Book Review: The Female Vision

The Female Vision
Women's Real Power at Work

by Sally Helgesen and Julie Johnson


Why aren't more women in business and, more importantly, in management?

The authors distill our current dilemma into a few major points:

1)  Our modern business structure was built at a time where women were not involved.

2)  Because of this fact, women are not an essential structural backbone of "most" businesses (or what I've begun to think of as legacy industries).

3)  And finally, women's strongest attributes are not appreciated and recognized by upper management (and I add, even by other women who might happen to be in management).


Because management is largely male dominated, only those attributes that they appreciate are rewarded.  That which they do not understand is not rewarded.  Very much a catch-22.

The authors also make a startling point, women place a different value on their jobs than men do.  Women want to be productive and useful in this job, right now, while men will work in a unfulfilling position in order to attain future advancement.  When women are not fulfilled, they leave their jobs ... describing their dissatifaction with the phrase, "It was not worth it."


So how do we change our business culture and invite women to stick around with fulfilling positions?  The authors make these four recommendations:

1)  Value diverse ways of knowing.  Not everything needs to come down to quantitative numbers.  Intuition is very valuable.  Trust it and make use of it.  Make it an integral part of your team.

2)  Encourage Mindfulness.  Give people the time and space to cogitate and produce.  This is when the brain is creative.  This is where the next amazing ideas begin.

3)  Support Webs of Inclusion.  Make those networking skills work for the good of the company.  Network within your structure at least as much as you network outside your structure.  Women tend to hesitate to ring their own bell, but your co-workers won't know what you can do and how you can help them until you tell them.

4)  Respect the power of empathy.  Women tend to empathize with people better than men.  Organizations who value and use this characteristic are much better off than organizations that do not.


The authors mention a number, 70%, early on in this small book.  That is the amount of skills and abilities they estimate women can tap into with our current business culture.  Imagine a business world where women could use 100% of their talents.  How much better off would we be as a world, nation, city, company, team, individual?



I have left the world of big business, as I found the male dominated oil field to be a frustrating, unfulfilling, irritating waste of my time.  My first boss was a great guy, my second boss was unworthy of the title.  And upper-level management was a hold over from the dark ages.

I later found out that one guy in mid-level management predicted my actions, he noticed I was bored out of my mind and told my boss he needed to engage me or I was outta there.  A couple weeks later, I handed in my notice.

I am a bad Cheapskate, or Review of Jeff Yeager's "The Cheapskate Next Door"

Jeff Yeager's website


Jeff Yeager and I have a common gripe, you do not need beaucoup in the bank for living and retirement ... IF you are financially aware, efficient, and responsible.  And you cannot live like the average American with almost $20k credit card debit (YIKES).


I have a ways to go to reach Jeff's cheapskate status, but I do get a couple points here and there.


I get As and Bs when:

I grocery shop once a week. (Good)

I buy some used items (come on Cathe's "Imax 3" DVD from eBay, Mama wants to step) but I recognize I need to reduce my needs further. (Good, with plenty of room for improvement)

I am gathering pre-qualification paperwork for a future home loan and DO NOT plan to max out that loan. (Good)


But I rate Cs and Ds in some places:

I do not own a crock pot. (Horrible.  According to Jeff, 95% of cheapskates own a crockpot).

And I am a tech junkie-lite (I don't buy the first iteration, but I wait until the kinks are gone!)



Therefore, I conclude that I am a bad cheapskate. :(



But even for those of us who do not plan to go whole hog, Jeff has some AWESOME ideas:

One I absolutely love is the boiled omelets in a bag brunch idea, on pg 172.



How I compare to the average cheapskate:

Quality and durability factor much higher than price in my shopping concerns. (Kira gets a CSP - CheapSkate Point)

I do not like to shop. (Another CSP) Fabric and accessories DO NOT COUNT.  Ha!

I do not have buyer's remorse regarding any of my purchases this year! (CSP)

Separating needs and wants. I started to keep a shopping list of wants in the wunderlist app. And I have found that when I hold off on purchases, I delete most of what is on my want list at future viewings. Only when something remains on my list, and I can justify the purchase and get a great deal, will I follow through on the purchase. Needless to say, few "wants" have been purchased this year. (CSP)

Premeditated shopper - I am a scratch cook, and rarely find manufacturers coupons for my shopping. However, I do find store discounts on occasion. These sales usually have an expiration date within the month. I will stock up on the products and coupons for the immediate future (and my available storage), and stock up on additional coupons for my next visit. (CSP)

Spending Anxiety Disorder arises, especially when considering large sums of money (my brother and I both share this characteristic). I dislike seeing others waste money and resources. (I had to bite my tongue while visiting family last year, they tore off several sheets of paper-towel to dry hands after washing. EACH AND EVERY TIME. Tighten those jaws a bit more Kira! I confess to subdividing paper-towels in thirds and fourths. And I dry my hands with a cloth towel ... that I wash and reuse.) (CSP)

Brand Blind and advertising averse. Yes! I am not interested in funding a manufacturers advertising budget. I read reviews before purchasing. I am "brand" loyal in so far as 1) Modern Japanese manufacturing (a car and a sewing machine of mine are recent Japanese manufacture), 2) I do buy organic (and lose a CSP for this) and will look to those known brands first if my grocery does not have their own organic line, and 3) when adding accessories to a much used product (we have Nikon cameras and will only buy those accessories that fit our camera bodies ... but it does not have to be a Nikon lens, it just has to work like one).

Change vs Progress and how it affects you specifically. My car is quickly approaching the 10 year mark. As long as the money I pay in upkeep stays reasonable, I will not be purchasing another. While I enjoy learning about the latest upgrades in the industry, I do not need to own them. Personally, I very much enjoy not having a monthly car payment. 😉 (CSP)


I highly recommend Jeff Yeager's Cheapskate series.  He is humorous, easy to read, and has great suggestions for reducing consumption.  Thanks Jeff.

"Choosing Raw" by Gena Hamshaw Cookbook Review

Gena Hamshaw's "Choosing Raw"

http://www.choosingraw.com/recipes/

Is there an index?

Yes, by components and ingredients.

Is there a Contents/Chapter section?

There's a LOT of non-recipe pages in this cookbook.  She has a huge beginner/how-to section.

What is the “Beginner’s Intro” volume?

94 pages, or 34% of the book is the introduction, including a Q&A section.

To her credit, I did find the 21 day meal plans, starting on page 83, interesting.  For those people who are organized enough to create (or desire to start creating) and follow such, this gets you off to the right start.

What is the presentation like?

Many recipes have full page+ color photographs.  Only a few recipes cross to the next page, which indicates some careful editing.

Comments -

She does have 4 recipes listed under winter squash, but only one could be raw.

And I would guess that half the recipes have nuts or seeds as an ingredient, so it seems as (or no more) nut heavy as any other of the titles I've explored.

Ultimately, this is a transition to and learning how to cook vegetarian/vegan and incorporate raw food.  If you have other cookbooks, especially with any vegetable centric leanings, you already have many of these recipes.

If your library were wiped out tomorrow, would this make your cannot live without immediate re-buy list?

As my goal is a completely raw cookbook, I will not be purchasing this title.  

However, if you are just starting out, and have no cookbooks, this is a starter option.

Recipes -

Raw Carrot Falafel, pg 188

Falafel is not extraordinarily tasty, and neither are these.  But they make a great addition to salad and a bit of tahini drizzled on top turns this into a flavorful and texture-ful meal.

They are easy to shape and keep in the fridge.  

Himself commented that the falafel is not to his taste and not crunchy.  Which I interpret as, "This is not a potato chip."  

Rosemary Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes, pg 198

Except for the fact that I ate this on a chilly day, and would have preferred more warmth in my mouth, I loved this recipe.  

She includes some ingredients that I rarely see in Cauly mashed recipes.  And these give the dish a creamy, more flavorful experience than is typical.

I will keep this in rotation.  I think the miniature humans in my life would like it also.  Maybe I need to test it?

Raw Vegan Blueberry Ginger Ice Cream, pg 240

A banana based ice cream, I was short a banana and chowing down before realizing I'd mishalved the recipe.

However, I do find the halved banana recipe a bit, um, banana-y.  It would be a great dessert for those who love banana flavor.  For me, it is OK.  

"Live Raw" by Mimi Kirk Cookbook Review

Mimi Kirk's "Live Raw"

http://youngonrawfood.com/category/raw-food-recipes/

Is there an index?

Yes, 2 pages of mostly recipe titles, not the ingredients index I prefer.  However, the recipes are well titled (straightforward) to indicate major ingredients.

Is there a Contents/Chapter section?

Yes, 4 excellent pages.

What is the “Beginner’s Intro” volume?

Comprises 27% of the book, including some preachy bits.  Yikes, I'd rather have more recipes.

But, there are 165 pages of recipes.

What is the presentation like?

There is not a great deal of empty space in this book, notetaking will be restricted. On the other hand, the space is taken up with a bunch of recipes, none of this "each recipe gets 2 or 3 pages."  Indeed, such as with the smoothie section, she may have 2 or 3 recipes per page.

The recipes are presented on one of two colored and textured pages: light green or yellow.  This is fairly easy on my eyes.

Mimi Kirk includes rather delectable photographs of at least 1/3 of the recipes ... she does not highlight each smoothie recipe with a photo, but all the entree recipes are represented.  A good mix of knowing the audience and what we want to see, in my opinion.

If your library were wiped out tomorrow, would this make your cannot live without immediate re-buy list?

Maybe, I want to compare it to her International title, and will probably buy one or the other.

Comments -

I suppose this is the first raw cookbook I can see myself buying; I do think it is a bit preachy in the beginning, but 3 out of 3 recipes has us off to a good start.

Recipes -

Mango Smoothie pg 71

Oh, this was a good smoothie; a bright olived lime green.  I thoroughly enjoyed it, even with the sweetener I did not add.  :)  I have a green themed party coming up, and I can see serving this as the "opener."

Ms. Kirk has a couple unusual additions to the smoothie recipe than what I typically see, and this makes me want to try out more of her offerings.

I will add this into regular rotation.  Yum.

Upscale Kale Salad and Dressing pg 131

Besides cutting the oil and sugar by more than half, I made this according to the book. It is a citrus delight, and we made use of home grown greens.  There's an interesting combination of dried and fresh fruit, as well as a sprinkling of nuts.

The ingredient combo was delicious and enjoyed by both family members.

Himself said, "I like it.  Put it on the re-make list."  He is very salad and dressing picky, preferring balsamic vinegar usually.  This is quite the recommendation. 

Banana Pudding pg 207

Tasty and good, I made half a recipe for dessert and find this a more acceptable "regular" dessert than the highly over-the-top desserts I've seen in other cookbooks ... not that she is deficient in this realm (Mike's Birthday BRAWnie on page 218 looks sinful), just that variety is offered.

I did cut down the sweetener by half.


Conclusion - 
Yes, it is in my Amazon cart.  I'm not ready to buy just yet, because I want to check out two other titles: "Live Raw Around the World" by Mimi Kirk and "Raw & Simple" by Judita Wignall.  Both were requested from the library, and I'm simply playing the waiting game until they arrive from far flung parts of the US.

"Everyday RAW Express" by Matthew Kenney Cookbook Review

Matthew Kenney's "Everyday Raw Express Recipes in 30 Minutes or Less"

Is there an Index?
Yes.  But recipes are not listed, only components.


Is there a contents/chapters section?
Yes.  The chapter titles are clearly delineated.

What is the “Beginner’s Intro” volume?

Consists of 2% volume.  There is a 3 page (with one photo) "How to use this book and our recipes" section.  Definitely NOT a beginner's book, which I encourage.

What is the presentation like?
Most of the recipes have appealing photographs.

The recipes are consistently presented on a white background, with plenty of room for note-taking (important as my own cookbooks develop an interesting splatter and pen/pencil patina with time).

Each chapter is titled by its own colorful page.


If your library were wiped out tomorrow, would this make your cannot live without immediate re-buy list?
No.  It does not fit an everyday need, only irregular.


Comments -
I thought this one, like Wignall's "Going Raw," was approaching what I seek.  But the restauranteur within the author is glaringly obvious in many of the included recipes.  For me, this is high-falutin' raw food for rare occasions, as it is not flavorful, homey, ethnic (which is my preference).

I found Kenney's acknowledgments section describing Meredith Baird as a primary driver of "Everyday Raw Express" interesting.  I am left to wonder, should the author on the title page be Meredith Baird, rather than Matthew Kenney?

Additionally, a comment from the "Introduction," along the lines of we will help you incorporate more gourmet food in your diet is very descriptive of the contents.  These are not warm, cheery, comfort foods.  You do not find yourself dreaming of leftovers with this collection. 

This is, in fact, the book you pull out to impress guests with marvelous presentation.  A way to begin your meal with a feast for the eyes.


Recipes -

Red Beet Sangria (page 20)
Admittedly, I do not like beets.  It does not matter how recently they were pulled from the ground, or how tenderly Grandma massaged them for Thanksgiving dinner.  I do not like beets.  I know this is due to the geosmin content within, and I look forward to varieties that contain all the nutrients of our current beets but without the geosmin concentration (but I do not want them GMOed)!

As to Red Beet Sangria, I like the citrusy punch the oranges give the beet juice.  If you like beets, and the other contents of this recipe, I expect you will love this sangria.

I will finish my half recipe over the next couple days, i.e I will drink it dagnabit.  But it will likely never be remade in my household.  I do look forward to how the apple chunks change while absorbing the flavor and color of the liquid.  But that is more in the line of scientific, rather than gastronomic, inquiry.

Wild Mushroom Lasagna, Butternut Squash, Wilted Spinach (page 116)
This is the type of recipe I am seeking.  A couple components: squash, nut/seed cheez, marinated mushrooms, and marinated spinach.  There is no way I could get this recipe ready in 30 minutes or less (as per the subtitle), but it was worth the time investment.  Tasty blend of flavors.  However, this would not be a meal.  I made myself two stacks, but could only eat 1.5 of them.  It can be too much and may be best as an appetizer.  A half recipe left me with days of leftovers.



Kelp Udon, Mushroom Broth, Cabbage, Shiitakes (page 102)
As the family holds mushroom appreciation next to godliness, I figured this recipe was a shoo-in.  Instead I found it somewhat sickeningly sweet, offering little in the way of interesting flavors.  Confession, I ate half my serving and placed everything that remains in the compost.  (Shudder)



Himself - 
The SO's comment on the fare, "Do not take this the wrong way, these are good, but they are not very filling."

However, he used the last of the nut/seed cheez from the "Wild Mushroom Lasagna, Butternut Squash, Wilted Spinach" recipe on crackers and requested more.


Conclusion - 
Back to the library it goes.

"Rawmazing" by Susan Powers Cookbook Review

Susan Powers' "Rawmazing"

http://www.rawmazing.com/

Is there an index?

No.  And this is simply unacceptable.  You end up leafing through the entire book to find one recipe.

Is there a Contents/Chapter section?

Yes.  Two pages before the introduction sequence, with several recipe photos.

What is the “Beginner’s Intro” volume?

Consists of 5% volume.  Thirteen page of hints, tips, and how-tos at the beginning of the book.

What is the presentation like?

Photographs - There are small to full page color photographs of a large portion of the recipes.  They are all appetizing to the eyes.

However, I found the physical book visually jangling.  Recipes are on paisley or plaid like textured backgrounds, or wildly colored solids.  You never know what color the next page will be and this keeps the recipes from having any continuity.  This is not a restful book to page through.

If your library were wiped out tomorrow, would this make your cannot live without immediate re-buy list?

No.  The missing index is the biggest strike against this title.  I usually begin at the index when I pull a cookbook with the intention of cooking.  And this is why I prefer an index that includes both recipe components as well as recipe titles.

Additionally, every single breakfast recipe in this book (and each recipe I tried) is found in Susan's website.  It appears that the cookbook may, in fact, be a direct port from her website.  As such, with a website being searchable, I'd reach for that before an index-less book.

Comments -

My issues with this publication include: presentation/art direction wackiness, index absence, and editing failures.

Editing is hit or miss.  Recipe "Banana Cream Tart with Walnut Crust" (which is presented on two yellow pages) calls for a "Raw Chocolate" recipe directing you to page 91.  Page 91 offers you a recipe for "Onion Flax Crackers" (on one griege page).  I suspect you should, instead, flip to page 212 where "Raw Chocolate" is listed as part of the "Hazelnut and Mint Truffle" selection (three pages, blue gray in color).  However, you must seek this via a hunt and peck method as, listed above, no index was prepared and printed in this book.

Additionally, there are two recipes back to back "Mushroom Walnut Veggie Burgers" (page 133, plaid) and "Spaghetti and "Sausage"" (page 134, sky blue) that have the exact same ingredients and "mostly" directions for the burgers and sausage (you dehydrate the sausage for longer).  I would have written, for sausage, use the recipe for "Mushroom Walnut Veggie Burgers on page x" and dehydrate for x hours total to create a drier result.  As it is, we have a second recipe, much like the first, that takes up two pages.

Some recipes are incomplete, such as the Raw Cinnamon Bun that starts on page 18. 

And, finally, many of these recipes are stretched out over two or more pages, which means you are flipping while cooking.  This is due to the recipe introduction section (or the "how I came up with this recipe" descriptor).  These are quite "talky" and give the book a personality ... not that it really needs any assistance at this point in the game.  I suppose with this being a raw cookbook, and therefore time not necessarily being a huge factor, the page flipping may not actually cause many problems.

Recipes -

Jicama Salad, page 97
http://www.rawmazing.com/jicama-salad-with-peanut-curry-sauce/

This was an -ish.  I used this recipe more as a guideline (I always hear Geoffrey Rush in my head when that word comes up).

On a bed of spinach, I placed chopped jicama, dried cranberries, and walnut cauliflower taco "meat" - topping it all off with some leftover almond sauce (no peanuts on the diet).

This was extraordinarily tasty.  Mmm.  I hesitate to include this bastardization of the recipe, but the book is due back in 3 days, and I have weekend plans.

"Pirates of the Caribbean Geoffrey Rush (5729499465)" by Eva Rinaldi Celebrity and Live Music Photographer - Flickr. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pirates_of_the_Caribbean_Geoffrey_Rush_(5729499465).jpg#mediaviewer/File:Pirates_of_the_Caribbean_Geoffrey_Rush_(5729499465).jpg

 Onion Flax Crackers, page 91
http://www.rawmazing.com/flat-bread-sampler/
I made a 1/2 batch, but it was too much for my toaster oven, I would do a 1/4 recipe next time to cut down on the thickness of the crackers and reduce drying time (this is not a problem with the recipe, just knowledge of serving size).

We needed to use up some ground flax seed before their expiration, and I just happened across this recipe.

These took all day to dry.  There are 11 hours written into the recipe, but my thicker crackers took longer.

I like the flavor and appreciate having a restricted diet friendly cracker recipe in my repertoire.  It will not pull those basic old saltines out of Himself's grasp, but it is an option.  His flavor comment was: "kinda green" and "needs more salt".  The latter being his mantra.

Raw Cinnamon Buns, page 18
http://www.rawmazing.com/raw-cinnamon-buns/

And you are going along and find the bun recipe on page 19 (paisley-like pattern), and the filling recipe on page 20 (taupe solid).  The last direction in the "Assembly" section is "4.  Slice and top with icing."  Okay, what icing?  Where is that recipe?  Ah, whoops, it is not included.

A check of the website recipe reveals the icing recipe.  I guess it was lost in the port?


I attempted the recipe, but did not have a young coconut.  I substituted dehydrated coconut meat as an alternative - a couple turns in the blender and a little moisture gave me a tasty filling.

I substituted dried cranberries for the raisins, and did not include the icing - as that portion was missing from the cookbook.

Additionally, I dehydrated the bun for twice as long as the recipe suggests as the recommended timing produced only a sticky mess.

The final flavor combination left much to be desired.  The bun had no flavor, while the filling had enough flavor I ate the leftovers with a spoon.  Almost a coconut pudding.

I even placed them in the freezer for a while to see how the texture change might affect the flavor and my opinion.  No change, I will not be finishing this recipe.

I had planned to toss this in the compost, but the dogs loved it.  So they got a rare dessert this evening.