Hill Of Beans

Leslie Epstein's Hill of Beans is the story of how one nation, one industry, and in particular one man responded to the desperate hope of freedom in the Second World War.

A memooir of grwoing up in rural North Carolina dauring the Depression.

2023 Catholic Media Association Third Place Award, Anthology Do we make too much of our day-to-day problems? In the big scheme of things how important can they be? Award-winning storyteller Valerie Schultz answers these questions through deeply touching—and sometimes provocative—personal accounts of family, career, addiction, alienation, romance, aging, and loss. With compassion and honesty Schultz retraces the passages of ordinary life, finding grace and the presence of God in those she loves and those she struggles to love.

Johnstone Country. Come and Get It. Mac is back. Framed for a murder he didn’t commit, Dewey “Mac” Mackenzie is a wanted man on a cattle drive heading west—as a chuckwagon cook. Though he’s never even boiled an egg, Mackenzie has a natural gift for cobbling together good trail drive grub. Now, with two trail drives under his belt, Mackenzie has proven to be more than a good chuckwagon cook. He’s good at serving up justice, too—with a side of hot lead . . . A HILL OF BEANS Mac Mackenzie has enough problems on his plate. He’s got bounty hunters on his tail, no one on his side, and no place to hide. Just when he thinks it can’t get any worse, he hears the rumbling of a cattle stampede—heading straight for his camp. Mac’s got two choices: Get trampled like a weed or saddle up and help get the herd under control. At first, the traildrivers ain’t too pleased to have a stranger help them out. But once they realize Mac’s not a rustler, they ask him to join the team. Mac takes them up on the offer—especially after he meets the cowgirl Colleen—and quickly impresses everyone with his cooking skills. There’s just a few more problems: Mac’s new employers might be the real rustlers. And Mac’s stepped out of the frying pan into the fire . . .

Have you ever been bullied, molested, or told “You don’t have the sense you were born with,” “You are going out of the world backward,” “You are a knucklehead,” “You are mentally slow,” “You are too small to play a game,” “You are not strong enough,” “You are a quitter,” “You will never fi nish anything,” “People like you should not go to college,” “You are stupid,” “You were meant to be a laborer,” “You are ugly,” or “YOU WILL NEVER AMOUNT TO A HILL OF BEANS?” This autobiography of my life story is for all of the people who have been put-down or discouraged by family, friends, classmates, or society at large. I hope that it will help you to not give up on your hopes and dreams. May it strengthen your faith in God, yourself, and your fellowmen.

When Isobel Dusi visited Italy with her Australian husband Lou, little did they imagine that life would change forever. But, utterly besotted with the fragrant warmth and good-natured conviviality of Southern Tuscany, they decided to sell up their lives in the big city and move thousands of miles to follow the dream of a life more in keeping with ancient rhythms and time-honoured traditions of the Mediterranean. After months of searching they settled upon Montalcino, an intriguing hilltop medieval village with a reputation for some of the finest wine in Italy. VANILLA BEANS AND BRODO is an account of Isobel's hard-won acceptance into this tempestuous, warm-hearted and proudly independent community, whose voluble passions for home grown wine and Tuscan cuisine, for football and ancient traditions and festivals, puts paid to the myth that life in rural Tuscany is tranquil. Isobel and Lou are gradually transformed into Isabella and Luigi in this charming account of Tuscan village life that really gets to the beating heart of an Italian community - its joys, pleasures, anxieties, but above all, its absorbing eccentricities.

“Everything you need to know about the delicious new world of beans in this pioneering [recipe] book . . .A keeper.” —Paula Wolfert, James Beard and Julia Child Award–winning cookbook author Who would have thought a simple bean could do so much? Heirloom bean expert Steve Sando provides descriptions of the many varieties now available, from Scarlet Runners to the spotted Eye of the Tiger beans. Nearly ninety recipes in the book will entice readers to cook up bowls of heartwarming Risotto and Cranberry Beans with Pancetta, or Caribbean Black Bean Soup. Close-up photos of the beans make them easy to identify. Packed with protein, fiber, and vitamins, these little treasures are the perfect addition to any meal. “Heirloom Beans is no less than a promise of good things to come from this humble but rather magical food.” —Deborah Madison, James Beard and Julia Child Award–winning cookbook author of Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone “Heirloom Beans is the ultimate kiss and tell all of legendary legumes. A delicious recipe and savory story for every heirloom bean.” —Annie Somerville, cookbook author and chef, Greens Restaurant “We give Rancho Gordo beans a place of honor at our restaurants.” —Thomas Keller, James Beard award-winning chef, cookbook author and restaurateur, French Laundry