Have you ever seen or heard of the French word “Le Goûter” and wondered, what is it and what does it mean? Well, literally translated, Goûter means, “to taste.” It comes from the French verb Goûter and is pronounced “goo tay.” It’s the British equivalent of an afternoon tea sometimes called “high tea.”

The difference between “high tea” and “Le Goûter” is Le Goûter is only for French children and not for adults. You will never find a cucumber sandwich or a cup of tea at “Le Goûter” but you will ALWAYS find something sweet. There are no exceptions to the sweet rule.

The Treat Meal

You see, in France “Le Goûter” has become a noun and not an adjective or verb. It’s an institution observed all over France as a mandatory part of life for all school age children. A French parent would never forget to serve their little ones this special meal.

The Goûter ritual usually starts somewhere between 4:00 pm to 4:30 pm after French children get out of school and head home. The ritual is simply meant to tide the children over until dinner, since in France dinner isn’t usually served until after 8:00 PM.

Unlike American children, French children have a very long school day. They start school around 8:00 AM and finish school around 4:30 PM. Most of the time they go straight home, and you will find them sitting down at the table waiting for their surprise meal of the day (Goûter du Jour).

If by some chance the student has sports directly after school, you most likely will find the Mom waiting for her child with a “Goûter” in her pocket. As French custom dictates, this is the only time you will find children in France eating between meals (surprisingly, French children remain on the thin side) but under no circumstance will this meal be forgotten. What a great custom!

What Qualifies for Le Goûter?

So what exactly constitutes a snack for “Le Goûter?” As stated before, the meal will always be something sweet. No vegetables, no nuts, no granola bars, and no yogurt will appear on these tables.

Most likely, you will find: a baguette stuffed with a chocolate bar, Le Tartine (open sandwiches of jam or Nutella), biscuits (cookies), crepes or perhaps a slice of homemade cake. Also, you might find something to drink like a fruit juice or a sugary drink.

So in honor of that great sacred French Institution, “Le Goûter,” I have put together a simple cake recipe that you might want to make for your Grandchildren. Enjoy!

Olive Oil Lemon Cake  

Ingredients for the Cake:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

1 cup all-purpose flour, extra for dusting

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

2 tablespoons grated lemons (I use Meyer lemons if possible)

2 large room temperature eggs

1/4 cup extra-virgin good quality olive oil

2/3 cup whole milk

2 tablespoons of fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Position rack in middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Brush a 4-6 cup Bundt pan with melted butter or cooking spray. Dust lightly with flour shaking out all excess.

In a small bowl, whisk sugar and grated lemon zest together until well blended. Add the eggs, one at a time, to the sugar and lemon zest mixture. Gradually pour in the olive oil, milk, lemon juice and mix until a thin batter forms. Do not over mix.

In another bowl whisk 1 cup of flour, baking powder and salt together. Once mixed, gradually add flour mixture to the batter mixture and blend carefully. Again, don’t over mix.

Pour batter into the prepared Bundt pan and bake for 28-30 minutes. Bake until sides of cake just begin to pull away from sides of pan and brown slightly. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, loosen sides and invert cake onto a cooling rack. Once cooled, garnish with fruit or dust with confectioner sugar.

Note: This cake will be a dense moist cake and will not rise to be very tall.

What do you say is the equal of Le Goûter in your country or region? Have you made any special treats for your children or grandchildren? Are there rituals you picked up from foreign lands you visited and made your own? Please share below!

Taylor Swift really leaned into the Folklore vibes at the Grammy Awards, wearing a flower-adorned Oscar de la Renta mini dress and messy-chic hair. In fact, although the dress is killer, it was Swift’s Grammys hair that had everyone talking. At first, it seems like she’s rocking her usual choppy, straight-across bangs, but when she turned around, it was a big surprise.

We don’t know who did Swift’s hair for the Grammys but it’s possible she did it herself. She’s been doing that all of quarantine. For the music video for “Cardigan,” she wrote on Instagram: “The entire shoot was overseen by a medical inspector, everyone wore masks, stayed away from each other, and I even did my own hair, makeup, and styling.” So, she’s definitely capable of doing her own glam.

If she did to it herself, it’s pretty impressive. When Swift turned around, you could see her intricate twists tied up in low pigtails.

Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP.

Her makeup is warm and matches the pink shades in her gown. The rosy eyes are anchored by her classic black eyeliner and her lips are a subtle pink hue. It’s both pretty and glam enough for the red carpet.

Taylor got six nominations this year: Album of the Year (“Folklore”), Song of the Year (Cardigan), Best Pop Solo Performance (Cardigan), Best Pop Duo/Group Performance (Exile), Best Pop Vocal Album (“Folklore”) and Best Song Written For Visual Media (Cats‘ song “Beautiful Ghosts”). She definitely looks the part of pop’s princess of the night.

Even during this uncertain time, there’s one thing we can expect from the Grammy Awards: killer hair and makeup. This isn’t the Oscars. It’s not even the more laid-back Golden Globes. This is when musicians and celebs go all out and experiment with new looks they haven’t tried before. Even during a mostly remote show, the Grammys beauty for 2021 is no different. There’s no subtle no-makeup makeup here—just bold, look-at-me beauty. And we live for it.

Grammys beauty is always pretty iconic. One just has to think back to Adele’s flipped-out blonde lob and major cat eyes back in 2012 or Beyoncé’s crimped caramel-colored hair and bronze eyeshadow in 2017. Or, we can go even further back to before most of us remember. There was Selena Quintanilla’s iconic red lip in 1994 and Jada Pinkett-Smith’s bleached buzzcut in 1998. And who can forget Jennifer Lopez in 2000 with green eyeshadow matching her plunging green dress?

This year, we’re drooling over Lizzo’s ultra-long strands, Maren Morris’s golden blonde lob and Doja Cat’s baby bangs. And that’s just the beginning.

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Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP.

Jhene Aiko

The styled baby hairs with the braids and those lashes? This might be the best she’s ever looked.

Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP.

Dua Lipa

Her sparkly purples eyes perfectly match her gown.

Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP.

Billie Eilish

Leave it to Billie to perfectly match her long nails to her gloves, hat, mask, ‘fit, etc. etc.

Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP.

Haim

The sisters rocked natural faces and trendy blunt layers.

Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP.

Miranda Lambert

The smokey eye and side part isn’t going anywhere.

Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP.

Tiara Thomas

The braids! The glossy lip! The singer-songwriter is on fire.

Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP.

Lizzo

Low-key hair and tons of lashes ensure Lizzo’s mint-green dress stands out. That nude lip is perfect, though.

Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP.

Julia Michaels

A red lip is always a good red carpet plan.

Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP.

Brandi Carlile

Neutral shadow is both low-key and really pretty.

Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP.

Doja Cat

Baby bangs and a mullet sure make all eyes are on Doja Cat. The look was created by hairstylist Jared “JStayReady” Henderson using Joico and Dyson products. Her bold makeup was done by Ernesto Casillas using Shiseido products including the new, glowy Synchro Skin Radiant Lifting Foundation ($47 at Sephora).

Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP.

H.E.R.

The only thing better than H.E.R.’s purple-and-gold eyeshadow is her throwback sunnies.

Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP.

Maren Morris

The country star went for a soft glam with a warm blonde lob and nude lips.

Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP).

Megan Thee Stallion

The ’90s called and said Meg’s hair is a perfect throwback style for the Grammys. Hairstylist Kellon Deryck used Dyson hair products for all her looks tonight.

Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP.

Noah Cyrus

As is Noah’s! The two front pieces are back, everyone.

Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP.

Phoebe Bridgers

Is there anything cooler than icy hair and vampy lips?

Years ago, I coined the term ‘cheap luxury’ in my household, but I think it is a good time to spread it around. See if you think it has meaning for you.

The term first arose, if I am not mistaken, over a jar of mustard. We were in a supermarket deciding what to buy and confronted a shelf full of mustards. Some were much more expensive than others and we were not very well off, but we had some small room for maneuver.

How to choose? Leaving aside the type of mustard (French, German, English, with seeds etc), there was also the question of cost.

If my budget had been extremely tight, I would have gone for the cheapest, no doubt about it. In contrast, those who have no budget constraints and always want the best would choose the most expensive.

We discussed it and thought the most expensive was also notably better, I forget the reasons, and decided to buy it.

Why? Because it was basically a cheap luxury. And then I began to think about it.

What Makes for a Cheap Luxury?

Most of us like to feel cossetted now and again. We can’t afford it most of the time. But my great ‘discovery’ was that we could afford it when the overall cost was low.

The difference between the cheapest brand of mustard and the most expensive was large in relative terms, but altogether small in the scale of things.

Perhaps this is obvious. But how many people really go for it?

A little luxury now and again does us good. We feel pampered and, for no good reason, more loved. We luxuriate in it. So, my argument was, why not indulge in a cheap luxury when it is something you really appreciate? It won’t break the bank.

Examples of Cheap Luxuries

There are numerous examples of cheap luxuries, some of which most of us do without even thinking about it.

I love lying in a hot bubble bath, for instance, soaking up the heat. It eases the muscles and relaxes the whole body. As the water cools, I will often let a little out and add more hot water. I know this is not costless, but I do it nonetheless. It is a cheap luxury.

Thinking of baths, have you ever considered your bath soap? Most people, as far as I know, buy ordinary bath soap for themselves but choose expensive brands as gifts for friends and family for Christmas or birthdays.

But we decided long ago to buy the good soap for ourselves for regular use – not even keeping it for special occasions. The cost is low, and it just feels nice.

I could go on and on. So many foods and ordinary household products fall into the category of cheap luxuries, depending on your interests and tastes. So, too, do small items of clothing, such as the not-most-expensive silk underwear.

Expensive Luxuries

Lest anyone think I am advocating always buying at the high end, let me stress this is not remotely the case.

A new sports car – or even many ‘another’ car – is not a cheap luxury. It is an expensive one, as it will cost a lot of money. Hugely more than a simple car to get you around. Your bank balance will really notice.

I haven’t owned any car for years and when we did, it was a VW beetle. But I would never buy an expensive car now.

First class train or air tickets fall in the same category. You can’t even argue that they will get you to your destination any faster. Good luck to those who can afford to pay for them without holding back on other expenditure. But you know you are forking out sizeable amounts.

The same is true for hotels. You recognise the luxury and perhaps even decide to go for it, but you need to know what you are doing. In these days of inexpensive B&Bs, or even air B&Bs providing more space, luxury hotels are there for people who are not worried about cost.

None of us are going anywhere at the moment, but we will soon. I never travel first class, as it is a high price to pay for peace and quiet. And I have never liked the expensive hotels I have stayed in, as they tend to lack a human touch.

So I am not into expensive stuff – just cheap luxury.

Indulge Yourself

I am not generally one to tell other people how to spend their money. We all have different interests and financial situations, and it is up to each of us. But if you do not do so already, think about splashing out on a nice bar of soap for yourself (or the equivalent).

You will get more than your money’s worth in the sense of luxury it brings.

Do you have examples of cheap luxuries that you enjoy? Do you indulge yourself frequently? What would you consider an expensive luxury? Please share with the community!