This week’s book club choice is a Reece Witherspoon pick and an instant New York Times bestseller. And I know how much you all love thrillers so The Guest List by Lucy Foley is my pick.
On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.
But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast.
And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why? – Amazon.com
For more information or to purchase this book, click HERE.
I am still in the soup making mode here. I have been dying for a really good pea soup recipe. The other day I found Ina’s recipe and was so intrigued since people said that it is the best version yet! If pea soup is not your thing, I am including my Chicken and Dumplings recipe…it is a staple in our house and a favorite for everyone who makes it. Back to the pea soup, it is so easy to make. It’s quick and comes out so thick and hearty. The secret is letting it simmer nice and slow. Bon Appetit!!!
1 cup chopped yellow onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 cup good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups medium-diced carrots (3 to 4 carrots)
1 cup medium-diced red boiling potatoes, unpeeled (3 small)
1 pound dried split green peas
8 cups chicken stock or water
In a 4-quart stockpot on medium heat, saute the onions and garlic with the olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper until the onions are translucent, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the carrots, potatoes, 1/2 pound of split peas, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. Skim off the foam while cooking. Add the remaining split peas and continue to simmer for another 40 minutes, or until all the peas are soft. Stir frequently to keep the solids from burning on the bottom. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve hot.
I found today’s Book Club choice, Wardrobe Crisis: How We Went From Sunday Best To Fast Fashion by Clare Press absolutely fascinating. A reader, who is living in London read it during this second lockdown and messaged me about it. I immediately bought it and started reading…
Who makes your clothes? This used to be an easy question to answer it was the seamstress next door, or the tailor on the high street—or you made them yourself. Today, we rarely know the origins of the clothes hanging in our closets. The local shoemaker, dressmaker, and milliner are long gone, replaced a globalized fashion industry worth $1.5 trillion a year.
In Wardrobe Crisis, fashion journalist Clare Press explores the history and ethics behind what we wear. Putting her insider status to good use, Press examines the entire fashion ecosystem, from sweatshops to haute couture, unearthing the roots of today’s buy-and-discard culture. She traces the origins of icons like Chanel, Dior, and Hermès; charts the rise and fall of the department store; and follows the thread that led us from Marie Antoinette to Carrie Bradshaw.
Wardrobe Crisis is a witty and persuasive argument for a fashion revolution that will empower you to feel good about your wardrobe again. – Amazon.com
For more information or to purchase this book, click HERE.
Improving all areas of your physical health is incredibly important. From ensuring you’re consuming enough antioxidants and vitamins to help with your heart, brain and all your other major organs. You should consider certain therapies that can be offered at certain clinics, such as glutathione iv therapy. IV therapies are a great way to get nutrients into your body. Although a healthy lifestyle must work in conjunction with this.
Photo: Unsplash
What is healthy food?
When you want to eat healthy and adhere to a proper diet, you do not always know where to start. One reason is that the terms “healthy food” or “proper nutrition” have different meanings: one thinks it means not eating junk food, while the other thinks it means being vegan or eating only organic food.
Anyone who reads the health sections is often surprised to find that food that is considered unhealthy has suddenly become healthy following the publication of one study or another. In addition, there are several healthy dietary approaches, whose recommendations are not always compatible with each other. For example: low-carbohydrate diets that have been shown to be effective in weight loss and improving cardiovascular risk factors, compared to diets based on complex carbohydrates that have been shown to be similarly effective. So are carbs healthy or unhealthy? Coffee – to drink or not to drink? Yes, in moderation of course. Coffee is good for the brain and also for your bowels, but do not over consume.
How do you build a menu that is all about proper nutrition?
There seems to be no single truth about proper nutrition, and as it has become clear in recent years different people are suitable for different diets. Proper and healthy nutrition consists of a set of several factors, each of which has its own unique contribution. It is impossible to change our diet overnight, changing eating habits should be slow but consistent. Each time it is worth deciding on a new change that you want to adopt and persevere with. Once the habit has become a part of life, you can move on to the next habit, and so you will continue to improve your diet until you feel that you have reached your healthy diet. Healthy eating is a very big and abstract concept, here are some ideas for turning the concept into small and practical steps. One per month in the new year.
1. Cook whole grains
Whole wheat pasta, whole rice, wild rice, whole couscous, whole bulgur, quinoa, buckwheat, millet – you should try them in different recipes and those who like to adopt instead of regular cereals.
2. Eat wholemeal bread
Whole wheat bread, rye bread, whole grain bread – plain bread or light bread. It is important to read the small print on the packaging and make sure the bread is made from 100% wholemeal flours.
3. Bake with wholemeal flour
You can choose between two options: The first is to pre-select recipes for breads, cakes, and cookies made from whole wheat flour. The second is the gradual approach, whereby you start by replacing 20 percent of the flour with wholemeal flour, and after practicing and loving move on.