You guys voted – and Reader Round-Up It Is!!

I’m not sure I can properly describe how thankful I am for the Instagram/Facebook/Blog community we’ve created together. Last week I put a call out for your suggestions as to what you’re making, reading and watching while we are all on lockdown and boy did we generate a kick a** reader round-up list!

And, not to be picky or anything but, the cleaning gadgets suggestions were a little lame, just sayin’…  it’s possible that I’m the only one looking for cleaning shortcuts right now. I keep feeling like Cinderella, from the beginning of the fairytale, and I’m searching desperately for those magic mice to help out!

The Reader Round-Up, What to Cook!

If you’re like me, you’re probably cooking more now that you have in ages. In pre-quarantine life, I’d fall into these patterns where if my family said they liked something I made (like turkey vegetable soup from Betsy’s Table,  for instance) I would make it on repeat because I had a confirmed winner on my menu.  To get unanimous two thumbs up on a meal is like winning the super bowl of mom’s life. But then, because I made it so often (like once a week, not every day)  everyone got sick of it and would then boycott the very dish they loved, UGH!!!! #storyofmylife.

So, I thought it would be fun to share some of our tried and true recipes to mix things up a bit. It’s kind of like a one-stop-shop recipe exchange (but without having your inbox flooded with 36 recipes).

The Recipes

Some of these are submissions and some are my recipes or ones that were submitted that I’ve tried. My recipes are in italics.

Meats

Turkey chili – “sprinkle with cheddar cheese, greek yogurt or sour cream and tortilla chips” Kathy

Green Chef meal delivery- “Ah-mazing! We do the paleo version. It’s all organic and we’ve never been disappointed” Carlee

Barbacoa – “Soooo yummy” Orli

Instapot Chicken Soup – “Full of flavor and FAST” Nancy

Parmesan Chicken – “The best” Jessica

Shredded Chicken Tacos -“Sooo easy. Sooo yummy” Danee

Buffalo Chicken Pasta – “Comfort food” Alex

Egg Roll in a Bowl – “This is liked by all. We use ground turkey, add mushrooms and serve it with brown rice” Hallie

Chicken with Brown Rice and Mushrooms – “I made this for Shabbat a few weeks ago and it was delish!” Hallie

Chicken Schnitzel – “A family favorite. My son, Joey made it with me so he has at least one good recipe under his belt” Hallie

Instapot Bolognese – “I use beef and Dairy Free Co.  Hot Mama spread and vegan parm, so it’s kosher and yum.” Hallie

Chicken Pad Thai – “We didn’t have beansprouts and used cabbage and peapods instead – voted #1 meal by the fam” Hallie

Fish

Jambalaya – “My goto recipe – so yummy” Katie

Baked cod with steamed veggies –  “Easy and healthy” Bee

Mustard Glazed Salmon – “Whenever I’d serve this for guests (in the good old days) they always want the recipe – it’s so easy” Hallie

Pan-Seared Tuna – “I make this without the avocado, I’m allergic, and it’s still delish” Hallie

Veggie/Vegan

Butternut, Sweet Potato, and Red Lentil Stew – “One of my favorites” Hedy

Cheesy Herb Stuffed Naan (no yeast needed) from Half Baked Harvest – “All amazing recipes” Karly

Ribolitta (Italian Vegetable Soup) “I made this just before the lockdown happened, the fennel made it super tasty” Hallie

Caramelized Shallot Pasta – “Alison Roman is a goddess – her recipes never disappoint” Hallie

Crispy Teriyaki Tofu and Broccoli – “This turned even my meat-eating fam into tofu believers. They asked for it again!” Hallie

Cookbooks

America’s Test Kitchen – “My daughter bought us this cookbook and so far everything has been amazing” Marcia

Vegan Richa – “For any vegans, this is the best” Hedy

This list left out sweets, which I’ve personally been indulging in, A LOT. Probably too much but you know, #homeboundstresseating. If you want a roundup of sweet treats lmk and we can do that another week.

The Reader Round-Up, What to Read!

There was an ok response to this… A few great books, but what I heard a lot is that people are finding it hard to escape with a book with all that’s going on. I just downloaded Giver of Stars because it was recommended by quite a few people.

The Books

Click the pink title to get a synopsis of the story.

Giver of Stars  by Jojo Moyes

Once We Were Brothers by Ronald H. Balson

Untamed by Glennon Doyle

When Life Gives you Lululemons by Lauren Weisberger

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

The Editor by Steven Rowley

The Oysterville Sewing Circle by Susan Wiggs

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb

And if all else fails, try the Reese Witherspoon book club

The TV Shows/Movies

TV is such a great escape. And nowadays we have so many viewing options (raise your hand if you remember having only 3 channels!!) There were so many great recommendations, I’ve made notes about the ones I’ve seen.

• Ozark

  “Created by Bill Dubuque (“The Accountant,” “The Judge”), this drama series stars Jason Bateman as Marty Byrde, a financial planner who relocates his family from Chicago to a summer resort community in the Ozarks. With wife Wendy and their two kids in tow, Marty is on the move after a money-laundering scheme goes wrong, forcing him to pay off a substantial debt to a Mexican drug lord in order to keep his family safe. While the Byrdes’ fate hangs in the balance, the dire circumstances force the fractured family to reconnect.” Hallie’s note – My husband and I are mid-season 3 and obsessed!

• Hunters  

  “The series is inspired by a number of real Nazi hunters through the decades, but it is not meant to be a specific representation of any of them. It follows a diverse band of Nazi hunters living in 1977 New York City who discovers that Nazi war criminals are conspiring to create a Fourth Reich in the U.S. A parallel plot element is the discovery of Operation Paperclip, the U.S. government operation relocating many German scientists (many of them Nazis) to the U.S.” Hallie’s note – this had mixed customer reviews on Amazon but all in all it kept our attention.

• All American

  “When a rising high school American football player from South L.A. is recruited to play for Beverly Hills High, the wins, losses, and struggles of two families from vastly different worlds—Crenshaw and Beverly Hills—begin to collide. Inspired by the life of pro football player Spencer Paysinger” Hallie’s note – I watched this with my high school son earlier this year, it reminded me of a 2020 Beverly Hills 90210

• Schitt’s Creek 

  “A wealthy couple — video store magnate Johnny and his soap opera star wife Moira — suddenly find themselves completely broke. With only one remaining asset, a small town called Schitt’s Creek, which the Roses bought years earlier as a joke, this once-wealthy couple must give up life as they know it. With their two spoiled children in tow and their pampered lives behind them, the Rose family is forced to face their newfound poverty head-on and come together as a family to survive.”

• Brooklyn 99

  “Detective Jake Peralta, a talented and carefree cop with the best arrest record, has never had to follow the rules too closely or work very hard. That changes when Ray Holt, a man with a lot to prove, becomes the new commanding officer of Brooklyn’s 99th precinct.”

• Billions

  “U.S. Attorney Chuck Rhoades goes after hedge fund king Bobby “Axe” Axelrod in a battle between two powerful New York figures.

• The English Game

  “is a historical sports drama television miniseries developed by Julian Fellowes for Netflix about the origins of modern football in England. “ Hallie’s note – As a soccer family that also loved Downton Abby, this was a hit.

• Bombshell 

  “A group of women takes on Fox News head Roger Ailes and the toxic atmosphere he presided over at the network.”

• Narcos

  “Netflix chronicles the rise of the cocaine trade in Colombia and the gripping real-life stories of drug kingpins of the late ’80s in this raw, gritty original series. Also detailed are the actions taken by law enforcement as they battle in the war on drugs, targeting notorious and powerful figures that include drug lord Pablo Escobar.” Hallie’s note – I’m trying to watch this with my son, there are a lot of episodes…

• Peaky Blinders

  “Peaky Blinders is a gangster family epic set in Birmingham, England, in 1919, several months after the end of the First World War in November 1918. The story centers on the Peaky Blinders gang and their ambitious and highly cunning boss Tommy Shelby ” Hallie’s note – I rarely binge watch and this show had me watching 3-4 episodes at a time. Kinda violent but oh so good.

• Mossad 101

  “is an Israeli television action drama series. The series follows a fictional training course for the Israeli intelligence agency the Mossad and focuses on the humane side of its agents and their personal experiences.”

• Money Heist 

  “A criminal mastermind who goes by “The Professor” has a plan to pull off the biggest heist in recorded history — to print billions of euros in the Royal Mint of Spain. To help him carry out the ambitious plan, he recruits eight people with certain abilities and who have nothing to lose”

• Atypical

  “Atypical is a coming-of-age television series created by Robia Rashid for Netflix. It focuses on the life of 18-year-old Sam Gardner (Keir Gilchrist), who has autism spectrum disorder. ”

• Marvelous Mrs. Maisel  

  “It’s the late 1950s and Miriam “Midge” Maisel has everything she has ever wanted — the perfect husband, two kids and an elegant apartment on New York’s Upper West Side. Her seemingly idyllic life takes a surprising turn when she discovers a hidden talent she didn’t previously know she had — stand-up comedy. ” Hallie’s note – The costumes on this show are captivating!

• Little Fires Everywhere “an American drama web television miniseries, based on the 2017 novel of the same name by Celeste Ng. Starring Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington, Little Fires Everywhere follows the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and an enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives.” Hallie’s note – It’s fun to watch because it takes place in Shaker Heights (although sadly was not filmed here).

• Fleabag

  “A dry-witted woman, known only as Fleabag, has no filter as she navigates life and love in London while trying to cope with tragedy” Hallie’s note – Many recommendations for this and it won a ton of awards this season, but I could not get into it.

• Killing Eve

  “Eve’s life as a spy is not adding up to what she had hoped it would be when she started. She is a bored, very smart, MI5 security officer who is very desk-bound. Villanelle is a very talented killer, mercurial in mood, who clings to the luxuries of her job. Eve and Villanelle go head to head in a fierce game of cat and mouse, each woman equally obsessed with the other as Eve is tasked with hunting down the psychopathic assassin.”

• Broadchurch 

  “After a young boy is murdered in the small seaside town of Broadchurch, local detectives Ellie Miller and Alec Hardy are assigned the mysterious case.” Hallie’s note – this is next on my watch list.

• I See You

  “Strange occurrences plague a small-town detective and his family as he investigates the disappearance of a young boy.” Hallie’s note – it might be too scary for me but it was all filmed in Chagrin Falls and Lakewood (for my local, Cleveland folks).

Passover and Easter Outfits for a Holiday at Home

Some of you had asked for Passover and Eater outfits for a stay at home holiday. I had already had this post planned for today so I took a vote on Instagram, and the reader round-up won. But here is my quickie suggestion for a holiday spent at home…wear what you’d wear to a springtime Thanksgiving. It can be casual and comfortable, because you’ll be at home and eating,  but it’s a holiday so take it up a notch to make it feel like a special day. 

Wishing you all health and happiness as you celebrate in these crazy times.