FROM: STELLA

TO: LAURA

1. I am starting the new year with a cleanse, it’s been way too many baked goods for me over the past few weeks. It’s sort of paleo-inspired, mainly I want to avoid carbs and desserts. My favorite recipes so far have been this Roasted Cauliflower Salad, Chia Seed Pudding and this Szechuan Carrot Soup (with a few modifications: eliminating the sugar and using almond butter instead of peanut butter. 
2. I was greatly inspired over the holidays by the turkey we had for Christmas Eve. I learned a lot of tips from our family friend who made it and decided to start working on my skills for next year by practicing with chickens. I watched a few videos and read a ton of recipes before deciding to use this one and try spatchcocking (cutting out the spine to allow the chicken to cook more evenly) for the first time. I subbed in butternut squash for the potatoes to fit with my cleanse and oh my gosh it was so good. The veggies were almost better than the chicken!
3. I’m headed to Italy in about a week for a sisters trip. I love traveling in January because normally things have not gotten too busy at the office yet and the airports feel empty especially after the holiday craziness. I’ll be returning to Florence (where one of my sisters lives) and then also going to Milan for the first time. If you have any recommendations, let me know!
4. Very excited to start reading Becoming on the plane. It seems to be the book of the season!

FROM: LAURA

TO: STELLA

1. 

   Really loved this New York Times’ interactive Rent vs Buy Calculator. My husband and I throw around pipe dreams of moving away from Los Angeles every now and then and look at home prices in various parts of the country to decide where/when it would be worth moving to. This is definitely a helpful tool for prospective buyers!

2. I’m a pretty big reader (I read 55 books which equated to almost 17,000 pages last year!) but had never heard of “reading OCD” before. I found that article very interesting. As I pictured having to stop and reread passage after passage, page after page, I can definitely see how that kind of mental illness could severely inhibit your enjoyment of reading.
3. It is chilly in LA (or at least as chilly as LA gets, nights in the 40s, days in the 60s), so I’ve been making lots of cold weather meals. This week that meant this cauliflower soup which I added ham to and this slow cooker beef and zucchini soup. On the docket for the weekend is to make chicken pot pie, turkey meatloaf, and/or slow cooker bolognese to get a good jump on leftovers for the week.
4. Currently finishing out our baby registry and lusting after this rocker glider and laughing hysterically at the fact that this odd piece of furniture exists (and is $1,000!?).