created the life of my dreams, and there ain't no sugar-coating it (bakery puns are essential in this book, for obvious reasons). Get ready to open your mind to endless possibilities and unlock your potential. Shit's about to get real.

EBONY is the flagship magazine of Johnson Publishing. Founded in 1945 by John H. Johnson, it still maintains the highest global circulation of any African American-focused magazine.