Announcements

I’m not really sure where to start. See, this is my inherent problem. A million things always seem to be whirling in my mind, and I can’t keep up with them, let alone prioritize which ones to focus on. A couple of things suddenly became quite clear in the last 12 hours.

The less serious, and kind of funny one, was the realization that I was actually correct is saying “c’est fin” in my last post. As I made my way up the Metro stairs in search of caramels, a conversation Isabella and I had at dinner one night popped into my head. Saying “je suis fin” is the incorrect way of saying “I’m done”—that actually means you’re dead. “C’est fin” is akin to saying “that’s it”. It can be used interchangeably, depending on the inflection in your voice at the end of the sentence—either saying it with a period at the end, or with a questioning tone, as a waiter will often ask when he sees you’ve finished eating.

I know, this doesn’t seem significant. I mean, who hasn’t stumbled in a foreign language? For me, this was a bit of a revelation. One of those lightbulb moments, where you say “aha!” to yourself. I knew all along the correct phrase to say, and doubted myself the rest of the day, feeling foolish, as if I’d made some colossal mistake. I profess that mistakes are a part of life, both to my children, and to the crowds of people that came out to support me the last six weeks. Like many others, though, I’m good at doling out wisdom, but not always capable of applying it to my own situation. Continue reading »

My mind is constantly racing with things I want, and need, to do. Giving birth to a book is more exhausting than actual childbirth in some ways. This book in particular has picked at the scab that slowly began forming over my wounds. I’ve found my heart and mind throbbing with an ache, wondering if I will ever feel emotionally safe and secure again.

I worry that I will die before I see my girls grow into women—happy women, not completely stunted in their own emotional growth by the premature death of their father. I worry that my time here will end before I get to see the rest of my own dreams come to fruition. I worry that everyone I love will go before I’m ready to say goodbye, or more importantly, have a chance to say goodbye.

I guess, at the heart of it all, I just worry way more than I ever did. Before I was carefree in my understanding of the reality that everything living will die. I suppose this is a natural reaction when death occurs outside of the natural order of things. Continue reading »

From the get-go, I knew promoting a book would be more challenging than writing one. That theory is proving to be true. It’s not to say that publicity is more work, it’s just that it’s a different kind of work, and one with which I’m trying to find a comfort-level. I’m incredibly shy, and don’t like talking about myself, which I realize sounds odd to say for someone who has shared so much of her life in a public manner. Sitting behind a screen, clacking away at a keyboard, it is easy to feel anonymous, when the reality is so far from that. Continue reading »

I spent 12 hours traveling home today. No, I didn’t go to Paris. Nor did I venture to the west coast. I was simply trying to get back to NYC from Chicago. The details of my travel aren’t important, though if you follow me on twitter, you likely saw my heated exchange with American Airlines.

And now here I am at my laptop, clacking away when I should be going to bed. Alas, sleep will have to wait until mid-May when the book publicity settles down. But I had to pop in here and share something. Before coming upstairs to my office to start the night shift, I made a blueberry spritzer. I had some blueberry syrup in the fridge from this event last week, and simply mixed it with some Pellegrino. As I took the last sip and looked down in my glass, six tiny wild blueberries had settled to the bottom of it, all in a row, forming a smile. At that moment, my cup wasn’t half empty or full. It was simply smiling at me, reminding me that happiness is a choice as long as you keep yourself focused on it at all times.

I’m adding a few links for your reading and viewing pleasure below. Hope everyone is having a great week, and be back in a bit. À bientôt.

Music Pairing: The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy) by Simon & Garfunkel

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My cooking segment on Good Day Chicago.

A peek into the NYC launch event for Homemade with Love.

Some reviews of Homemade with Love from Edible Brooklyn and The Washington Post. Plus a few of my friends hosted a virtual potluck this week to celebrate the book’s publication. Go see what Gina, Ilina, Jodi, Amy, and Kim cooked from the book.  I’ve also started a Pinterest board to gather all the reviews of the book in one place.

p.s. if you ever find yourself traveling with the kids to Chicago, or just want the ability to cook a meal in your hotel room, I highly recommend the Residence Inn on East Walton Place. The suite didn’t break the bank, and the staff was incredible.

April 1st is fast approaching people, but it’s no joking matter—this week starts the media merry-go-round for Homemade with Love! Is it okay to refer to it as such? I probably should run this post by my publicist, or at the very least not be writing it at 3:33am—make a wish! You know that one, where you make a wish whenever the time reads all the same numbers…11:11, 2:22, etc. I’m still a schoolgirl in that I make wishes at any chance I can get, like on the first star at night. I even do that thing where you tie the paper from a straw into a loop and if it comes out in a knot it means the boy you love is thinking about you. All silly stuff, but wishes are just dreams we want to make come true one day, right?

Any way, I’ve figured out the perfect recipe for squeezing in a few more work hours to the day.

1. Collapse in bed right after the kids are tucked in, which for me was 8:30pm tonight.

2. Wake up at 12:30am feeling completely rested.

3. Toss and turn for an hour because one really shouldn’t get up and start working at 12:30am.

4. Finally give into insomnia at 1:30am, and run a hot bubble bath. Then go into home office and start clacking away at your laptop.

Okay, so maybe this isn’t the perfect recipe, but it is my State of the Union at the moment. I know I’m going to regret not trying harder to fall back to sleep, but since I can’t fall asleep on command—I was always envious of Mikey’s ability to do this, I figured it was a good opportunity to gather all my book tour information in one handy place. And there are updates—I’ve finally confirmed my Canada trip, and added another event to my North Carolina stop too. Continue reading »

In the midst of running errands yesterday, I swung by my local Barnes & Noble, and there before my very eyes was Homemade with Love displayed in the window. Even though it shouldn’t have taken me by surprise, I still had to blink a few times to believe what I saw. It sounds silly to say, considering it’s been in other people’s homes for two weeks now, but this was my first time seeing it displayed in person.

So many of my hopes and dreams are laced throughout the pages of Homemade with Love. It’s funny how life seems to operate in both slow motion and warp speed simultaneously. It feels like just yesterday that I was a 24-year-old, reading an article Mikey gave me about becoming a personal chef in Newsweek—and yet, it was 15 years ago.

Next week begins the busyness of publicity for the book. I mentioned some book signing information in my last post, and have two more updates—Chicago and Canada, here I come! I’m working on Boston and New Jersey, just bear with me, as it’s a lot trying to manage childcare these days, especially the overnights. Thankfully, my auntie is coming up from Florida to lend a hand, and we seem to have finally found a wonderful new babysitter too. Continue reading »

Well folks, it really is official. Homemade with Love has made landfall, and the messages, tweets, and photos on instagram have nourished me more than you can possibly understand. Even though I often feel lonely these days, and gearing up for the book tour is filled with some anxiety as I take a few more steps on my own in the world, the truth is I’m never as alone as I sometimes feel. Thank you for welcoming me into your hearts and homes.

Here’s a peek at signings that have been confirmed so you can mark your calendars. I’ll be in Chicago and Canada too, and will be sure to share information on signings there once dates have been finalized. In the meantime, if you’re in NYC, North Carolina or San Francisco, gather a group of friends, and come support these local bookstores that are so graciously supporting me.

NYC

Saturday, April 13th 7:00pm—BookCourt 163 Court Street in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, NY.

North Carolina

Friday, April 19th 7:30pm—Quail Ridge Books & Music 3522 Wade Avenue in Raleigh, NC.

San Francisco

Tuesday, April 30th 6:00pm—Omnivore Books 3885a Cesar Chavez Street in San Francisco, CA.

Another fun bit of news I’d like to share is the launch of a fun, new sweepstakes for Glad Food Storage. Starting today though April 25^th, you can share photos of your homemade packed lunches, or pictures of ones that inspire you to pack your own, on your Pinterest page for a chance to win all sorts of great prizes every week over the next five weeks. The photo you see above is a standard airplane meal for me. I’ve signed on as a spokesperson for Glad, so be sure to check my Pinterest page too, to get more ideas for Inspired Lunches as part of Glad’s campaign. My relationship with Glad goes back a few years. Ever since I found out they’re a corporate sponsor for Cookies for Kids’ Cancer, I’ve been a loyal customer. You can find out the full contest details here.

Okay, that’s it for now. There’s lots more to share but my head is in the clouds right now—literally, I’m on my long journey home from Agadir, Morocco. Hope everyone’s week is off to a good start.

xo—Jennie

My eyelids are refusing to cooperate this morning, as I find myself fighting to keep them open. Changing the clocks ahead one little hour this weekend is proving to be more challenging than the six hour time difference I so often encounter when I go to France. I figure you’re all feeling sort of sluggish and sleepy today too, and what better way to jolt you than with some fun news surrounding the release of Homemade with Love. If you’ve preordered the book, then you likely got the same email I did on Sunday—it’s shipping earlier than expected. As in you may have it as soon as the weekend depending on the shipping method you chose!

The love, security and sense of self I derive from being in the kitchen are feelings I hope to spark in all of you once Homemade with Love becomes a part of your lives. My reason for wanting to write a cookbook four years ago was simple. It wasn’t about vanity or dreams of fame. I wanted all of my positive experiences in the kitchen to become contagious. I wanted to show people in a very genuine way that cooking is about so much more than just eating. It is about feeding your soul, and enriching the lives of the people you love. Continue reading »

The days suddenly started getting longer. I didn’t fully appreciate it until we sat down to dinner last night, and realized the only light casting a glow was from Mother Nature, streaming through our dining room windows. Today we left swimming class, and sure enough it was still daylight too. I often joke that I’m solar powered, so this is very good news. Last year I was amazed at how late it remains daylight in Paris during the summer. In the beginning of the month, darkness didn’t descend until almost 11:00pm. I thought I’d have to paint the windows black to get the kids to fall asleep! Continue reading »

The calendar rolling to March 1st feels so powerful. It means we’ve weathered another winter. The tulip leaves creeping up through the soil signal spring is on its way. Hope seems to replenish the nearly empty well deep within in my heart.

Days get longer, and the air gets warmer. Of course, just when it feels safe to to cloak myself in a lighter coat, Mother Nature reminds me who is really in control. Still, March brings the power of a Phoenix rising from the ashes buried beneath a heavy snowfall. This particular March also brings a lot of good news. The book—my cookbook, comes out in 24 days. Soon it will no longer be just mine. It will belong to all of you who let it grace your home. Continue reading »