High school students across the country are piling on extracurricular activities and AP classes to outshine their peers in hopes to get in the college of their choice. But that’s the problem, says author Cal Newport. Cal joined me today to offer a refreshing alternative to this exhausting approach in his new book,  How to be a High School Superstar:  A Revolutionary Plan to Get into College by Standing Out (Without Burning Out).

Cal says the first step to realizing college dreams is to DO LESS, Live more. In his book, Cal introduces “relaxed superstars”—those students who breeze into top colleges by living uncluttered, low stress and meaningful high school lives—and shares with us their success stories. He also explains why doing LESS is the foundation for becoming MORE impressive.  And why DEMONSTRATING PASSION is meaningless, but BEING INTERESTING is crucial, and why accomplishments that are HARD TO EXPLAIN are better than accomplishments that are HARD TO DO. Cal  proves that getting into college doesn’t have to be a chore, but instead can be the reward for living a genuinely interesting life.

About the author: Cal Newport graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Dartmouth College in 2004 and earned a Ph.D. from MIT in 2009. His writing has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Flak magazine, and the Dartmouth Alumni magazine, and he is the founder of Study Hacks, the Web’s most popular student advice blog. In 2007, he was chosen as the spokesperson for a nationwide back-to-school campaign run by Microsoft. He is the author of How to Win at College and How to Become a Straight-A Student.

Listen to the interview.

There’s something relaxing about a porch, where you can chill out with friends, family, or on your own and watch the world go by while sipping a cool drink and nibbling on delicious snacks. In Porch Parties, Denise Gee captures the laid-back joy of partying on a porch (or veranda, deck, backyard, stoop, whatever space you’ve got) with more than 50 recipes for colorful, simple cocktails and handheld bites that make outdoor entertaining a breeze. Denise has packed this pretty little book with helpful, inspired tips on planning, furnishings, decorations, heating, cooling, food safety, and more

This drink, from Porch Parties is the signature drink at the luxe resort Little Palm Island in Florida. It was named by one of the resort’s earliest bartenders, who noticed how the concoction left guests in a Gumbylike (pliable) state, desirous to slumber in a hammock. Consider this a massage in a glass.

GUMBY SLUMBER
Serves 1

1 1/2 ounces pineapple juice
1 1/2 ounces cranberry juice
1 1/2 ounces orange juice
1 1/2 ounces spiced rum
1 1/2 ounces coconut-flavored rum*
Garnish: Fruit kabob or pineapple slice

Combine the juices and rums in an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake well and strain into a highball glass filled with ice. Garnish, if desired.

* You can substitute white rum, but it won’t have the wonderful coconut flavor for which the drink is known.

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Many thanks to Steven Raichlen for this, from his latest book, Planet Barbecue. Each recipe I’ve tried has been outstanding. Don’t be discouraged by the large number of steps and ingredients in his Singapore Sate recipe, featured here.  (I take my own advice on this one and prep to batches. I put half the meat (in the marinade) in the freezer for another night. ) Eat it just as Steven suggests- a bite of beef taken with a bite of cucumber and then dipped in the peanut sauce.  Unbelievable!

The Best Beef Satés in Singapore

Satés in Singapore play the same role as hot dogs in New York, a popular, affordable, and democratic street snack enjoyed at all hours of the day and night by rich and poor and everyone in between. So to have your saté named the best in Singapore by The Straits Times (think The New York Times of Southeast Asia) is no small accomplishment, especially if you’re an ang moh, foreigner—in this case, an American: my stepson, Jake Klein. These satés were first served at the restaurant Wood, which featured Asia’s first, and only, exclusively wood-burning kitchen (wood-burning grill, oven,smoker, and rotisserie). But even if you cook on a gas grill, the robust spicing of thesesatés will blast through loud and clear. For centuries Singapore and the Strait of Malaccawere the epicenter of the Asian spice trade; the legacy lives on in these electrifying satés.

Serves 6 as an appetizer, 4 as a light main course

1½ pounds rib eye steaks (about ½ inch thick)
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
1½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce or soy sauce
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Singapore Cucumber Relish (optional, recipe follows), for serving
Fried Garlic Peanut Sauce (optional, recipe follows), for serving
You’ll also need
8-inch bamboo skewers; an aluminum foil grill shield (see page 611)

Advance preparation: 2 to 12 hours for marinating the beef
1  Cut the steaks, including the fat, into ½-inch cubes and place them in a nonreactive mixing bowl. Stir in the brown sugar, coriander, turmeric, cumin, pepper, fish sauce, and oil. Let the beef marinate in the refrigerator, covered, for at least 2 hours; the longer it marinates, the richer the flavor will be.
2  Drain the cubes of beef, discarding the marinade. Thread the beef onto bamboo skewers, leaving the bottom half of each skewer bare for a handle and ¼ inch exposed at the pointed end. The satés can be prepared several hours ahead to this stage. Refrigerate the satés, covered, until ready to grill.
3 Set up the grill for direct grilling and  preheat it to high.
4 When ready to cook, brush and oil the grill grate. Arrange the satés on the hot grate, with the aluminum foil shield under the exposed ends of the skewers to keep them from burning. Grill the satés until cooked to taste, 1 to 2 minutes per side for medium-rare, a little longer for medium. (In general, Southeast Asians prefer their satés medium to medium-well done.) Use the poke test to check for doneness
(see the box on page 612).
5  Serve the satés with Singapore Cucumber Relish and Fried Garlic Peanut Sauce, if desired.

The traditional way to eat the satés is to skewer a piece of cucumber on the pointed end of the skewer, then dip the saté in the peanut sauce.

Singapore Cucumber Relish
Variations on this simple relish/salad turn up throughout Southeast Asia. The purpose is to give you a bite of cool, crisp, crunch to counterpoint the spicy hot meat.

2 Kirby (pickling) cucumbers, or 1 medium-size cucumber, cut in half lengthwise and seeded (see Note)
1 shallot, minced (2 to 3 tablespoons), or 1 scallion, both white and green parts, trimmed and minced
1 small hot red chile, such as a bird or cayenne pepper, stemmed, seeded, and minced
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper
Cut the cucumber(s) into ¼-inch dice. Place the cucumber(s), shallot, chile, rice vinegar, and sugar in a mixing bowl and toss gently to mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste. The relish can be made up to 2 hours ahead.
Note: It is not necessary to seed Kirby cucumbers.

Fried Garlic Peanut Sauce
To most North Americans barbecue sauce is some variation on a combination of ketchup,
brown sugar, and vinegar, but on any given day on Planet Barbecue probably far more people are dipping grilled meats in peanut sauce. The basic formula starts with deep-fried peanuts or peanut butter and the flavorings typically include garlic and ginger for pungency, sugar for sweetness, and fish sauce or soy sauce for saltiness. The peanut-sauce belt begins in Indonesia (its probable birthplace) and extends through Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia, all the way to Hong Kong. The Singaporean version owes its fragrance to fresh lemongrass and ginger. Dried shrimp are available in Asian and Hispanic markets. Fish sauce isn’t a bad substitute, although you can omit it and still wind up with a killer sauce. The addition of fried garlic chips is very characteristic of Southeast Asia.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 cloves garlic, 3 cloves thinly sliced crosswise and 2 cloves minced
1 shallot, minced
1 stalk lemongrass, trimmed and minced, or 2 strips (each ½ by 2 inches) lemon zest
1 to 3 small hot chiles, such as Thai chiles or serrano or jalapeño peppers, stemmed, seeded, and minced (for a hotter peanut sauce, leave the seeds in)
1 tablespoon dried shrimp, minced, or 1 teaspoon fish sauce (optional)
¾ cup peanut butter
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk, or as needed
2 tablespoons sugar, or more to taste
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice, or more to taste
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground pepper
1  Heat the oil in a wok or saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the sliced garlic and cook, stirring, until golden, 2 minutes. Remove the garlic with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Add the 2 cloves of minced garlic, the shallot, lemongrass, chile(s), and dried shrimp, if using, to the wok and cook over medium-high heat until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 minutes.
2  Stir in the peanut butter, coconut milk, sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce, if using (instead of the dried shrimp), lime juice, and E cup water. Reduce the heat and gently simmer the sauce until it is thick but pourable, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the cilantro during the last 2 minutes of cooking.
3 Just before serving, stir in the fried garlic slices. If the sauce has gotten too thick and pasty, add a tablespoon or so of water. Taste and correct the seasoning, adding salt and pepper, and more sugar and lime juice if needed. The sauce should be richly flavored.

The Scoop
Where: Singapore
What: Tiny flame-seared beef kebabs—the cumin, coriander, and turmeric marinade rocks
How: Direct grilling
Just the Facts: What makes these satés so extraordinary is the cut of beef, rib eye, the most generously marbled steak you can buy. When assembling the satés, be sure to intersperse cubes of lean beef with fattier cubes of meat or steak fat (that’s how they do it in Singapore). Remember: Fat equals flavor. Chicken, pork, lamb, or goat satés can be made the same way.

Listen to Amy’s tips.

Try this recipe for Glazed Beef Kabobs from Certified Angus Beef and visit UsePropane.com for lots of ideas to bring the family together for meal prep.

By the way, need a new grill? Now through December is  the time to get the best deals on gas grills!

Final Cut features a wall of big, generous booths highlighted by  art glass panels that allow a glimpse into the bustling kitchen. The décor of the restaurant is warm and softly lit, with the right blend of “manly, yes, but I like it, too”. Both my husband and I felt right at home.

Our server, Mark, did a great job giving us an overview of the menu and told us about his favorites. We decided to go with all of them! While perusing an extensive wine list, we sipped drinks and nibbled on delectable truffle butter and a selection of warm breads.

We shared the Signature Crab Cake. It was just perfect. I’m a bit of a crab cake snob- I like lumps of fresh tasting crab meat with a minimum of bread crumbs and fillers. Chef Springer’s Crab Cake was just that…all crab and only ever-so lightly bound! It was served with roasted pineapple and a delicate aioli.

For the salad course, I ordered the Wedge and really loved the presentation. It was served as a trio of small wedges on a rectangular plate and topped with generous amounts of blue cheese, bacon, tomato and creamy dressing…..delicious. Hubby got the Caprese, which could have easily fed 2-3 people. Layers of fresh-from –the- garden tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil and sweet onion were artfully presented (and enthusiastically consumed!)

The sides were memorable, too. I’d come back just for another taste of the creamed corn.  I think everything’s better with bourbon and the creamed corn was no exception. It was fresh, perfectly cooked and subtly bourbon-scented. We also had green beans that were crisp and nicely flavored. Order both and share.

Final Cut is a steak house so of course we ordered steaks! I had the Center Cut Filet Mignon and my husband had a massive (20-ounce!) bone-in prime KC Strip. Both were expertly seasoned and cooked. They were truly excellent. We just love Chef Springer’s signature rub.

It was shameful that we ordered dessert after all we had eaten, but we did. We chose the chocolate mousse, which was layered and stacked and served on a sauce-painted plate. We nearly inhaled it (and looked around hoping no one noticed using our fingers to get every last little bit.)

How well did we like our meal at Final Cut? So much that I invited  Chef Springer to teach a cooking class at EQ at The Party Source! You can see him in action Monday, December 13th . Click here for more information, or to reserve your seat.

About the Chef: Chef Clendon Springer has worked in the Tri-State since 2005 and has held positions at the Metropolitan Club in Covington and Cincinnati’s Kenwood Country Club, where he was part of the team that received the American Culinary Federation’s Award of Excellence for 2009. He attended the Florida Culinary Institute in West Palm Beach. While in the Palms, he refined his craft at two four-star, four-diamond restaurants: Café L’Europe and the Diamond Grill at the Ritz Carlton Palm Beach.

Whenever you bake a bar-type cookie, line the baking pan with foil, leaving enough of an over-lap to be able to lift the entire baked good out of the pan before cutting. For the most uniform cuts, break down the brownies by cutting the entire pan in half, then each half in half, then in half again – and keep going until you get the size brownie you want.

I make extra pans of brownies and freeze them, well wrapped in foil, uncut and unfrosted. I like to frost them still frozen. Flip the brownie over and frost the smooth bottom side with an offset spatula. Cut them semi-frozen, too. It creates a nice clean cut. (Wipe your knife blade on a damp paper towel in between cuts to keep things tidy)

I like to cut them into rectangles and then flatten mini cupcake papers and put a brownie in each one for a pretty, bakery-style look.

Best-ever Brownie
Makes one 9×13-inch pan

Cooking spray
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 cup flour
Dash of salt (mixed with flour)

Preheat oven to 350o F . Line a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with foil; spray foil with non-stick spray.

Place chocolate and butter a large microwave safe bowl; heat 2 minutes or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in sugar. Stir in vanilla extract, then eggs one at a time, stirring well after each addition. Mix in flour, a little at a time, stirring until uniform. Pour batter into prepared pan; bake 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with fudge-y crumbs. Cool completely. Invert pan and remove foil. When completely cool, frost with ganache and cut into rectangles.

Chocolate Ganache
(Note: Ganache can be made 3 days ahead and chilled, covered. Let stand at room temperature 2 to 3 hours to soften to a spread-able consistency)

1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

Pour cream into a microwave safe container; heat on full power 1 ½- 2 minutes or until very hot.

Place chocolate in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Finely chop chocolate.

With motor running, pour hot cream through the feed tube and process just until the chocolate is melted and smooth.

Let stand at room temperature until a thick but spread-able consistency is reached, or refrigerate until ready to use.

Yum! So good! For Chef Michael Ollier’s recipe, click here.

Dinner tonight was a simple Cashew Chicken Stir Fry paired with Black Swan Chardonnay. We really liked the peach, citrus and melon flavors of the wine with the slightly spicy chicken and vegetables. It also paired well with our crab rangoon. At about $8 a bottle, Black Swan 2009 South Eastern Australia Chardonnay is our “house” chardonnay of the moment!

Serves 4-6
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

1/2 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
Oil as needed
6 green onions, chopped, some reserved for garnish
1 small onion, cut into 8 wedges
1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1 small carrot, peeled and sliced diagonally
1 cup mushrooms , sliced
1 cup fresh or frozen snow peas
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
1/3 cup cashews
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Hot cooked rice as an accompaniment

In a small bowl combine the broth, cornstarch, oyster sauce, honey, soy sauce and rice wine vinegar; set aside.
Heat about 1 tablespoon oil in a wok over medium-high heat.
Add most of the green onions, reserving some for garnish, and the onion wedges; stir-fry 1 minute.
Add bell pepper and carrot; stir-fry 2 minutes.
Add mushrooms and snowpeas; stir-fry 2 minutes.
Remove vegetable mixture from pan. Keep warm. A
dd 1 tablespoon oil to the wok; add chicken; stir-fry 5 minutes.
Add broth mixture, vegetable mixture, cashews, and crushed red pepper flakes; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until thick.
Serve over rice; garnish with remaining green onions.

Listen to the interview.

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.  That’s what “Laugh, Cry, Eat Some Pie” will lead you to, celebrating mindful living, the power of friendships, and the undeniable benefits of a good laugh (and, every now and then, a good cry).

Here’s Deanna’s recipe for Mud Pie.

Mud Pie
½ cup peanut butter
1 prepared chocolate cookie crumb or graham-cracker crust (purchased)
1 pint chocolate ice cream, softened
2/3 cup chopped Nutter Butter cookies
1 pint cookies and cream ice cream, softened
2 full Twix bars (4 sticks), chopped
1 pint coffee ice cream, softened
Chocolate sauce or hot fudge sauce (optional)
Caramel sauce (optional)
Whipped cream (optional)
Toasted almonds (optional)
Spread the peanut butter in the bottom of the prepared crust. Cover with the softened chocolate ice cream and top with Nutter Butter cookies.
In a mixing bowl that is the same diameter (or slightly smaller) as the pie crust (typically roughly 8–9 inches, depending on crust size), place the softened cookies and cream ice cream in the bottom of the bowl and even out the top. Sprinkle with chopped Twix bars.
Place both the pie plate and the bowl in the freezer for 1 hour, then take the bowl out and top with softened coffee ice cream. Return to the freezer for 1 hour.
Remove both the pie plate and the bowl from the freezer. Spread the chocolate sauce topping over the frozen Nutter Butter cookies. Float the bowl of ice cream in warm water for 1–2 minutes to loosen the ice cream, then invert it over the pie plate (on top of the hot fudge) so that the ice cream becomes the top layer (it will be a big “mound” on top of
the pie).
Garnish with chocolate sauce or hot fudge, caramel sauce, toasted almonds, and whipped cream as desired.
Enjoy a heavy sigh and a slice of mud pie any time you need to remind yourself that it’s the process and the product, not perfection, that we’re after in this life!