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Which splurgey tote would be your pick, if you were in the market for one right now? This Louboutin bag looks amazing — I love the little details of red leather and spikes, and I like that it's a “mock crock.”
It's $1650 at Neiman Marcus, available in black and white.
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Psst: Some of our long-standing favorite totes for work include these…
Some of the best work bags for women as of 2024 include great totes from Cuyana (with a zipper), Tumi, Tory Burch (lightweight, a laptop tote), Lo & Sons, and Madewell (north/south). Also try this highly-rated organizing insert or these clever pouches with some of the less structured bags! If you're looking for a budget tote (or one in a specific color) check this Amazon seller (22K+ good reviews) or this Amazon seller (60K+ good reviews).
(Looking for a luxury work bag? Here's our latest roundup…)
Sales of note for 10.10.24
- Nordstrom – Extra 25% off clearance (through 10/14); there's a lot from reader favorites like Boss, FARM Rio, Marc Fisher LTD, AGL, and more. Plus: free 2-day shipping, and cardmembers earn 6x points per dollar (3X the points on beauty).
- Ann Taylor – Extra 50% off sale (ends 10/12)
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything plus extra 25% off your $125+ purchase
- Boden – 10% off new styles with code; free shipping over $75
- Eloquii – Extra 50% off a lot of sale items, with code
- J.Crew – 40% off sitewide
- J.Crew Factory – 50% off entire site, plus extra 25% off orders $150+
- Lo & Sons – Fall Sale, up to 35% off
- M.M.LaFleur – Save 25% sitewide
- Neiman Marcus – Sale on sale, up to 85% off
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – 50% off 2+ markdowns
- Target – Circle week, deals on 1000s of items
- White House Black Market – Buy one, get one – 50% off full price styles
Sales of note for 10.10.24
- Nordstrom – Extra 25% off clearance (through 10/14); there's a lot from reader favorites like Boss, FARM Rio, Marc Fisher LTD, AGL, and more. Plus: free 2-day shipping, and cardmembers earn 6x points per dollar (3X the points on beauty).
- Ann Taylor – Extra 50% off sale (ends 10/12)
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything plus extra 25% off your $125+ purchase
- Boden – 10% off new styles with code; free shipping over $75
- Eloquii – Extra 50% off a lot of sale items, with code
- J.Crew – 40% off sitewide
- J.Crew Factory – 50% off entire site, plus extra 25% off orders $150+
- Lo & Sons – Fall Sale, up to 35% off
- M.M.LaFleur – Save 25% sitewide
- Neiman Marcus – Sale on sale, up to 85% off
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – 50% off 2+ markdowns
- Target – Circle week, deals on 1000s of items
- White House Black Market – Buy one, get one – 50% off full price styles
And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!
Some of our latest threadjacks include:
- What to say to friends and family who threaten to not vote?
- What boots do you expect to wear this fall and winter?
- What beauty treatments do you do on a regular basis to look polished?
- Can I skip the annual family event my workplace holds, even if I'm a manager?
- What small steps can I take today to get myself a little more “together” and not feel so frazzled all of the time?
- The oldest daughter is America's social safety net — change my mind…
- What have you lost your taste for as you've aged?
- Tell me about your favorite adventure travels…
Anon
Omg I swear to god I had this exact tote in like 2000 and I carried it for way too long and I was good and sick of it. Never again!!
Ellen
Elizabeth, I love it, and Anon, and you must have too b/c you carried it for “way too long”! I never had a tote exactly like this one and I think I can finally aford it. So I am getting it if my Dad agrees. YAY!
Job hopping SO
Has anyone been in a serious relationship with someone who changes jobs a lot? My boyfriend and I have been together 3.5 years (we live together), and he’s had 3 jobs in this time period and last night started talking about switching again. The first two times he quit, he didn’t even discuss with me first, so I guess this is at least a step in the right direction.
These moves aren’t clear career advancement. When we started dating, he was a chef (I recognize that can be a chaotic industry), and he decided he wanted to get out of restaurants. He’s been working in a blue collar job that he seemed to like for the last 1.25 years. Then last night he told me he wants to do something else and is thinking about opening a food truck.
He is in his mid-30s. I’m definitely supportive if he wants to find something different than what he’s doing right now (it’s not a job he can do forever, physically), and I am supportive of a blue collar career or trade. But it feels chaotic to me to drift from thing to thing every year or year and a half.
Part of me feels bad about caring so much about this because I make more than enough to support myself. It’s not a money issue, more that it just feels unstable.
Is this something that anyone else has dealt with? I don’t want to be unsupportive but I think the new idea is a terrible one for many reasons (both our mental health and financially).
Bonnie Kate
How long was he a chef before you were together? what was his job history like before the last 3.5 years?
I actually don’t see his last few years as that crazy – to me it sounds like he burned out of chef/restaurant life and then cleared his head with a blue collar job. Opening a food truck gets him back into cooking/hospitality on his own terms. It makes sense to me that he needed the breather blue collar job in between to see the food truck as something he wanted to pursue. I could be totally reading it wrong if he had the pattern of switching industries/job types every 1.5 years since he was 20, but from your brief description I do think the last 3 years of jobs make sense.
Job hopping SO
Thanks to everyone for your thoughtful replies. All the replies have helped me actually solidify what it is about this situation that bothers me.
I think it’s specifically that he wants to go back to the restaurant world. You’re exactly right that he was very burned out, and his job history before me was not crazy, especially for that industry. He stayed 3-5 years at several great places and did a more advanced course of study (these skills would be what he uses in the food truck idea). At one point, he had a small catering side business, and he was not good/hated the red tape and marketing aspects. So I think I’m most nervous about a repeat.
I also agree with everyone that the lack of communication in previous situations was incredibly alarming and I have told him in no uncertain terms that I cannot be with him if he does that again. He’s a good saver, but he has so few expenses and hasn’t ever had to think about financing/loans or things like that. The plan is currently 1/4 baked and I don’t think he’s going to quit this job before formulating a real plan (fingers crossed).
Like I said, a lot of these questions and points everyone has brought up have been very helpful and will make good discussion points. I’m also trying not to borrow trouble in case he just mentioned that on a lark and it blows over. When he mentioned it, I told him it was very difficult to see him so stressed and anxious with the catering business, which hurt his feelings, but it needed to be said.
Senior Attorney
You get to have whatever deal-breakers you have, and this would be hard for me, too! That said, I do think the whole linear-career model is on the way out. Whether you can deal with that in a partner is another issue.
Senior Attorney
And to answer your question, no I haven’t dealt with this because my partner having a stable career has always been non-negotiable for me.
Anon
Not me but one of my good friends is married to a man who has switched professions multiple times. He often has to go back to school to get a new degree or certification (and many of these specialty things are $$) and they endure a period of him having no income, and then he has to start over at the bottom in the new field. I know she is supportive but also carries a burden of resentment – it’s not like they can both do this so it locks her into her job and puts her in the default breadwinner position that she didn’t think she was signing up for.
Anon
Just wanted to add to my own comment. I have nothing against women being “breadwinners” and in fact I’ve always out-earned my husband. In a hopefully future salary equity world, this would be the case in 50% of working couples. But I’ve never felt like my husband wasn’t busting his ass as much as I was, vs my friends husband who seems to always need to quit find himself the minute work got boring or difficult or particularly when he isn’t the shiny new star at whatever company he works for. His attitude seems to be “screw it, my wife can support us,” which is a BIG assumption and something I would find deeply deeply unattractive.
So I’m not saying that’s necessarily the case with you, OP, just something to make sure you’re eyes-wide-open about.
Cornellian
Huh. That would make me anxious, too, but less so if he was saving money from his jobs both for periods between jobs/startup costs for something like a food truck AND for longer-term expenses and retirement. I think career changes are more common now than ever, but the financial instability or lack of retirement saving would drive me up the wall.
AZCPA
I have both a father and spouse who tend to change jobs a lot. For me, the following are the key:
1. Clear communication – yes, it’s good that he’s talking to you about this potential job change, but that he didn’t on prior changes would concern me. Were you living together at those times as well? If you were, then that might signal a commitment mismatch (or just a need for getting on the same page) that should be addressed separately from the job change issue.
2. Excellent and aligned fiscal responsibility – does he have savings to use during the transition phase, or is he expecting you to support the household? For me, it was critical that my now-spouse always had a plan for paying his bills that wasn’t just “AZCPA takes care of it”.
3. Alignment on overall finances and career expectations – it sounds like you feel a person should have clear career progression. I have that, and want that for myself, but am genuinely accepting of a partner that works to have income and save for retirement, as opposed to hitting career milestones. It’s ok if you wanting someone ambitious, but you need to be honest with yourself and your boyfriend about that.
4. Concrete plans for the next job – does he have a clear plan for actually opening a food truck? Funding, a concept, recipes? Or is this a vague dream? Does he plan to stay in his current job and he develops the food truck plan, or is he going to quit his current job and hope the next thing works out?
Anon
This is more on the food truck issue but I have a friend who left the law, went to cooking school in France and then came back and opened a food truck. He loves it but from the outside looking in it is a lot of $$$ at the outset to get and brand the truck, and then a log of hard work, obviously. But he seems to be thriving. I’m not sure how involved you want to get but I’d say your BF needs a solid business plan if he’s serious.
That’s another if. Could he be thinking out loud without a firm plan at this point? I’d wait it out a bit.
Anon
Changing jobs frequently for advancement is one thing (this is commonly done in politics, for example, especially with members of the House who only have 2 year terms). Changing jobs to chase a nebulous idea is something that has never sat well with me. Is he someone who always comes up with these big dream-like plans? I remember a childhood friend’s mom always had some Great New Plan – “Let’s buy a VW van and drive cross-country!” (returned the van to the dealership a month later), “Let’s buy a falling down chateau in France – they’re cheap!”, “I’m going back to school to be a psychologist!” – the mom was always flitting from thing to thing, husband to husband, and never seemed satisfied. I know another man who’s 80 years old who is still trying out various schemes even though he’s in poor physical health, has poor credit, and only has only his monthly Social Security check for income – “I’ve found investors who are going to help me buy and operate a hemp farm!”, “I’m going to operate an organic grass-fed beef farm!” He lives with a relative of mine because that relative took pity on him because his only other option for housing is public housing – his own family disowned him over finances (including “borrowing” from relatives for various of these plans).
It’s one thing not to know what you want to do with your life, but to take a steady job while you figure it out. It’s another to flit from thing to thing with no clear path, especially by your mid-30s. I’d proceed with caution.
anon
My SIL flits from thing to thing, always knowing she has my brother to fall back on. It’s exhausting and confusing for everyone, and I can’t believe my bro is okay with this, honestly, because her schemes usually involve dumping a bunch of money into something she abandons in a few months (if she gets it off the ground at all).
Anon
One thing I have noticed about chefs (I’ve had several as consulting clients) is that they seem to be entrepreneurial by nature and kind of always on the lookout for the next Big Idea. I had one who was simultaneously running a brewpub-style restaurant, a high-end cocktail lounge, and a food truck. He was busy. Agree with you that a food truck is going to be a lot (A LOT) of work to get launched and successful but…to be a contrarian voice, I’ve seen them do very well financially if they can hook into the right audience. And then provide a chef with a springboard to their own brick-and-mortar restaurant. Is that ultimately what your boyfriend wants to do? If so, the next 5 years may be pretty chaotic, but ultimately could pay off.
Let me just say up-front: most of the die-hard chefs/service industry people I’ve worked with are not folks who will ever be satisfied with a steady, predictable, by-the-numbers 9-5 white-collar job. They get hooked on the adrenaline of a restaurant or bar, and a desk job is not ever going to replace that. If you want someone with schedule consistency, a predictable career path, and trajectory where there aren’t a lot of tempting off-ramps into entrepreneurship – I dunno if this guy is your guy. As SA always says, you get to decide your own deal-breakers, so have some deeper conversations to figure out if your boyfriend is flighty, or just entrepreneurial – and either way, if you can live with it. My personal $.02: I don’t think mid-thirties is too old to still be exploring potential paths, especially for a chef. While you might have seen the blue-collar job as a permanent career change for him, he may see it as a bridge between chefing and owning his own restaurant (with the food truck as an interstitial step). Worth sitting down and deepening your questions to find out.
Anon
Advice needed: how do you advertise a dog for sale (all my experience is that people buy puppies or rescue and neither applies to this situation)?
Background: next door neighbors (grandparent couple raising their granddaughter) have a 9 month old sweet, but untrained, collie or shepherd dog in their backyard. I was told this dog was purchased by granddaughter for as a puppy for gift to then boyfriend. Try broke up and the ex bf gave the now dog back to her as his parents couldn’t handle the dog chewing on everything. (Internally I am head desk on the litany of questionable decisions in this story.) grandmother told me she wants to sell dog to get money back, but weeks later it’s clear they don’t have a real plan. Dog has been relegated to back yard and while fed, dog is not being trained or interacted with beyond daily feedings. They have an older dog that’s allowed in the house. They don’t seem interested in this dog.
I’ve helped them sell unwanted THINGS on fb marketplace before but have zero experience with getting dogs or other animals into next homes. They do not have any online or selling savvy from my dealing with them on fb marketplace.
I’d like to offer to help them advertise or something to sell this poor animal before it becomes a grown, untrained and seemingly unwanted back yard dog. I just don’t know how one does that. If I had a plan I could approach the neighbor and offer it.
I can’t call animal services as the dog is fed and (minimally) cared for. I could possibly buy it and send it to a rescue group…but I don’t know how to do even that. I am not a viable next owner for this dog as my pet quota is full. I can’t stand to see the dog just left in the backyard through all the cold winter days and nights. My hunch is that if I came with a plan for advertising the dog for sale the neighbors would leap at the chance of someone else solving their problem. I’m willing to try if I get some good input on how to go about selling a not puppy. I’m also acknowledging that the next home may not be any better than this one and I won’t have control over that. Further acknowledging they may turn me down but at least I will have tried to help the dog out. Suggestions?
MND
Can you contact a reputable shelter and explain the situation, and see if they would accept it as an owner surrender? Then the shetler can take the dog and vet a new home and potentially deliver training. In this scenario I would lie to the neighbor if needed to help get the dog into a safer situation – if they’ll accept money to sell the dog, I’d tell them it sold and give them money out of pocket.
I think the answer to “how do you sell a dog reputably” is … you don’t as an amateur? I think FB doesn’t even allow animal sales.
Anon
Agree. My local shelters (I’m in Chicago, PAWS is one but there are many) will take dogs that owners can’t care for anymore, give the dog any medical treatment etc. and then ensure that the dog goes to a good home.
It sounds like you’re on top of it but let us know if you need help! If you post your location I’m happy to spend a little time researching shelters. Also happy to kick in a few bucks to help buy the dog from the neighbors!!
Anon
OP here: Thanks- I’m in the north Texas area (DFW). I plan to do some research tonight(for Rescues!) and go knock on the neighbors door and start a conversation. We have had a spate of really cold weather here with rain and snow possible in the next week and I am worried about this dog.
Thank you all for this good advice. This is helping me figure out next steps.
Anon
Thank you for helping this dog! Please keep us posted.
Emma
There is no ideal way to do this. You cannot list a dog on Fb marketplace. I think you can on craigslist, but there is absolutely no way to guarantee it will go to a good home. We follow a rescue that helps rehome dogs for a fee, but you have to pay the rescue for their work so I doubt the owner gets much. In general it’s unlikely they would get their money back if they bought a puppy and are selling an untrained adult dog. But ideally a rescue can help with this.
Anon
OP here: thanks you – I understand I can’t list the dog on fb/fb marketplace. I wasn’t sure if there’s some online source…sounds like a no. I’ll start looking up shelters in my area.
Anonymous
Not shelters! Look for a rescue that puts the animals in foster homes, ideally a breed rescue. A dog that is not properly socialized will not do well in a shelter and will not get adopted. A foster home will socialize and rehabilitate the dog for adoption.
Anon
Thank you for clarifying. I’ll look up rescues. I am so glad I asked for advice because clearly I need it.
Anon
I think technically you can’t sell household pets on craigslist either (“rehoming fees” are common and aren’t 100% a bad idea because free animals can end up in bad situations, but are sometimes used to circumvent the no pet sales rule).
Anon
Honestly, if it were me I would offer to give them a little money for the dog ($50?) and then I would take the dog to a reputable animal rescue org.
Anon
This. An adolescent, untrained, unsocialized dog without even basic vetting is not going to fetch any sort of price. Many rescues will ask the person surrendering the pet to pay for some/all of the cost of catching up the dog’s vet work, so be prepared for that.
Anon
I agree with all of this and that they should expect no money for the dog at this point, but I understand this dog needs a new home asap. I’m assuming they can’t do a breeder surrender.
One suggestion I have is Nextdoor, if you are on that site. On my local site a hundred people would immediately jump to rescue the dog, most of whom will let you come see their homes first, etc. I don’t think it’s ideal but just another suggestion if it helps.
Anonymous
Stray cats show up on my doorstep and I’ve fostered a few. I’ve posted on Nextdoor when they were ready for adoption. Some rescue groups will also make a courtesy post for you on PetFinder to get an adoptable pet more exposure.
You can also search for rescue/foster groups on Facebook and Instagram.
Anon
I’d call a rescue. Do you know for sure that money is a requirement for them? They might just give it to someone who’d give it a good home at this point (aka, a rescue).
Anon
+1 to calling a rescue. They should not expect any money for this dog. If you have $100 to throw at the problem maybe that would work.
Anonymous
In my area, the best way to have this dog rehomed would be 1) to go back to the breeder of the dog and ask if they would be able to rehome the dog, or 2) reach out to a rescue (either a local one, or even one further away that specializes in this type of dog). The cost for the dog is a sunk cost that is unlikely to be recovered. Finding a good home for the dog will take time and effort to advertise and screen applicants, which rescues are set up to do, but you could take on that task. Asking for money from a rescue for the dog is not common in my location.
Anonymous
There is a reason lots of sites don’t allow you to sell dogs–it’s because dogs that get sold this way rarely end up in good circumstances. They end up as bait dogs or treated just as horribly as it is being treated now. For the welfare of the animal, I’d try to hook them up with a shelter or take possession of the dog and coordinate rehoming then. A dog outdoors is not in a good situation and needs help ASAP. And the older he gets, the harder he will be to place. As gross as it may sound, the dog is not an asset anymore–it is an expense. Reputable buyers work through shelters, breed rescues or breeders. Would your local petstore sell him? You’ve got your answer right there on why he isn’t sellable.
Anonymous
If you have an idea of what breed it might be, call the local breed rescue group for advice. The breed rescue where we got our dog sometimes takes dogs that maaaaaybe are part [breed] and is very good with dogs that have been essentially abandoned in their owners’ backyards.
If I were you and had the money, I would consider paying the owner to surrender the dog to a reputable rescue organization. I would not buy the dog and surrender it myself if I could avoid it, since surrendering an animal is a lifetime bar to adopting from most rescue groups.
Anonymous
You don’t
Anonymous
Have you reached out to one of the breed-specific rescues like this one? https://tristatecollierescue.org/ Sometimes these rescues have lists of people who want to adopt a dog of this specific breed.
Anonymous
Or this one: https://www.lonestarcollieandsheltierescueoftx.org/
Woof
It is very very hard to sell a dog. Maybe if it is a special and unique pup there is a possibility. Mostly they are re-homed through rescue organizations, who place them in a house with a foster family. If you can take the puppy for now, that would make you a heroine. A dog outside in the cold is so heartbreaking. Keep at it, and go for rescue organizations. They will need to understand that selling the dog is not going to happen.
anon
If the dog was bought from a breeder, the contract may even require that the dog goes back to the breeder. If the puppy was bought from a puppy mill….well.. no comment. In any case this is a horrible way to treat a dog. Dogs can only be socialized up to a certain age. A rescue or a nice shelter is the best option, many of them do a good job with training dogs and making sure they find the right home for the dog but I’m not familiar with your area.
Anonymous
if you’ve met someone in the past 2-3 years, could you share where/how you met? i need some inspiration/hope…
Cornellian
I met mine on Bumble. We had a (consciously on my part) slow start and saw each other every couple weeks for a while, and I think that was helpful for avoiding the weird pendulum swing from CONSTANT TEXTING to ghosting that I see happen a lot.
Anon
Almost exactly three years ago I met somebody when a mutual friend invited us both out for drinks. We got married in November.
Anonymous
I have met several men in neighborhood bars in the past three years.
Anonymous
In most cases, being alone and chatty/open to chat was the trick. One was acquainted with a friend of mine, who opened the conversation.
anon
Bumble! I’ve met several lovely men on Bumble and Tinder, but they just haven’t been right for me but were of caliber I would set friends up with. They are out there! (I live in a very NOT metro area).
Anonymous
In the past year I’ve met at least ten nice men on Bumble who were not for me but definitely would introduce to a friend if I had any single friends. I met one guy on Hinge who I dated for a couple of months, and my current BF on Bumble. We’ve been together five months and pretty serious from the second date. 40s, NYC suburbs.
Anon
Bumble. But I would suggest trying a variety of apps/dating sites, letting friends know you’re looking, and trying to do activities where there may be single men.
Anonymous
I met my guy on bumble 2.5 years ago. I treated dating like a part time job. Every week it was my goal to go out with 1-2 guys with light expectations. I was relatively new to my area and I tried to view it as a fun way to meet people and go to new places. I did want to find a serious partner and I read several books on dating which were helpful. My partner was guy number 12. I went out with another guy after him (I decided not to be exclusive right away) but after 3 days I knew I didn’t want to see anyone else. We’ve been together ever since.
Jules
Late to this, but I met my SO of going on three years at a local coffee and wine shop that does Friday night wine tasting and music nights. It is – well, was; thanks, COVID – popular with the over-50 crowd in my small college town. (I was late 50s, he is a few years older.) We would chat now and then, and he started helping the owner out by pouring wine. giving more opportunitites to chat. I started flirting shamelessly, my pours started getting larger, and I finally asked him to walk me home and things went from there. (It took some time to get his attention, so I guess I was chasing a boy against SA’s advice, but once I did I got it fully.)
DeepSouth
I met my SO on Hinge. Dating apps get a bad rap, but I think you can definitely meet people. if you treat it seriously, communicate openly and set clear parameters for yourself foe the kind of person you’re interested in meeting, it can work!
good luck!
Anom
How acceptable is it to switch realtors mid-way? We looked with one person at the end of the summer/fall – 2 afternoons viewing places, probably 7 hours of her time plus whatever prep she did. Now my husband has a new job and one or two people there are recommending another realtor as being very hooked into to the local scene. Further background, we are in NYC looking to move to a town in the burbs so DH doesn’t have to commute driving 1 hr each way on daily basis (Post pandemic I’ll be able to WFH 3-4 days/wk). I was happy with first person so far and don’t like the idea of mixing our personal real estate business with his work people. The realtor they are recommending is buddies with someone’s wife.
Diana Barry
Did you sign anything with the first realtor?
Anom
No. She never asked.
Anon
You could, but I also don’t see why you would. It seems like if this new person isn’t great it could cause personal offense.
Anon
Maybe your husband is concerned that the colleagues will be upset he doesn’t take their suggestion? (Which is silly if it’s the case). I would just tell them, “thanks for your suggestion, we’ve been happy with Stan so far, but if we don’t find anything with her in the next [x] months, we’ll try Tiffany”. Honestly, if you are happy with the first person there’s no reason to switch.
Ses
It’s January and you haven’t seen anything from her in 2-4 months? You no longer have a working relationship with this realtor if she’s not showing you anything for several months, and you mention above that you didn’t sign anything – you can easily switch. But it doesn’t sound like you actually want to work with the coworker’s wife, so just find a new realtor.
Ses
haha I just reminded myself of the “that’s not your man” meme. Girl, that’s not your realtor, that’s your former realtor.
A Nonny Mouse
It sounds like you are moving to a different area than you were looking in this summer? If so, in NJ our realtor wouldn’t look in an area 50 minutes away, as it was considered a different market, and he felt he didn’t have the expertise/knowledge of it.
Anom
No, same town/neighborhood. Didn’t find anything end of summer (because 2021). Trying again now. Not thrilled to be entering the real estate market now, but we rent in the city and would be good for DH to not have to commute 2 hrs/day. Also, we are mid/late 40’s with 2 kids and have never lived in one apartment for more than 3-4 yrs. I’d like to settle down.
Anon
Regarding this morning’s vegan cooking suggestions, can anyone recommend a cookbook (not website) that is vegetarian – I don’t need to go all the way to vegan for these purposes – and is not like Heidi Swanson grow-some-amaranth-and-mill-it-yourself. Preferably ingredients that anyone can get at a Target or Kroger. Reasonably healthy, not Mac n cheese every night, but not for someone on a super strict diet.
This is for a gift and the person I’m buying it for wants to cook more healthy vegetarian meals but is not the kind of person who has access to specialty stores and is also not the kind of person who’s going to order a bunch of specialty items online.
Lots to Learn
Cookie and Kate’s Love Real Food
kitten
+1
I have a bunch and this one is my most used. Her website is also really good.
Anonymous
Love Real Food
anon in brooklyn
Weekday Vegetarians by Jenny Rosenstrack seems like exactly what you need.
anon a mouse
Yep, and Dinner a Love Story is not all vegetarian but has a ton of great vegetarian recipes.
Anon
OP here, I really like Dinner a Love Story. Will check out her veg book!
Duckles
I’m a vegetarian who likes really quick, simple recipes and I’ve received Meatless (Martha Stewart) and Eat More Plants and really like both.
Anon
I also liked Love Real Food, it has normalish recipes you’d regularly want to make for dinner.
Anon
Mark Bittman’s recipes are very straightforward and I think there’s a “How to Cook Everything Vegetarian”
AIMS
He also has a great cookbook that is the same dish cooked three ways, and one is always vegetarian.
I’m a fan of his webs*te too. No milling of anything required.
Anan
I’ve been cooking a ton from America’s Test Kitchen’s Vegan for Everyone. There’s a wide range of recipes and styles of food and even though it’s vegan, if I want to sub in real yogurt for vegan yogurt, or fish sauce for the vegan version, it’s not a big deal. It’s not a super pretty/Insta worthy cookbook, but it’s definitely a workhorse.
Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian is also a good basic cookbook for meatless recipes.
Anon
Thanks everyone for the suggestions! I’m bookmarking all of these to check out (digitally via Libby, I love the internet, thanks to whomever recommended Libby a while back!!)
DeepSouth
I love the blog Garden Grazer. it’s normal food and a normal amount of effort for a dinner and I’ve liked everything I’ve made.
Curious
Trying again to escape mod…
Random question inspired by a comment on the morning thread. Do we have any Russian speakers? I am trying to remember how to translate the phrase “the first pancake is always a dud” and cannot for the life of me remember it.
Curious
Ahahaha it wasn’t the Cyrillic, it was “translate”. Oh well.
Anon
I found it by googling but can’t type the special characters here, I don’t think.
Try googling “the first pancake is always spoiled in Russian”
Curious
Thank you!!
HMMM
The internet says – первый блин комом. The first blintz is always lumpy.
Anon
It’s because it’s ‘lumpy!’ Pyervii blin vcegda komom.
Curious
Spacibo!!!
Anon
I commented on the morning thread, but it’s basically “the first pancake is always lumpy”
Anon
Are wrap dresses over? I have two from over 10 years ago that I haven’t worn in several years – even before the pandemic. I used to wear them with a 2-inch slingback. I can’t even imagine a scenario now when I’d wear a wrap dress. Maybe with sneakers? Cleaning out my closet and wondering if I should donate …
Anom
I hope it’s a classic. I’ve only worn a dress 3 times since 3/2020 but I love my wrap dresses. They always made me feel put together.
Anon
I love wraps in theory but they do not love me. I do love a good DVF print though. And yet I follow DVF on insta b/c that always shows them in current get-ups. That last part maybe what does the trick. Definitely not slingbacks in 2022. Pointy-toe flats? Supergas in the summer with a denim jacket?
Anonymous
I hope not either but I’m picky. The wrap dresses I have all look classic (no trumpet sleeves as was the fad or anything else trendy), quality material (no poly or crazy prints) and fit me well (not super short or tight or what have you). My favorite holiday dress is a navy velvet faux wrap and people can pry it out of my cold dead hands. (I also make sure everything else looks current—jewelry isn’t from 10 years ago, shoes aren’t beige pumps.) If you haven’t worn in 10 years, then chances are it doesn’t fit into the “current” criteria or you’re liking a different silhouette better, and that’s ok.
AIMS
I haven’t worn them but I also won’t get rid of mine because they cycle in and out. I have one from the 70s that was my mom’s as proof.
bbb
I’m keeping mine. I wear them to church with block heels and sometimes to brunch.
kitten
I’m in the same situation. They definitely aren’t particularly fashion forward at this point but I also wouldn’t think twice if I saw someone else wearing one at the office. I’m especially hesitant to give up the silk blend ones, but they feel a little dorky to me now, same with my pencil skirts…
Is it Friday yet?
Wearing one now, so I hope not. I have several I bought from Boden this season (the transition from business to business casual has equaled a lot of comfy jersey dresses), and have gotten multiple compliments on the Lavinia dress (including a whole multiple person convo in the gyn waiting room), which I have in two colors.
Anonymous
Donate!
Whatever the trend is, YOU don’t want to wear it.
Anonymous
Yes. Blazers with lapels are done, as well. As are pants with hems. And both the sheath and stilettos will never return. It’s the virus. All the classics are over.
Anon
LOL
Anonymous
Same, lol.
Everyone knows we’ll all be wearing utility jumpsuits with assigned colors to denote appropriate worker status in the dystopic future coming our way when billionaire capitalists win. Duh.
PLB
I love wrap dresses both for work (knee length) and date night (mini) and think it is a classic silhouette.
Anon
Ugh. I wish Biden would drop the “I will pick a black woman” line and just nominate someone and talk about how great she is (not her race and gender). How can we be this successful and still be reduced to skin color and if we wear skirts or not? The men get the glory with no qualifications.
anonshmanon
Yup, it’s been over five years since Justin Trudeau picked a gender-balanced cabinet ‘Because it’s 2015’. Things sure looked bright then!
Anonymous
I hate this too—it’s performative. Assuming he picks from the obvious short list, Kruger and Jackson are both wonderfully qualified candidates who have put in the work over their careers. Pick one, laud their accomplishments loudly and often, and applaud yourself for the historical nature on the back end. Framing it this way is controversy baiting in a way that undermines the incredible accomplishments of the actual candidates.
Anonymous
+1. This is why liberals (and I say this as a liberal) lose. Their strategy is always so easy to attack. Just pick an awesome black woman – don’t tell us you’re only going to consider black women because then everyone else freaks out.