Winter Watch: What to Stream

'Tis the season to hunker down and enjoy time at home. I often find January a relief after a busy holiday season. It's nice to cuddle up with a dog (or two dogs, and/or a cat) on my lap, warm socks, my favorite old holey sweater, a cup of tea or a glass of wine, and a few snacks like cheese and crackers, or a bowl of popcorn. The great thing about streaming is I can hit the pause button and make a kitchen or a potty run - for the dogs - of course. 

You can tell by my list I have limited my viewing to laughs, learning about food, and stories that are not about violence or creepy things that crawl at night. I like movies that tell a good story - and a wee bit - just a wee bit of romance is okay, too.

Need a few laughs? 

Iliza Shlesinger is a young 2008 winner of NBC's Last Comic Standing. She went on tour and Netflix has scooped her up. I first encountered her standup "Iliza the Elder Millennial" on Netflix and I laughed so much my stomach muscles ached. I then sleuthed out a few of her older standups on Netflix and now keep up on her newer ones. She is insightful, animated, and as a beautiful woman has no problem making her self look "homely' as she makes faces to tell her stories. I think of Lucille Ball who was the original beauty who had no problem to "un-beautify" herself for her craft. (Caution: Iliza says some "naughty" words.)

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee - all I can say is what a brilliant concept. If you like one of the four: an insight into comedians, great ol' classic cars, Jerry Seinfield, and coffee, you're going to enjoy this series. It's also a bit heart-warming as since this was filmed, some of the elder comics have passed. 

Need to amp up your knowledge of food? 

Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Chef Samin Nosrat became a James Beard Award-winning New York Times Bestseller Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. She is an Eat columnist at The New York Times Magazine. Samin with Netflix takes you on a journey around the world as she gives us history and a visit behind the scenes of the cultures that helped define the four necessities of cooking.

Julie and Julia   An "oldie but a goodie," but I never tire of watching this movie - and after I always feel inspired to cook an omelet, or make a big batch of Beef Bourguignon. The movie is inspired by a real food blogger who takes on a personal challenge to cook all 524 recipes outlined in Julia Child's classic cookbook. If you are a Meryl Streep fan, you won't be disappointed. 

Need some stories to relax by or take you away? 

The Jane Austen Book Club Six months. Six novels. Six members. They assemble a modern-day book club formed specifically to discuss the six novels written by Jane Austen.

A Little Chaos is a drama historical piece about a young woman (played by Kate Winslet) who is determined to become the designer for King Louis XIV and his Gardens of Versailles. The set is beautiful. If you're an Alan Rickman fan, he plays King Louis and directed this movie about a year before his passing.

The Bookshop can be found on Amazon streaming service. Go back to the 1950s in England where a widow puts grief behind her and follows her lifelong dream to open a bookshop. She risks it all and goes against the conservative locals.

Modern Love is a series of eight stories that run on an average of 30 minutes each - an easy binge-watch. Now I have recommended this to a few people who have turned up their nose at me until they actually sat down and watched. I turned the haters into lovers of this series. It's about friendship, lost love, and marriage - and eventually, the stories become intertwined. Tina Fey, Anne Hathaway, John Slattery, Andy Garcia, and Jane Alexander are some of the actors.  

So relax, step away from the news, laugh, cry, and get lost in storytime.