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Happiest fall! Today is the official first day of fall, and after spending the week in New York, I’m ready. The temperatures in New York are still pretty warm, but the leaves are turning pretty shades of yellow by the day. It makes me so excited to be coming back in October. I hope the leaves will all be the perfect shades of yellow and orange. I can’t wait!
Rewinding a bit, the last few days spent in New York were great. This trip into the city was with our advertising company, Raptive. To give you some insight on the business side of things, one of our main sources of revenue here at HBH is the ads you see on the website. Raptive manages those ads, among other things. They are an incredibly hands-on, well-informed company. They are very involved in our business, helping us with email, SEO, AI, and even Pinterest.
The panels I’ve been speaking on have been about AI. Raptive started the “Keep it Real Campaign” to try to preserve the human spirit of the internet and stop Google from reprinting creator content on onto their search pages. Big tech companies are using our content without permission or compensation to build AI tools that compete with us. You can read more about the campaign here if this interests you. I’ve been honored to be a part of these panels and have learned so much from other creators as well.
I was back-to-back this entire trip, but it really was an amazing one. I loved speaking on these panels. We hope to continue raising awareness for an issue that will greatly affect so many of us if we don’t grasp it better.
My trip started out magically. We had a press dinner with Snif to launch our Apple Cider Candle. We held the dinner at The Waverly Inn, one of the city’s coziest spots. If you have the opportunity to go, I highly recommend it. I fell in love with the space the moment I stepped inside. And the food was amazing too. It was such a special night filled with wonderful friends and media. I can’t wait for those who ordered the candle to receive it! The 8-ounce candle is sold out but will be restocked soon! You can preorder it now or pick up a 4-wick candle (50 oz). I will say the 4-wick is so special and looks stunning on a table.
Day 2 in New York was spent in meetings. Then, straight into an advertising dinner with the Raptive teams. It was very business-esk yet nice. We went to Medüza, and the Mediterranean menu was so delicious. Everything we ordered came out wonderful. The highlight for me was the tzatziki and warm pita.
Days 3 and 4 were spent speaking on panels, then a yummy dinner at Gramercy Tavern. Coincidentally, this is where we also had our Snif Apple Cider Candle press dinner this week! I get why both chose this tavern!
And that’s about it for this week…enjoy the first week of Fall!
1. Things i’m loving, wanting, and excited to try.
ordering now…the Best Advent Calendars and Best Beauty Advent Calendars to start shopping now. These are so fun! I love an advent calendar.
traveling…Fall Is the Best Time to Visit New England – for a Gilmore Girls fall!
everything in my cart (low)…so many fall selects from Zara. Love this basic knit fitted cardigan and matching mini skirt. They’ve also got a great buttoned knit polo, and zippered jacket. Or this is a very cute cropped jacket.
Lastly, I love their suede kitten heels and kitten heeled ankle boots. I would style them with this ruffled dress.
And I’m restocking my J.Crew cashmere crewneck sweaters, and this one is so good. I also love all the new J.Crew fall arrivals. They do such a good job with their knits! And I thought their fall catalog was super cute too!
listening to…Kourtney Kardashian Barker Gets Real About Boundaries, Her Personal Life, Therapy, Parenting, & Building The Lemme Empire With Simon Huck. Our Snif candles got a little shout-out toward the end of this!
recommending…this Coach Carryall Bag. A perfect semi-affordable designer bag that’s great for fall and will last you a lifetime. I love this bag, and especially in this beautiful maple shade.
loving…this hood scarf for my mom. I know she would love this and get so much wear out of it. How cozy!
shopping…The Best Places to Shop Vintage Online. My favorites are Vestiaire Collective, Fashionphile, and What Goes Around Comes Around.
wanting…brown bags for fall. Love these!
following…Floral design by Molly Ford. Pretty florals in NYC!
everything in my cart (beauty)…I’ve heard great things about this Bio-Collagen Real Deep Mask from Biodance. Have you tried it. On a similar note, I love the Shani Darden Triple Acid Signature Peel. I just restocked this; it’s such an awesome at-home facial.
Also restocking the Josie Maran Whipped Argan Oil Refillable Firming Body Butter Jar and the Mutha Body Butter (my tried and true favorite). And I’ve yet to try this OSEA Cleansing Body Polish, but I’d like to.
dreaming of going…Lake Garda and staying at the stunning Cape of Senses, a 5-star hotel at Lake Garda. A magical Italian vacation.
cooking/baking…The 60 Most Popular Fall Recipes of 2024.
everything in my cart (high)…really excited about the new Khaite Zoe Patchwork Tote.
listening to…Nish Samantray, Husband and Co-Founder of Arrae: How We Operate Arrae, Hiring and Team Building, Retailers, and More. If you’re starting your own brand or currently running your own brand, this is a highly informative episode.
following…this “Save the Day” Trend. A wellness trend I can actually get behind. A few of my “save the day ideas”. A fresh bouquet of flowers, lighting candles at 6pm, making holiday Pinterest boards (so fun, I really love doing this!), calling mom, and online shopping.
shopping…All the New Trader Joe’s Fall Items. I want to recreate the mini pumpkin spice sheet cake. So cute! Also, I love how excited everyone at Trader Joe’s is for fall!
reading…Apple Picking Guide. I just love a great honeycrisp apple.
2. It’s Fall – all the pumpkin recipes to make.
Fluffy Pumpkin Butter Chocolate Chip Pancakes
Cream Cheese Swirled Cinnamon Pumpkin Butter Bread
6 Ingredient Spiced Pumpkin Butter
Pumpkin Beer Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Brown Butter Pumpkin Tortellini Alla Vodka
Pumpkin Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
3. Amazon Home For Fall.
even more Halloween
4. My first copy of Quick & Cozy!
While in New York this week, I received the very first copy of Quick and Cozy! I can’t believe we’re less than two months from the publication date of November 19th! I’m so excited to share this cookbook with you all!
I want to share some reasons why this book is so special to me.
Let me take you along on the process of creating cookbook #4, Quick and Cozy.
March 31st 2024
I was so excited. I flew to New York ready to work with a team to bring the cookbook to life. With all of my cookbooks, I create the content, write the headnotes and recipes, test the recipes, source the props, and then photograph them all!
Most people work with a team to create an entire book (there’s usually a recipe developer, food stylist, prop stylist, and photographer). Until then, I’d never worked with a team other than my book editor (she edits the book). The plan was to shoot all the recipes in the studio over three weeks. For the first time, I would have a team helping me. They would be sourcing the props, doing the grocery shopping, cooking the recipes, and cleaning up after the shoot. My job would be styling and photographing the recipes.
I was so organized and ready to create the most beautiful cookbook. I was excited to try something new!
Day one and only in studio – Bushwick/Ridgewood
As things often go in life, this did not go as planned. My first and only full day on set was one of my worst nightmares. I was so out of my zone, out of my creative space. Nothing was working; my photos had no sparkle, no magic, and everyone on set knew it. This was not for me; I needed to be the one cooking the dishes and be more involved in the process. I needed to do it all, just as I’ve always done. I also needed to get these photos done ASAP. But I also needed the help; we were already so behind! The publisher needs the photos many months prior to the pub date (often a year), and we were now at April 1!
Spring in New York.
The only choice I had was obvious: I needed to get home. I had three weeks to photograph all 125+ recipes if I wanted this book to be released this year! A fall publishing date was so important to me. This is my favorite time of year and my favorite recipes to share!!
This was an impossible task, and everyone around me doubted I could really get it done with no help at all. My family was traveling and not planning to be home for a whole month, so I was on my own.
But I was so determined.
Something inside me knew I could do it. I had to do it.
I flew home and surrounded myself with flowers to stay upbeat during the cold rain/snow filled Colorado spring days.
And I got to work.
Cooking, cleaning, shooting, writing. It all had to happen. I was tired.
But somehow, I did it, and I created a cookbook I am so excited to share with you all!! I put all my energy into this cookbook, and it’s so good. It has my best recipes and photos yet. I’m so happy I buckled down and was able to get it done.
Quick trips helped inspire me. This was the 1st lifestyle shoot for the book (which I worked with a team to create because these are photos with me in them!).
I had the best team helping me do it.
The salads are so good!
Really, so good!
We landed on a cover!
And you can now preorder!
The drinks are fun!
I stacked a lot of glasses to get the lighting just right….and I must have gone through so much butter.
One last lifestyle shoot at the 11th hour in Austin.
But I had Kristen by my side. She has photographed me for all my cookbooks. Going on so many years together!
I had the best team.
Kristen knows I love dahlias.
We did it!
Final edits.
Preorder here! So happy!
5. This Week In New York – photo recap.
(our Snif apple cider launch press dinner)
(Bryan, me, Simon, Phil – with the Snif founders)
(the 4-wick apple cider is so pretty)
(cake to celebrate)
(it was so pretty with flowers on top)
(a Snif menu)
(this table was so gorgeous)
(The Waverly Inn might be my new favorite in New York)
(fit for filming something special coming soon)
(congratulations to the Popup Florist on your new book!)
(a dinner with Raptive at Meduza)
(the kebabs were delicious)
(chocolate brown nails from Majestys Pleasure)
(dinner at Gramercy Tavern)
(the happiest)
6. Inspiring Me – a fall table.
Getting excited for Thanksgiving!
(source)
7. Favorite Links I’m Loving.
15 Best Hotels in Upstate New York for Leaf-Peeping This Fall
12 Secret-Menu Starbucks Fall Drinks That Are Way Better Than a PSL
Addison Rae Wakes Up Every Morning and “Immediately” Puts This Lipstick On
5 Signs You’re Eating Too Much Sugar
A Guide to New York City’s Best Bookstores
Are “Coolcations” the Future of Travel?
5-Minute Tasks That Help Me Make Better Use of My Time
How to Organize Your Pantry Once and for All, According to a Pro
How to Remove Pilling From Clothes
Exactly What I Buy At Costco on a $200 Monthly Grocery Budget
8. New Falls Styles to Shop.
boots for fall
cardigans
9. This week’s Dinners + Weekend eats.
Monday: 30 Minute Crispy Thai Peanut Chicken Ramen
Tuesday: Pretzel Chicken Fingers with Spicy Honey Mustard Sauce
Wednesday: 4 Cheese Roasted Garlic Alfredo Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
Thursday: Skillet Crispy Cheese Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Friday: One Pot Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Orzo
Saturday: Iced Apple Cider Caramel Oatmeal Cookies
Do you have a preference on preordering versus purchasing at a (hopeful!) future book signing event in the NYC area?
Hey Clare,
Wherever you want to order from is greatly appreciated:) Thank you so much for your support! xT
Please don’t dignify the personal attacks from obvious haters with an answer. Just delete them, then start limiting your comments to registered and verified users only, and pre-approve the comments before you publish them. It’s so annoying to have to read their childish gibberish.
Why waste your time on nutjobs?
Thank you for all that you do! Love seeing what you do behind the scenes. Your photography is stunning! You have a great eye, that is for sure. Your recipes are awesome and I love reading these on Sunday mornings.
Thanks a lot, Julie! I appreciate you reading each week and your thoughtful message! Have a great week! xT
Ok a few things to comment on this week:
– You look amazing in your top pic, great smile and hair looks great
– You did not comment that the Coach Carryall bag was semi-affordable and it’s almost $700?! 😆
– The pumpkin recipes are on point, soooo good!
– I love in #8 that you included prices! I know we are all in different financial places in life, so it’s nice being able to see so I don’t spend time looking at something I can never afford
Have a great week T! Excited for the new cookbook to come out, sounds like you worked your butt off 😉
Hey Courtney,
Thanks so much for reading today and your kind message:) Happy to share links that you enjoyed and good to know you liked to see the prices so you don’t waste time looking at things that are too expensive. I hope you love the new cookbook! Happy Sunday! xT
If u pivot into lifestyle content, will you focus on more of the itmes that a person can enjoy alone? It seems like you value your alone time and dont like crowds of ppl. Could see u developing lines for bathroom accessories, blankets, foh flowers or other things that don’t include entertaining or gatherings. Things that would help a person enjoy cozy time at home! 🙂 is this what you’re thinking for lifestyle?
Hey Joy,
Thanks for reading today!! I think it will be a little of both, but I love your thoughts here! Hope you had a great Sunday! xT
It’s great to see creators and bloggers coming together to support each other and counter the risks of AI and internet-generated vs human-generated. That said, during the “Keep it Real” campaign is there any discussion about buying AI followers or using bots in comments or Q&A? Is there anorher side of the coin where the Internet helps creators, or boosts ad revenue or perceived engagement; and do bloggers accept this practice or shun it like they do AI (original) content? Thanks for your perspective!
Good for you for knowing what you needed to do to adjust the course on the creative aspect of your new cookbook. As a graphic designer, I know the creative process can be daunting, especially when you realize it’s off track. Doing a hard reset is a risk, but so is continuing with something that doesn’t feel right. I can also tell you from experience that what’s always worked for you did so for a reason. There are certainly times when it’s worth it to try new things – just not this time. You know best. Trust your gut. Can’t wait for the new book!
Hey Kristie,
Ahhh yes, thank you for sharing your thoughts and reassurance with me, you totally get it! Thanks so much for reading today, have the best week! xT
What is a business-esk dinner? I’ve never heard this phrase before. Maybe something specific to advertising or influencing? Is it just a dinner with work colleagues? Or something different?
Hey Marilyn,
Just a business dinner:) Thanks for reading today! xT
I think she probably meant to say “business-esque” and just misspelled it.
The panel looked awesome… so many amazing and talented creators! Who were you most excited to meet?! Are there any bloggers you are closest with in the industry?
I watched the panel you participated in at Raptive’s conference because some of my favorite creators were involved. During the discussion, you mentioned that you respond to every comment and that either you or a team member reply to all DMs, but that doesn’t seem accurate. I’ve been following your *Nine Favorite Things* blog for a few weeks, and while I see occasional responses, it seems like many comments are deleted—which was also noted in the *New York Times* article about your operation.
I’ve asked questions during your weekly Q&A and sent DMs for recipe clarifications, but I’ve never received a response. Additionally, you blamed your followers for the mozzarella phyllo mishap, even though you posted about the same issue yourself on your stories.
The way you spoke about your community and your ‘care’ for them during the panel felt patronizing and immature. Those who engage with your content and buy your cookbooks deserve more respect. I hope you took something valuable from the other creators you were alongside and will work on improving your approach.
Hi JJ,
Thanks for reading today and your comment. I am sorry to hear we have may have missed some of your comments or questions recently, we really do our best to try to get to everyone! If there is anything urgent, you can always send an email too! Sometimes we make the decision to delete a comment if it feels very mean and unnecessary, totally different than a comment with constructive feedback.
So sorry if you felt as though I came across blaming readers for errors in a recipe, that is never my intention. It can be hard to trouble shoot via messages, so maybe words were taken the wrong way. I really value my community and the support from everyone. Hope you are having a great weekend! x
I would love to hear more about the rest of the BTS of the cookbook writing process. Like how you choose the recipes. Who tests them? Are they tested at altitude or not? Where do you get your inspiration for the cookbook theme and recipes? How do you fit all that in along with pushing out a brand new recipe on the blog/social every single day. Curious about that part of the process.
Hey Jenny,
Ok, maybe I will do a larger q+a regarding the topic? Would that be helpful? Then I can go into more detail on all of this! Also feel free to email any of these questions and I can respond in much more details. Thank you!! xx
Where is your long suede skirt and top from that you wore in NYC? It’s so lovely!
Thanks so much, Hillary!! Here is the link for the skirt:
https://rstyle.me/+7k46PZcjB6LrIkhWpsiPdA?li=b8f31f3a-777c-11ef-bdcf-0242ac11002c&lpm=EXACT&pt=timeline&__cid=1144&l=en&p=explore-displayName-posts-id&r=explore-displayName&rr=explore-displayName-posts-id&vid=a73f001c-659f-4638-83a7-29d0d9f9473e&hpd=false
I hope you are having a great Sunday! xT
You’ve mentioned that your family enjoys the food you make. But you also mentioned that they have been traveling together for a month or more. So, my question is who is eating all this food when they are not there?
Hope you have somewhere else these amazing dishes can go – would hate if these went to waste.
Thanks – from a long time interested follower.
Hey PJ,
Thanks for reading! We freeze the food or donate it when my family is out of town, I’m very conscious about not letting it go to waste:) Have a great Sunday! xT
There’s no way any organization would accept donated food that has been sitting out all day while you photograph it. And I highly doubt a, you have the freezer space for 125 recipes and b, fully complete recipes freeze and reheat well. If you’re tossing the food (composting, hopefully??) just be honest
Bailing on a commitment because of one bad day is unprofessional. Why didn’t you give it another chance before giving up and going home? Were the people contracted for those three weeks of work still compensated?
Hi Rhea,
Yes, everyone was fully compensated:) It was a very big financial hit for us, but what we felt must be done. Thanks for reading today! xT
Was hoping you’d answer the other question. You’ve spoken of the importance of not giving up and persevering. You had a bad day. It happens. Why didn’t you give it another chance before you quit?
Rhea, you are seriously unhinged with the way you are piggybacking on other people’s comments to harass her. Get a grip.
I love your all-white outfit! What are the details?!
Hey Lauren,
Thank you so much for reading today! Here is the link for the outfit:
https://rstyle.me/+xZLDL6-KB6O5HOL0n3BjVQ?li=1a7e586f-777a-11ef-ac84-0242ac110007&lpm=EXACT&pt=timeline&__cid=1144&l=en&p=explore-displayName-posts-id&r=explore-displayName&rr=explore-displayName-posts-id&vid=a73f001c-659f-4638-83a7-29d0d9f9473e&hpd=false
Happy Sunday! xT