Review: Bakeless Sweets by Faith Durand

So this is a first for me in many ways. This is the first time I have ever written a review of a cookbook, and furthermore, it's my first review of a dessert book. It is also my first review of a book by Faith Durand, executive editor of The Kitchn.

Faith has been a long time friend, and I was incredibly thankful that I purchased her first cookbook, Not Your Mother's Casseroles (I actually need to write a review of that one too). And when I found out she had written a book on desserts, I had to learn more.

Jamie and I strive not to eat a ton of sweets, and we don't like to encourage others to eat sweets either, but Faith's book is incredible, and if one can be disciplined enough to not make dessert into a meal, then this book is worth pursuing.

Since it is my first time writing a review of a cookbook, I should be fair and explain my rationale for the evaluation. I did not read through the instructions for every recipe. Instead, I looked at the variety of recipes, ingredients, and flavors available. And then I skimmed descriptors for this array of delicious treats. After this, I looked at how the author's personality and passion came through on the pages. I was impressed on all counts.

But then, the last screening was preparing a dessert for a gathering of a few friends. For that, I left it completely in the hands of my wife to choose a dessert, and to prepare it. After screening several, she landed on a dessert that reflected one of her great passions--ice cream--Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream, Bangkok Peanut Ice Cream to be exact. Jamie tested Faith's original recipe for no-bake Spicy Peanut And Toasted Coconut Cookies. Wow! The dessert was a delicious spicy, savory, and sweet treat. They were a hit at the gathering we attended, and I was thankfully able to snag a couple of these delicious treats.

If you are looking for a good book full of delicious bakeless treats, look no further than Bakeless Sweets. The book is colorful, well organized, filled with tons of original and classic treats, and a great way to prepare treats, especially when you don't want to heat up a house in the summer by baking in the oven. This is a fun book filled with quick-to-prepare recipes for the enjoyment of all.

Born To Run by Christopher McDougall

That's my sister in the photo above. She's become quite the runner. I'll have to write more about her in another post. In this post I want to talk about a book I recently read though. :)

A couple of years ago, my friend Rich at Jay’s Daily Grind recommended a book to me. It is called Born To Run by ChristopherMcDougall.  It’s  a book about, well, running. The book starts off by talking about how runners today seem to be prone to a lot of injuries. I can attest to the injuries. In 2000, I had developed an injury in my tibialis major muscle that sidelined me for months. I was on and off with running after that. In 2007, I had shin splints, and in 2009 and 2010 I suffered from plantar fascia and Achilles problems. Right now, my sister and brother in law are both in recuperation from running injuries. And the author of the book had also developed his own share of injuries from running.

But the book isn’t just about running injuries. It’s really the story of a tribe in Mexico called the Tarahumara. They run with no support, but just simple thin sandals on their feet. They run for dozens of miles daily and do so without injury. They do so without the latest cushioning and running shoe technology. McDougall had heard stories about this tribe, and traveled to Mexico to attempt to discover them.

The journey led him into ultra marathons, minimalist running, and also into meeting some amazing individuals who were fueled by their love of running including Caballo Blanco and Barefoot Ted. They were minimalist and barefoot runners who ran out of a love for running.

The subtitle of the book was “A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen.” The Tarahmara are a bit reclusive, and the author was extremely fortunate to be able to connect with their people. The story he tells crescendos to a race in the Copper Canyons of Mexico where a handful of ultramarathoners join a handful of Tarahumara for a race through the jungle. You’ll have to read the book to see how it goes.

What I really enjoyed about the book was that it reiterated something I had wondered about for years. McDougall mentioned that maybe all of our fancy supports in our shoes actually have served to weaken the muscles in our feet that stabilize and can prevent injury. I am not a medical professional, but I often wonder if a lot of injuries people sustain could be prevented if we were doing exercises to strengthen some of these weaker stabilizer muscles. McDougall talks a bit about the history of running, and even shares some stories of how humans are built to be able to run incredibly long distances without fatigue, something pretty unique to people.

There was one section that I took some inspiration from as well. In the book, McDougall talks about the athletic development of individuals and how most people surge to their peak performance by age 27, and that the most significant spike happens between the ages 18 and 27. And after 27, things go downhill slowly. At age 54, I believe among the Tarahumara, runners have regressed to their performance levels at age 18. I am no longer 27, but I have many years before I reach 54, and if the slope of decline is that gradual, I could probably be 75-80 and running at the level I ran in junior high, which wasn’t too bad (It just wasn’t as fast as Bobby Black, Jimmy Tunison, James Jones, or Roger Logston—those guys could fly!!!).

If you pick up the book, I hope it will inspire you on a path toward greater fitness and health, and spur you on to start walking, jogging, running, or simply getting more exercise. Even if it doesn’t inspire you to get out and exercise, it is a pretty exhilarating read, and you might find yourself with a hankering for chia seeds. 

Jay’s Daily Grind: Morgantown, WV

From time to time I like to write a review of a place where I’ve visited in my travels, enjoyed a good meal, or a cool experience. I recently realized that I don’t often write about some of my favorite local spots though. In some ways I just imagine that everybody already knows about these cool spots, but maybe I am wrong. Or I just think that I may never be able to share all of the great places I enjoy locally.

Either way, I want to tell you about a cool little coffee and sandwich shop in downtown Morgantown called Jay’s Daily Grind. They have a very simple website and they don’t have long hours. But, what they do have is some of the best coffee and espresso drinks I’ve had anywhere, an extremely dedicated and passionate staff, and a simple yet highly delicious menu.

I’ve personally made Jay’s part of my routine when I am looking for a location where I can write, think, talk, and engage in aspects of work that do not require me to be online. Jay’s shop doesn’t have wifi, and personally, I really like that aspect of the place. This little coffee shop has been present in Morgantown since the early 90s, and is definitely a local favorite.  Many university English professors choose to have conferences with students inside the shop, and it’s also a popular stopping point for a morning cup of coffee for workers who commute on foot to the university.

They specialize in the basics for folks on the go, and if you happen to purchase one of their delicious sandwiches to go, it comes in a brown paper bag (complete with chips and a pickle) and not some #2 plastic.

Beyond the quality of the food, the staff at Jay’s typically know their customers’ name by the second time they visit, and for their regulars, they know the beverage or food of choice as well.

Jay’s is a great place for food, coffee, and conversation, so if you are passing through Morgantown, or looking to try a new locale, check them out. They are just off campus downtown on Willey St. across from White Hall. And who knows, maybe I will see you there too!

The Five Dysfunctions Of A Team

Over the years and at various places I've worked or visited, I've heard people mention this book by Patrick Lencioni called The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.  Finally after many years of conversations where the book has come up, I have been able to read it.

I'd highly recommend it to anyone who works on a team, whether it is a sports team or a leadership team.  The book is extremely easy to read (it's written as a fable), and it covers five areas for growth for any team.

What are these five dysfunctions? I've included them below. They are listed in the book as a pyramid with each one building on the other. In my list below the pyramid is inverted, and so the first dysfunction to deal with is at the top of the list.

Absence of Trust This is the the foundation of problems on teams and in organizations. If people don't trust each other, they will be unwilling to share weaknesses and ask for help because they will believe that other members of their team will pounce on these weaknesses. The solution is to cultivate a willingness to be open about weaknesses so other members of the team can help move things toward the win.


Fear of Conflict People are afraid of conflict. We 'extend grace' and 'foster harmony' and avoid hard conversations because they are, well, hard. And as a result, the teams we are on suffer. Now conflict isn't always good. If people are tearing each other down constantly or the conflict becomes rooted in personal attacks over moving more aggressively toward a win, then the whole team suffers, and trust is eroded.


Lack of Commitment It's hard to move forward toward any goal if people aren't committed to making it a reality. Our generation is extremely tentative about commitments, we are in a world that is quickly moving, and we long for fluidity, so commitments feel kind of, committing.  When we fail to commit to a course, a plan, or a specific direction, we can flounder, and never quite move forward. It's kind of like driving a car. When we start the car moving, it becomes much easier to adjust our plans and directions but we have to be willing to set forth in a direction, or we go nowhere.


Avoidance of Accountability People don't like to be accountable for anything. When we choose not to be accountable or hold others accountable, we see a lowering of standards. Often we can be wracked with guilt for holding another person accountable for their contribution and it prevents us from holding to standards--this hurts the entire team.


Inattention to Results When a team loses focus on results that benefit the win for the whole team, then individual players become concerned with their own status and ego being satisfied. This happens when individuals become more concerned with advancing their own careers or receiving accolades rather than seeing the team move to a win.  A great example might be a person on a sports team who is more concerned with their own stats than they are with whether their team is winning.  Wins take on a more selfish and personal nature, and team members are working toward boosting their own career rather than the health and vibrance of their team.  When this happens, the team loses sight of it's big win, and never fully achieves it's potential.

As I share this synopsis, if you've ever been on a team, you've probably experienced one or more of these dysfunctions. They are part of our nature as human beings, but to become a truly successful team or organization, they need to be challenged and overcome. Unfortunately, it takes more than an intellectual assent to these to make that a reality.

I highly recommend the book, but even more than reading the book, I want to encourage you to examine your own life and involvement with teams to determine how you can eliminate your tendencies toward these dysfunctions and help others do the same.  Our world needs people working together to accomplish great transformative dreams and to help this world become a more beautiful place than we could ever make it alone.

FALLfest 2008

FALLfest 2008, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

Last night, I went to FALLfest. It's the annual concert event that welcomes students back to morgantown. Literally thousands of students and guests attended the event. There was a wide variety of artists on stage including this guy, Lupé Fiasco. He was the only person who I watched the entire set for. While his lyrics were not always the most eloquent or family friendly, he provided a high energy performance, and even took a moment of silence to remember all of those who were killed in the previous year as a result of campus violence or who were victimized in campus rapes. I was actually really impressed with the way he was able to rhyme while running and jumping at a fast pace as he and his crew danced while they rapped and sang.

FALLfest had a little something for everyone, and the headliners even included a Christian band called Day of Fire.

I spent yesterday evening going back and forth between sozo and the mountainlair--trying to connect with students as many made the return trip to morgantown just in time for classes to start.

All in all there were about a dozen of us who spent the evening together wandering through the crowds and standing packed like sardines for the event on campus.

The semester is on it's way now. Folks are scurrying all about campus as they strive to make their way around and learn the ropes.

And, in the middle of it all, I was able to join several thousand others in enjoying a free concert with friends.