Recipes for Disaster: A Memoir

Starting with the Thanksgiving turkey that never quite finishes cooking, then moving to the polenta that unceremoniously goes runny and the guests that arrive a day early―there is no topic Tess Rafferty fails to encounter, or hilariously recount. Recipes for Disaster is as though Bridget Jones wrote a culinary narrative―the most pristine of intentions slowly disappear, as does the wine along with any hope of a seamless and well-orchestrated dinner party.

Told with heart, humor and honesty; this memoir goes beyond culinary catastrophe and heartwarmingly unveils the lengths we go to in order to please our family, friends, and ourselves―and proves that it's not the food that counts, but the memories. Aptly timed for all the Thanksgiving chefs about to enter the holiday gauntlet; or the guests headed to their dinners―this is the perfect book to read and then savor.

For 7 ½ years TESS RAFFERTY wrote on the cult comedy show, The Soup, where she skewered pop culture, parodied celebrities and helped her co-workers pick out gifts for their wives. She has frequently been seen on camera as herself, Posh Spice, a Succubus, a "Guidette" from Jersey Shore, and perhaps most notably "The Dancing Maxi Pad." Her first feature film, Thicker Than Water, is scheduled to begin filming in July 2012.

While at Emerson College, Tess started performing stand up comedy at the clubs and Chinese restaurants around Boston, Massachusetts and continues to perform stand up in Los Angeles, when not holding herself to ridiculous standards at dinner parties or learning to speak Italian. Tess is also a regular performer at the storytelling show, Public School, and frequently reads her essays at the Pez show. She can also be seen discussing pop culture on the TV Guide Channel and VH1.

A drinking "enthusiast," Tess enjoys wine, specifically good wine. She's tasted wine from the Napa Valley to Long Island to the island of Ischia, and at every airport bar in between. Her travels have led to an appreciation for good food, which she attempts to bring home and recreate for her friends, with varying degrees of success.

She lives in Los Angeles with her boyfriend, husband, (SIC) their 3 ungrateful cats, a modest wine collection and a pool. So, nothing bad can happen here.