Nine Favorite Things.

Thanks for joining me for another Nine Favorite Things post.

Happy Sunday! After a change of plans, I am back in LA today. I was meant to be in San Fransisco, but with the coronavirus quickly spreading around the US, we ended up deciding to reschedule the Williams-Sonoma event for another time. To everyone planning to come to the event today, I am SO SORRY! I promise we’ll reschedule and we’ll make it even more fun! Rescheduling will make it less stressful and then we can all have a great time! Once a new date is set I’ll be sure to let you know right away.

I have meetings in LA tomorrow, so planning to head back to LA tonight, then home again on Tuesday. It’s been a very busy week. All good things and it’s all been so fun (details below)! A little tiring due to the multiple flights and craziness of travel, which I despise, but all worth it.

Jumping right into things today since I’m traveling, but back to normalcy next week!

Coming up this week on HBH, we have a full week of recipes that I can’t wait to share. We’ll be starting the week off with a healthy seafood recipe that’s all made on one sheet pan, but full of so much flavor (and color). We’ll have a salty, savory recipe on Tuesday…that’s just a little bit addicting. Then on to a new instant pot dish that’s made in no time (and is extra saucy). On Thursday I’ll be sharing one of my favorite Italian inspired springtime recipes. And on Friday we’ll be ending the week with something sweet and delicious that will take you back to being a kid.

Oh, and I want to remind everyone, in case you may have missed it, yesterday we shared a special Saturday post with Lauryn of The Skinny Confidential. Lauryn gave HBH readers all of her best business tips on creating and managing your own business. This is such an informative post, a definite must-read! Find that post here.

Lastly, if you’re catching up on blog posts from the week, be sure to sign up for our daily newsletters. They’ll help you to stay up to date with everything that’s happening here, as well as fun content you’ll only get via email. And of course, if you’re meal planning today, don’t forget to check out my menu below (it’s #9 on the favorite’s list).

Hope you enjoy this week’s Nine Favorite Things and have a wonderful, relaxed Sunday!

1. My LA Trip, so far…

I’m traveling through Tuesday but wanted to give you all a quick update on everything I’ve been up to this week. Honestly, it’s mostly just been a lot of signing books and getting to meet so many of you at our Williams-Sonoma events.

My LA trip started off Tuesday night with a quick hair cut (finally) follower by a dinner meeting at Cecconi’s. As most of you have probably seen by now, I did not chop my hair off, though I lost about four inches. It had been over a year since my last cut, so it was very much needed. Of course, I didn’t do anything crazy…sorry to everyone who wanted to see me with a bob. I’m such a chicken, but honestly, that will probably never happen, it’s just not me.

Wednesday started bright and early. I had a fun few hours of filming something special coming out this May with Molly Sims. We made a few recipes, did a fun Q&A, and laughed a lot. From there I had to head straight down to Costa Mesa for the very first Williams-Sonoma event of the week. Due to traffic, it was a two-hour trip down, but seeing everyone lined up at Williams-Sonoma was very much worth the time in LA traffic. I had so much fun with all the local Orange County HBH followers…and wow there sure are a lot of you!! It was an amazing way to kick things off and all went perfectly.

Thursday was spent filming with my friends at Home & Family, followed by some work on the computer. It can be hard to keep up with everything while traveling, but I try to squeeze in computer work whenever I have a free minute.

On Friday I made the Lemon Butter Cod with Asparagus and Orzo from the HBH Super Simple Simple cookbook on Home and Family. If you missed the episode but still would like to see it, I will post a link in tomorrow’s post. Sorry, the episode is not yet up on the Home and Family site.

Thursday night was another Williams-Sonoma event, but this time I didn’t do any cooking. Instead, we had a Q&A moderated by Molly Sims. I have to say, I think this event and the structure of it has been the most fun. It was a nice switch up to not be cooking and instead be answering questions about HBH and how everything came to be. To be expected, Molly was a pro and did an incredible job keeping the questions fun. She’s so full of energy. Not sure how she does it all…did I mention she also has three kids? Always impressed with her.

Friday was spent celebrating International Women’s Day with my favorite non-profit, The Little Market. This is an event I’ve been honored to attend for the past three years and each year it has continued to grow.

I talk about The Little Market all the time, they are certainly one of my favorite charities to work with. By now I hope that most of you are familiar with all the incredible things they’re doing for women. They are a fair trade organization that supports dignified income opportunities for women in need. They sell exclusively hand-crafted, ethically sourced, products from over 70 women-led artisan groups and social enterprises. In 2018, purchases from The Little Market generated over 148,000 hours of dignified work.

They held a truly magical lunch to celebrate International Women’s Day at The Bungalow in Santa Monica. It was inspiring, and such an honor to be in attendance. Please make sure to learn more about The Little Market and all the amazing things they are doing. Please try to find time to check out their products too. Their candles are my personal favorite.

And that wraps up LA for the week. More to come next week on from Dallas and LA next round #2!

2. The 12 best early spring recipes…

Pesto Potato and Burrata Pizza

Herby Kale Pesto Pasta with Buttery Walnuts

Asada Mushroom Tacos with Lime Smashed Avocado

Greek Lamb Meatballs with Avocado Goddess Sauce

Cacio e Pepe with Arugula and Lemon

Greek Spinach and Feta Pie (Spanakopita)

Roasted Mixed Potatoes with Spring Herbs and Burrata

Greek Lemon Chicken Bowls with Sizzled Mint Goddess Sauce

Garlic Butter Creamed Spinach Salmon

Lemon Coconut Naked Cake with Whipped Vanilla Buttercream

Strawberry Chamomile Olive Oil Cake with Honeyed Ricotta

3. My ideal spring tabletop…

4. Favorite questions of the week.

q: Do you ever create a recipe and not want to share it? Secret family recipe?
a: No never!! If I LOVE a recipe I can hardly wait to share it with you guys. This is why cookbooks are so hard for me. I want to share recipes with you all that very moment!!

q: Are you a morning person? What time do you usually start your days?
a: Yes! But I’m also very much a night person too! I actually prefer the night but I work with only natural light when photographing, so I have to take advantage of the daylight hours as best I can! I’m usually out of bed by 6:15 am and back in bed by 1:15 am.

q: When are you going to get your own cooking show? I’D WATCH ALL THE TIME.
a: If I knew, I’d tell ya! Haha! It’s not an easy thing, but glad to know you guys would be excited!!

q: Do you throw out the food if a recipe doesn’t work out?
a: Nope! Typically there are always a good amount of people around whether it’s family or friends who happily eat the mess-ups! And most of the time the mess ups are still edible, just not the best of the best. The only time I would toss something is if I really, really burnt it, or something along those lines…which happens.

5. newest videos.

One Skillet Greek Meatballs and Lemon Butter Orzo…with creamy, salty, lemony whipped feta.

Breakfast Quesadilla with Soft Scrambled Eggs and Avocado Salsa…breakfast lunch, or dinner.

Vanilla Chai Lemon Ricotta Muffins…light, fluffy, lemony, and hinted with the flavors of chai.

6. Inspiring me this week on Pinterest.

The spring break travel edition…

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7. A few links I am loving…

stop touching your face…seriously the key to staying healthy. 

basics to wear With Skinny Jeans…and the 4 to skip.

female founders…fitness guru and mom-of-two Melissa Wood.

inside Kylie Jenner’s lavish Bahamas vacation rental…certainly wouldn’t mind a week here.

2020 guide to Austin’s best restaurants…if you have travel plans soon.

a modern Boston carriage house…with all the historic charm.

best bathrobes for lazy days…ready for these + an extra lazy Sunday.

the best blazers to wear right now…loving blazers + jeans right now.

goodbye boring salads…the tasty ones to pack for lunch.

how to meal plan like a wellness editor…if you do a little Sunday meal prep.

how to throw a $60 dinner party…if you love to entertain, but are sticking to a budget.

the first 5 things you should buy when decorating your kitchen…don’t underestimate good seating.

the best street style from Paris fashion week..if you appreciate a little fashion.

8. It’s the last day of Shopbops spring sale…

9. this week’s dinners…

Monday: Cauliflower Shawarma with Green Tahini and Fried Halloumi

Tuesday: One Skillet Saucy Chicken Tortilla Enchilada Rice Bake

Wednesday: Saucy Cilantro Lime Tahini Noodles with Honey’d Sweet Potatoes

Thursday: Roasted Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki and Feta Fries

Friday: Khachapuri (Georgian Cheese Bread) with Kale and Herb Sauce

Sunday Baking: No-Knead Rosemary Garlic Parmesan Bread

Finally, check out all the past Nine Favorite Things posts here.