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Deanna Davis, PhD, is a popular speaker, entertainer and workshop leader and the author of The Law of Attraction in Action and Living With Intention. Davis’s annual retreat, Womanhood Weekend, and her evening comedy events, Womanhood: The Divine Comedy, have inspired change in the lives of women all over the country. She lives in Spokane, Washington with her husband and their two young children. Visit her website at www.deannadavis.net.

Deanna latest book is “Laugh, Cry, Eat Some Pie”. It has a simple yet profound message: Happiness isn’t determined by what you have, where you are, or what happens to you. Instead, it comes from practicing happiness daily, regardless of what’s going on around you.

I keep thinking about Deanna’s message that life, just like pie, is made of of ingredients, some of which are unpalatable  unless they’re thoughtfully combined with other ingredients and a little bit of heat.  How true!  I would never eat a spoonful of raw flour,  but I would really miss it as part of the pie crust! (Try to remember that little gem the next time some “unpalatable” element of life rolls around, because we all know it will)  That’s the power of the positive psychology Deanna discusses in her book.

Deanna and I talked about living a momentous life -literally  living your life a moment at a time. She pointed out that “momentous” doesn’t always have to mean “the big times”  but instead we can focus on the extraordinary in the ordinary moments of life.   [Read more →]

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Ed Begely, Jr. was inspired to become an actor by the works of his Academy Award-winning father. As an actor, he became a household name on the long running series “St. Elsewhere,” for which he received six Emmy nominations. Since then Ed has moved easily between feature, television and theatre projects while remaining true to his passion for the environment as the star of the Planet Green series, Living with Ed a look at the day-to-day realities of “living green” with his wife Rachelle Carson. Ed’s coming to Northern Kentucky for the Second Annual Farmers’ Fair, a fundraiser celebrating our local food culture, as the Keynote Speaker.

Ed’s first book, Living Like Ed, hit the streets nationally in February 2008, and the second book, Ed Begley’s Guide to Sustainable Living came out in August of 2009. Ed has served as chairman of the Environmental Media Association and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. He serves on the boards of many organizations, including [Read more →]

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Do you want to raise mediocre kids? Neither do I! Rafe Esquith joined me today to discuss his book Lighting Their Fires (How parents and teachers can raise extraordinary kids in a mixed-up, muddled-up, shook-up world)

Rafe Esquith has taught 5th grade at Hobart Elementary School for 25 years. He is the only teacher to ever have been awarded the President’s National Medal of the Arts. His many other awards include the American Teacher award, Parent’s Magazine As You Grow Old Award, Oprah Winfrey’s Use your Life Award, and People Magazine’s Heroes Amoung Us Award.

Hobart Elementary School is an inner city school in Los Angles. It is a street-tough, graffiti-ridden school. Students come from homes that don’t often encourage success in school. Rafe believes that students become extraodinary as a result of parents and teachers who instill values that guide them not just in school, but for the rest of their lives. The amazing academic and extracurricular feats of his students do not happen by luck or accident— they are the product of hard work on the part of both the kids and those who guide them. Rafe points out that children are born with varying levels of talent and intellgence but possessing smarts and skills is no gaurantee of success, but with the right guidance any student can strive for and reach such heights.

Rafe instills in his students concepts that helps kids build character, such as:
Punctuality
Focus
Decision Making
Taking pride in what you do [Read more →]

Here’s on of my favorite summer dessert recipes from my book, Amy’s Table: Food for Family and Friends.

Lemon Panna Cotta with Berry Sauce
Serves 6

Prep time: 45 minutes
Chill time: 6 hours to overnight
Make ahead: Both the Panna Cotta and the Berry Sauce can be made [Read more →]

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Annie Spiegelman is a California Master Gardener and the garden columnist for the Bay Area’s Pacific Sun newspaper, where she writes the “Dirt Diva” organic gardening column. She is also a frequent contributor to Organic Style Magazine, New York Spirit, the Marin Independent Journal, Creative Home, Learn2Grow.com, and UrbanSustainableLiving.com. She’s the author of Talking Dirt: The Dirt Diva’s Down-to-Earth Guide to Organic Gardening.

She’s passionate about sustainable gardening and can often be heard lawn-bashing or talking dirt about the excessive use of chemical pesticides. Visit her website at www.dirtdiva.com (where critics will be composted).

Gorgeous seasonal fruit is everywhere! Get your fill now because you know Summer won’t last forever. I love this tart from my book, Amy’s Table: Food for Family and Friends, because it’s simple, delicious and oh-so adaptable.  Use all raspberries or blueberries instead of an assortment. Substitute  a  container of low fat lemon yogurt (or better yet, Greek yogurt with a little lemon curd stirred in)  for the decadent mascarpone filling if you want to lighten up. And remember, each slice counts for a serving of fruit, right?

Fruit Tart with Gingersnap Cookie Crust
Makes one 10-inch tart
Prep time: 30 minutes
Bake time: 8 minutes
Make ahead: Tart must chill several hours and can be made 24 hours in advance; refrigerate until ready to garnish with fruit. Add fruit and glaze no more than a couple hours in advance.
Tip: Select a variety of fresh fruits and berries or use all one kind for a different look. Well-drained Mandarin oranges work better than fresh. Most any cookie works for this crust recipe- try graham crackers, sugar cookies, vanilla wafers or Oreos with your favorite tart filling.

Crust
2 cups ground gingersnap cookies (about 38 cookies) [Read more →]

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Thomas Keller is one of the most recognized American chefs working today. He is as renowned for his  culinary skills as he is for his ability to establish a phenomenal restaurant. In 1994, Thomas opened The French Laundry in Yountville, CA,  which quickly became a destination restaurant. His French bistro Bouchon debuted down the street in 1998, with Bouchon Bakery following five years later. He now has eight restaurants and two bakeries in the United States, including his home-style restaurant Ad Hoc also located in Yountville, Per Se and Bouchon Bakery in the Time Warner Center in New York City, and outposts of Bouchon and Bouchon Bakery in Las Vegas. In November 2009, he opened Bouchon in Beverly Hills, as well as introduced his newest concept Bar Bouchon next door.

He is the author of the award-winning “The French Laundry” and “Bouchon” cookbooks, as well as “Under Pressure,” on sous vide cooking. His latest book on family-style recipes, “Ad Hoc at Home“, was released in November 2009 and just won awards from both the IACP and James Beard Foundation.

In 2001, Thomas was named “America’s Best Chef” by Time magazine. In 2003, Johnson & Wales University conferred upon him the honorary Degree of Doctor of Culinary Arts for his contributions to the industry. Thomas has collected many accolades within the last [Read more →]

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Kerry Hannon is a nationally respected personal finance editor and retirement correspondent for U.S. News & World Report. She has contributed to USA Today, Money, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, and Forbes. Her work has also been featured in AARP Bulletin Today, the Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Reader’s Digest, and Good Housekeeping, and she has appeared as a financial expert on ABC News, CBS, CNBC, and NPR. She lives in Washington, DC.

Kerry joined me today to talk about her book, What’s Next? It’s filled with inspiring stories from real people who have changed careers mid-life, from a former mortgage banker who’s back in the classroom to a tough cop turned Nashville music agent, these in-depth testimonials offer encouragement and advice—and prove that it’s possible to pursue your passion.

Here are Kerry’s 10 tips for planning a winning second career:

1. IT’S NEVER TOO EARLY TO START THINKING ABOUT YOUR NEXT ACT.

2. UNDERSTAND WHAT IS BEHIND THE DESIRE TO MAKE A CHANGE. [Read more →]

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Have you ever wished you could bring your therapist with you into the dressing room with you? Carol Tuttle is style therapist and best-selling author and in her most recent book, Dressing Your Truth: Discover Your Personal Beauty Profile she teaches women how to empower themselves to become their own beauty and fashion experts.  She’s created a Beauty Profiling™ system that identifies four main “Types” of women based on their physical features, personality and psychological profiles.

The profiling process helps awaken women to their “inner truth”, enabling them to express the true nature of who they are – bringing a deeper understanding of their true personal style, a better self-image, more successful (and fun!) shopping sprees and a more authentic sense of their own beauty. Check out the “before and after” makeover pictures on Carol’s site!

The four Types are:
Type 1: The Bright, Animated Woman (think Ellen DeGeneres)
Type 2: The Subtle, Soft Woman (think Julia Roberts)
Type 3: The Rich, Dynamic Woman (think Michelle Obama)
Type 4: The Bold, Striking Woman (think Demi Moore)

Once you’ve identified your Type, you can take a series of online courses at DressingYourTruth.com to help you learn how to personalize your style to what  truly suits you. It’s liberating to free yourself from feeling “out” if you’re not wearing the latest fashion trends – instead, you’ll feel great about absolutely, undeniably looking your best. Because Dressing Your Truth® is more than just wearing the right color or choosing the right makeup – it’s about your whole look as a woman, from the inside out.

This is one of my favorite ways to eat summer fruit. It’s from my book, Amy’s Table: Food for Family and Friends.
Enjoy!
Amy

Tequila-spiked Fruit Salad with Lime
Serves 6

This fruit salad makes a great brunch dish and is wonderful with grilled fish or chicken. You can always leave out the tequila or replace it with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Prep time: 20 minutes
Make ahead: The dressing can be made a day ahead. The fruit can be dressed and chilled for up to several hours. Add the banana just before serving.

4 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons frozen limeade concentrate, thawed
2 tablespoons tequila
2 cups cantaloupe, peeled and cut into chunks
2 cups honeydew melon, peeled and cut into chunks
2 cups seedless red or green grapes, cut in half
2 cups pineapple, peeled and cut into chunks [Read more →]