mob wife salad

aka an italian chop

If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I pretty much exclusively read romance books (aka literary Xanax) right now, and that I am often consumed by romance sub-genres. I spent the month of November reading every single hockey romance available on Kindle Unlimited. December saw a flurry of holiday-themed romances. But January and February have brought me to a sub-genre that I never could have anticipated: mafia romance.

I am currently in a mafia-themed romance book hole so deep that I cannot and do not want to escape. Sure, my actual husband (the most wonderful man on earth) is a Type A, straight As, law-abiding former Navy SEAL. But my book husband?! My book husband has a neck tattoo, owns a private jet (or two), and has questionable (at best) morals!

yep, this is a real book that I really read (and loved every minute of)

I’ve learned much about mafia life during my latest sub-genre journey, perhaps chief of all being that mob wives are not just the boss’s wife — they’re the real boss of everyone and everything around them, and everyone knows it.

My obsession with mafia romance has coincidentally coincided with the evolution of the *mob wife aesthetic* that’s taken over the internet this winter. If you’ve somehow missed this fashion trend, it basically entails wearing tight black clothing, ideally a pop of leather, winged eyeliner, big hair, red nails, and a fur jacket on top.

Given that I’m in my mob wife book era, and the world (or TikTok, at least) is in its mob wife aesthetic era, I absolutely could not refer to today’s Italian Chopped Salad as … an Italian Chopped Salad. Bleh, no.

So this, my friends, is a Mob Wife Salad.

We’re simply whisking, chopping, and tossing this week! No cooking with heat at all! We’re making an absolutely delicious red wine vinaigrette, then making a big ass Italian chopped salad with lots of ingredients that, presumably (go with me, guys!), mafia wives love, like pepperoncini and olives and salami.

It’s so good, and the surprise crown jewel is that it has CHIPS on top!!! Is this authentic to Italian cuisine? Absolutely not. Is it delicious? YES. If you, like me, order a salad with a side of fries every time you go out for lunch, this one’s for you.

---

While romance novels are (one of) my preferred modes of relaxation, I chatted with global stress expert Dr. Aditi Nerurkar on all things stress and stress relief this week on So Into That. Listen for actionable tips on how to manage stress from day-to-day — including how to find small moments of calm in the “cracks” of the day, and science-backed ways to reduce stress immediately.

---

mob wife salad

Serves 4