Nine Favorite Things.

Thanks for joining me for another Nine Favorite Things post.

Happy Memorial Day weekend! This year’s Memorial day is a little different from years past. But I’m hoping you are all finding ways to celebrate the unofficial start of summer. And of course, those who have served our country. My family made the decision to venture out for the first time in three months. They drove to Moab, which is about a four-hour drive from where we are in Colorado, to camp and hike the area. It’s the perfect weekend activity to do, while still social distancing from others. This mini-trip is a much-needed change of scenery for them, my mom especially.

As for me? I’m here in Colorado with the goats and chickens. I had a LIVE cooking class Saturday night on Zoom for a virtual retreat in support of World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit organization feeding those most impacted by COVID-19. The Retreat was hosted by Free People and Who What Wear. I cooked alongside the co-founder of Who What Wear, Hillary Kerr (also the host of The Second Life podcast that I love so much). Hillary and I did an hour-long “cooking class” where we created my Crispy Lemon Feta with Spiced Chickpeas. It was so much fun. I’ve done plenty of Instagram LIVE’s at this point, but never a LIVE cooking class on Zoom. Oh how times are changing.

I’m planting myself back in the kitchen today, photographing new recipes for HBH, and prepping to film new recipe videos with my brother, Malachi. It’s been a while since we’ve filmed new videos. We’re keeping very busy over here, but really I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ve been having so much fun with you guys these past few months. It’s exciting to see how much everyone seems to be enjoying cooking and baking right now. With summer days ahead of us, I’m planning more simple recipes that will be great for grilling out and using up all the wonderful garden produce…both savory and sweet!

So what’s everyone up to the rest of the weekend…cooking, baking? Is there anything you’re excited about?

Coming up this week on HBH, we have a special recipe on Monday that’s something sweet and perfect for a last-minute Memorial Day dessert. Tuesday’s recipe marks the start of early summer produce. We’ll also be sharing a new pizza recipe, a quick-cooking shrimp dinner (that’s so delicious), and a new instant pot recipe that’s sure to be a summer staple. And of course, on Friday we’ll have something sweet…with blueberries…that I am so excited to share! Oh, and a new cocktail on Saturday. What’s your guess? Do you think it will be a Harry Potter Cocktail or just something fun for summer?

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). You can grab the full grocery list for this week’s menu in our special Sunday newsletter.

Lastly, I want to take a minute to thank all those who have served our country. To remember those who have given their lives in their fight for a better life for us all. I hope you all take some time out tomorrow to thank those who bravely risk their lives daily to serve our country.

1. My Top Kitchen Must-Haves.

One of the questions I’m asked most is what my favorite skillet is, and or what food processor I use. As crazy as it is, I don’t yet have a blog post dedicated to my most-used kitchen items. So I’m going to share the ones I use weekly below. When it comes to kitchen tools and appliances, I keep things pretty simple and basic. A good knife, a skillet, and recently my food processor, are all my most used items.

Here are some others…

2. Summer recipe Request + old favorites.

Hard to believe this is the last week of May, but with Memorial Day upon us…summer is basically here. When it comes to summer recipes, I feel like I have a pretty good idea of what you guys love and might want to see. But as always, I love hearing what you all would love to see the most.

In particular, what recipes are you looking for this June? Comment below and leave all your suggestions!

And now, a handful of my favorites from summer’s past + a few cocktails too.

Drinks

Blackberry Champagne Mule

Watermelon Rosè Paloma

Blueberry Lemon Thyme Smash

Savory

Garlic Butter Creamed Corn Chicken

Souper Creamy Lemon Butter Cheesy Zucchini Orzo

Instant Pot BBQ Beer Pulled Chicken Tacos

Spicy Pesto and Cheese Stuffed Zucchini Involtini

6 Ingredient Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup

California Chicken, Veggie, Avocado and Rice Bowls

Heirloom Tomato Cheddar Tart with Everything Spice

Rosemary Peach Chicken in a White Wine Pan Sauce

Summer Coconut Chickpea Curry with Rice and Fried Halloumi

One Pot 30 Minute Creamy Tomato Basil Pasta Bake

Basil Chicken Saltimbocca with Marinated Tomatoes and Burrata

Sweet

Blueberry Basque Cheesecake

Browned Butter Grilled Peaches with Cinnamon “Toast” Brioche Crumbs

Double Strawberry Pretzel Pie

Skillet Strawberry Bourbon Cobbler with Layered Cream Cheese Biscuits

Bursting Blueberry Lemon Thyme Tarts

3. Favorite Memorial Day home finds sales…

4. Favorite questions of the week…

q: What’s the background of your name? Super Unusual! Just curious! 
a: So, my mom loves unusual names and searched and searched through baby name books before naming any of her kids. Tieghan is Celtic in origin, as are most of our names. It means “Beautiful one”. My mom first heard the name when she was pregnant with my brother Trevor (#2) and really loved it. I am number four, and the first (and only) girl until little Miss Asher (#7). The most common way to spell the name is Tegan, but my mom loved the more Irish/Gaelic gh spelling. She also wanted people to pronounce it properly so she spelled it Tieghan. I actually love that she spelled it so uniquely! No one has the same spelling…at least that I know of at least.

q: What kind of cutting board do you have? What’s the brand?
a: My favorite one is this one by Zwilling and it’s almost always on my counter when I’m cooking. I love it!

q: How did you get all these followers? Like how many years did it take to grow HBH?
a: This is a repeat question I get all the time, so I figure I’ll just answer it best I can. The HBH family didn’t just grow overnight. It’s been almost 10 years of working every last day on HBH…and that’s really not an exaggeration. It’s a combination of hard work, consistency, connecting with you all, and truly loving what I do. I put my all into everything I do. Our growth has been very gradual and organic! You need to give growth time and you need to put in the effort. That’s my take anyway! Nothing truly amazing happens overnight. I mean…not usually anyway ??‍♀️

5. latest recipe videos.

Sheet Pan Poblano Chicken Fajitas…my “back pocket” recipe when I have no time to cook.

Lemon Parmesan Salmon with Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Salad…best (super simple) late spring/summer dinner.

Oven Fried Southern Hot Honey Chicken…my favorite Sunday night dinners.

And on Instagram stories…

The Hermione Granger Cocktail…bringing back the Harry Potter cocktails.

Greek Chicken Chopped Salad…with the most deliciously creamy, lemony tahini vinaigrette.

Homemade Cinnamon Toast Crunch….better than the boxed stuff. So. Much. Better.

Caprese Prosciutto Farro Salad…the perfect summer salad.

One Pot Lemon, Basil, Asparagus and Spicy Sausage Pasta…simplest one pot pasta dinner.

Fudgy Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Pretzel Cake…It’s all just (very) GOOD.

6. Inspiring me on Pinterest.