Book

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 »

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

It is no surprise that I’ve been in a state of foggy consciousness for a while now. My body seems to float in and out of moments, a smile on my face, while my mind is a million miles away. Part of my mental listlessness is due to having taken too much time off after the book finally went to the printer. I was so drained mentally, emotionally and physically that I decided not to focus on work until the New Year. It was a decadent move, but one I felt I both needed and deserved.

I’m slowly getting back into the swing of things, sowing my seeds for the year ahead. For starters, I did my first interview for Homemade with Love. I’m no stranger to interviews, as I did quite a few of them back in the day when I had my personal chef business. Still, it’s been over a decade since that part of my life, and I was admittedly nervous. The moment I got on the phone with the editor at HGTV magazine, though, my nerves calmed. I realized all I had to do was be myself, so keep an eye out for the June issue.

Continue reading »

The photo shoot for Homemade with Love felt a little like a Cinderella moment for me. To have such a talented group of people come together and bring my stories and recipes to life was truly an honor—and did I mention it was shot in Saveur magazine’s test kitchen? Yeah, it was a dream come true on so many levels.

Click on through to my Flickr page for a sneak peek at day one of the photo shoot.

Day two of the Homemade with Love photo shoot is where Penny De Los Santos captured the cover shot for the book. We tried it with a few different tops and various baked goods. This wasn’t the final of either, but everyone had a good laugh when Penny attached those clamps to my shirt—one of my friends cleverly refers to them as my suspenders.

Looking back on this photo, almost a month after the shoot, I realized I have a twinkle in my eye. The photo shoot was emotional, but to see that genuine smile on my face warmed my heart. It reminds me that somewhere inside is the old me, and she comes out, ever so slowly as each day passes.

You can get “extra helpings” from day two of the photo shoot over at my Flickr page.

Meet Simon Andrews, food stylist extraordinaire. Putting a cookbook together takes a village. I certainly knew this beforehand, but as I’ve said before, this team rocked. Simon prepared the food for the shoot using my recipes, along with his assistant Idan, and then plated them—sometimes painstakingly to help bring everyone’s vision for the shot together (ask me about the lemon-blueberry soda shot when you see me).

And I must give props to Mariellen Melker—literally because she was the prop stylist for the shoot. Yes, someone culled through the shot list for the cookbook and selected an array of dishes, platters, cups, etc. for each recipe. Mariellen gathered the best ever selection of utensils. It made me quite jealous.

Go take a look at some more of day three on the set of Homemade with Love at my Flickr page.

Day four—final day of the Homemade with Love cookbook shoot. It was a surreal experience having so many talented folks come together to breath life into my words. I am honored more than I can say, and please know that while the recipes and stories are mine, none of it could have been possible without an amazing army of people who believed in them, and Running Press, my publisher, for believing in this project.

I’ll be filling in this part of the blog with more cookbook details as they come up. For now, here’s one last peek at the final day of the shoot. Thank you to each and everyone of you for support and enthusiasm. I’m looking forward to meeting as many of you as possible when the book comes out next spring!

Crew for the Homemade with Love photo shoot:

Penny De Los Santos, photographer

Jay Kim, photographer’s assistant

Simon Andrews, food stylist

Idan Bitton, assistant to Simon Andrews

Mariellen Melker, prop stylist

Amanda Richmond, senior designer (Running Press)

Kristen Green Wiewora, senior editor (Running Press)