'Tis the season for holiday gifting, but shopping can get expensive — and fast. Luckily, you have a superpower on your side: your smartphone. If you’ve ever dipped your toe into the coupon app market, you know there are about a million ways to save yourself money with minimal effort, but it can be confusing to even remember which app to use and when. Ahead, we’ve narrowed down the most useful apps and tools to help you score the best deal on all your holiday buys. Now all you have to worry about is finding that perfect gift.
1. Gumdrop
Gumdrop is a simple browser add-on that searches the web for the best holiday deals and automatically adds coupons to your purchase at checkout. Plus, a percentage of what you spend is automatically donated to a charity or school of your choice, something you can feel really good about.
2. Shopkick
Rack up points for browsing products, entering stores, scanning codes and, of course, buying what you were going to buy anyway on Shopkick.
Ibotta lets you get cash rebates through PayPal from over 80 stores for all the items on your list. Ibotta also uses your location to tell you where the nearest and best rebates are.
4. ShopSavvy
Scan barcodes with your phone camera and ShopSavvy will check brick-and-mortar and online stores for the best price (incredibly handy for taking advantage of holiday sales) as well as offer up real reviews for every product.
5. Ebates
The OG cash-back reward system, Ebates gets you cash back via check or PayPal for items you buy. Use their coupon codes or shop through their website or the app to start receiving cash back.
Love browsing coupons? Flipp compiles all the local flyers so you don’t have to. Browse with just a flick of a finger.
7. The Camelizer
The Camelizer is a browser add-on that's married to Amazon and tracks prices on products you want, sending an alert when prices drop.
8. Prime Now app
Time is money, and the Prime Now app puts delivery of hundreds of foods, goods and products at your fingertips when you just can’t stand to fight the holiday crowds in stores.
Oh, Ben Affleck. The A-lister who groped Hilarie Burton on live TV, got called out for it, apologized and then made callous jokes about the seemingly unending wave of sexual abuse allegations in Hollywood is now trying to save face. How? By pretending that he had no idea that Hollywood has always been a cesspool of rampant sexism and abuse for women, something literally everyone knew. OK, Ben.
On Today, 48 whole hours after he was ripped apart online for acting like this is all a big ol' joke at a Justice League press junket, Affleck told host Savannah Guthrie about how exciting it is that he's finally opening his eyes to the abuse that has surrounded him for literally his entire career.
Justice League cast reactions to Ben Affleck's joke 2
Justice League cast reactions to Ben Affleck's joke 2
"It certainly feels like a really important moment," he said. "It feels like a time when survivors are finding their voice and people are sort of — and I include myself in this — really discovering the terrible extent of this problem here in our country."
Ben Affleck on the TODAY show
Ben Affleck on the TODAY show
He also talked about working for Harvey Weinstein, and how he knew that Weinstein behaved inappropriately, but didn't do anything about that, because it's what everyone did.
"I knew he was sleazy and kind of a bully, but unfortunately, that wasn't that uncommon," he said. "I was brand new to Hollywood, 24 years old. I had never made a movie; I didn't know much of anything really. And, you know, it really is a shame because although I stopped working with Harvey a long time ago, those movies hold a special kind of place in my heart and to now look back on it and think like, 'Gosh, some other people were going through something really ugly and disturbing (experiences)."
Yep, Affleck, who says he's just now learning about this problem, also didn't do anything about this problem over the course of his career because it was a normal part of his everyday life. Is your head exploding yet? Because mine is.
And of course, Affleck reflected oh-so-thoughtfully on his own glaringly obvious (to everyone but Affleck) complicity in all this, by saying he would have changed some of his past behaviors, you know, all the way back when he was a dumb kid in 2003 who literally groped a woman on live TV.
"There's plenty of jokes I wouldn't have made or things I wouldn't have done," said Affleck, who joked about sexual assault during a taped interview less than two days ago. "It's just a time when... there's just a heightened level of awareness, and that means one of the good things about that is the self-consciousness of, 'How am I fitting into the world here? How are my actions affecting other people? How is this interaction going to leave this person feeling?'"
He continued, "It's easy to sort of gloss over that stuff and get self-involved. The hard thing is to really, as I said, be mindful and live in the present moment."
If you're anything like us, you draw inspiration from the Food Network every single day. With the holidays approaching fast, that's truer than ever, and even better, most Food Network shows (past and present) are available on various streaming services, which means we can relive our favorites over and over.
Since some of the best Food Network series just returned for brand-new seasons (Holiday Baking Championship, Iron Chef), we're celebrating with a little friendly competition. Have you ever tried to rank your favorite Food Network shows? Let's see how our lists stack up.
10. Guy's Grocery Games
Flavortown Market Fun Facts - Guy's Grocery Games
Flavortown Market Fun Facts - Guy's Grocery Games
Guy Fieri has a ton of presence on the Food Network, but his best show is definitely Grocery Games. At Flavortown Market, contestants tackle various challenges to "shop" for ingredients they can quickly transform into delicious, judge-ready dishes. It's a race against the clock, each other and whatever challenges Fieri throws their way to make it to the $20,000 bonus round.
Listen — sometimes it's just really fun to see celebrity chefs get taken down a peg. Whenever contestants win this competition show, it's awesome. And seeing how Flay's fellow celebrity chefs and friends rib him in every episode makes it even more entertaining.
8. Chopped
Chopped After Hours: Halloween
Chopped After Hours: Halloween
Is Chopped the most recognizable Food Network series? Maybe. It's certainly a fun, formulaic competition show that does best on its special episodes. In Chopped After Hours, the judges use the same mystery baskets as the contestants to whip up dishes of their own. We love bonus content! (Chopped Junior is also amazing in case you wondered why that isn't on this list.)
The Kitchen is an Emmy-nominated talk show with some of our favorite celebrity chefs discussing their best tips, tricks and recipes. We love it.
6. I Hart Food
Hannah Hart Tries Deep-Fried Gnocchi Tots
Hannah Hart Tries Deep-Fried Gnocchi Tots
Hannah Hart rose to fame with her My Drunk Kitchen series on YouTube. She's now a notable name in the food world with her very own Food Network series where she travels the country sampling delicacies at various restaurants. The format is familiar for long-time Food Network fans, but the star is new — and it's awesome to see an openly lesbian woman on such a major channel.
The basic premise of Cutthroat Kitchen can be broken down by this quote from The Dark Knight: "You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain." Alton Brown used to teach us about proper cooking methods and kitchen storage on Good Eats. Now he cackles maniacally while he pits chefs against each other with wild sabotages on Cutthroat Kitchen. It's awful; we love it.
4. Unwrapped
How Chocolate-Covered Oreos Are Made - Unwrapped
How Chocolate-Covered Oreos Are Made - Unwrapped
Who doesn't love to learn new stuff? Unwrapped goes behind the scenes of America's favorite snack foods and reveals some secrets you probably didn't know those foods were hiding.
3. Holiday Baking Championship
Take a Bow Cake - Holiday Baking Championship
Take a Bow Cake - Holiday Baking Championship
It's back!!! Featuring a brand new selection of bakers who are ready to bring their holiday best to the judges' table, our favorite seasonal series is airing Mondays at 9/8c on Food Network.
The only thing better than the various holiday baking shows is the Kids Baking Championship. It's heartbreaking to see kids get sent home, but so cool to see how talented and hardworking they are.
1. Iron Chef Showdown
Top Three Ingredients - Iron Chef Showdown
Top Three Ingredients - Iron Chef Showdown
Iron Chef has seen quite a few iterations, and the newest is Iron Chef Showdown, airing Wednesdays at 9/8c on the Food Network. As always, host Alton Brown is on point with his food commentary and the competing chefs transform wild ingredients into gorgeous dishes that make our mouths water.
I'm not much of a team-sports person (as in, I literally have never watched a full football, baseball or basketball game), but I looooove the Olympics. Gymnastics? Figure skating? Bobsledding? I'm totally there for it.
But this year, I have yet another reason to get excited for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea (and it's not just the Nigerian women's bobsled team, who are totally badass and need to be stars of a movie, like, ASAP).
NBC Sports has appointed David Chang — founder of Momofuku and the 2-Michelin-star restaurant Momofuku Ko, host of Season 1 of The Mind of a Chef, founder of Lucky Peach magazine and friend of Aziz Ansari — as their culinary correspondent during the games. He'll be traveling to Pyeongchang to report on all the best food in the area, from Korean temple cuisine to street snacks and beyond.
Chang isn't exactly an athlete, though he did create a sneaker with Nike. But he has worked with NBC before and in fact already filmed two programs in South Korea, which will be aired during the Olympics.
The Olympics are always exciting, but this year, I'm even more motivated to tune in. Because there's nothing better than watching athletes in peak physical condition perform wonderous feats while also drooling over the thought of binge-eating cheesy tteok-bokki with David Chang.
Is there any reason to believe that Gwyneth Paltrow and Reese Witherspoon are feuding? Well, there's the fact that they both own lifestyle companies. Since their companies kind of compete with each other, there must be all kinds of bad blood there, right?
Why do we have to insist on pitting women against each other whenever possible? We see it just about every time there's a high-profile celebrity breakup — there must be another woman to blame for the split, the headlines proclaim. Spoiler alert: A breakup is never an outside woman's fault because it's a decision that can only be made by the two people doing the breaking up.
This situation is even sillier. Paltrow owns Goop, and Witherspoon owns Draper James. According to a recent interview Paltrow did with People magazine, that means a lot of people think they're against one another.
"The media has tried to triangulate myself and Jessica Alba or myself and Reese Witherspoon, there is genuinely no competitive spirit between us," Paltrow explained.
She added that she thinks the perception comes from the idea that these female actors shouldn't be branching out and doing things like starting businesses.
"The instinct is women aren’t allowed to change," she said. "We’re comfortable with you in this public persona. Stay in your lane, and if you’re going to leave your lane we’re going to pit you against every other woman who is trying to do the same thing. My personal opinion is that we need more women being entrepreneurial [and saying], 'I want to do something different, I want to be brave,' and having other women there to support them in the process."
Last weekend, Kim Kardashian West celebrated the coming of Baby No. 3 with a cherry blossom-filled fete worthy of its own Instagram page. The usual Kardashian-Jenner suspects attended, along with Chrissy Teigen and Jen Atkin. However, there was one noticeable absence: the woman carrying Kardashian West and hubby Kanye West’s baby girl. On Thursday’s episode of The Real, Kardashian West opened up about why she didn’t invite her surrogate.
"I, um, I did not [invite the surrogate]," Kardashian West said on The Real on Thursday as noted by E News, adding that she did introduce her to the rest of her family earlier that day.
"You know, I just thought... I don't know. It was, like, a weird decision to have to make," she explained. "Of course, I would've wanted her to be there and be a part of it, but I hadn't really gone that far in explaining it to my kids yet. So I have to figure that out first before they really see and then if we're celebrating, you know, her, I just want to celebrate the baby. I think I have to explain it to my kids first and figure out how I'm going to explain it to them."
In September, Kardashian West confirmed she and West were expecting a third child via surrogate. For months now, fans and the paparazzi have wondered about the identity of the mystery woman. While the decision not to invite the surrogate mother to the baby’s shower may seem questionable to some, the relationship between surrogates and intended parents is as unique as any relationship between two people.
Some surrogates prefer not to know the parents of the child they’re carrying. During her interview, the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star explained that her surrogate initially had no idea she was carrying the couple’s child. However, this ultimately changed.
"You could do it totally anonymously," Kardashian West said. "You could go that route and I just felt like I wanted whoever's carrying my baby, like, what if they weren't a fan of me or my husband and what if they didn't want to be carrying our baby? I wanted to give them that choice and be, like, proud and on the same page. I wanted a relationship with her."
Considering the 24-7 media frenzy surrounding the Kardashian-Jenner family, perhaps opting to be a low-profile surrogate is best for all parties involved?
For some of us, entering a Sephora with money to burn and time to kill is an experience only rivaled by memories of recess. But it turns out that freewheeling through a makeup playground has its limits, as one MUA called out on Facebook.
Makeup artist Brittney Nelson snapped a photo of a ravaged Make Up For Ever display at a Sephora in Augusta, Georgia. The scene is triggering: more than $1,000-worth of shimmery, top-shelf pigments ravaged to smithereens.
“$1300 of Make Up Forever eye shadow destroyed at Sephora tonight due to a small child,” Nelson’s post began. “I’m sure he/she thought they were like finger paints and had no idea how naughty they were being. Tons of destroyed product and pissed Sephora cast members are not a happy place to be. Mammas, please shop for your makeup without your tiny humans. It’s not fun for you...or them...or the expensive product.”
MUA viral response
MUA viral response
Her post went viral. While Nelson’s plea may have been well-intentioned, the suggestion for parents to leave the kids at home understandably rubbed many commenters the wrong way. Her post launched a broader discussion about mom-shaming and the assumption that all children behave similarly, not to mention the misinformed idea that all mothers have access to child care and can leave their kids at home with the nanny while they run errands.
In an interview with Business Insider, Nelson admitted she didn’t actually see the crime against tester pigments take place. She assumed the culprit was a small child left to their own devices. "We walked in right as a lady and her kid were hustling out of there," Nelson told Insider. "The glittery footprints helped us decipher it was a tiny human.”
Here’s hoping the destruction of makeup displays and mom-shaming are both shelved in 2018.
It's been a bad day for celebrity relationships — even the ones that seemed stable and long-lasting. First, we learned that Jennifer Hudson has split from her fiancé of nearly 10 years. And now, People magazine has revealed that Saturday Night Live alum Bill Hader is separated from his wife, filmmaker Maggie Carey.
The site reports that they actually separated last July after 11 years of marriage — they tied the knot in 2006 — and they're in the process of divorcing now. They share three daughters: 8-year-old Hannah, 5-year-old Harper and 3-year-old Hayley.
It's especially heartbreaking because Hader, who was one of the best SNL stars in recent memory, actually quit the show just to move to Los Angeles to be with his wife, who was working there at the time. He joined the cast in 2005, just a year before he and Carey got married, and lasted eight seasons before calling it quits on having a long-distance relationship.
"The whole reason we're moving to California is that we're tired of being apart all the time," he told USA Today in 2013, soon before he officially left SNL. "Doing SNL was a huge time commitment. You'd have weeks off and you'd have to go to L.A. It's about rolling with the punches."
While Hader is definitely best known for SNL, he also recently starred alongside Amy Schumer in Trainwreck (before you get any ideas about 'shipping those two, like their adorably perfect relationship in the movie, she's newly off the market). He also appeared in Superbad and Hot Rod. Carey has been more behind-the-scenes in Hollywood. Most recently, she directed the 2013 comedy The To Do List and some episodes of Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
I was one of those kids growing up who wasn’t sure what they wanted out of life. With my parents splitting up when I was young and constantly fighting through the courts, having to change schools and living in poverty, I was a pretty confused child.
Even back as far as elementary school, friends of mine discussed their dreams of being married by 25, having three kids and working at the same school we attended. I was envious of them. They sounded so sure of themselves, so normal, and in my heart, I knew that didn’t sound like me at all. I didn’t know if I ever wanted to get married or have children. As it turns out, the chance of me having my own biological kids is slim.
After high school, I went away to pursue my degree in creative writing. My life at college was vastly different than my life back home. For the first time in my life, I felt like I actually had some control over my life — that I had choices. I had just settled in when I began getting bizarre symptoms. Dizziness all the time for no reasons, strange pain or numbness in my limbs, awful stomachaches and headaches. Then I began passing out.
Several trips to the emergency room prompted a referral to a cardiologist, who put me through a dozen tests. Doctors discovered that I have something called dysautonomia, which is a form of autonomic dysfunction. Years later, new doctors found that I have a specific form of dysautonomia called postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. POTS, essentially, is orthostatic intolerance that, according to the Cleveland Clinic, is a disruption in the “balancing act of blood vessel squeeze and heart rate response” when a person goes from a sitting to a standing position. Many people who have POTS, myself included, experience awful symptoms from the disorder even when they aren’t standing up.
After I was diagnosed, I was put on several new medications to try to curb the symptoms that were getting in the way of my everyday life. I tried a bunch of different meds that either didn’t work at all or helped very little. I still felt terrible all the time and was fainting daily.
Early into my diagnosis, my doctor told me that being pregnant with POTS is exceptionally hard on the body. Some women feel their symptoms get better with pregnancy, but based on my history, my doctor was confident I would be one of the ones who felt worse and would have my symptoms increase because I was already so symptomatic. Some of the meds I was on — ones that actually seemed to help a little — I’d have to wean off of while pregnant, increasing my risk of symptoms and fainting.
I was only 19 when I found all this out and didn’t know how I felt about any of it. Having a chronic illness, the first of many I would discover, was enough to think about. I didn’t even want to attempt to process potential pregnancy as well.
Then I started having seizures. To this day, after every test my doctor can think of performing, we still don’t know why I get them or what causes them. It’s possible one of the times I hit my head after fainting hurt my brain somehow or that one of the many medications I was on disagreed with my body, but we don’t know for sure. I’m kept stable by medications that could cause birth defects and, according to the Epilepsy Foundation, having seizures during pregnancy increases the risk of premature labor and miscarriages while lowering the fetal heart rate.
I know that having POTS and getting seizures doesn’t mean I can’t have a perfectly normal pregnancy and deliver a perfectly healthy baby. It’s definitely possible. I’ve thought extensively about what that means for me, my body and my health and know that pregnancy isn’t for me. There’s just too much risk involved for me to feel comfortable with it. My father lost a child that died due to complications, and I’ve grown up seeing what that loss does to a person. I don’t know if I could survive it.
I’m perfectly happy living my life child-free. Chronic illness already involves a ton of care and consideration and time that I don’t have to devote to someone else. I respect people who, if they were in my situation, would still choose to have kids because that is a big responsibility and a lot to deal with. At this point in my life, I feel more comfortable child-free and, if I change my mind, I know there are many children out there looking for a home. Chronic illness made my decision not to have kids for me, but at least I’m not confused anymore.
We know that unconscious bias plagues women in the workplace — but we hear less about how it affects young children. This week, though, a Wall Street Journal report revealed some disturbing news: Two recent financial-industry polls suggest that families save more for their boys’ college education than they do for their girls'.
One study by T. Rowe Price from earlier this year looked at households with all boys and homes with all girls. Fifty percent of the boy-only families had money saved for college, where just 39 percent of girl-only households had money saved. Boy-only families also contributed to their children’s college savings more frequently than girl-only households.
A separate study by LendEDU found that while 10 percent of men had their higher education paid for by their parents, only 6 percent of women said their parents paid for a majority of college. Fifty percent of women said their parents paid for none of their education.
“Parents should give a good hard look and make sure they are treating their children fairly and recognizing the potential of both their boys and their girls,” Roger Young, a senior financial planner at T. Rowe Price said to The Wall Street Journal. “We certainly see in society more broadly there are gaps between incomes of men and women.”
While women have a greater likelihood of going to (and graduating from) college, the way parents prepare for their kids' education has a significant impact on that student’s financial life. A recent analysis by the American Association of University Women found that women typically have larger student loans than men — and don't forget they make less money after graduation too.
“The struggles of college graduates with student debt can be significant,” the AAUW study reads. “Women — especially women of color — are most likely to experience difficulties: 34 percent of all women and 57 percent of black women who were repaying student loans reported that they had been unable to meet essential expenses within the past year.” And because of the gender pay gap, women tend to pay back these debts slower than their male counterparts do.
So for parents who have the means, saving for daughters' higher education as soon as possible, even if it starts with miniscule amounts, could greatly help those daughters' educational and professional futures.
Educational consultant Steven Roy Goodman says that parents’ expectations of their children can both consciously and unconsciously affect how they prepare for that child’s future. “There is really no way to say this subtly: The parents had different life expectations for their sons and daughters." Goodman told The Wall Street Journal, referencing a specific client. “They perceived that the young women were not going to have 40-year careers in the ways they expected their sons to have.”
Shereem Herndon-Brown, a former college admissions director and founder of Strategic Admissions Advice LLC, has witnessed a similar trend. He told The Wall Street Journal that he has seen parents push their daughters toward lower-cost schools because they didn't believe they'd recoup the costs of tuition investment.
“I don’t think parents are going to admit to their 18-year-old daughter that they don’t want to pay as much for her education because they are thinking 10 years down the road to her wedding,” Brown said. “It’s an unfortunate reality.”
Despite the persisting bias and reasoning is behind it, parents need to recognize that their college savings decisions have long-term effects on their children’s lives. And girls need just as much financial support as boys — or, until we close the wage gap, even more.
Chef, cookbook author and cohost of The Chew, Carla Hall knows good food. The holidays are no exception. We chatted with Hall about how she handles the holidays, her favorite (and least favorite) dishes and how she plans to make 2018 a better year. She also generously shared some of her favorite holiday recipes and tips for dressing up a classic pound cake.
SheKnows: With the holidays coming up, how do you plan to tackle your holiday shopping? Are you a last-minute online shopper or do you like to get it all done early?
Carla Hall: I think I’m a combo of both. I always think I want to do it early but early for me is a week out. But I really try to order my turkey ahead of time. Mind you, I have not done that. I’m very methodical about my list so I have everything — dairy, the meats, poultry — in categories based on where it is in the store to get stuff. I like to get my stuff in the store, I don’t like to do online.
I’m so last-minute. Every year I think that Christmas is going to be further away from Thanksgiving than it is. I’m like, oh my gosh, why is it Christmas Eve and I’m still doing things?
SK: What’s the best/worst gift you’ve ever gotten?
CH: The best gift that I’ve ever gotten… my husband is such a good gift giver. He listens all year-round so he has things that I’ve said, that I’ve talked about. It was a collection of books that I wanted. He gives me lots of little things. So this collection of books that he gave me that I love.
But also he does these stockings, we have this tradition now of doing stockings — we didn’t really do stockings growing up, we did but it was like candy — but he would give me all little things, just little things… it could be like little toiletries or paper and pen and they’re all stuffed in this stocking and I love it. It is honestly one of my favorite things to get. It’s the gift that keeps on giving because they’re little things and they’re all around you so I love that.
The worst gift that I got was clearly something that was regifted to me, that was something that had nothing to do with my life or anything. A plate with a bowl attached. It was old looking, like somebody’s grandmother’s. And I know I have gray hair, but really, not yet.
SK: What’s your favorite holiday food and/or tradition?
CH: My grandmother is my inspiration for all holidays because we went to her house for Sunday supper. A lot of our holidays would be at her house and the family would come and she would make her pound cake, her rolls and everything. So the one thing that everybody looks forward to is my grandmother’s five-flavor pound cake.
To dress it up for the holidays, I just take a lemon glaze (which is one of the five flavors) and I put the lemon glaze, which is simply powdered sugar and lemon juice, over the cake and I let it drip down the sides. I don’t need to cover the entire thing. And then I take some sugared cranberries — these are so simple, you take simple syrup, just sugar and water, but I add a little bit of ginger because I love ginger and cranberries together, and then you dissolve the sugar — you put the cranberries into that simple syrup and you just leave it in the refrigerator overnight for at least eight hours.
Then when the next day you drain the cranberries from the simple syrup you save that liquid because that’s going to be for your mocktails or your cocktails. You roll those cranberries in fine sugar. They are not only just a delicious snack, but they make my cake really festive and beautiful with the white and the red. Then you take a little bit of mint and you decorate it.
I love to do things that have two purposes, like making the cranberries and also the simple syrup.
SheKnows: Any traditional holiday dishes you absolutely can’t stand?
CH: I do not like a layered salad. I don’t like some kind of seven-layer thing where it looks pretty in theory and then when you go to eat it, if you’re the last person, you get the mush. You get all the mixed-up-like-it-was-on-somebody’s-plate. That’s just me, but I don’t like that. I also don’t like a Jell-O salad. But I love ambrosia! Go figure. I don’t understand it, but I love ambrosia.
But I don’t like Jell-O with nuts in it. Not my favorite.
SheKnows: What about Matthew and Noah? Any holiday dishes they really love?
CH: Noah does not like cranberry sauce. He doesn’t like cooked fruit. He loves cornbread dressing. [Matthew is] a vegetarian, so it’s all about the sides for him. I generally make all of the sides vegetarian, so he loves collard greens, cranberry dressing, stuffing, green bean casserole, sautéed mushrooms. I just love the sides, rolls, we love bread. Noah loves my sweet potato rolls.
But another thing that I love is I do a peach cobbler. Everybody loves a peach cobbler. To make it look festive for the holidays, I take the dough and I press out leaves.
The other thing I love to do — I love to get my little nieces who are 9 and 12 involved — is cookie making. One dough, three different cookies. I have this Linzer dough. It’s so soft and just melts in your mouth. When you put that with raspberry jam, it is just delicious. The same dough will make thumb prints. You just use a different jam — you can do sandwich cookies with maybe a chocolate ganache — and then even the cutouts and just have the kids make their own little decorative cookies. It’s just so simple to get everybody involved.
Linzer dough has some spices in it, so it’s not just your regular shortbread dough. And when I say you put it in your mouth and just melts… you’ve got to toot your own horn, I’m just saying. If you’re not tooting your own horn when you’re making dinner, you need to be making something else now. If you don’t like it, nobody else is going to like it.
SK: What’s your New Year’s resolution?
CH: Honestly, it has to be about family. I think spending more time... I took my first vacation this year in nine years, and I feel like I have to do more of that even if it’s something very simple. Even if it’s having a vacation in my town, taking time out to just unplug and be with family. Especially my nieces. I don’t want them to grow up and not know me. I want to make time for them.
So you were worried you were pregnant, and you didn’t want to be. You took a test, and it was negative (or it was a false positive) and then you took another one and then maybe even another, and then you went to a doctor so they could confirm the result. And you’re not pregnant. Hooray!
What happens now after your equilibrium has been restored and you aren’t terrified anymore? How did that pregnancy scare impact your sex life? Your relationship? Your birth control? How you imagine your future?
For some women, having a pregnancy scare unmasked painful truths about their relationships, specifically that they were with the wrong person. J took a pregnancy test once a month since the birth control she was on meant she didn’t get her period.
“I took a test that said positive — but I was pretty sure it was incorrect. I took another test, negative. Another test, negative,” she said. Then she went to class, came home and took another test, which was negative. When she told her partner, “they had a full-on panic attack. They wanted me to take Plan B, even though it wasn’t medically the right move considering the timing. I took another test... negative.”
J got her period two days later and switched around her birth control, but her partner’s strong reaction made her consider her relationship. “I knew I wanted kids — I just wasn’t sure when or what that might look like. His full-blown meltdown made me realize that perhaps this wasn’t a match.” J and her partner continued their relationship, but ultimately, it ended.
“I think it’s one of those things that didn’t really strike me as rough until much, much later,” she said. “I didn’t want a kid at that point; I was literally in my last class of grad school and interviewing for jobs and looking at student loans kicking in. I think if it had even been six months later, I would have reacted differently.”
Anne was 25 when she woke up and realized her NuvaRing had fallen out the night before (it can fall out during sex, tampon removal or while having a bowel movement). The ring can be outside the body for three hours, but if it’s longer than that, you’re advised to use backup contraceptives, which in Anne’s case, it was too late for. She took Plan B, but was still anxious because she knew she didn’t ever want kids. The potential scare led to a spike in anxiety that her partner didn’t understand and proved unsupportive for.
“He was like, 'You took the morning after pill, so it’s fine. Why are you freaking out?' It finally helped me to realize that he sucked.” Anne remains devoted to NuvaRing 10 years later.
A pregnancy scare or even the idea of one has the potential to change your relationship with sex. In her 20s, E experienced a condom breaking while she was having sex with her long-term partner. “I always thought I would freak out in a situation like that, but I was really calm,” she said. She also went and got Plan B, which worked, but the incident stayed with her. “It took me a really long time to get comfortable having sex again. It was hard to relax. I just kept thinking about how I could have gotten pregnant and how that could happen again.”
This isn’t a weird reaction. It’s totally normal. We’ve been told our entire lives the only way to not get pregnant is to abstain altogether, and the anxiety of possibly being pregnant when you don’t want to be is taxing.
“The emotional trauma from a pregnancy scare can cause you to not feel up for sex if not outright leery of sex,” Dr. Jennifer Caudle told Bustle in 2016 for a piece about the aftermath of pregnancy scares.
Just because your pregnancy scare turned out to be just that — a scare — doesn’t mean you can’t benefit from support and resources. Talk to your doctor if you feel like your birth control isn’t working for you, if it doesn’t make you feel safe or if you’re sexually active but not using birth control. Communicate with your sexual partner(s) about birth control because it’s a mutual responsibility. It can be helpful to hear the stories of other folks who have had scares as well — Scarleteen has a great discussion board in its online forum where people share their experiences with scares and the circumstances around them. A pregnancy scare can be a terrifyingly lonely experience, but try to keep in mind that you aren’t alone.
And the couple, along with the rest of the royal household, will do just that on Monday, Nov. 20, with a private dinner with family and friends at Windsor Castle, according to the BBC. I wonder if Meghan Markle will be on Prince Harry's arm for the occasion? She has already met the Queen, after all.
The bells of Westminster Abbey, where the royal couple wed in 1947, will also toll on the day to celebrate the anniversary. As if that wasn't enough, Royal Mail has also released six commemorative stamps for the occasion.
And, oh yes, there's more, The Queen and Prince Phillip also debuted their portrait in honor of the day.
the queen and prince phillips official photo
the queen and prince phillips official photo
British photographer Matt Holyoak took the picture and explained, "I feel very honored and privileged to have been asked to contribute to this very special occasion. My vision for the image was to capture an intimate and natural portrait of the Queen and Duke to celebrate their landmark anniversary. The Queen and the Duke were very happy and relaxed which made it a pleasure. I feel the images showcase their strength and unity."
Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth are the first royal couple to celebrate their 70th anniversary. They married when the Queen was 21 years old, while Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten was 26.
The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show is facing some major road blocks ahead of the taping of the show in Shanghai, China because multiple models and performers have been denied entry into the country.
E! News reports Katy Perry, who was set to be the big performer at the show, has been denied entry into China indefinitely because her 2015 performance in Taiwan was reportedly deemed "controversial" after she wore a sunflower dress that seemed to support the country's efforts for independence.
The outlet even goes so far as to say the show is "falling apart" because "models are dropping like flies."
Five models' visas were denied, including top model Gigi Hadid, who tweeted to share the sad news.
gigi hadid vs fashion show tweet 1
gigi hadid vs fashion show tweet 1
Hadid was reportedly denied access into the country because of a February Instagram video in which she held up a biscuit shaped like a Buddha and imitated the religious figure by squinting her eyes, Fox News reports.
But if Hadid and Perry are the only big names out for the count, I'm going to go ahead and say the runway will be just fine. According to show executive producer Ed Razek, there are 55 models in the show this year representing 17 different countries.
Razek released a statement in an attempt to mitigate the rocky rumors saying, "The news reports I’ve been reading from the US here in Shanghai regarding this year’s Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show are not an accurate reflection of what I’m seeing and experiencing on site. This will, without question, be the biggest fashion event in history and our most ambitious show by far. The event is well in hand and coming together beautifully. We have more models than ever before – 55 representing 17 countries, and four world-class entertainers."
Favorites like Adrianna Lima, Karlie Kloss, Bella Hadid, Alessandra Ambrosio, Candice Swanepoel and Lily Aldridge are all set to strut. Harry Styles will reportedly take over as the performer for the show.
As they say, the show must go on, right? Taping for the fashion show is set to take place on Nov. 20. The show will air a week later on Nov. 28 at 10 p.m. on CBS.
I came across the phrase “precocious puberty” when I was 15 in a book I got from the library. It was the sort of book I checked out when my parents weren’t looking because I knew they wouldn’t approve. I chose that book because I was curious about sex and loved to read. I really didn’t think a poorly written and otherwise forgettable book was going to change my life, but it did.
The Mayo Clinic defines precocious puberty as when “a child’s body begins changing into that of an adult too soon.” That means before the age of 8 for cisgender girls. Symptoms include breast growth, getting your first period and rapid bone and muscle growth along with “changes in body shape and size” and the “ability to reproduce.”
I was in first grade when I first noticed my breasts begin to poke through my shirts. I would wear multiple bulky shirts even when it was too hot to try to hide them. Pubic and underarm hair began growing in around this time too. It terrified me because no other kid I knew had it, only adults. Since I wasn’t an adult, it had to mean something was wrong with me. Still, I didn’t say anything to anyone.
I stole a razor from my dad so I could shave the hair away whenever it started to grow back. I was terrified someone would see me naked and think that something was wrong with me, the same way I did. I was also tall compared to most of my classmates, towering over them before I stopped growing at 11. Later, I found out this is just another symptom of precocious puberty.
Eventually other people began to notice my changing body too.
When I finally got my first period at 9, I didn’t know what was happening. I woke up one morning while I was at my dad’s house for the weekend to find blood in my underwear and thought something bad was happening to me. I cried hysterically and wouldn’t tell my dad what was wrong when he asked. Deep down, I was ashamed and didn’t even know why.
No one thought to tell me about menstruation yet because I was so young. It wasn’t until later when I went back to my mom’s house that she managed to get me to tell her what was wrong. She told me where the pads were and that was that. She didn’t seem to think it was that strange that I was 9 and already had my first period or that I’d been wearing bras since the first grade. Girls on her side of the family traditionally started puberty younger than most. I was just younger still.
The effects of precocious puberty are both short- and long-term. A study published in Advanced Science and Technology Letters found that girls who go through precocious puberty were more likely to develop negative body image and poor self-esteem, leading to a much higher risk of depression than girls who didn’t start puberty early.
Dr. Julia Graber, a psychologist at the University of Florida, finds that girls with precocious puberty tend to have sex earlier and are more likely to abuse alcohol and drugs. Eating disorders are also common. Graber says that “the clearest and most consistent link is between early puberty and depression in girls.”
Developing early also has physical long-term impacts on people. Coauthor of The New Puberty: How to Navigate Early Development in Today’s Girls, Louise Greenspan, a pediatric endocrinologist, notes that diabetes, heart disease, breast cancer, teen pregnancy and HPV are more likely to occur in people who start puberty younger than average. NPR also recently reported on a study that concluded that cis women who got their first period at 11 or younger were 80 percent more likely to experience premature menopause, bringing with it increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, polycystic ovary syndrome and endometriosis.
Starting my period and growing boobs before any of my friends made me self-conscious, but my sexualization from a very young age really hurt my self-esteem and confidence. Because of it, I grew up centering my life around men, even if they treated me poorly. I constantly worried about what they thought of me, if they liked me, if I was pretty to them and thought it was my fault if I wasn’t enough for them. I went through sexual, verbal and physical abuse and had trouble seeing how wrong it was or how much it affected my sense of self. Even after I realized I liked women, I still prioritized men for a while before allowing myself to finally believe it was OK to be a lesbian. I finally learned to prioritize myself.
Precocious puberty impacts a large number of children growing up in the United States and can be devastating on their development. It certainly was on my own. I’m older now and have grown as a person a lot since then. I now know the risks precocious puberty might have on my future. Until then, I’ll just keep taking care of myself as best I can and try not to think too much about my embarrassing and horrible experiences with puberty.
It's been a long time coming but it's finally happened: Pink and Kelly Clarkson sang a duet at the 2017 American Music Awards. The two powerhouse singers opened Sunday night's award show before performing separately later that evening.
Their duet of R.E.M.'s "Everybody Hurts" was even more memorable than their solo performances, not only because it was easy to see these two are a musical match made in heaven, but because of the message they wanted to send with their duet: that we as a nation can survive any troubling moments if we unite and that in our shared pain, we can rise up and heal together too.
Jamie Foxx introduced the two singers at the beginning of the show. He took a moment to explain why "Everybody Hurts" was chosen to open the show and the message the AMAs hoped to send in tasking Pink and Clarkson to sing it.
"This year — perhaps more than any other in recent history — we needed music to help us escape the news of the day. We needed the power of music to help us heal. From hurricanes, wildfires, hate, hatred-fueled violence, 2017 was the year that tested our faith. And in these moments of crisis, heroes emerge."
It was at this moment that Foxx introduced a group of first responders, who he commended for their bravery, for running toward the danger and for helping others in their time of need. He also noted that 2018 should be a year of hope, of people coming together and staying strong.
Jamie Foxx AMAs Duet Intro
Jamie Foxx AMAs Duet Intro
Then, he introduced Pink and Clarkson, calling them "two of the world's most powerful voices" — and he's not wrong about that. It's easy to presume that Pink and Clarkson would knock this duet out of the park, but they also really poured their hearts and souls into this performance. Both women are fantastic at singing in a way that really tugs at the heart, so together, they just might ease all your worries with their song. Seriously, check out their duet if you don't believe me; it's so damn good.
And if tearing up at the sight of these two amazing women singing together isn't enough, why not bask in the glory of their fangirling for one another before the show?
The pair couldn't help but sing each other's praises on Twitter ahead of the AMAs on Sunday night. Sometime during rehearsal, Clarkson tweeted out: "If anyone was wondering what @Pink is like in person, she’s the greatest human ever and I love her even more now after meeting/singing with her at #AMA’s rehearsal....can’t wait for y’all to see our silk routine tomorrow," referencing Pink's solo performance which featured an acrobatic silk performance.
Kelly Clarkson AMAs Gushing Over Pink
Kelly Clarkson AMAs Gushing Over Pink
Pink AMAs Gushing Over Kelly Clarkson
Pink AMAs Gushing Over Kelly Clarkson
Pink also sang very high praises of Clarkson on Twitter before their duet. "This woman has a direct line to outer space with that voice. I feel lucky to stand next to her when she sings. Tonight will be an honor for me @kelly_clarkson #AMAs2017," she wrote.
This was certainly a strong way to open the 2017 AMAs, and frankly, it feels necessary. With Pink and Clarkson coming together to give a voice to the feelings many of us have felt to some degree over the course of the year, it admittedly feels cathartic watching them sing such an appropriate song. However, it's also hopeful too. Given the shiny and supportive demeanors of these women and the love they showed for one another before and during their performance, we can not only take away from their performance the acknowledgement that everybody hurts, but also that everybody can hope and love.
It seems like there is a new health craze every week that promises to be the perfect solution for all your health woes. One recent trend is lemon water. What is lemon water, you may ask? Good news, guys. It's a recipe anyone can do: Juice from lemons added to water. That's it. No cooking, no herbs, no spices. So why is it purported to be a boost to your health? How can something so simple have a positive impact on your health? Let's take a look.
Lemon water benefits
We chatted with Dr. Luiza Petre, a board-certified cardiologist and weight-management specialist who has a private practice in New York City. In 2014, she expanded her practice to include integrative health and wellness and has a lot of experience in nutrition and how it relates to our health.
She notes that lemon water is packed with vitamin C (an antioxidant) as well as other vital nutrients, such as magnesium, potassium, vitamin B6, folate and thiamin. In addition, there are other components in lemon water that are terrifically good for you.
According to Petre, lemon water can:
Strengthen your immune system with all that vitamin C
Boost your mood because it smells terrific
Reduce your chances of age-related vision loss, again due to vitamin C
Increase your potassium intake, which is good for your heart
Neutralize free radicals thanks to that nifty antioxidant, vitamin C (free radicals can damage tissue and lead to cancer or heart disease)
Cut down on urinary tract infections due to increased fluids and fresh citrus juices
Improve liver function because vitamin C helps with the detoxification process
Increase dehydration, which can help prevent some types of cancers and heart disease
Improve weight-loss efforts as it helps you avoid sugary drinks and provide a distraction from snacking
There are some potential risks of lemon water consumption, but not for the light or casual sipper, even if you have some every morning. It really boils down to moderation, says Petre — she says these negative effects can be avoided by not overindulging.
Risks include:
Tooth enamel erosion — tooth enamel has a pH of 5.5 and anything under 4 can potentially cause erosion, including lemon water, which has a pH of 2
Cavities, which can be caused by the natural fruit sugar in the lemons
Heartburn, ulcers, gastroesophageal reflux disease and canker sores can be aggravated by lemon water due to the acidic lemon juice
Nausea and vomiting due to excess vitamin C (we're talking two lemons or three cups of diluted lemon juice)
Too much iron, as vitamin C aids iron absorption, which can lead to excessive iron levels in the blood and possible organ damage
Frequent urination, not only due to the fluids, but lemon is a natural diuretic
'Tis the season to feel bloated, fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la! In the back of our minds, we know that the surefire way to avoid holiday bloating is to lay off turkey, cookies, mashed potatoes, broccoli casserole and booze until after the New Year, but that's just crazy talk. So we're advocating adding certain foods to your diet through November and December to decrease uncomfortable bloating — and also cutting back on salt whenever possible.
“Foods that are high in fat and salt can cause belly fat. Consuming too much salt causes your body to retain water,” explains registered dietitian Dr. Cara Walsh from Medifast Weight Control Centers of California. “Eating foods high in fat can cause temporary weight gain, which delays your stomach from emptying, causing bloating. When your body retains water or can't break down a nutrient found in your food, this leads to bloating.”
It’s true that everyone’s stomach will expand at least somewhat after eating, but to decrease the bloat, try stocking your recipes with these tummy-friendly goodies.
Plain Greek yogurt
Skip the honey and the chocolate you dip into your daily Greek yogurt habit if you want to prevent bloating. Instead, go au naturel with the good ole-fashioned plain variety. The key word here is ‘Greek,’ according to Walsh.
“Greek yogurt has less dairy than certain types of yogurt available, so it decreases bloating in your stomach. Greek yogurt has less sugar and more protein than other [types] of yogurt, making it a better choice for your body,” she says.
Kombucha
If you haven’t tried kombucha yet, here’s your gentle nudge to give it a try. It’s an acquired tastes for sure, but clinical nutritionist Tara Coleman explains kombucha falls into the fermented food category, which includes other debloating picks like yogurt. They help flatten your stomach because they replenish the good bacteria in your digestive tract and improve your digestion. Consider taking a swig (or a chug) of kombucha midafternoon after you’ve had your lunch to promote a smoother transition to dinner.
Carrots
Here’s another reason to reach for a handful of baby carrots when those hunger pangs strike in the afternoon. Walsh says these easy nibblers won’t make you bloat, but will satisfy your cravings.
“Carrots are filled with potassium to help fight off bloating. The fiber found in carrots fills your stomach and makes you feel full without feeling bloated or tired,” she explains.
While you probably don’t want to bite straight into a hard piece of ginger root (yuck!), Coleman does suggest shaving some fresh scraps into hot water to make a ginger tea any time you're feeling a little puffy.
“Ginger contains a digestive enzyme that helps your body break down protein, and it can also have a nice calming and anti-inflammatory effect on your gut,” she says.
Eggs
If your response to your alarm clock each morning is sheer dread (and a silent prayer for just one more hour of sleep, please!), we feel you. But instead of turning over and avoiding the day, we encourage you to start your day with a tall cup of joe and a breakfast that’ll give you energy without bloating you. Walsh says because of the high amount of vitamins and minerals that eggs offer, you’ll fill up fast without being uncomfortable.
Melon
More of a fruit snacker than a veggie grazer? Coleman says to lean toward foods that contain a high percentage of water.
“Melon's high water content helps your body flush out excess sodium, making you feel less puffy and improving hydration. They are about 90 percent water, making it almost the equivalent to having a glass of water,” she explains. From watermelon and cantaloupe, cut up some pieces to keep in the fridge at work for easy access.
Great on the grill, ideal when served cool in a salad or even pickled, asparagus receives the expert seal of approval year-round. And for good reason. Walsh says these green superstars have both pre- and probiotics that help maintain the proper balance of gut bacteria while also fighting off bloating via weight loss.
What’s she mean exactly? Well, by, ahem, encouraging trips to the restroom. “Asparagus makes you pee, which helps you flush any extra fluids in your bladder and relieves bloating,” she says.
So the next time you feel like your stomach is about to pop out of your pants (even if no one else can see it), pop a few of these foods on your plate and you should be good to go.
Image: Yvonna Groom/SheKnows
Originally published August 2017. Updated November 2017.
Like many millennials, I have fond memories of the 1997 movie Anastasia. I remember dragging my mom to the movies after I'd begged her to take me to see it. I remember being absolutely entranced with this music, especially "Once Upon a December." I even remember being freaked out to high heaven literally any time Rasputin came on the screen. It was, in my opinion, the best animated film Disney never made, and it was one of the most magical because it was able to turn a tragic story into something magical and triumphant.
Now, on the 20th anniversary of the film's release, I think that it's high time we revisited this film, not only to celebrate its place in the memories of millennials everywhere (because I know I'm not the only one who has endeared Anastasia to themselves over the years) but also because the story behind the film is way, way darker than the film itself.
If you have never heard of the real Anastasia or the story of her death, you may want to buckle up. The murder of the Romanov family is connected to one of the most major political uprisings in the 20th century, the Russian Revolution (comprised of the February and October Revolutions), and it is also one of the most haunting politically motivated executions. Anastasia was not the only one murdered by Russian militia; it was also her three older sisters, her younger brother, and her parents, Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra.
The lives of the Romanov family were short and, for a brief time, incredibly happy and privileged. Sadly, it is their demise and the legend they leave behind that we need to remember, if only because of how significant that legend is.
The Romanovs were the most powerful family — politically, economically and so forth — in Russia for more than 300 years. Essentially, they were a dynasty. Acquiring power in 1613, a Romanov ruled over Russia until March 1917, when Tsar Nicholas II was murdered. Nicholas was connected to many of the great noble families across Europe thanks to blood and marriage, with his most prominent relations being his English cousin, Prince George II, and his great-aunt, Queen Victoria.
Nicholas and Alexandra had five children: Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia and Alexei. At the time of their deaths, the Romanov children were 22, 21, 19, 17 and 13, respectively. Alexei was also, sadly, hemophiliac. This meant he was often not allowed to do the same kinds of rigorous activities as his sisters because any kind of cut or bruise would endanger his health. Alexandra's devotion to the Russian Orthodox church led her to connect with Grigori Rasputin, a man claiming to have mystic healing abilities. Alexandra frequently turned to him to help aid in Alexei's recovery.
The Romanovs were despised
Image: Historical/Getty Images
Considering their hallowed place as leaders of Russian society and politics, it's only natural that the Romanovs were both deeply loved and despised by their subjects. At the turn of the 20th century and in the wake of World War I, Russia was working to get back on its feet in nearly every way possible.
According to a 2016 Town & Country article that recounts the lives and deaths of the Romanov family, Nicholas is described as a man and as a ruler thusly:
"Ultimately, though, his well-intentioned but weak personality — which also comprised duplicity, obstinacy, and delusion — contributed to the disasters that befell the dynasty and Russia. [...] His looks and immaculate manners concealed an astonishing arrogance, contempt for the educated political classes, vicious anti-Semitism, and an unshakable belief in his right to rule as a sacred autocrat. He was jealous of his ministers, and he possessed the unfortunate ability to make himself utterly distrusted by his own government."
While Nicholas is remembered as a vain, selfish autocrat with desires to simply better the 1 percent (to put it in more modern terms), Alexandra's religious fanaticism led to her own kind of selfish, insular behavior. The uprising of the Bolsheviks and the subsequent creation of the Soviet Union were birthed, one might say, under Nicholas II and his ruling of the Russia people.
Anastasia is largely remembered as a bright and vivacious young woman. It's reported that her birth was met with a fair amount of disappointment because she was a girl. While her older sister Olga had a more fiery temperament and Tatiana was a bit more reserved, Anastasia and the middle sibling, Maria, are remembered as lively and flirtatious. The pair were quite close, not just because of their ages (a two-year difference) but because of their spirited temperaments. They were reportedly known as "the Little Pair" in the family, while Olga and Tatiana were "the Big Pair," and the younger sisters shared a room.
Anastasia is also remembered as mischievous, even when her family was in captivity at the Alexander Palace in Yekaterinburg in the final months of her life. A particularly striking excerpt from a letter she sent two months before her death offers a glimpse into her personality and how she was able to find a silver lining in any situation.
"We played on the swing, that was when I roared with laughter, the fall was so wonderful! Indeed! I told the sisters about it so many times yesterday that they got quite fed up, but I could go on telling it masses of times. [...] What weather we've had! One could simply shout with joy," she wrote.
The Russian Revolution sparked the downfall of the Romanovs
Image: Print Collector/Getty Images
Ultimately, the extraordinary wealth and power the Romanovs enjoyed — and their complete disconnect with common Russians — contributed to the anger and discontent the notably poorer Russian masses felt towards them. In the wake of the February and October Revolutions, which saw the rise of the Bolshevik Party and the spread of Communism, the Romanovs were taken hostage. Nicholas abdicated the throne in March 1917, and the entire family was forced to relocate to the Alexander Palace in Yekaterinburg. They lived there for over a year, in exile and prison (depending on how you look at it), until July 1918.
The family was awoken in the middle of the night on July 16 and ordered by Bolshevik forces to get dressed and gather in the palace cellar. There, the family was shot to death (presumably point blank or very nearly so), and those still clinging to life were stabbed. While reports vary, it's believed that the bodies of the Romanovs were stripped of their clothing, stabbed further, mutilated and possibly violated before they were buried in two mass graves in the forests of Yekaterinburg.
Anastasia's legend is a bit different from the movie
Image: Laski Diffusion/Getty Images
Of course, when Anastasia is remembered, her name conjures up grand visions of the twilight years of a great Russian monarchy, regal gowns, a life of privilege and quality and the close companionship of her siblings. Of course we remember Anastasia, not only because she was collateral damage to a revolution that swept through a nation but because of the sincerely bright spot she occupied in her family.
While Anastasia likes to imagine a happier ending for the departed Russian royal, wherein she survives the Russian Revolution and reunites with her grandmother in Paris, Anastasia's memory lives on in a very different way. In the years after the fall of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s, the graves of the Romanovs were uncovered in the forests of Yekaterinburg and the family was given a proper Russian Orthodox burial. Additionally, the entire family was canonized by the Russian Orthodox church in 2000.
Trader Joe's is totally my go-to when I want to pick up some healthy-ish prepackaged foods that make planning out my meals a whole lot easier, and I know a lot of other people do the same. That's why their latest recall is so alarming.
On Saturday, Trader Joe's announced it's recalling three of its packaged chicken and turkey salad varieties: White Meat Chicken Salad, Curried White Chicken Deli Salad and Turkey Cranberry Apple Salad. The containers with use-by dates between Nov. 10 and 21 and a USDA Inspected code of P-40299 might have pieces of glass or hard plastic within, apparently as the result of a contamination in the production facility. Containers that have a different inspection code were produced at a different facility and are not part of the recall.
The salads affected by the recall were sold in several states.
White Meat Chicken Salad and Curried White Chicken Deli Salad were sold in Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.
Turkey Cranberry Apple Salad was sold in Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.
If you purchased one of the recalled salads, you should throw it away or return it to any Trader Joe's for a full refund. Customers with any questions can call Trader Joe's customer relations at 626-599-3817.
