Daily Connoisseur reader, Rachele, sent me this article from Elemental: Cooking, Cleaning, and Sewing Are the New Wellness.



The article discusses how many women are turning to old-fashioned, traditional homemaking practices such as baking bread and cleaning for self-care and wellness. Here are a few takeaway quotes from the article:

"Researchers at Tel Aviv University found that repetitive acts increase a person’s belief that they can manage a situation that is otherwise out of their hands."

"Household hobbies allow you to exert mindful effort. Consider them the antithesis to a society that has all its needs met without much exertion at all."

“In this modern age, we have lost the ability to be bored and then be inspired and then create something new. I think [home hobbies] are incredibly therapeutic.”

I believe the mundane, repetitive tasks that we do everyday constitute such a large portion of our lives, we might as well "re-brand" them in our minds and think about them differently. If we have to do them, we might as well enjoy them. In that sense, I do believe homemaking is the new wellness. And with the recent pandemic quarantine, so many people are forced to look at their home life and analyze how it is working for them and to rebrand their systems of keeping house.

Featured in the video:

My jumpsuit (new for spring) is by Lulu's
My earrings are Rachelyn Jewelry
I clean with eCloth microfiber cloths
Glass cleaner is by Squeak
The rest of my cleaning products are from Grove Collaborative
My candle is by Cellar Door Candle Co.
Keep Calm and Remain Classy mug

I hope you enjoy today's video.



News
📍Join us for The Chic Assignment for March.

📍Become a member of The Daily Connoisseur through the MEMBERSHIPS feature. I do one livestream as well 3 episodes of my new Vodcast (a video podcast) per month. (Link must be accessed on a computer.)

📍Thank you for your wonderful support of my new book, CONNOISSEUR KIDS.

📍I am working on an exciting new eCourse for you and it is almost ready. In the meantime, check out my affordable eCourses: The Ten-Item Wardrobe, Chic Financial Principles for Debt-Free Living, and How to be Efficient at Home.

On Instagram
Madame Chic featured on Instagram (and check out that amazing teacup)...

View this post on Instagram

Dan 11. Dan bez društvenih mreža Moji četverogodišnjaci i ja smo do daljnjega kod kuće s obzirom na novonastalu situaciju u Zagrebu. Vrtića nema pa koristimo vrijeme da se družimo i ujedno svatko od nas nauči nešto novo. Odlučila sam da ću sljedeća 24h pauzirati sa društvenim mrežama. Posvetit ću se malcima i iskoristiti ovo vrijeme kako bih napravila plan za kuhanje, aktivnosti i daljnje proljetno čišćenje doma. Umjesto društvenih mreža, slobodno vrijeme (koliko god ga uspijem uhvatiti pa makar i 10 min) iskoristiti ću za čitanje knjige. Čujemo se kroz 24h. 🤗 #spaceforhome #proljetnociscenjedomaiuma #mindsetreset #mindfulness #offline #organized #organizedlife #simplifyyourlife #simpleliving #reflection #lessonsfrommadamechic #jenniferlscott

A post shared by Space for Home (@space.for.home) on Mar 16, 2020 at 2:42am PDT

Comment of the Week
Toni W. writes, "Thank you very much. Toilet paper was invented in 1857 which means the original owners of my house went without toilet paper for at least 25 years. This couple who were both musicians lived in our home for 40 years. They lived in an occupied through the Civil War and probably experienced pneumonia and possibly typhoid. I live in Old Town Alexandria, VA and the history of my house is available at our library. It documents the many home owners throughout the decades. Our house also has no closets. Clothes were kept in chests of drawers. If were wealthy you may have had a closet to lock up your valuables but closets were not used for clothes. Thank you very much for this video! We will run out of toilet paper and I ordered some wash cloths."


I loved your comment, Toni. I love researching different historical time periods and always wonder what daily life was like. It's true that most of our modern conveniences are just that... modern and new. People of the past survived without them. This should help us to not panic. Thank you.

I would love to know... is homemaking the new wellness? What do you think? Let us know and your comment could be chosen as comment of the week on The Daily Connoisseur.


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FTC: Today's video is not sponsored. I use affiliate links, including Amazon affiliate links.

Hello, Daily Connoisseurs. I am back from my summer break! It feels wonderful to be back. I always miss the blog when I leave. We have had such a nice summer. We have thoroughly enjoyed our "staycation" at home with the baby. He is so snuggly and cuddly and delightful, I am enjoying every single moment with him.

My oldest daughter is back to school and we are back into our routine again. The baby is very happy to go along for the ride.

While I was away from the blog, I shot this video, showing you one week of dinners in our house. This is a typical week for us, full of many family favorites.

Here was the week's menu:

Sunday: Turkey meatloaf with mashed potatoes and broccolette

Monday: Pasta marinara, spinach avocado salad and bread rolls

Tuesday: Turkey and spinach tacos on corn tortillas with salsa and guacamole

Wednesday: Cottage Pie with steamed corn and tomato salad

Thursday: Rotisserie chicken with sautéed squash and spinach

Friday: Furikake salmon with brown rice and broccolette

Saturday: Chicken nuggets with mashed sweet yam and sweet corn

Be sure to check out this week's video to see all of the meals. If you are unable to see the video above, click here, look in the sidebar of this blog, or visit my channel (and be sure to subscribe!) at www.youtube.com/TheDailyConnoisseur

News
I am featured in the BBC's article called, Meet the people with almost nothing in their closets.

Comment of the Week

Jen M writes:
Hello Jennifer, It would be a year ago that I watched your Ted lecture on the 10 Item Wardrobe. I was fascinated and loved the idea, so I bought and read your first book, and have been working on incorporating so many elements that you present in my daily life since then! What a joy you are! I love your honesty and transparency in your weekly messages and feel each time like I am catching up with a dear friend! Thank you Jennifer for being a voice of common sense and elegance. I am looking forward to reading your other books and hope that your message of everyday beauty continues to spread!

Dear Jen, Thank you for your kind comment. I enjoy hearing from the people who find the ten-item wardrobe via the TEDx talk. Welcome to The Daily Connoisseur community!


I am so excited for this new season of The Daily Connoisseur. I have many videos coming up that I know you will enjoy.

I would love to know what your favorite family dinners are. Did you enjoy this video? Would you like to see more videos like this? Let me know in the comment section below. Also, if you have any requests for the upcoming season of The Daily Connoisseur, please leave them below as well.

See you soon!

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Being chic is being prepared, which is why I like to meal plan our weekly dinners and also why I often do freezer cooking: where I will spend one afternoon making a large batch, home cooked meal to freeze for a later date. I love to make freezer lasagnas because they keep so well and feed a crowd beautifully. If you ever have unexpected dinner guests, a lasagna is a crowd-pleaser, and paired with a salad and some bread rolls, can make your dinner quite elegant (but so easy to prepare!).

In this week's video, come cooking with me as I make four and a half lasagnas: 3 1/2 meat and one vegetarian. Whenever I cook, I never have a set recipe, I just know I need a good, tasty sauce and that all the components need to be there. But I did capture this recipe for you, if you want to follow the steps to do this yourself.

Check out this week's video to see the full cooking tutorial. If you are unable to see the video above, click here, look in the sidebar of this blog, or visit my channel: www.youtube.com/TheDailyConnoisseur

Freezer Lasagna Recipe (makes 4 1/2 lasagnas)

You will need:

Aluminum foil baking pans (This recipe uses 4 large pans and one mini pan)

Sauce:

Olive oil
1 1/2 to 2 whole chopped onions
5 cloves garlic
6 lbs ground beef (or you could use ground turkey)
2 packets Italian sausage (I used chicken sausage, but you can use any kind you like)
6 lbs (106oz) spaghetti sauce (I purchased this at Costco)
2 16oz cans stewed tomatoes or tomato sauce
Italian dried herbs (I used oregano, fennel seeds and Italian seasoning) to taste
Fresh basil
salt and pepper

Cheese mixture:

45oz (roughly) Ricotta cheese
35oz Mozzarella cheese
12 oz Parmesan cheese (plus 8oz more for sprinkling on top of the lasagnas)
2 eggs
salt and pepper

Lasagna noodles (2 packets at 1lb each)

cooking oil spray to coat pans

An extra jar of marinara sauce in case you have extra ingredients and want to make a vegetarian lasagna

In a large Dutch oven, heat olive oil until warm, then add in chopped onion and garlic. Cook until softened, five to ten minutes. Add the ground beef and chopped sausage. Cook until the meat is browned.

Drain the juices from the meat.

Return meat to pan and add spaghetti sauce and stewed tomatoes, herbs, chopped fresh basil and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then lower temperature to simmer for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the cheese mixture. In a large bowl add the ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, 12oz of parmesan cheese and two eggs, lightly beaten. Add salt and pepper. With clean hands, mix the cheese mixture together. (You could use a spoon, but I find this is the most effective way. And it's fun!) Set aside.

While all this is going on, boil a large pot of water and cook both boxes of lasagna noodles, following the package instructions. Once the noodles have cooked, drain the water and keep them stored on parchment paper, sprayed lightly with cooking oil so they don't stick together.

Once all of your components are finished, you are ready to assemble your lasagnas. Lightly spray your aluminum baking pans with cooking spray. Place a ladle of sauce in the bottom of 3 pans, then lay down the noodles in a row. Now layer more sauce, a layer of the cheese mixture, noodles, sauce and parmesan cheese on top. Depending on how deep your pans are, you can create more layers. Mine were not so deep so I only put one layer of the cheese mixture in, which turned out just delicious.

I ran out of meat sauce but had more cheese and lasagna left, so I made a vegetarian lasagna using an extra jar of marinara sauce I had on hand, to replace the meat sauce.

Once your lasagnas are assembled, let them cool (no need to pre-bake them, but you must let them cool because the sauce and noodles will still be warm) and then spray the bottom of a sheet of aluminum foil with cooking spray (this is important so that your foil does not stick to the cheese) and label the top of the foil with what type of lasagna it is, the date assembled, and the cooking instructions.

After the lasagna is frozen, you will take it out of the freezer the night before and place it in your refrigerator to thaw. Then the next day, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Cook the lasagna for 60 to 90 minutes (depending on how much it thawed out). I find that one hour, twenty minutes is perfect. Keep the lasagna covered with foil for the first half of cooking time so the cheese does not burn, then remove the foil for the second half. Test to make sure it is warm in the center and enjoy!

We had another impromptu dinner party the other night and I brought out a freezer lasagna the night before in preparation. It was delicious and such a hit! I love this recipe and hope you will embrace freezer cooking to make your life easier.

**Update: Yesterday we had another lasagna for Sunday lunch and it was so tasty. My husband said it tasted just as it did the day I made them. This recipe was a hit!


News
The Ordinary Homemaker gives 5 reasons to ditch the mom grunge and loves the Lessons from Madame Chic philosophy of looking presentable always.

Cedar and Bloom creates her own ten-item wardrobe for new mothers.

Joelle Charming mentions Lessons from Madame Chic when making her mealtimes more formal.

Visual News shares my TEDx talk and asks, Could You Live With a Ten-Item Wardrobe?

Quintessential Style blog says, "Polish Your Poise does what a good book is intended to do—provokes thought, enlightens, guides, and inspires", in her article, How is Your Poise?

Comment of the Week
Regarding the video, Dressing Up Daily: Dealing With Attention, Megan writes:

Good afternoon Jennifer, I am a new subscriber and loved this video. It is wonderful to hear similar thoughts to what I have been having. For example, I work in a doctor's office where I wear scrubs on a daily basis with nursing clogs. Most people consider scrubs to be professional wear pajamas because they are so comfortable. Any time that I am able to straighten my hair before work, put on a French tip manicure, or try new lipstick I get the most outrageous remarks since I have only recently started caring about my appearance. A few weeks ago I stopped wearing make up again because I was tired of people inferring that without it I look ugly and tired, but today I wore it again because it boosts my self-esteem. Needless to say, I had the comments again today and your video has encouraged me. Thank you. Best, Megan

Hi Megan, Thank you for sharing your story. I'm sorry that some of your co-workers make thoughtless comments. What is so crucial here is that your response can not be based on what you think others are thinking. Because you recently started to put more effort into your appearance, you might be feeling self-conscious already, and thus more sensitive to compliments or comments on your new look. Whether people applaud you, or scoff at you, just do what makes you feel best. If you enjoy wearing light makeup to work and it puts a pep in your step, you should do it! The comments will eventually fade away when people realize that this is the new you. Reside comfortably in your own skin and your contentedness will be very mysterious to your co-workers. Good luck! Let us know how it goes.


Question of the Week

SF writes: (regarding last week's Casual Elegant Dinner Party Table post):

Wonderful video! Thanks! I have a question about how to serve the food when the table is small like this. Should the hostess put all the serving bowls/platters on the table and then the guests pass them? If so, is it improper to set the bowl/platter down between guests? Or should she bring one thing to the table at a time and be ready to take it back to the kitchen after it's gone around? Your table is beautiful and simple, but there isn't a lot of space to set down food items. What do you do? Thanks for all your videos and blog posts which help us live using and doing our best. And congratulations on #3!!!!!

Thank you for your question SF. For this particular dinner party, and for most parties where we have more than four people at the table, I lay out the food on a side table (in our case, it is the island in our kitchen) and have the guests serve themselves buffet-style. If there are courses, I will serve the first course at the table so we all sit down and after that, collect the salad plate (or soup bowl) and then the guests serve themselves from the buffet table. Madame Chic had a small table as well and she would roll the food out on the food cart. She would then pass each dish around one at a time for us to serve ourselves. If there were only four of us, and if there was room, we would keep the dishes on the table. For larger dinner parties, the food would return to the cart. I hope that helps! And thank you for your congratulations on baby #3!



Thank you for your questions, letters and comments. I want to once again thank everyone who has written to me via my author website. I want to respond to each and every email, but due to the volume of messages I receive, I am unable to. Please know that I read and appreciate every single one.

This week I would love to know... do you ever do freezer cooking? Are you going to try the lasagna recipe? If you do, let me know how it turns out.

See you on Thursday for a very exciting giveaway for Christy Linens!

Jennifer x



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I have two treats in store for you on this special Thursday post on the Daily Connoisseur. First is the video tutorial for my Maca Latte, which is set to Mozart's Marriage of Figaro and just might be the most dramatic drink tutorial on all of YouTube! Second is the Wink & Winn gift card giveaway, which I know many of you are excited about.



Maca Latte Tutorial



Maca powder is a Peruvian superfood. It is is a root that grows in the Andes mountains. The Peruvians have used maca for its medicinal properties for hundreds of years. Packed with vitamins and minerals, maca is known as a natural stimulant-free energy booster. It benefits the skin and particularly women's health and mood. You can read more about maca here at VegKitchen.

If you don't have health food store near your home, Amazon have a variety of maca powders on sale at discounted prices. Check out their list here.

To make a standard maca latte you will need:

1 cup unsweetened almond milk (in the video I use soy, which is fine too but I prefer almond)

Splash of vanilla soy creamer (if you use vanilla almond milk you will not need this)

1 heaping tablespoon of maca powder

Sprinkle of Raw Cacao Powder (This is optional. Available from health food store or Amazon)

1 frother (optional)
1 mug or teacup
saucepan and spoon

Heat one cup of almond milk and a splash of soy creamer (to taste) in a saucepan while stirring constantly. Pour half of the milk mixture into a cup. Place the maca powder in cup and pour the rest of the milk mixture on top. Using a frother, mix well (around 30 seconds) to prevent the maca from clumping up. Sprinkle raw cacao powder on top. Serve and enjoy!

This recipe makes one serving. Double it up for two.

**Have fun making different variations: add a spoonful of Nutella for a hazelnut latte, put in a teaspoon of flax seed powder if desired, add more cacao powder for a mocha latte.

If you are unable to see my video tutorial above, click here, look in the sidebar of this blog, or check out my channel www.youtube.com/TheDailyConnoisseur

Wink & Winn Giveaway



A while back I posted a review and tutorial for Wink & Winn's custom handbag service. Wink & Winn have kindly offered to give a $200 gift certificate to a reader of the Daily Connoisseur!

Please enter the giveaway via the rafflecopter widget below. The winner will be announced on the widget one week from today and will be contacted personally. The giveaway is open internationally so all may enter. Best of luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


See you next time when we discuss delicate clothing care...

Music in the Maca Latte video:

MUSIC: Mozart's Marriage of Figaro
Royalty Free Music by
http://audiomicro.com/royalty-free-music
Sound Effects by
http://audiomicro.com/sound-effects

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I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend! Last week was very special for us as we celebrated our youngest daughter's first birthday. I can't believe the year has flown by so quickly. We marked the occasion with delicious food, homemade cupcakes and a puppet show of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

Here is a picture of the buffet table. For flowers I arranged a lilac and hydrangea bouquet. It was fragrant and abundant and perfect for spring.



What you can't see in the picture are the pink streamers and balloons hanging from the ceiling. I was in a bit of a rush that day to get everything ready on time and did not think to take a picture!



For the cupcakes I made a simple vanilla cake recipe and this homemade strawberry frosting, which turned out to be so delicious. It takes a little bit of effort but is well worth it to have an all natural frosting. The strawberry flavor from this recipe is delicate and velvety. I made both the cupcakes and frosting the day before, kept them sealed and separate until the following day, then I frosted them right before the party began. (I refrigerated the frosting only.)

I also made tea sandwiches: smoked salmon with herbed cheese and cream cheese cucumber, and had assorted salads available. Even though the food looks elegant and grown-up, it was all very kid-friendly! We used paper plates and napkins decorated with fairies...

Here is a picture of Goldilocks in the puppet show, which was performed by Puppet Theater on Wheels . (I love puppet shows. Remember the one I saw on the barge in Richmond Upon Thames?)




And finally, a photo of the hydrangea bouquet a few days later. I change the water in the vase every day to make the arrangement last as long as possible.



As the years go on I'm having more and more fun planning these parties. It was a wonderful gathering and most important, our baby really enjoyed it... which is all that matters!

News

♥ Check out this great article in Rebellious Magazine called Creating a Mom-drobe Part 1. In the article, Megan Cottrell tries out the ten-item wardrobe for herself.

♥ Lessons from Madame Chic is mentioned on My Life in Focus blog in an article called Paris AND New York.

♥ I posted my ten-item wardrobe for spring video on Huffington Post Style and it has received a great response from the community! In the article I also answer the question: do Parisians actually call it a ten-item wardrobe?


I hope you have a wonderful week. See you soon! x

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