Leah McSweeney’s Alife Hoodie in The Berkshires

Real Housewives of New York Season 12 Episode 14 Fashion

If there’s one thing we know about Leah McSweeney, it’s that she likes to pee on princes a good oversized, comfy sweatshirt like the grey “alife” hoodie we saw her wearing on last night’s episode of The Real Housewives of New York in the Berkshires. Which we’re very happy to report is still up for grabs, so like Leah you too can go on living your best (a)life.

Fashionably,

Faryn

Click Here to Shop Her Alife Hoodie on Sale

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Originally posted at: Leah McSweeney’s Alife Hoodie

Many believe the French were the inventors of the dessert we know today as Pots de Crème, while others give credit to the English. Let’s look into the history of these tiny cups and you can cast your vote.

History

As members of the British nobility began importing sets of Meissen porcelain from Germany in the 18th century, they were bewildered by the number of pieces that compose an individual place setting. In those days it was not unusual for each guest to use 20 or more pieces of china for a seven-course dinner feast.

Among these extensive service pieces were puzzling and tiny lidded china cups with saucers and a single handle. We now know that these “pots” in Europe were used for the service of a thick broth called consommé that the Brits were not familiar with.

During the dinner service, the lids were kept on the broth to keep it hot, while the handles allowed guests the ability to easily drink from their “pots de jus.”

The British menu did not include a consommé choice. As a result, “pots de jus” became “pots de crème” or pot-au-crème in the UK, resulting in the birth of the sweet custard dessert we know today.

While we cannot be one-hundred percent sure the Brits were the ones who changed the function of the “pots,” we do know that in time, some of the cups were produced either without a lid or with handles, implying that they were made specifically for custards.

Today, these small cups are highly collectable and are hard to find in complete sets.

Fun Facts

• The dessert is pronounced “Po de Krehm” and not “Pawts deh Creem.”
• August 27th is National Pot de Crème Day.
• Pot de Crème not only refers to the dessert but also to the vessels the dessert is served in. You may also see the dessert referred to as “petit pots.”
• The dessert is sometimes known as the “King of Desserts.”
• As early as the 16th century, fruit creams/custards were popular.
• The use of eggs and cream can be traced back to the middle ages in Europe when the dessert was made with a crust.
• You will often find the addition of bittersweet chocolate added to the recipe, but traditional “pots” were only flavored with vanilla. Later on, fruit flavors were also common, especially when prepared with fresh fruits, making it the perfect summer dessert.
• The French did not have a word for “custards,” so they called them Pots de Crème instead, and of course the name stuck, being that it was French! 

Recipe for Classic Honey Pots de Crème

Ingredients:

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup whole milk

1/2 cup lavender-infused honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 egg yolks (room temperature)

fresh raspberries for decoration

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.

In a medium saucepan, combine the heavy cream, milk, honey, vanilla extract, and salt. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

In a medium bowl, carefully whisk the egg yolks until smooth. Using a large spoon, pour 1 cup of the hot cream mixture into the beaten yolks, stirring all the time; repeat. Return the yolk-cream mixture to a saucepan and stir to combine. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve or substitute cheesecloth for a sieve if desired.

Divide the mixture among 8 pots de crème cups or any small cups you might have. Line the bottom of a large baking pan with a folded kitchen towel and arrange the cups on the towel. Pour enough boiling water into the pan to reach half-way up the sides of the cups.

Cover the pan with foil. Bake at 275 degrees for around 1 1/2 hours. The custard should be set around the edges but still wobbly in the center. This dessert is usually looser than other custards, flans, or crème caramels.

Carefully remove the pan from the oven and take off the foil. Allow the desserts to cool in the pan for 30 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Garnish with fresh raspberries before serving. Pots de crème will last for at least a week in refrigerator if tightly wrapped.

What do you know about pots de crème? Have you tried them in the UK or France? Do you prepare them at home? What’s your favorite dessert? Please share with our community and let’s enjoy this delicious recipe!

Why do we feel such a sense of peace near the ocean? Walking barefoot in the sand, listening to the waves strike the shore, sometimes crashing, other times lapping, often leads one to a place of tranquility and inner joy.

Is this simply an escape from the everyday noise and hustle of our lives or is there something more to it? Can a walk through a natural setting improve our health?

What Exactly Is Grounding or Earthing?

Folks who practice grounding, also called earthing, believe that walking barefoot allows us to recharge by touching the sand, dirt or whatever other natural substance is beneath our feet.

They explain that the earth is primarily charged with negative ions. In a bit of a contrary notation, negative means good and the opposite, positive, means bad. Our bodies also carry a charge, and the more negatively charged our environment is, the healthier we are.

Those who practice grounding say that every day we are exposed to many devices that emit positive (bad) charges: from cell phones to microwaves, from televisions to speakers. According to believers, this positive charge can lead to many health problems, including inflammation, sleep deprivation and stress.

They even buy products that help them stay ‘grounded’, including bed pads that turn on at night and help neutralize any positive charge the user may have accumulated during the day.

Is Grounding Real or Hype?

Scientists have studied electric charge and its effects on the body for years. A study conducted by G. Chevalier in 2006 concluded, “the changes (…) reported here suggest reductions in overall stress levels and tensions.”

Findings from a 2013 study further claim that “Grounding appears to be one of the simplest and yet most profound interventions for helping reduce cardiovascular risk and cardiovascular events.”

These and several other studies provide support for the idea that grounding is a real and natural method of improving one’s health. However, most of us do not need scientific studies to validate the good feelings that we experience when we go for a walk in the woods or near the water.

Nature Is a Great Healer

Feeling the sand in your toes, hearing birds chirping or smelling a pine forest are all experiences we can relate to. Each brings a quiet joy, a feeling of peace and a sense of serenity.

Most of us would agree that we do not need a scientific study to prove that simply being in the natural world, away from electronics, mechanics, noise, pollution and all the other things that bring us stress and anxiety, provides health benefits and calmness to our otherwise frantic lives.

What is your favorite natural place to visit? How often do you go there? What are the sounds, smells, sights that you enjoy the most in your special place? Do you believe in the natural healing power of nature? Please share any rejuvenating nature experiences that have happened to you recently.

Ever since Patrick Starrr started his YouTube beauty blogging journey back in 2013, he’s been saying the same thing: Makeup is one/size fits all. It makes sense Starrr’s makeup line would be called One/Size then. The idea of one/size fits all clothing is pretty ridiculous when you think about how the average size model is a 2 and the average size woman is a 14. Makeup, on the other hand, is for everyone, regardless of size, sexuality, gender or skin color. “Listen, I’m a gay, plus-size, makeup-loving, fashion-loving, Filipino man,” Starrr says in one campaign video. “And I wouldn’t change a damn part about that sentence.”

The beauty mogul revealed he’s been working on the vegan and cruelty-free One/Size for two years and this is obviously a very personal project for him. “A beauty brand that stands up for every brand of beauty,” he continues in the video. “To me, One/Size is a safe space that belongs to anyone and everyone. It encourages you to be confident in your own skin, it persuades you to have a strong sense of self. It inspires you to live your best life.”

Source: Instagram

If you’re anything like us, when you heard that Starrr’s first drop was makeup remover, you might have been a little confused. But for Starrr, the Go Off line is a nod to an experience he had when he was shamed for wearing his full glam at work. “Years ago I was asked to remove my makeup at work because I wasn’t ‘on trend,’” he says. “This is my way of turning the tables and reclaiming that anecdote. No one else can define ourselves but us. It’s time to rewrite the narrative. It’s time to re-tell our story.”

Okay, now let’s get to the products that are officially out today!

Iamge: Sephora.

Go Off Juciest Makeup Remover Wipes

These extra-large, “mess-free” wipes contain coconut water to cleanse and hydrate, Aloe Leaf extract to moisturize and chamomile and cucumber extracts to soothe and relieve.

Image: Sephora.

Go Off Makeup Dissolving Mist

This continuous mist promises to dissolve even the heaviest makeup without leaving the skin tight and dry. It contains Jojoba to calms and hydrate and Rosehip oil to moisturize, exfoliate and brighten.

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