Almost 48 years after it was first published, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” by Julia Child is finally topping the best-seller list, bringing with it all the butter, salt and goose fat that home chefs had largely abandoned. 

 The book, given a huge lift from the recently released movie “Julie & Julia,” sold 22,000 copies in the most recent week tracked, according to Nielsen BookScan, which follows book sales. That is more copies than were sold in any full year since the book’s appearance.

This is one of my all time favorite books. I have read  The 4 Hour Work Week three times and its a regular “go to” on my night stand. Those of you who know me, already know I will probably never retire, but if I was like most Americans, and followed the “retirement age” logic (whatever that is) to have the life experiences one usually dreams about when they retire, I would be doomed to repeat the mistakes made by most people.  There are many things I want to do with my life that involve two things – money and the most difficult thing to find – time.

Last Fall, my husband and I went on vacation and I saw the Grand Canyon for the very first time. It was awe-inspiring, spiritual and something I wish I hadn’t waited so long to experience.

In addition to the amazing views – what I saw were LOTS of people my age and older on canes and in wheelchairs seeing one of the wonders of the world for the very first time. It may or may not be true – but my perception was that these people did what 90% of Americans do - they work like dogs to barely survive for the best years of their lives waiting for “retirement” when they can try to do all the things they have always wanted to do during the failing years of their life. How sad and how backwards.

Read this book. It will make you think about your priorities and help you have a better quality of life. Isn’t it time you thought about YOU?

I’m sure many of you, if you’re in the recruitment or hospitality industry, have the same problem that I do – how to prepare great meals when you don’t have time (or in my case the skill!) to be a gourmet chef.  Crock Pots can be a life saver!  I know many people think of heavy winter meals when they think of slow cookers, but this books gives you tons of recipes for all seasons.  It would be worth your time to check out!

You can order it by clicking on this link to Amazon. It only costs about $14.

Biggest Book of Slow Cooker Recipes

by: Better Homes and Gardens Books and Chuck Smothermon

Great value-hundreds of tested and perfected recipes, informative tips, plus two bonus chapters-all-in-one economical resource for time-crunched cooks from the brand they know and trust.

• Recipes for appetizers, beverages, soups, stews, main dishes, and desserts.

• 416 pages-about one recipe per page-make this the largest book of its kind.

• Bonus chapters offer five-ingredient recipes and one-dish meals.

• Plenty of timesaving tips and advice for smoother meal prep.

I understand how busy people who work in recruitment and hospitality are. Crock pots are a great way to have a great meal at home, without having to take a lot of time to cook!