Nine Favorite Things.

Nine Favorite Things – hbh every day cookbook

Happiest Sunday everyone! This week flew bye into so many varied directions. It was such a good week, but very different from my norm.

Man, where to start! I finally received my copy of the new HBH Every Day cookbook. At first I just let the book sit on the counter for a day without even touching it. I was so nervous to flip through the pages in fear I would hate it. And I only say that because I am my own worst critic and with my cookbooks. I’m the one who is most critical of the work I do. But Creighton managed to find the copy sitting on the counter in the studio and began flipping through it. His excitement for the recipes was so fun to see, he really did inspire so many of them.

When I finally flipped through the book, I loved it. This one was so much work to create. It felt like it took forever to actually finish, but it was worth it. I can’t wait for you all to see it soon. Creighton is ready for me to start cooking some of the recipes. The first on his list is spaghetti and meatballs.

We also had our first meeting with Katie Hodges. Katie is the designer who’s working with us to really finish up the studio space and my house (which I’m eager to finally share with you guys soon). It was an exciting visit. We did a full walk through of both spaces and I can’t wait to dive into the design process. It’s nice to be able explore my creativity in other areas and I’ve always loved interior design. More to come on the process, but I’m really exploring Pinterest these days.

My mom, Red, and Hailey have all been dealing with Olympic logistics. These Olympics are quite different from 4 years ago in South Korea. Unfortunately, with Covid it won’t be the Olympic experience everyone was hoping for. As I’ve mentioned before, we cannot attend, as no foreign spectators will be admitted. Even the athletes won’t be having the cultural experience that usually takes place.

My mom is much more concerned with safety than performance. She’s been working to make sure that everyone feels as much at ease as possible. It’s been a lot for those guys, but my mom is an expert at getting answers and making sure that safety nets are in place. Everything is set and everyone is feeling a little more assured.

The family is currently in Aspen for X-Games. Red always loves riding the course at X-Games and the family loves watching him. If you’re heading to Aspen at all this winter, I shared some things to do there last Sunday. It’s such a cute, fancy little mountain town. Asher particularly loves it and always has fun there.

One of the awesome things about January for us is that even after the holidays, we usually still have family in town. Both Red and Kai and been here since mid December, which is kind of amazing. I usually don’t get to see them this much, so having them around has been really nice. Especially this year, it just feels weird to have them heading off to China without the family. I’ve so appreciated the extra time with them.

Anything you guys have really appreciated/enjoyed this month?

And I think that’s all I have today, enjoy another round of Sunday favorites! Lots of recommendations!

1. Things i’m loving, wanting, and excited to try.

loving…Frankies Bikinis active sets. I have the leggings, flare pant and sports bra. I’ve been wearing them non-stop, perfect for cooking. The sports bra is the comfiest. I have the black, and love the cute label and subtle flower details.

listening to…How to Understand and Control the Voice in Your Head. I feel like we could all gain something from listening to this.

dreaming of going…St. Barths. This villa looks amazing, WOW. Or maybe Palm Heights in Grand Cayman. A Caribbean vacation is pretty perfect. Or maybe even Cancun. I haven’t been to any of these places! 

excited to try…Doctor Rogers RESTORE Healing Balm. The last few months my lips have been extremely irritated and I’ve hard a hard time fixing the dryness/redness. I think this product is going to really help. It has castor oil, which is incredibly moisturizing.

loving…The Frankie Shop. It’s a little more expensive, but these pieces are on sale. I love their comfy track pants (ordered), sweats  (these are perfect), and tees (love the detailed shoulders). And it’s not on sale, but I LOVE this coat. It’s something you’d be able to wear season after season. This puffer is amazing too. And here is a much cheaper version.

watching…How I Met Your Father. The trailer is really cute and I love that Hillary Duff is starring.

ordered…the Isle of Paradise self tanning drops. My cousin said these give the perfect glow, no orange color!! Also from Abby, she just got bangs and said to recommend the Revlon one step hair dryer. She loves it.

obsessed with…Éterne thermals. It’s hard to find good thermals! I just ordered these thermal pants, love this cropped thermal long sleeve, and then this hoodie is perfect.

loving…Habit Sunscreen Mister. You can put this on over makeup, so it’s great for reapplying.

drinking…lots of water out of my Yeti. This is going to sound weird, but I don’t like cold water, especially in the winter. I love to drink warm water, which is actually said to be better for digestion anyway. So I’ve been filling up this Yeti to keep my water warm. Obviously the mug is great for coffee too!

cooking…poke bowls. My family are all so into poke right now, even Creighton and Kai, who’ve recently jumped on the sushi wagon. Also cooking Panang curry! My cousin Abby recommend this and it is so good.

watching…TikTok’s “Carrie Bradshaw”  Two-Story Closet. Oh my gosh, this closet.

following…Drew Barrymore. I got her cookbook, which has such a fun, effectionate tone. And I’m loving following her on IG, she share’s the happy content you want to see.

re-ordered…my favorite cozy Chai Byredo candle. I’ve re-ordered this so many times. It’s my favorite winter candle.

2. Fresh winter citrus recipes.

Lemon Chai Cake

Lemon Butter Dijon Chicken and Orzo with Feta Sauce

Sheet Pan Jalapeño Pineapple Shrimp Tacos

One Skillet Greek Meatballs and Lemon Butter Orzo

Greek Chicken Souvlaki and Potatoes

Sheet Pan Salmon with Citrus Avocado Salsa and Potatoes

Slow Cooker Chipotle Orange Street Tacos

Lemon Strawberry Dutch Baby with Ricotta Cream

Earl Grey Blueberry Lemon Cake

3. Candles for winter nights.

I think you guys ask me the most about my favorite scents, so here are a few

4. Favorite questions of the week.

q: does Asher go to school? your house looks far from civilization.
a: yes, of course, she’s only 13. She was going to physical school before covid but she switched to online last year. My parents don’t love some of the practices the district has put into place. So it just made more sense for her to do online school for now. She’s one of those kids that is really good about getting everything done (she’s also wicked smart).

q: how many on your staff to create content now compared to 10 years ago?
a: it hasn’t been 10 years just yet!! But getting close which is crazy!! It started with just my my mom and I, and we now we have 8 people. But not everyone is full time and 5 of those people are family (myself, mom, dad, cousin, and brother) so we’re still very small and close-knit. 

q: will you release a healthy cookbook? maybe a low calorie one using less oils?
a: the next book has recipes focused on using real food ingredients with more of a health conscious mindset. But I don’t believe in calorie counting. I simply cook with REAL ingredients. Mostly fruits and vegetables, wholesome grains, nuts, and seeds. I don’t look at labels for calories or fat content, it’s just not my thing. I look for minimal ingredients, nothing processed, and lots of color. That’s just is how I do it.

q: favorite color? jeans or sweats or leggings? favorite ice cream flavor?

– green
– sweats (but I wear leggings daily. Love Alo Yoga (as you guys know)
– chocolate peanut chunk 

q: now that the holidays are over, are you sad to see things go back to normal?
a: no! I LOVE the holidays but I try to look forward to January too and make it fun. It’s still a cozy month, so I always light candles at night. I love creating January recipes with lots of color. I also LOVE getting organized again and feeling like it’s kind of a fresh start. It’s not the same excitement that the holidays bring, but it’s a nice change! And this year we have a lot coming up, so that’s exciting too.

q: what do you do to stay active now that it’s too cold to hike?
a: still hiking 🙂 just through the snow.

q: is an airfryer worth is? I live by myself, so it would just be for me!
a: if you’re just cooking for you, or you and someone else, yeah they are great! If you’re cooking for your family I’ve found them to be way too small and think it’s easier to just use the oven.

q: which APL style do you like best?
a: the techloom wave is my favorite, but they’re all awesome.

q: how do you organize you life? family, work, CLEAN UP from you work, social, and exercise?
a: it’s really not well balanced at all. Work usually trumps all, but I make time for exercise every morning before I do anything else. Exercising first thing means I get it in no matter what. We always clean at night, it usually takes 2 hours, give or take, depending on the mess that day. A lot of times this is when I see my family. They come to the studio and hang while we clean around them. But I often end up making more of a mess because they’re looking for drinks + snacks ??‍♀️ Asher is a little different, she’ll just come to hang out anytime. She’ll help me cook, or film some “taste testing”. All while telling me about whatever is happening that day. The rest just kind of happens when needed. As I said, it’s not well balanced ?

q: how are you able to have your recipes out for free? appreciate that by the way!
a: the ads on the site, sponsored content, and then outside projects (books, products, etc.) are what bring in our income.

q: will you ever move to a more civilized location?
a: I think you guys think I live in the middle of nowhere…I don’t…just in the mountains. Target and the grocery store are literally 5 minutes down the road. Whole Foods is just in the next town over, about 10 minutes away.

q: my birthday is at the end of the month and I don’t know what to ask for. ideas?
a: I don’t love gifts so for Christmas and birthdays I never ask for anything and instead ask to donate to one of our favorite charities. If you don’t know what you want, ask for something that will give back to others in need.

5. Everyday Basics for the Kitchen.

I’m often asked what my favorite kitchen products are for everyday, so here’s what I use. It’s honestly nothing crazy fancy, except for that espresso machine.

6. A cookbook update.

Some of you may have seen on Instagram, or received an email, stating that the new HBH Every Day cookbook is now going to be released on March 29th. About a month later than the original date. I am incredibly sorry for any inconvenience. I know some of you are so excited (thank you!). And some of you have even planned to use the book as gifts.

The original release date was actually in November, but due to shipping delays we had to move it to February, now March – ugh. So it’s been an issue from the very start.

The slight delay is a little bit of a bummer, but it really doesn’t change much! If you preordered, you don’t need to do anything. You’ll just be receiving your books on March 29th now. And, we’re still planning an awesome book tour for the end of March and through April. I can’t wait!! The weather is better for travel in April anyway. I can’t tell you how excited I am to travel and do events again.

Thank you guys so much for your patience, for preordering, for all the excitement, and for all of your support. It really does mean the world to me (and my family). I am so grateful to have such an incredible community.

7. Favorite links i’m loving.

Every Streaming Platform Covering The 2022 Winter Olympics…we’ll be watching!

13 Texts To Send Someone Having A Bad Day…I love this so much.

Hilary Duff Figured It Out On The Way…really enjoyed her interview.

These Youth-Enhancing Skincare Sets…some really amazing sets in this list.

The Best Kitchen Tools for Clean Cooking…I have and love some of these items.

Online Flower Delivery Services…I use Floom a lot. I also order from Terrain.

14 Jewelry Storage Ideas You’ll Actually Want to Use…sending this to Asher.

Inside the Chicly Understated Miami Home…really minimal, but so pretty.

20 Workout Sets…some new cute active sets to try.

6 Circulation-Boosting Routines…get the blood flowing.

If You Love Clue, These Board Games Were Made For You…I’ve always loved Clue.

8. Reformation Finds.

9. This week’s dinners + weekend eats.

Monday: Cajun Garlic Butter Shrimp with Creamy Pesto Pasta

Tuesday: Skillet Chicken Adobo with Coconut Rice

Wednesday: Crispy Quinoa Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries

Thursday: Lemony Garlic Chicken and Orzo Soup

Friday: Pesto Potato Burrata Pizza with Spicy Arugula

Saturday: Herbed Garlic Butter Naan

Sunday:Triple Chocolate Espresso Mousse Cake