Bluestem: The Cookbook

A very special book about a very special place. --Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food

What a world Romney Steele has given us in My Nepenthe! This personal tale is as tender and bright as a bite of Nepenthe Cheese Pie and will transport me--and you--to Big Sur and the days and nights of this magical place. My Nepenthe serves a big, gorgeous slice of American culture that I loved visiting through words and memory. --Deborah Madison, author of What We Eat When We Eat Alone and Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

Romney Steele grew up in the lively bohemian milieu of Nepenthe on the Big Sur coast and knows all the stories worth telling. In My Nepenthe, an intimate, richly illustrated memoir with recipes culled from the restaurant's 60 years, she writes marvelously about her crazy stew of a family and especially her beloved grandmother, whose kindness and hospitality were legendary. --Caroline Bates, contributing editor, Gourmet magazine

My Nepenthe weaves together stories and tales about the famous California restaurant perched on the majestic cliffs of Big Sur. It celebrates the magic and history of place through food and the Fassett family who started Nepenthe.

A lyrical feast written by the owners' granddaughter, Romney Steele, who grew up at the restaurant, My Nepenthe is as much about a family enterprise as it is about the Fassett family and their legacy. It recounts stories about the family's more than sixty-year history on the coast, the arts and architecture, and the colorful people who were the genesis of this legendary restaurant.

My Nepenthe marks the restaurant's vibrant past as a gathering place and noted bohemian haunt, and its foray into the film industry during the shooting of The Sandpiper, featuring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. It also explores the lively scene that played out into the '70s, and onward through the current decade where it showcases Nepenthe's unique relationship with Pisoni Vineyards, owned by the renowned winemaker family. My Nepenthe includes more than seventy-five special recipes from the Fassetts, the restaurant, and the cafe, along with spectacular photography that completes the tale.

Ultimately, My Nepenthe is a story about food, family, and the culture of place, and how it all unfolds around the table and why that matters.

About Nepenthe

Located on the Big Sur cliffs 808 feet above the Pacific Ocean, Nepenthe Restaurant boasts sweeping views of the rugged Santa Lucia Mountains and the wild south coast of Monterey County. Angular mountains plunge into the crashing surf below, and on a clear day there is no limit to the scenery, unspoiled and immense in nature. Opened in 1949 by the Fassett family, the restaurant is nestled among native oak trees and a historic log cabin (now faced by brick) that was once owned by Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth.

What does it mean to be cool? The quality has always been hard to define, but easy to identify. James Dean. Miles Davis. They were cool. Joe Montana scrambling in the pocket. Steve McQueen riding a motorcycle. Very cool. To that list, you can now add another towering paragon of cool: the mighty polar bear.

In Stay Cool, award-winning polar photographer Jonathan Chester and writer Patrick Regan reveal the uncanny life lessons to be learned from polar bears, those imposing but endlessly appealing kings of the Arctic.

Pithy, clever, and surprisingly heartwarming, Stay Cool illustrates that these wild creatures with a strong sense of self and the ability to rely on their instincts have something useful to teach us all, making this keepsake book a great gift for people of all ages.

Anyone who's ever been in love knows that this supreme emotion changes everything. When love is real, it sometimes feels like gravity itself doesn't quite apply. In To Love Is to Fly, this magical and powerful journey is told through photographer Jonathan Chester's stunning photography of penguins, along with refreshingly heartfelt prose.

To Love Is to Fly is written from a me-to-you perspective, making it a great gift for spouse, partner, or main squeeze. Highlights include an image key denoting the type of penguin, environmental features, location details, online resource links, and facts about the different species in each photo.

With their upright stance and bemused expressions, penguins are the most humanlike of birds. Like us, they sacrifice for their families, are mostly monogamous, and must adapt to survive in a rapidly changing world.

Also like us, it's impossible for them to fly.

But doesn't love make anything possible?

Proving that life is indeed oh So Sweet! cooking authority Sur La Table offers 50 fabulously sweet recipes with intriguing flavor combinations. From cookies and cupcakes to doughnuts and whoopie pies, you'll find them all in this attractive and giftable full-color package.

Gathered inside So Sweet! are 50 mouthwatering baking recipes presented alongside photographs of tasty treats such as Milk Chocolate Toffee Bars, Boston Cream Upside Down Cupcakes, and Strawberry with Lemonade Filling Whoopie Pies, as well as Blueberry Buttermilk Doughnuts with Orange Glaze, Cherry Oatmeal Cookies, and Chocolate-Mint Cupcakes. And just in case you're uncertain what your sweet tooth is craving, a handy flavor profile reveals whether you're in the mood for sweet, salty, chocolatey, fruity, or nutty. Remind yourself of the sweeter side of life with So Sweet!

Romney Steele shows both a child's enjoyment of and an adult's passion for a place, a lifestyle, and a way of eating. Steele is...wildly inspiring as she guides the reader through the fruits of each season and how to savor them in simple recipes for appetizers, salads, main dishes, condiments, sauces, and of course, desserts. --Edible East Bay

Inside Plum Gorgeous, Romney Nani Steele follows her successful cookbook-memoir My Nepenthe with 60 seasonally inspired recipes that celebrate the romance of fruit. Capturing the essence, beauty, and deliciousness of cooking with seasonal fruits, Steele offers simple and seductive recipes that intertwine with the seasons in which each fruit is harvested.

Savory recipes like Coriander Steak with Blackberry Vinaigrette and Kumquat Couscous Salad with Fried Haloumi Cheese are presented alongside sweet treats like Passionfruit Chocolate Truffles and Plum Soup with Basil Ice Cream. Interspersed throughout Plum Gorgeous are beautiful, full-color photographs by Sara Remington and reminiscences from the year that Steele spent living in an orchard in Big Sur, along with fruit lore and select notes on handling and preserving fruit.

In an accessible but imaginative way, Plum Gorgeous beautifully reveals the many layers and flavor profiles of fruit while celebrating the memories inspired by each season's beauty and bounty.

This isn't the flashiest book on the shelf, but if you're a busy parent, it will likely be the one you use the most. Miller, a best-selling author, host of Food Network's Quick Fix Meals, and mother of two sons, knows what it's like to have to get a healthful, quick meal on the table in a matter of minutes and can help you accomplish the same. --San Antonio Express-News

This fun assortment of Robin's best ideas makes it a cinch to serve healthy, memorable meals without spending all your time in the kitchen. --The Boomer Brief

It's 5:00 PM. Everyone's hungry. It's takeout or fakeout, meaning nuking a processed meal from the freezer. But there's a third option that doesn't include processed food or an unhealthy heap of calories and fat--Robin Takes 5.

Imagine quickly preparing delicious meals for yourself, your friends, and your family with just 5 fabulous ingredients. Does it get any better? Absolutely, with Robin Takes 5. The book features 500 recipes and each dish is a mouthwatering 500 calories or less. Two-color recipe text complements full-color photography inserts. In addition, helpful icons note ideal recipes for holidays and entertaining as well as recipes with less than 500 mg of sodium. That's not all--nutritional information is given for each recipe.

In Robin Takes 5 500 recipes highlight at least 10 different ethnic cuisines, and dishes range from soups, pizzas, and pastas, to chicken, beef, pork, seafood, side dishes, and desserts. Consider 70 recipes just for chicken, such as Cashew Crusted Chicken with Roasted Jalapeno-Mango Chutney, and 50 dessert recipes, such as Orange Marmalade Tart with Chocolate Covered Almonds. Consider yourself armed for mealtime. The next time the clock strikes 5:00 PM and you want both noshing and nourishment, check out Robin Takes 5.