12. The Notebook

12. The Notebook

Oh no, not another Nicholas Sparks tragedy! You're probably already very familiar with The Notebook, starring Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling - it was one of the biggest movies of 2004, after all. Though this romance film isn't exactly miserable, it does bear all the signs of a typical Sparks tearjerker. Forbidden love, terminal illness, brief moments of passion - this film has it all.

The plot follows the love story of heiress, Allison (McAdams) and working-class Noah (Gosling) during the 1940s. As you can imagine, there are plenty of barriers preventing them from getting together. Allison's parents do a pretty good job of keeping the two apart, not to mention World War II. While the couple are separated, Noah writes letters, but they are intercepted by Allison's mother. There are some interesting twists and turns, but you'll have to watch to find out!

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Did You Know...

I

Chefs made their way into celebrity land a while ago. But how many celebrities that weren’t trained as professional cooks are actually whizzes in the kitchen? Here are several that come to mind.

II

Actress Julia Roberts is confident about her cooking skills. “I’m quite a good cook,” she told E! News. “I’m like a closet home ec teacher…I can really cook anything.” Roberts has said she often cooks fish for herself and her kids. And speaking of her three children, “They think that I’m a good cook,” Roberts told People. “They actually told me that I should open a restaurant.” She also relishes cooking for the holidays, particularly shredded Brussel sprouts. Roberts hasn’t published a cookbook, but we did find recipes attributed to her for peach crisp and banana hemp muffins. Or you can make the same summer salad the actress supposedly eats.

III

Chrissy Teigen started off as a supermodel. Then her love of cooking filtered into her professional life too. At this point, she’s created recipes for a limited Blue Apron release and also just launched her own home and cooking line at Target named “Cravings,” after the two cookbooks she’s released. Teigen describes cooking as “a time of peace” for herself. So maybe peace out to her tuna melt sandwich or the fried chicken wings that are a favorite of her husband, John Legend.

IV

Lady Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, comes from a cooking Italian family. Her father started his own restaurant in New York and also published a cookbook. And apparently, Lady Gaga has inherited the family’s cooking genes. Her Instagram account occasionally features photos of her culinary activities. Sure, sometimes it’s topless cooking. But other times it’s more poignant like in the post she shared about her bringing food to the family of her dear friend who passed away. Want to try a Gaga/Germanotta family favorite? Check out her recipe for whole wheat pasta with a sweet fennel sauce.

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