I thank Alex Snodgrass for coaxing me back into the kitchen. Through the recipes on her blog, The Defined Dish—which utilize pantry staples and other items I might not otherwise try—I fell in love with cooking again. Her first cookbook debuted at the end of 2020, right before the world shut down. The Comfortable Kitchen, her latest collection of recipes packed with flavor and wholesome ingredients, is the ideal gift for Mother’s Day or your spring holiday hostess.
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A few weeks ago, a college friend and I discussed those cookbooks we owned and used. She mentioned it would be nice to test drive a cookbook before taking the plunge and buying it.
The Orchid Series
A collection of interviews featuring inspiring women over 75 years young. Curious, engaged, active, interesting. The sort of woman I want to be when I grow up!
At 82, Sandell Morse skis down snowy mountains, hikes rugged trails, and hops on planes to explore new cities. Married more than sixty years, she and her husband used to be partners in those adventures. But not anymore. “He and I began to age very differently,” says Sandell.
And so, to accommodate both of their lifestyles, they reside in separate homes.
Cindy Burnett and I connected through our shared love of books. I only wish I’d met her when I lived in Houston for all those years. Anyway, whether I’m scrolling her social media posts, reading her book columns, or listening to her podcast, Cindy is a go-to source for book opinions and recommendations.
My mission this summer? Pile our dinner plates high with vegetables and plant-based proteins. All the wonderful farm stands around Nashville make my goal easier. And so does Jenny Rosenstrach.
To celebrate our nation’s birthday, I asked Julianne Buonocore to take us on a tour of Philadelphia.
The pandemic wasn’t all bad for Susie Orman Schnall. Amid last year’s isolation and cancellations and shutdowns, she received some wonderful news. The rights to We Came Here to Shine, her historical fiction novel which burst into the world in early 2020, had sold to a production company. A few weeks ago, Susie finished up and turned in the final version of the novel’s screenplay. The company will now talk
“Before we get married, I want you to take Dr. Neely’s children’s lit class,” one of Dr. Ann Neely’s students announced to her fiancé. “It will help to make you a better father.” For 35 years, Ann, one of the premier experts on children’s literature in the country, read books published for the younger set—for a living. When she wasn’t squiring visiting authors to public schools and non-profits or speaking
Life is too short to read books we don’t love! I used to feel committed. If I started a book, either because of loyalty to the author or the good money I paid for it, I slogged through until the end. Nowadays, I only give a book three chapters. If I’m not hooked, I go to another. We have too many wonderful options! Here’s an assortment of books that did
To relax, some people turn to yoga or tennis or knitting. When Judith Little’s three children were young, she tucked them into bed at night, fired up her laptop, and wrote. A Houston lawyer by day, she “retreated into a world of characters who did what I wanted them to do,” she laughs. The pages of her first writing project, “a bad book she never finished,” lie buried under boxes
When was the last time you took a walk without trying to accomplish something else at the same time? No stopping off at the market. No listening to a podcast or returning a phone call. No counting steps or miles. For me, it’s been awhile. Erika Owen “needed more quiet in her life.” The rat race of her New York City media career left her with little unscheduled time. Seeking
As we usher in the season of more cooking and eating and gathering (in small, socially distant groups, of course), I bring you cookbooks. Here are a few favorites for everyday or special cooking. And welcome gifts for your holiday host/hostess—or yourself! The Well Plated Cookbook by Erin Clarke With her cookbook’s beautiful and warm recipe commentary, Erin comes across as a girlfriend. The friend who wants us to succeed
Mary Laura Philpott gets me. Or at least a big part of who I am. The me who loses my car in the grocery store parking lot, bristles at misspelled words in emails I receive, and counts the steps as I climb the stairs. In her national bestselling memoir, I Miss You When I Blink, Mary Laura comes across as your best girlfriend or younger sister. Covering topics like reinvention
I’ve never been much of a costume person. As a child, I preferred tag or kickball to dress-up. But I did love, and still do, to curl up in a comfy chair and drift into another world with a book. Younger me got lost, for hours, in adventures as a mermaid or cowgirl or pirate. With October, we welcome cooler weather and shorter days. Crackling fires and falling leaves. The
Even as a kid, I couldn’t wait for the school year to begin. Goodbye to the lazy summer days of reading on the porch with no homework or strict bedtimes. Hello to fresh pencils, new shoes and haircuts, and a different assortment of teachers and classmates. I love September – the month of new beginnings, a time to reboot and learn. Most of these books should be available at libraries
“Who will read this? I don’t think people care that much about the royal family.” A devastated Katharine McGee took the manuscript from her agent and put it aside. For six years. “He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. This is a good idea,” she thought. In the meantime, the Princeton/Stanford grad plugged away at her day job in the publishing world. As an assistant editor, she “developed and edited
I walk, cook, FaceTime with my kids and granddaughter, play an occasional game of golf. And read. When I can’t travel and explore like I used to, books are my next favorite way to escape to unfamiliar destinations and immerse myself in the local culture. Before we say goodbye to August, here are some of my favorite book recommendations this month. The Lions of Fifth Avenue – by Fiona Davis
A few years ago, while conducting research for his first book, RJ Jacobs reached out to a virologist at Vanderbilt University. She and her lab colleagues studied viruses and the diseases they caused. “We’re currently investigating a strain of the coronavirus,” she said during their interview. RJ, and most of the rest of the world, had never heard of it. And Then You Were Gone arrived in bookstores last March,
At an Aspen dinner party, martini in hand, Chris Crowley chatted with an Exercise Science and Muscle Physiology researcher. This PhD showed Chris a graph of normal aging patterns in our country. According to the data, after age fifty, people tend to gain weight, move slower, and develop aches and pain. One man represented on the chart seemed to hold steady. He didn’t slide downhill as he grew older. The
“Be open to hard swerves in your career—or life,” advises Fiona Davis. “Those detours may add up to discovering a truly fulfilling passion.” With four books on the bestseller charts in the last four years, Fiona’s fifth historical fiction novel is due out in July. One of my favorite authors, Fiona takes an iconic New York City landmark and weaves a compelling tale around its history, architecture, and inhabitants. In
