Kate Spade's New "Pack a Picnic" Champagne Basket

I'm pretty sure I need this...

Necessity vs luxury? I choose necessity.

{FOOD STYLING} KIMBERLY'S SIMPLY SOUTHERN

I wanted to see the world - and I wanted the world to be just like the movies. 

-Anthony Bourdain, A Cook's Tour

After a long day of hustling in a restaurant kitchen - where everything that can go wrong, will go wrong- it's nice to sit on the couch with a heaping bowl of cereal and disappear into the idealistic world of cooking shows. A sublime place where ingredients are readily available, food cooks to the perfect temperature, you just happen to have all the right cookware and the best part yet, dirty dishes magically disappear. But as euphoric as this brief escape is, I am a masochist; I crave and thrive off of hectic chaos and the unknown. So, after being a longtime Food Network fan (Ina Garten, if you want to know particulars), I was thrilled to see what happens behind the scenes. Discover the truth. And what I discovered: what happens behind the camera is far more fascinating to me than what happens on camera.

Working on Kimberly's Simply Southern (on the GAC channel) has been one of my favorite experiences since graduating culinary school. The star of the show, Kimberly - from the country band Little Big Town – was so sweet, southern and absolutely adorable.  In my fantasy world of exceedingly high expectations, before arriving on set I could only hope that we would become fast friends. If this was Entourage, maybe I would be the Eric Murphy to her Vincent Chase - but we would all share a much cuter house, preferably less bachelor pad and more House Beautiful with a Martha Stewart, white marble kitchen. In Nantucket perhaps... Have I gone to far? And scene?

Flower Arranging Tip

Here's a random tip for making a bouquet of flowers (only works for opaque vases). Take plastic wrap and tie it around the stems to keep them together. I tie it tight and double knot it. Put this in the water and then starting pulling or pushing stems in and out to your desired height. If you try rearranging the flowers before you put the bouquet in the water, the stems will not slide in and out as easily.

PARIS, FRANCE

A snapshot of my favorite places to go...

 

CHEZ L'AMI JEAN {DINING}

27 rue Malar, P: +33 1 47 05 86 89

Easily the best meal I have had in Paris. Great if you're in the mood for a big sit down lunch or dinner...just go with an appetite because everything is amazing and you must eat it all - definitely get the rice pudding (accompanied with salted caramel butter, macaroons and homemade granola)! 

{Vegan & Gluten Free} Dark Chocolate Chip and Date Pumpkin Cookies

A vegan, gluten free, no egg, no butter cookie that actually tastes delicious? Yes, please!

I was just as skeptical as you probably are but! you are about to be mind blown. 

Roast Chicken

Full disclosure: I know there's a proper way to make roast chicken, and if it were up to fine dining establishments...this recipe would not be it. When I brought up Lipton's mix & Lawry's seasoning (the 2 main seasonings in this recipe) during my time in culinary school, which awkwardly enough, I did, heads shook in disapproval. But trust me, in the case of this recipe, you'll be glad it's not up to them.

Garden Scallops

It began in the vegetable garden. At age 4, a determined young Jamie in her shimmery hot pink bathing suit took a watering hose to her sprouting vegetables.