Teresa Giudice (Real Housewives of New Jersey) has just written an incredible book on the art of Italian cooking. More than just a cookbook, this is more like a great book with recipes, because there’s lots of dialogue and pictures to go along with the amazing recipes. I especially love the pictures she shares of her house and family (four darling little girls and her juicy husband, Joe.)
I was so impressed with Teresa’s book. I mean, who doesn’t want to have access to a girlfriend whose parents are straight from the old country and taught her everything they know about old-school Italian cooking?
I adore that she believes so strongly in her heritage. I adore people of any culture that maintain their roots and are deeply proud of being Italian, Swedish, German, etc. I love tradition. It’s something I wish I had in my own family. Truth be told, I really have no idea where I came from. I’m blonde, blue eyed, and not exactly what you’d call dark complected. I know that originally my family came from France. Beyond that, it’s a bit unclear. I’ve always found it to be so interesting to listen to people who have deep heritage. I need to visit Ancestry.com.
Teresa shares recipes in her new book, Skinny Italian, that have gone back many generations. She shares all of her bag of tricks…all the while doing it with her Jersey-Girl attitude and sass!
I have literally not been able to put this book down for two weeks. Teresa has even inspired me to try my hand at canning this summer (there’s a whole section on this in her book along with step by step instructions.)
Admittedly, the Real Housewives franchises have tried to market almost every one of their ladies into a brand…(think Vicki Gunvalson with her new book or LuAnn the Countess with her singing.) With all the personal branding promotion, I admit I looked at Teresa’s book with a side-eye, ala Tardy For the Party.
But Skinny Italian is the real deal. Real authentic recipes taught by real authentic Italians. Teresa, I love, love love your new book. Super-impressive work, Jersey-Girl!
The phrase, “tough cookie” comes to mind when thinking of Lee Woodruff. After meeting Lee, there’s no denying her fighter spirit. Lee Woodruff was in Cincinnati with Smart Talk Connected Conversations to talk about her experiences over the last few years, and needless to say, this girl has had her fair share of hard knocks.
Lee’s life turned upside down when she received a call in 2006 that her news reporter husband, Bob Woodruff, (the one with the dreamy blue eyes) had been injured while covering the war while in Iraq. And we’re not just talking “injured”, Bob was thisclose to losing his life.
While her Bob lay in critical condition for days upon days, months, in fact, Lee watched in horror as her beautiful husband’s head swelled to the size of a rugby ball. She had no idea if he’d wake up again. Even then, she had no idea if he’d remember her or their children after he did wake up. Fighting back a tsunami of tears and emotion, Lee asked Bob’s doctor “will he still love me when he wakes up?” His doctor assured her “yes, he will!”
Through a long and grueling healing process, Bob Woodruff slowly reemerged to nearly 100% of his former glory. Physically, he looks unscathed. Bob is back on the news and looks as gorgeous as he once did. Lee says his only residual issues remain with word-finding abilities (for instance, he referred to a breast augmentation as a breast explosion.)
To endure what Bob did and to come back so strong was surely a gift from God, one that Lee clearly acknowledges. Lee’s faith is what helped carry her through. And really, when things are catastrophically bad, faith is all you have to cling on to. And cling she did.
To fully delve into Lee’s horrific turned joyous experiences, you can read her book, Perfectly Imperfect. Lee is not only an amazing speaker, but she’s also knows her way around the literary world. She also has an amazingly fun side to her as well. I promised her I’d include Flannel Nightgown video (see below.) The flannel nightgown stems from an incident one night when Bob threw her flannel nightgown over the balcony into the street! In no uncertain terms, Mr. Woodruff let it be known that he’s not on board with the comfy flannel look.
To read more about Lee, her work and her life’s experiences, visit her website at www.LeeWoodfuff.com
“I have a history of making decisions very quickly about men. I have always fallen in love fast and without measuring risks. I have a tendency not only to see the best in everyone, but to assume that everyone is emotionally capable of reaching his highest potential. I have fallen in love more times than I care to count with the highest potential of a man, rather than with the man himself, and I have hung on to the relationship for a long time (sometimes far too long) waiting for the man to ascend to his own greatness. Many times in romance I have been a victim of my own optimism.”
— Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love)
When I’m asked if I’m having as much fun as it looks like I’m having at the Smart Talk events in Cincinnati…the answer is an astounding, yes! Last night Smart Talk brought the brilliant and hilarious Patricia Heaton to Cincinnati for their Smart Talk Connected Conversations series.
Patricia was bubbly and so interesting. She’s definitely a girl’s girl. She feels like one of your girlfriends. Best of all, she’s from Ohio! (No wonder she’s so sweet!)
She’s not a fussy diva actress. In fact, she was forthright about the “work” she’s had done to her body, some of which are, collagen fillers, Botox, veneers on her teeth, tummy tuck, breast lift, fake nails, fake eyelashes, amongst many other treatments. Hey, she is in Hollywood after all. Of course she feels the pressure to be beautiful. She even jokingly talks of the new hairs that are growing on her face now that she’s hit menopause. …see, I told you she was open to sharing everything!
She’s been married …to the same man, gasp…for almost 20 years! She has four sons that seem to make her world go around. After an incredible successful run as the wife/mother on Everybody Loves Raymond, she’s now on The Middle, which is also enjoying it’s share of newfound success.
She shared with us the trials and tribulations of Hollywood and Motherhood. For instance, at a casting call, a director pulled her aside and said, “look, honey, I want to be honest with you, we are looking for an extremely attractive actress.” Ouch! It takes some thick skin to endure that type of torture. She also speaks about Hollywood’s beautiful people “starving themselves.” She said when she was broke and had no money, her refrigerator only had yogurt and Grape Nuts. Now that she’s a successful actress…her refrigerator only has yogurt and Grape Nuts. Actresses have to starve themselves to remain viable in Hollywood. Hunger would definitely be a downside of fame.
One of the most endearing things I love about Patricia was that she’s deeply spiritual. She “gets” the mind/body/soul connection. She attends church regularly. She has gone on missions to help those less fortunate.
Cathy Erway’s new book, The Art Of Eating, depicts her two year journey of swearing off restaurant fare.
Cathy’s blog, Not Eating Out In New York, was the inspiration for her book. Not only did Cathy lose 10 pounds within a few months of eating in, but she cherished the act of making delicious dishes. She says it slowed her down and lowered her stress.
Turns out, eating in is ultra-frugal as well. Cathy says she ended up saving about $75 a week by eating in. Not only did she learn confidence in the kitchen, but she learned she had a great deal of discipline to say no to the restaurant scene for two years.
This book is such a fun, informative read. Highly recommended! Think you could swear off restaurants for two years?
Here’s a new concept for you…Extreme Self Care. Cheryl Richardson, a New York Times best-selling author of books like Take Time For Your Life, Life Makeovers, Stand Up For Your Life, etc., (perhaps you recognize her from her numerous Oprah visits), is challenging us to a new concept, and it’s Extreme Self Care.
The trappings many of us fall into, especially women, is the caring and nurturing of everyone around us while we tend to let ourselves fall apart from lack of care. Cheryl’s book, The Art of Extreme Self Care is a guide that helps you transform your life one month at a time. In essence, it pulls you out of your own body and forces you to look at yourself from 1000 feet.
A chapter that hit home with me was the Absolute No List. See if you can relate….here are a few of Cheryl’s Absolute Nos from her list:
MY ABSOLUTE NO LIST: I NO LONGER:
*Jump out of bed in the morning. I give myself the time and space I need to start the day in a serene and relaxed state.
* Keep anything in my home that I don’t love or need.
* Tolerate or participate in gossip.
* Go to work when I’m sick.
* Invest time in relationships that aren’t aligned with who I am and who I want to be.
* Keep clothes I hope to fit into “someday.”
* Throw away anything that can be recycled.
* Get caught up in other people’s drama.
* Eat when I’m not hungry.
It’s statements like these that get your mind moving in the right direction. Decide what’s on your ABSOLUTE NOlist and stick to it. Not only is it empowering, but it brings an ultra-sense of calm and relaxation to your mind.
You know the kind of books that you pick up and can’t stop reading until it’s completely finished? I had that experience with Chantel Hobb’s Never Say Diet this past weekend. She lost 200 pounds the hard way…naturally. Love that! I loved the book so much because of the great common-sense advice she gives in regard to diet and exercise. The key to her success (and to everyone who has ever stayed successful in fitness) is simply to reduce your caloric intake and exercise an hour a day. People seem to get caught up in trying to find the “secret” to weight loss. It’s no secret. Take in about 1500-1800 calories a day and workout for about an hour a day at least five days a week. Secret revealed! Whether you need to lose 10 pounds or 200 pounds, that’s the way to do it. Mix up your workouts with cardio and strength training …and throw in some Pilates and yoga for fun on other days. It’s really that easy.
Being somewhat of a health/fitness enthusiast, it makes me mental to read books about the “secret” to a great body. It’s no secret. Yes, you’ll need to embrace hunger a bit. If you are used to taking in lots of calories each day, you’ll need to embrace hunger a lot. At least at first. Not to worry, it goes away eventually. The feel good endorphins your brain will release from exercise will actually help curb your hunger pangs.
Nothing tastes as good as being fit and healthy feels.
“We write to taste life twice, once in the moment and once in retrospection.” Anais Nin
Journaling is my thing. I started journaling when I seriously started working out, about six years ago. Initially, it was for tracking purposes only; Wednesday I do cardio, Thursday I do upper body, Friday I do lower body, etc. Then I realized how beneficial it was to record my meals. When you start keeping track of your caloric intake, it gives you a huge look inside yourself. When your skin is starting to look bad, you can look back and see what’s going on in your life. Are you eating too much junk food? Too many glasses of champagne? The answers are all right there, you just have to find them.
My journaling went one step further. It started innocently enough, just notating if I had a headache that day, noting any blemishes or anything strange happening. Not only did I get to know my body really well, I got to know my own mind better.
Why did I always seem to be super moody one day a month and very weepy? Why do I get a blemish about every third or fourth month right in the same place? Why did I feel like I could eat like an animal some days, while other days I’d barely take any calories in and felt great? Why was the libido through the roof on some days of the month? Well, the short answer is hormones. But I was never able to understand why my body was doing what it was until I started tracking it in my journal. It turns out, those problems happened the same day, month after month. It’s sort of like a science experiment. Guess, test, and revise.
You can also go one step further and write your feelings down. It’s really cool to reflect on old postings and say to yourself, this is where I was, then. This is what was happening in my life, good or bad, and this is how I dealt with it. As if it’s a guide saying, this is what worked in the past for me….this is what didn’t.
Journaling is definitely one of those things that you don’t “get” until you try it. It’s a huge gift to have that sort of insight, to reflect on yourself. Try to wrap your brain around it and get started. You’ll love it once you get going.
There are online journals, such as www.LiveJournal.com. I generally prefer to type over handwriting, but in this instance, I like writing things down. It just feels more cathartic somehow. I can appreciate a beautiful journal. I adore beautiful books and journals, and it’s always the perfect gift for me.
Check out the journal section next time you are at the bookstore and purchase your favorite one. Get into journaling. It’s like a window, looking inside yourself. It’s an easy and powerful way to accelerate your personal development.
Mommy Millionaire by Kim Lavine: Kim’s book is high recommended if you are a woman and interested in starting your own business. She depicts her amazing journey from kitchen table to millionaire in her book. Incredible story, and Kim is super forthcoming with her secrets.
I’ll admit it…I’m a self-help section junkie. I love books on successful people, and learning their habits. Darcy Andries’ book follows successful people and tells their stories. She explains, the secret of success is not a secret. This is a book of stories of famous people who persevered.
Being a skincare formulator, books such as Narine Nikogosian’s Return to beauty, old world recipes for great radiant skin, always rank high in my personal library. It was in reading books on skincare recipes that I discovered the love of natural skincare products and how to make them. Always an interesting read.
Almost nothing feels as rewarding as a true compliment on your own personal style. I still blush every time someone says to me…I love the way you look or You always smell so great (knowing I personally made that scent.) Amanda Brooks’ book, I love your style shows you how to embrace your creativity and create your own personal style.
Sam Zien, aka Sam The Cooking Guy, has a fantastic cookbook out called Just a Bunch of Recipes. I picked mine up from the library, but can already tell, this will need to be a purchase for me; this will definitely be added to my massive cookbook collection. It’s comprised of great recipes, everyday recipes, with a healthy twist. His recipes are nutritious and healthy, but not painfully so. Not to mention, Sam is a riot to watch or read. It’s a fun book. Thumbs up!
