That’s a Wrap!

Happy September! The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind. On a totally unrelated food and film note, my sister and I released our first book, Youth’s Highest Honor. Getting it out into the world and promoting it has taken up a lot of time and energy, but it’s all worth it and I’m excited to finally share it with you. I’ll be taking the weekend to rest and catch up on movies. For now, let’s wrap up the week with a recap…

FOOD STYLING: An interview with a seriously talented food stylist and photographer.

HISTORY LESSON: The secret history of women in television.

SOCIALLY GOOD: How the social mission of Ben & Jerry’s survived being gobbled up.

BREAKING OLD-SCHOOL RULES: These female showrunners are changing the game.

COMING THIS FALL: Mindy Kaling shares what’s headed to the small screen this season.

STUNNING: 129 of the most beautiful movie shots in history.

TO BINGE OR NOT TO BINGE?: How do you consume television shows these days?

COOK SHORTAGE: Good cooks are getting harder to come by.

YIKES: What happens in your body one hour after drinking Coke.

Have a great Labor Day weekend!

Image by Lauren

That’s a Wrap!

I’ve gotten back into my reading groove and have finished up a couple of great books this month. The most recent book I read is the one you see in the photo above. It’s very rare when I read paranormal fiction, but I can’t resist a good witch story (getting ready for October, perhaps?). Already on a roll with witches and magic, I jumped right into the show Witches of East End. I’ll admit I was hooked, but it’s such a fun world to live in for a couple of hours.

I also watched The Longest Week,  and honestly the best parts of the movie were the stacks of books in the apartments and the jazz soundtrack. Olivia Wilde is also gorgeous in it, but otherwise the movie is slow and a boring plot-wise. My weekend movie time will now be occupied with Seahawks games (1-0!), but we’ll see what I can sneak in every now and then. For now, let’s wrap up the week with a recap…

* Yesterday was an emotional day for obvious reasons. It is with a very heavy heart that we remember the lost loved ones and heroes. Never forget.

* Having serious #travelenvy! The 12 best travel Instagram accounts.

* The United Sweets of America

* Interesting read about the psychology behind how see-through food packaging boosts sales.

* My Life with Piper: From Big House to Small Screen

* Life and work lessons from Joss Whedon.

* Discovering Nancy Meyers’s Instagram was awesome, so say the least.

* Female cartoon characters ahead of their time. Love this list!

* I want to eat every meal in this dining room. Gorgeous.

* The making of ‘Gone with the Wind.”

Have a great weekend!

{Photo by Lauren}

That’s a Wrap!

The week started off on a high note with the Emmys. While Seth Meyers’s opening dialogue and Jimmy Kimmel’s mini-roast were two of the best parts of the evening, it was entertaining and oddly comforting to slowly ease into Awards season. There are still a few months to go, but I’ll take any sign of fall and winter coming. While autumn doesn’t officially begin until September 23rd, in my book September 1 is when I’ll break out the knit sweaters and hearty stew recipes. The first recipe I’ll be making? This incredible country potato soup. For now, let’s wrap up the week with a recap…

* You can’t beat a bubble tea break [photo above].

* An excerpt from Lena Dunham’s upcoming book.

* A mini Friends reunion!

* Free coffee in NYC at Central Perk in honor of the 20th anniversary of Friends.

* Why Once Upon a Time took on Frozen.

* 25 great romantic comedies since When Harry Met Sally.

* I can’t help but dream about Thanksgiving already, especially when I see these gorgeous table settings.

* I have officially finished Dexter…and what a horrendous show finale. Disappointed, but overall, loved the show.

Enjoy the last weekend of summer!

{Photo by Lauren}

That’s a Wrap!

I know this week was lacking in content, but I swear I have a good excuse. That was my week, so now you know why it was tricky to find time to put up posts. But next week I will be back full force, so get ready. The only show I’ve been keeping up with lately is 24, but I have loved having Jack Bauer back in my life. Who’s with me? Chocolate chip cookies have also been a big thing this week. I must have subconsciously craved them ever since this post. Actually makes sense. Anyways, let’s wrap up the week with a recap…

* These Louboutins reminded me of dot candy [photo above].

* Netflix unveils a new look.

* Great food books for summer.

* Blunders from family friendly movies. These are always entertaining to catch.

* This comedy actress roundtable is so much fun to watch.

* Mindy Kaling’s upcoming book has a title, and it’s awesome.

* 10 movies every entrepreneur needs to watch. Add these to the list!

* An article all about sourdough bread. Warning: reading this will make you hungry.

* I want to go to there.

Have a lovely weekend!

{Photo by Lauren}

 

That’s a Wrap!

This has been one jam-packed week in terms of movies. My favorites that I watched this week were Charade (1963) and Love Story (1970). Love Story was absolutely heartbreaking, and it’s such a smart, well-done movie. I love Jenny’s confidence and sass. If you haven’t yet seen it, I highly recommend it for the weekend. It’s currently on Netflix Instant, score! While I watched mostly classics this past week, I’m hoping to catch up on a few of the more recent releases. I’m still working on building up my endurance for The Wolf of Wall Street. I finally got back into the kitchen this week (to make this), and it felt amazing. Now, let’s wrap up the week with a recap…

* Catching up on reading in the morning with a perfect poppy-seed muffin (photo above).

* It feels like summer with a big bowl of red cherries (2nd photo).

* Mindy Kaling’s Harvard Law School commencement speech.

* The Secret Life of Walter Mitty & LIFE covers.

* How Katz Deli makes their pastrami sandwiches.

* Amy Poehler’s Yes Please memoir book cover. Yes!

* I love a great infographic, especially when it is food-related.

* Pouring yourself too much wine? Here’s why.

* Life lessons from Starbucks’ Howard Schultz.

* The New York Times recipe collection.

* The best surfaces for kitchen countertops.

*What an adorable DIY Donut Rug.

* Just another reason why Drew Barrymore is awesome.

Have a wonderful weekend!

{Photos by Lauren}

Read Then Watch

I recently read a book that completely shifted my perspective about the Navy SEALs. The book is called Damn Few: Making the Modern SEAL Warrior by Rorke Denver. Denver is a former director of basic and advanced SEAL training, and this book is about his own experience as a SEAL going through training and conducting missions. The book also includes his stories on the battlefield. I was blown away every single page. I had to put the book down and just imagine the scenarios Denver explains. These men are heroes and warriors, but this book truly cements that. From training to real life circumstances, what the SEALs go through from the very beginning is intense, unbelievable, and just plain hard to imagine. While I didn’t know a whole lot to begin with, this book provided me with insight and knowledge that I never really expected to know.

A few days later, I was excited to see how Denver’s descriptions came to life in the movie, Act of Valor, in which he starred. Not only did he star in the film, but other real life Navy SEALs played the main characters. They aren’t actors pretending to be these real life warriors. They are, in fact, the real life warriors. For that reason alone I recommend watching the movie. While the plot line can’t reveal too much insider secrets or include every single detail about the way the SEALs carry out missions play-by-play, but as Denver notes in his book, the scenes are truer to how they would conduct missions in real life. The SEALs would tell the director and producers if the scene was set-up in an unrealistic way, and they would re-work the scene to make it realistic. Many people took issue to the fact that these SEALs were poor actors, blah blah blah, but I think that’s what makes this movie unique. They shouldn’t be good actors. They should be amazing at what they do as SEALs.

Even though the movie came first, I recommend reading Damn Few before watching Act of Valor. At both you will be amazed, laugh, cry, and walk away with a new-found appreciation for what these SEALs do. The book gives a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to become a SEAL which will give you a different perspective when watching the movie, and the movie captures the fast-paced action of being a SEAL. The words from the book all come to life in front of your eyes on the screen. And it’s pretty damn cool.

One More Thing

While I initially didn’t feel it was necessary to put B.J. Novak’s book, One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories, at the top of my book list, I kept hearing great things about the book that I finally decided to make it a priority. I’m so glad I did. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it from start to finish. While some stories are a few sentences, others are pages long. Each one was unique, some tied together, and others felt a little forced. Overall, I highly recommend it.

My favorite stories from One More Thing:

1. Dark Matter
2. Julie and the Warlord
3. I Never Want to Walk on the Moon
4. They Kept Driving Faster and Outran the Rain
5. The Man Who Invented the Calendar
6. If You Love Something
7. Constructive Criticism

P.S. The book promo video with Mindy Kaling.

Currently Reading

I was first drawn to the title of this book. I mean, how can you not be? It’s catchy, curious, and makes so much sense (once you read the book, of course). Once I read a brief blurb about what the story entailed, I was sold. In Kathleen Flinn’s The Sharper the Knife, the Less You Cry: Love, Laughter, and Tears in Paris at the World’s Most Famous Cooking School, the author shares her personal story and adventure about leaving her job and moving to Paris to study at Le Cordon Bleu, all at the age of 36. Just as you may have been inspired by Eat, Pray, Love, there’s a good chance you’ll be inspired by Kathleen’s story.

I was entertained by her experiences learning how to cook, in awe of her determination despite the difficulties, and found myself hungry by the end of each chapter, where she provides a recipe for a delicious dish that she learned how to cook. Once you start reading you will be swallowed whole, and by the end of the book you just might be ready to move to Paris and learn how to cook – though there are moments that will make you grateful that you don’t have to stand on your feet for hours only to watch your soufflé fall.

If you’re taking Thanksgiving Day off, curl up for a couple of hours with this book. You’ll be more than ready for your Thanksgiving meal by the end of it.

{Photo by Lauren}

Book Pick for the Week

As I noted last week, I have made it a point to read more. As I browsed through the library stacks, a certain book in particular caught my eye. Fame, by Tom Payne, includes chapters such as “Temporary like Achilles: Why Do We Reject Our Heroes?” and “A Certain Sacrifice: What Was Britney Telling Us When She Cut Her Own Hair?” The co-mingling of pop culture and figures from history is definitely an entertaining and interesting read.

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