List of All Articles with Tag 'lifestyle'

There is nothing more comforting than a roast chicken – a go-to every week and something my family are always happy to see,” says chef Emily Scott. “The chorizo, lemon and rosemary create a wonderful gravy of buttery golden juices; with the potatoes and garlic, it really is a delicious one-pot recipe.” Roast chicken with chorizo, garlic and rosemary Serves: 4 Ingredients: 1 whole properly free-range chicken (about 1.5kg/3lb 5 oz) 50-100g (2-3½oz) unsalted butter, softened 6 rashers of unsmoked streaky bacon 2 lemons, halved 8 rosemary sprigs 12 garlic cloves, left whole and unpeeled 2 tbsp olive oil 300g (10 ½oz) chorizo, thickly sliced 500g (1lb 2oz) small new potatoes, left whole Cornish sea salt and freshly ground black pepper Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan/400F/gas 6). Place the chicken in an oven-to-table roasting dish. Rub the breasts and legs with the butter, season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, then place the streaky bacon over the breasts of the chicken (this protects the breast meat for the first part of the cooking, keeping the meat moist and adding delicious flavour. The crispy bacon becomes the cook’s perk). 2. Place the lemon halves and most of the rosemary in the cavity. Arrange the garlic cloves around the chicken in the oven dish, then drizzle the whole chicken with the olive oil. Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the bacon is crispy. 3. Remove the dish from the oven, remove the bacon and set aside. Baste the chicken with the buttery and lemony juices, then arrange the slices of chorizo and small potatoes around the chicken with the remaining rosemary sprigs. Return to the oven to roast for 45 minutes–1 hour until the chicken is golden brown and the juices run clear (test by inserting a skewer into a leg). 4. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Carve and serve with the buttery, golden juices, with the roasted potatoes and chorizo, accompanied by greens or a green salad. ‘Time & Tide’ by Emily Scott (Hardie Grant, £28).

A woman who turned to roleplaying with hyper-realistic dolls “to help (her) cope” with the death of her first baby – and continues to do so with her husband and two rainbow babies – has said her husband’s parents disapproved of the hobby and fired him from the family business as a result. Christina Keeler, 38, a stay-at-home mum and YouTuber, from Wyalusing, Pennsylvania, USA, fell pregnant with her first “miracle” baby in 2015, despite having endometriosis and being told she would not be able to conceive in her 20s. She suffered a miscarriage, but after watching a documentary about so-called reborn dolls, she had a “lightbulb moment” and realised getting a hyper-realistic doll would be the “perfect solution”. Christina’s husband Bill, 43, was “hesitant” at first but became supportive after he saw how much it “helped (her) grief”. The couple went on to have two “miracle” daughters, Grace, six, and Joy, four, who now help feed, change and dress the family’s five reborn dolls – which cost between £1,560 and £3,899 each – in their “nursery” complete with “a crib and a wardrobe”. The family often take the dolls out in public, and have shared their journey on YouTube – where Christina documents people’s reactions to her dolls and birthing videos. Some silicone dolls come in a fake womb which allows a Caesarean section to be performed at home. But Bill’s family were “disgusted” with the hobby, to the point where they gave him a choice to stop having the dolls or leave the family business. He refused to shut down the YouTube channel and did not want Christina to give up her hobby, so he was fired. She fell pregnant with her first baby in 2015, a year after her mother died of cancer. The couple were “elated” about the pregnancy because Christina had been told in her twenties that she would not be able to conceive because she has endometriosis, but she miscarried at eight weeks. Christina told PA Real Life: “When we lost the baby it was so devastating, I remember lying in the hospital bed after they had taken the baby out of my belly, and screaming for my mum and wept wanting to cuddle my baby.” She “really struggled” with the grief of losing her mother and her baby so close together. She explained: “This feeling of sorrow just never went away, it was so painful that I never talked about it again.” Despite having her two “miracle” children Grace and Joy, Christina still longed to hold her first baby, and after watching a documentary about reborn dolls, she wanted to get one to see if it would help her grief. She said: “I felt so blessed to have two healthy girls, but that feeling of missing the first baby never quite went away. “When my youngest was around two years old, my husband and I came across a documentary about reborn dolls. “And he was like, ‘That’s really weird’, and I played it off that I thought the same, but actually I really wanted one to help me cope and I thought it would be the perfect solution.” After persuading her husband, Christina ordered her first lifelike doll, Hannah, costing her around £155. She said: “I told my husband and he was not on board at all, he was hesitant, but after explaining my reasoning, he was much more understanding and more accepting.” When the doll arrived, Christina instantly felt like it helped with her mourning. She said: “It helped me therapeutically because for the first time ever when I got my first reborn doll, I was able to talk about the loss of our baby. “And since then I have healed tremendously from that loss because I’m able to talk about it and share my story and help others – it helped my grief, for sure.” Christina now has a collection of five dolls called Carter, Cadence, Quinn, Isabella and Sammy, which she loves to dress, cuddle and feed. She takes the dolls out in public and people often mistake them for real babies. She said: “We have a nursery for them with a crib and a wardrobe. I check on them throughout the day, and on other days, especially when the girls want to get involved, I pick out an outfit for them, bring them to breakfast, get them to feed them a bottle, change them. “If we’re running errands we often take them out with us and put them in a car seat and stroller.” Christina and her family have been sharing their experiences on YouTube, where they are known as The Reborn Family. She said: “I make videos about people’s reactions to my dolls, as well as vlogs and birthing videos – I have some silicone reborn dolls which come in a womb and you perform a C-section on it at home, to give birth to the baby.” Despite her immediate family being supportive of the hobby, Christina admits not everyone in her wider family understands. She said: “My husband’s family were, and still are, disapproving of the reborns, even though they can see how much they helped me. They were disgusted. “We moved from California to Pennsylvania because my husband was next in line to take over the family business because they were about to retire, and they asked if we would like to do so and we agreed. “When they were on vacation they came across our YouTube channel, and they called us up and they were mortified and so embarrassed, and said we were ruining the family name.” When Bill’s parents came home, they gave him an ultimatum to stop having the dolls. Christina explained: “Bill said that he was not going to quit his job, and didn’t want me to stop having reborns because they were so therapeutic for me at the time, and his dad said, ‘Well, then you’re fired’.” My husband’s family were disgusted, they said we were ruining the family name Bill’s father was contacted by PA Real Life for comment, but he had not responded at the time of publication. Even though her reborns have caused tension in the family, Christina cannot see herself giving up her hobby any time soon. She said: “Reborns continue to help me with my grief, and I love sharing content with other people who have lost babies, and they can also really help people with dementia, people who are infertile, people with anxiety and depression, I wouldn’t want to stop this.” Read More Teenager who thought she was pregnant diagnosed with ovarian cancer Woman praised for response to parents who asked her to swap first class seat with their child Barbie vs Oppenheimer: Greta Gerwig makes history with biggest box office opening for a female director

This recipe is so simple and versatile – I use it to top fruit throughout the seasons,” says chef Emily Scott. “It is lighter than a traditional oat crumble topping, and delicious served with custard or crème fraîche.” Blackberry and peach crisp Serves: 4 Ingredients: For the Amaretti crumble topping: 160g (5½oz) amaretti biscuits 80g (3oz/scant 1 cup) flaked (slivered) almonds 75g (2½oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature 50g (2oz/scant ½ cup) plain (all-purpose) flour 50g (2oz/scant ¼ cup) caster (superfine) sugar For the bramble and peach filling: 350g (12oz) blackberries 6 peaches, skinned and stoned (pitted), sliced (if using frozen peaches, thaw and drain first) 100g (3½oz/scant ½ cup) caster (superfine) sugar 3 tbsp cornflour (corn starch) slaked with 2 tbsp water Zest and juice of ½ lemon Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan/400F/gas 6). For the crumble topping, blitz the amaretti biscuits with the flaked almonds in a food processor to a rubble. 2. In a mixing bowl, rub the butter and flour together to resemble breadcrumbs, then add the sugar along with the almond rubble and mix together. 3. Spread the mixture out over a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until golden. Allow to cool. 4. For the filling, place the blackberries, peaches, sugar, cornflour mixture, lemon zest and juice in a heavy-based saucepan and slowly bring to a simmer, stirring all the time to allow the sugar to dissolve. Cook until the fruit is tender. 5. Transfer to an oven-to-table baking dish and sprinkle over the amaretti crumble topping. Finish off in the oven for 5–6 minutes. Don’t forget the cream. ‘Time & Tide’ by Emily Scott (Hardie Grant, £28).

Emily Scott has called the UK’s southernmost county home for 25 years, but the chef’s roots in the region go back even further. “I spent a lot of time in Cornwall as a child, because my grandparents had a house down here,” says Scott, 48, on a video call from her home near Newquay. “And also in France, because my grandfather was half-French and they lived out in Provence.” Born in Sussex, she moved to the picturesque village of Port Isaac aged 23 and married her first husband, a fisherman, and the couple had three children, Oscar, 21, Finn, 20, and Evie, 18. “Sadly, I divorced the fisherman – or not sadly, I’m not sure – but actually, it’s all very amicable. “But I chose to stay in Cornwall… and my career has just grown and got better and better.” Scott’s first foray into food was the seaside Harbour Restaurant in Port Isaac, followed by eight years running the much-loved St Tudy Inn gastropub and rooms. Now, she’s creative director (“I’m not apron-on as much as I used to be”) at Emily Scott Food, the restaurant that sits on the sea wall at Watergate Bay. What unites all these culinary outposts? “I’ve been banging the simplicity drum for a long time – my food’s all about seasonality, but also not too much faffing around.” That ethos is evident in her second cookbook, Time & Tide, which includes plenty of one-pot main dishes, simple suppers and satisfying bakes. “It’s about times of day,” says Scott, who lives with her partner Mark Hellyar, a winemaker, and her children. “There’s a lovely chapter called ‘morning cafe’ with lots of nods to my French roots, because that’s just a very natural thing for me. We’ve got ‘rise and shine’, meaning breakfast time, we’ve got ‘seaside soirees’.” The recipes reflect Scott’s trademark Cornish-French fusion with seafood – scallops, mussels, mackerel, crab – taking centre stage alongside French culinary classics like beurre blanc, bouillabaisse, ratatouille and creme brulee, while Cornish sea salt and clotted cream appear on many an ingredients list. The book cover features a quote from American actor and foodie Stanley Tucci, who has become a friend. “It’s just been a very natural coming together through food,” says Scott. “You know, when you see him on television in his Italy series, he genuinely is that person. He genuinely loves food and wine, and that’s what connects everyone in my view.” The chef and author didn’t always have such a favourable view of feasting. She had anorexia in her teens and was forced to drop out of school. After going in and out of treatment, she was offered the opportunity to go and work in a hotel restaurant in France. “It’s quite a normal thing for people with eating disorders to end up in food, I think, because, I mean, you can’t give up food,” Scott says. “I just ended up – kind of through choice – just recovering, and turning my rather unhealthy relationship with food around, and finding the joy of cooking for people.” In 2021, the restauranteur got the chance to cook for some very important people when she was asked by the Cabinet Office to cater a dinner for world leaders at the G7 summit in Cornwall’s Carbis Bay. “They were looking for something slightly different – they didn’t want the very formal, old school, white gloves [style],” Scott says. “I submitted my menu and told them I’d be giving them tea towels as napkins, and we’d have French Duralex glasses, mismatched cutlery, that kind of thing, and they loved it.” On the menu was melon gazpacho, turbot with miso beurre blanc sauce, and strawberry and elderflower pavlova, followed by “little mini ice creams for the petit fours and Cornish fudge we made. So it was all quite nostalgic nods to the seaside”. What was it like emerging from the kitchen at the end of the meal to greet diners including then UK prime minister Boris Johnson, US president Joe Biden, French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Angela Merkel? “It was literally like, you know when you go to a friend’s house for dinner, but you’re really late and you turn up and everyone’s had a drink? I was suddenly surrounded,” Scott recalls. “President Biden had his arm around me, I had Macron and his wife signing my book, because my book had come out the day before, then I had Angela Merkel saying, ‘We must get a photograph now, come on’. It was quite a moment really.” Even better, the proud mum got to share the experience with her kids: “Oscar, my eldest, and my partner’s daughter served the world leaders, and my son Finn was in the kitchen cooking as part of my team. I thought, as a parent, I’m done!” Plus, the feedback on the food from the VIPs was top notch. “They loved it. And what was so nice is I said to [the organisers], ‘I want them to be relaxed. I want them to stay longer’,” Scott says. “The secret service were like, ‘They ran over time, they were so relaxed’. We did our job.” ‘Time & Tide’ by Emily Scott is (Hardie Grant, £28).

New Zealand and Australia are to explore moves toward more “seamless travel” between the two nations to enhance

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The Taliban says all beauty salons in Afghanistan must now close as a one-month deadline ended, despite rare public opposition to the edict

A recent investigation has found that some Ozempic and Wegovy patients suffered from severe gastroparesis, also known as stomach paralysis, after taking the medications. In a report from CNN published on 25 July, two patients reported that their “stomachs are paralysed” after taking type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic – a semaglutide injection known for its weight loss side effects. “I wish I never touched it. I wish I’d never heard of it in my life,” Joanie Knight, a 37-year-old from Louisiana, told CNN. “This medicine made my life hell. So much hell. It has cost me money. It cost me a lot of stress; it cost me days and nights and trips with my family. It’s cost me a lot, and it’s not worth it. The price is too high.” Emily Wright, a 38-year-old teacher from Toronto, said she vomits so frequently that she had to take a leave of absence from her job. “I’ve almost been off Ozempic for a year, but I’m still not back to my normal,” she said. According to CNN, both women have been diagnosed with severe gastroparesis, a disorder that slows or stops the movement of food from the stomach to the small intestine, per the Mayo Clinic. Wright has also been diagnosed with cyclic vomiting syndrome, which causes her to throw up multiple times a day. Meanwhile, one Wegovy user claimed she began experiencing stomach problems after her doctor prescribed her the weight loss drug – which works by mimicking a hormone called glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), regulating blood sugar levels and slowing down the rate at which food leaves the stomach to create the feeling of fullness. However, the medication caused her to vomit so much that she became dehydrated and needed to visit urgent care. Brenda Allen, from Texas, has since been managing her nausea and vomiting with a medication called Zofran and prescription probiotics. Now, the US Food and Drug Administration has said they’ve received reports of stomach paralysis among patients taking the medications. “The FDA has received reports of gastroparesis with semaglutide and liraglutide, some of which documented the adverse event as not recovered after discontinuation of the respective product at the time of the report,” the agency said in a statement to CNN. However, officials clarified that they were unable to determine whether taking Ozempic or Wegovy was the cause of stomach paralysis, or if it was caused by a different issue. “Gastroparesis can be a complication of diabetes that is related to long-standing or poorly controlled disease, further complicating the ability to determine what role the drugs played in the reported events,” they said. As for whether patients should be warned about taking the drugs, the FDA maintained that taking the medications, such as for treating diabetes or weight management, may still “outweigh the risks in some patients with gastroparesis or delayed gastric emptying”. In response to reports of stomach paralysis, Novo Nordisk – the manufacturer behind Ozempic and Wegovy – noted that these drugs have been extensively studied in the real world and in clinical trials. “Gastrointestinal (GI) events are well-known side effects of the GLP-1 class,” the company told CNN. “For semaglutide, the majority of GI side effects are mild to moderate in severity and of short duration. GLP-1’s are known to cause a delay in gastric emptying, as noted in the label of each of our GLP-1 RA medications. Symptoms of delayed gastric emptying, nausea and vomiting are listed as side effects.” Last week, the American Society of Anesthesiologists also issued a warning that those who take GLP-1 agonists should avoid the medications a week before surgery because they may increase “risk of regurgitation and aspiration of food” while under anesthesia and deep sedation. Ozempic, a once-weekly injection used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, has skyrocketed in use after people were reportedly prescribed the FDA-approved diabetes medication as an “off-label” weight loss drug. However, because of its increasing popularity, it has led to national shortages of the diabetes treatment - leaving those who actually need Ozempic without it. Meanwhile, Wegovy and Mounjaro are popular once-weekly semaglutide injections specifically approved for the treatment of obesity and weight loss. There are many side effects of taking medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro. According to the FDA, the most common side effects of taking Wegovy are nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, abdominal pain, headache, fatigue, indigestion, dizziness, and digestive disorders. The FDA has also warned about more serious complications that can occur from use of Wegovy or Mounjaro, such as the “potential risk of thyroid C-cell tumours,” pancreatitis, gallbladder problems, acute kidney injury, increased heart rate, and suicidal behaviour or thinking. Taking Ozempic can also lead to possible thyroid tumours, including cancer, pancreatitis, changes in vision, and kidney and gallbladder problems. The Independent has contacted Novo Nordisk and the FDA for comment. Read More Clinics told to stop prescribing medicines as weight loss drug hits diabetes supply Influencer addresses ‘dangers’ of complimenting people’s bodies after weight loss comments Ozempic under EU investigation over reports of suicidal thoughts Mindy Kaling shuts down weight loss question as ‘people take it so personally’ What are weight loss injections and what’s the controversy? Raven Symone says people shouldn’t use Ozempic for ‘glamazon purposes’

A mother has questioned whether children should be “forced” to share after revealing an incident in which her son was allegedly “pushed” by another child on a splash pad for not sharing. Skye Amundsen, a mother from Maryland who goes by the username @hopeandplum on TikTok, reflected on the incident in a video posted earlier this month. According to Amundsen, who noted that the video was a “message to the mom that had the audacity to tell me that my son should have to share at the splash pad,” she and her two-year-old son had been playing at a local park with an outdoor sprinkler when the confrontation occurred. “Now, hear me out before you judge me. My son is two. He’s playing. He likes to step on the little things on the splash pad and stop them from splashing up,” the TikToker said. “This splash pad has tons of these, so he’s not hurting anyone.” In the video, the TikToker said that a little girl, who was “unhappy” with her son’s behaviour, then walked up to the two year old and “pushes him”. “She’s bigger than him and she pushes him. And my son’s like: ‘No’ and he steps back on it,” Amundsen recalled. “And she pushes him again.” According to Amundsen, she was “sitting there watching” and “waiting” for the mother of the other child to intervene. “I was like, well, you know, I’m going to give her a chance,” the TikToker said. @hopeandplum What do you think? We don’t force sharing and find our kids do it naturally most of the time. But why would anyone share with someone being mean? #newmomtips #summermom #momlife ♬ original sound - hope&plum | Baby Carriers Amundsen said that the other mother didn’t intervene despite the woman’s daughter allegedly pushing her two year old for a third time. However, after the third time, the TikToker said her son got “mad” and pushed the other child back. “So I intervene, because I’m his mother and I’m not going to let him push people,” Amundsen continued, adding that, as she was talking to her son, the other mother approached her to confront her about her son’s behaviour. “As I’m talking to my son, this woman has the audacity to say to me: ‘You should really teach your son to learn how to share, it would be better for him,’” the TikToker said. “I’m sorry, my son should learn how to share? Your daughter walked up and shoved my son three times, so my child should allow your child to push him and that’s acceptable and he should share with that human?” In the video, Amundsen then acknowledged that “everyone has different opinions on sharing,” and that she “likes” sharing and “thinks it’s nice,” but also doesn’t believe “you have to force your child to share, especially when another child is getting physical with them”. According to Amundsen, she ultimately told the other mother that they could “agree to disagree” when it came to their respective opinions about sharing. As of 25 July, the TikToker’s video, which she captioned: “What do you think? We don’t force sharing and find our kids do it naturally most of the time. But why would anyone share with someone being mean?” has been viewed more than 609,000 times, prompting other parents to weigh in in the comments. In response, the majority of viewers said they agreed with Amundsen on the basis that sharing shouldn’t be expected after “pushing”. “I totally agree with you. Definitely not sharing after pushing. Oh heck no,” one person wrote. Another said: “Absolutely agree. Also what is he supposed to share? I don’t understand, she wants him to let her use the single water spout that he was playing with?” “Wowww, the nerve of that other mom. In all fairness, you have better control than me,” someone else wrote, prompting Amundsen to reveal that she was “too stunned to speak” during the confrontation. In response to another comment, she said she was in “true shock” but that she was later “kicking” herself for “not saying more”. The Independent has contacted Amundsen for comment. Read More Woman claims restaurant ‘hack’ for toddlers solves family dinners out Woman praised for refusing to switch first class seat on plane with child Mom sparks backlash for piercing newborn’s ears in hospital: ‘How is that even legal?’ Schoolboy almost dies from swallowing magnets for TikTok challenge Woman shares honest review of New York City apartment TikTok mom slammed after making 5-year-old son run in 104 degree heat

Associated Press Sports Writer Dave Skretta is one of the thousands of bicyclists riding across Iowa in the annual RAGBRAI event

Visa Inc. reported card-spending growth that was more robust than Wall Street expected as consumer demand for travel

Walmart Inc. is adding cash-back travel rewards to its membership plan as the company pushes to gain ground