Chrissy Teigen's Cheesy Jalapeño Tuna Noodle Casserole

So, I'm the kinda girl who goes to the library and comes home with a stack of cookbooks so high they'd be dangerous if they fell on somebody. When I can carve out some time, I'll grab a pad of sticky tabs and start paging through. Every once in a while, I come across a book that I must (MUST!) have in my personal collection pronto. Chrissy Teigen's cookbook, Cravings, was one of those books.

I'm not going to go into depth about the book...yet—but that's because I want to do a dedicated review post on it (in fact, I'm so enamored of it that I'm contemplating a Julie and Julia-style cook-through). But I did think that this month's Fish Friday Foodies theme, fish in a dish, was the perfect opportunity to try one of the recipe I had bookmarked in it.

Egg Salad Sandwiches (and Cheap White Wine) | It Happens in the Hamptons

Today I'm featuring the novel, It Happens in the Hamptons, as part of TLC Book Tours stop. After reading the description/teaser for this book (below in the feature box), it sounded like it would make the perfect summer beach read. After reading the book itself, I hesitantly agree with my initial assessment. I say hesitantly because I think the teaser is a tad misleading. Here's why:

• The teaser calls George Katie's new boyfriend. In the story, it's more of a "let's see if this leads to boyfriend" status.
• The teaser implies that George takes Katie on his arm and shows her around in a whirlwind fashion. This never happens. A lot of what is seen of lavish events, country clubs, and haute couture fashions is not seen through Katie's eyes.
• I sort of get why they teased it as "upstairs-downstairs", but I think that description is a bit of a stretch.

Old-Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings | Love Literary Style

If I could describe Love Literary Style in a few short words, I'd say it is a fun, meta romantic comedy. Yes, I said meta. I rarely say meta, because for some reason it bothers me—I think because it was way overused in the last few years. But also because I don't think I completely understand how to use it properly. Although in this case, I'm pretty sure that I've gotten it right. That's just to say, that if I'm using the word, it's for a legit reason (and somehow, "legit" doesn't bother me).

This rom-com, written by Karen Gillespie, not only follows the traditional rom-com formula, it also explains that formula in the book, since one of the lead characters, Laurie Lee is a romance writer. Our other lead character, Aaron Mite, is a college professor who has spent the last 5 years writing his novel.

Ambrosia Salad | Edward Scissorhands #Burtoween

It's October, which means it's time for all things spooky and kookie. In that spirit, the Fandom Foodies group theme for the month is #Burtoween! Carrie at Witchy Kitchen is our host and she has invited everybody to participate in this spooktacular feast by creating recipes pulled from or inspired by Tim Burton films. Whether he wrote, directed, produced, or did the art work—they are fair game! For more info on how to participate, visit #Burtoween at Witchy Kitchen!

I'd been meaning to do a dish inspired by Edward Scissorhands for months, so this was the perfect opportunity for me to cross that off my list! I didn't go creepy (I know, boring), but who could resist the allure of a retro dish that is somewhat quirky? Not I.

Lime Fantasy Supreme | Gilmore Girls Coffee Klatch

Welcome to my first installment in the Gilmore Girls Coffee Klatch series! Last week, Chef Sarah Elizabeth announced that she was going to be hosting a coffee klatch each Wednesday from now through the release of the upcoming return of Rory and Lorelai in the 4-part Netflix event, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, on Black Friday! A Year in the Life will consist of 4 90-minute episodes, each of which taking place over the course of one season of the year.

Sarah put out an open invitation to join her in binge-watching Gilmore Girls in preparation. If you started watching last Wednesday, you have needed to watch least 2.35 episodes per day in order to be done by November 25th. So, my goal is to average it out to 3 a day (because my ocd-tendencies really frown on stopping mid-episode).

Refreshing Apple Shrub Syrup

It's heating up outside, and this apple shrub syrup, or drinking vinegar, infused with mint and fennel is a refreshing way to beat that heat. To enjoy, combine 1 part shrub syrup with 3 to 4 parts sparkling water and serve over ice. Shrub syrups are also a fun and creative way to bring a signature cocktail to life—it is wedding season, after all!

A way of preserving fruit after the harvest in Colonial times, sweet and tangy drinking vinegars are a fantastic way to enjoy the pure spirit of your favorite fruit any time of the year. Fresh herbs and whole spices will add another layer of flavor to your syrups, as will experimenting with different types of vinegar.

Creamed Chicken in a Mashed Potato Nest inspired by June

Today I'm happy to be hosting a TLC book tour stop for the new Miranda Beverly-Whittemore novel, June. This is my first encounter with Beverly-Whittemore, but it left me with the desire to read her previous novels. June is the story of 25-year old Cassie, a photographer living in New York City who just found out that her beloved grandmother, the woman who raised her, has passed away...from cancer that Cassie never knew she was battling.

Grandma June left her a modest inheritance as well as her home in the small town of St. Jude, Ohio. The home is actually a huge old mansion called Two Oaks that has fallen into disrepair over the years, and since Cassie's life seems to have fallen into that same state, she envelops herself into the sadness of the old place.

Chocolate and Vanilla Egg Creams inspired by The Decent Proposal

What would you do if a private benefactor offered to give you $500,000 if, after 1  year's time, you've spent 2 hours a week for the entire year meeting and getting to know a person (of their choosing) that you'd never met before? That is the situation in which Richard and Elizabeth find themselves, two entirely different people with no obvious connection, in The Decent Proposal.

Richard is a handsome 29-year old producer dealing with the fact that the business he started with a buddy several years ago just isn't making any money. He's considering getting a job...anywhere...just to pay his bills.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

This month's Progressive Eats menu takes a stroll down memory lane from each of its contributors. Lana from Never Enough Thyme challenged us to cook up a bit of nostalgia and comfort food from our childhood. At first I wasn't sure which way to go since I've already made so many of my childhood favorites like Chicken a la King, Chicken Corn Chowder, Chicken Pot Pie, and Chicken Noodle Soup. But then I remembered something that I hadn't shared yet that holds a special place in my heart—Chicken Cordon Bleu.

I guess I didn't realize it before now, but there seems to be a theme to some of my favorite childhood foods. I was going to suggest that chicken was easy to come by back then until I realized that a couple of those dishes actually originated from a can. But not this one. Chicken roll-up night was always a favorite in our house, and us kids were always tasked with pounding out the chicken breasts as thin as we could get them without ripping them (much).