Your latest literary venture: "Relish: An Adventure in Food, Style and Everyday Fun" is going to be my new life bible. I've only just finished an extended skimming of it (you know, where you read some tid-bits here and there instead of page flipping), but I have a feeling that I'm gonna be all over it.
Much Thanks in Advance,
Stephanie.
Okay, so now that I've written my quick letter of gratitude to Ms. Oz, I can give you all an explanation as to why I feel this way.
Hopefully, you've heard of Daphne Oz. If not, I'm sure you HAVE to at least have heard of her dad (Dr. Oz, anyone?). I first came across her beautiful face one afternoon when I was visiting my parents and my mom happened to turn on the Daytime-TV talk show "The Chew" -- a personal favorite of hers that she'd mentioned to me several times before. Upon, watching this show for the first time, I knew I wanted to watch it whenever I could. The only setback to that is that it's on weekdays at 12 noon, so I tend to be at work/school on those days; BUT, on my days off, you can bet your balls I watch it! The show is just full of all kinds of advice young people like me need! I think what makes the show even better are their mutil-background collection of hosts. First, there's Clinton Kelly (of "What Not to Wear" fame) and he gives fashion tips, home craft ideas ("Clinton's Craft Corner) AND delicious looking and sounding recipes - all these options also tend to be aimed at getting that "bang for your buck" that we all want (as do the rest of the co-hosts). Then there are professional chefs Michael Symon & Mario Batali (of Food Network fame) and Carla Hall (of Top Chef fame) along with Daphne Oz. They all on the daily contribute some tasty new dish, on the cheap and healthy side. For example, as I'm writing this I'm watching yesterday's (Thursday, 4/25) installment of the show and Clinton just whipped up some delicious "Chicken & Shrimp Dumplings" at a cost of $0.50 per serving! Either way, it's a well-rounded show with all kinds of tips and tricks that I'm all over. It's kind of like a TV form of pinterest.
Anyways, back to the book I'm kinda sorta already in love with. Upon glancing through it, there's all kinds of healthy recipes that vary from the vegetarian variety ("Grilled Vegan Ceasar Salad"), delicious breakfast-fare ("Banana Pecan Buttermilk Pancakes") to delicious desserts ("Chocolate Fudge Pops"). So, my soon-to-be husband can expect all kinds of tasty treats in the upcoming weeks! She also gives several fashion and beauty tips from what I glanced at and quickly read and gathered. She definitely aims the book as us gals (and gents I guess) who would like to live a healthier and fulfilling lifestyle, but neither have the time or cash most of the time to do it.
I think one of my favorite chapters of the book is going to be the one that covers quick crafts and decorating tips. Since, I'm getting married in the fall, those are definitely gonna come in handy when it comes to officially setting up our new home together. I mean we already live together, but our house/apartment is gonna need some sprucing so when people come in they get that sense of "a-young-and-stylish-married-couple-lives-here" style instead of the "we're-young-and-still-finding-our-style-and-footing" style I'm sure that it currently gives off when people come to visit us. In her book, Daphne talks about getting to know the lighting of your house and how you can use this newfound knowledge of your home's lighting to decorate. She also has a tutorial on how to arrange flowers. I know some people are naturally talented at arranging flowers, but if you're me, you want to make sure your flowers and perfectly and beautifully arranged, which means, this tutorial will definitely come in handy.
Lastly, I love the personal pictures she has scattered throughout the book. The few pictures of her wedding that are included are very sweet and just gave me the feeling that she didn't just write this book to preach, but she also lives by the words in her book.
Overall, even though I haven't read this book in it's entirety, I would already recommend it to all you young gals out there!
P.S. - If any of you gals out there are going/still in college I would check out her other book: "The Dorm Room Diet" If I would've known that sucker existed when I was college, you can bet your balls I would've been all over it. And if judging by "Relish" and the reviews of the aforementioned "Dorm Room Diet" it's definitely a book to read! Especially with the fast-track life of a college student.
