After so many trips to Paris, I finally got the courage to venture underneath the city. The Paris Catacombs, in the 14th arrondisement is an underground ossuary that houses a collection of over 6 million burials – skulls and bones that were moved there in 1774 in order to solve the problems of crowded cemeteries and cave-ins. Mass graves at cemeteries like Saints-Innocents in Paris’s Les Halles district were overcrowded with bodies, and the improper disposal of corpses led to unsanitary conditions that contributed to the spread of disease. Hundreds of years of history can be gleaned from the skulls.
When I was a child, manners were drilled into me, and part of the teachings included what was appropriate to discuss in public. Money, politics, religion, and anything to do with bodily functions was taboo. Somehow my grandparents always seemed exempt from this rule, as bathroom talk was as much a part of mealtimes as overcooked roast beef, but I suppose it was ‘all in the family’ so reasonably acceptable.
We are living in one of the most exciting technological times in the modern era. Every. single. day, advances are being made that improve our lives, bring families closer together and save us time and money. My home is a beautiful sanctuary, but it could operate more efficiently and be smarter. We put 5 smart home gadgets to the test in order to enhance life.
Does anyone ever get a girls night anymore? Certainly not me!! And worse? When you get one, do you really want to be cooking and fussing over sweating it out in the kitchen? Didn’t think so. Pizza – the bake-in-home kind, is a perfect option for an easy girls night pizza celebration, and the new line of Dr. Oetker Ristorante Ultra Thin Crust pizza is my go-to choice. I adore pizza and am very particular with what I consume. The crust must be thin. (This new version sports the thinnest crust ever!) And crispy but not too much. (I verified it comes out perfectly every time). Toppings must be perfectly cooked and the combo has to be perfect. (Picking off items that I dislike makes me feel just terrible. And kindof picky.)
I saw a teenage girl recently depriving herself of food, worried about how she looks and embarrassed to speak up and share her opinion to a group of other teens. This interaction caused me think about my own two daughters, ages 14 and 17, and reminded me of the importance of making sure they know they’re good enough.
When I was a child my Grandmother and Great Aunt would roast a chicken or turkey at least weekly. Any dinner was incomplete without freshly made tea biscuits. The trick with these is instead of using a cookie cutter for shape, they always used the edge of a juice glass to cut the dough. A cookie cutter is fine too, but to this day I still do exactly as they did while smiling the whole time.
I’m ready for the election to come to a close. I want my vote to count, my opinion to matter, and to have political discussions with rational people. I am not one to force my opinions on others. Frequently I ask people with different opinions to explain their stance to me. I ask not with an agenda of undermining or changing their beliefs. I ask with the goal of learning a new point of view.
Testing a microwave is a tough one for me. I tend to use few features, and when I use my microwave I’m in a rush. Manuals seem unnecessary, and, really, aren’t all microwaves the same? I thought so until now. Breville has come up with a new model called the Quick Touch Crisp that not only does the normal stuff like popcorn and eggs very well, but comes with a crisper pan for use in the actual microwave that gets food crispy on the bottom. No more soggy pizza with burnt cheese on the plate.
You’re going to think this is silly, but I have a recurring fantasy about snacking with a cow. I know, this is a seriously cheesy confession, but I have to be honest. For a while now I have been fixated on The Laughing Cow Cheese Dippers.
It all started in the last few days of summer. I innocently packed up a cooler full of snacks to take to our local park. Knowing all the kids would be running through the sprinklers, I skipped sandwiches and chips, loading up instead on fruits, veggies, hummus, and various snack-type cheeses.