First, I showed you What I Look Like at the End of the Day, and now it's time for me to show you what I look like in the middle of the day. What's going on this afternoon? The dishes need to be done, the kitchen needs to be cleaned, I have a roast in the slow cooker and cookies fresh out of the oven. It's gloriously messy, comforting and joyful all at the same time!
Running a home can be stressful and overwhelming, but enjoy the process (that is what being a daily connoisseur is all about!). It will not be pretty. You and your home will not look perfect, but you can take pleasure in the journey.
I'm listening to the Miss Mapp audio book to get ready for our book club. (I've read the novel and am now solidifying it by listening to it.)
Here is my chocolate chip cookie recipe. I keep the dough in the freezer and make it in small batches. I like to make 6 - 8 cookies at a time. This is perfect for when unexpected guests arrive.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
Makes 24 cookies
Ingredients
1 C butter, softened
1 C white sugar
1 C packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsps vanilla extract
3 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsps hot water
1/2 tsp salt
2 C semisweet chocolate chips
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt. Stir in flour, and chocolate chips. Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet.
Bake for about 10- 14 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely browned.
Delight in the pleasures of the afternoon, no matter how messy and work-laden they are. For more on the pleasures of the afternoon, check out my book, At Home With Madame Chic.
I hope you enjoy today's video!
News
I hope you'll join me for the Mapp & Lucia Book Club. We will be starting at the end of June. Write down your questions so I can answer them in my upcoming videos!
And in the Instagram world...
A cup of tea, a bar of chocolate and Lessons from Madame Chic. What a perfect evening!
Lanasartstudio has drawn some of her favorite inspiring books and Madame Chic made the cut!
This picture talks about the different titles in American and Japan...
Comment of the Week
Alexandra tried out a vegan version of my Authentic Indian Chicken Curry. Here is her report:
Hi Jennifer,
Here is my after-cooking report. My family loved this dish! There was nothing left at the end of the meal. My teenage son ate two large servings. I'm so glad you're giving curry to your baby. He will have a sophisticated palate when he is older.
Like Julie, I used coconut cream in place of the yogurt. To cut down on the fat, I also sauteed the onions in veggie broth instead of oil. The veggies I used were zucchini and summer squash. We've only been vegan for a couple months; so we are still firming up our favorite recipes. This is definitely one of them.
For those who may feel intimidated by all the spices, I don't think it's absolutely necessary to use every single spice. I substituted powders for the pastes and skipped the garam masala since I didn't have it. The curry was still fantastic.
Thanks again,
Alexandra
Alexandra, I'm so happy your family loved the recipe and you were able to adapt it to your needs. Wonderful!
Today I would love to know... what do you have going on this afternoon? What are your pleasures of the afternoon? Let me know and your comment could be chosen as comment of the week on the blog!
See you Thursday for a review of a new book discussing the history of makeup.
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7 comments:
Hi Jennifer! I just wanted to thank you for this video. I really needed it today. My twin babies are napping so I showered and dressed, but I'm not feeling energetic today so I didn't do my hair or makeup. After watching your video I feel inspired to quickly get ready before the babies get up. I know if I catch myself in a mirror or pop out to the store later I'll feel much better looking presentable - even if not perfect :) Thank you for inspiring me!
Hi Jennifer, This was honestly one of my favorite videos you've posted on The Daily Connoisseur. I have three very small children and have been wearing my hair lately in a top knot most days of the week. (So much so that my three year old started drawing my likeness with a top knot, haha.) I felt if I didn't have my hair or makeup done nicely, I couldn't put on nice clothing. This past week I've been trying a little harder and remembering that washed hair in a topknot and presentable clothes are better than the alternative. This video gave me so much encouragement in continuing. Also, thank you for the tip about the cookie batter!
Lauren
This afternoon I'm enjoying a cup of tea and break after having cleaned the kitchen and made dinner for a potluck tonight. I'm wearing my Boden jersey dress and my house slippers (houndstooth; I love them ;)). I homeschool my children, and we're done with school for the day, so the rest of the afternoon will be spent organizing (I'm in the middle of a big project right now), folding laundry, doing 5-minute tidying in several rooms, preparing my son's scouting uniform for his event tonight, and cutting some flowers from the garden for our table. I like to listen to interesting or inspirational talks while I work, so I'll do that this afternoon.
But first, the chocolate and the tea!
I love that at the end you said to 'make home life your priority'. So many focus on everything but the home now, viewing it and the kids almost as a nuisance! Let's get back to basics and doing them well🙂
Hi Jennifer! You look great in the middle of your workday because you made the effort to become presentable in the morning! I finished up my upstairs tasks this morning because our top floor gets HOT, so it's downstairs activities for the rest of the day. I need to clean my kitchen, as well, and then I will balance our budget. I will also make my grocery list for tomorrow's shopping. Since I have leftovers from the weekend, dinner will be easy tonight, which means I may have some time to research the history of our home. It's 89-years-old, and the original windows upstairs won't open (hence the heat!), but I think knowing a little more about its origin will help me to appreciate it in spite of its quirks!
Hello Jennifer,
I don't have any children, but I can truly appreciate the fact that it is so unpredictable with them and therefore trying to look your best at all times can be a task in itself. I admire how much you influence so many people including myself on how to be the best you can be, even if it's not perfect.
Your enthusiasm for living well is very infectious and you have made me want to be better all the times of the day. I just thought this very frank video of how you look in the afternoon is a perfect representation of why we need to let go of perfection and be presentable, which ever that means at the time.
It's nice to see that you are a real person, with real responsibilites and work, and real dishes in the sink. It helps me feel like I am not alone in the craziness of daily life.
Thanks for the inspiration!
Jennifer Lynn
Dear Jennifer, Love all your videos & posts! Could you please make a video on procrastination & general laziness? I generally plan to finish some chores around the house & some organizing on a day to day basis, but I feel less motivated & lazy. Could you shed some light on how to handle this?
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