Cooking With America’s Test Kitchen

You might remember that in May I was in Atlanta making some gardening and cooking videos.    This was in collaboration with the Gardenieres and America’s Test Kitchen.  There I got to cook up some yummy dishes with the ultra kind and funny Bridget Lancaster.   We used vegetables that I grow in our garden to make some easy recipes that were delicious (seriously, I tasted them all.. multiple times.. including sneaking in extra bites with my back towards the camera, because that doesn’t look suspicious at all, does it?)

First up:  Strawberry Pie with the most yummy whip cream on top.
This pie tasted so fresh, it was extra strawberry. It basically tasted just like picking strawberries out of our containers and immediately throwing them in my mouth.   Plus whip cream.  Because whenever there is whipped cream I’m going to be all over it. Can you imagine if I could grow whipped cream? Also can you imagine if whipped cream was healthy? Why is it not? Instead of a bowl of carrots, I could just snack on a pint of whipped cream.   Come on science, let’s make this happen.

Shudder getting in on this pie action.

Next Up: Kale Pesto Pasta
I am a big kale pesto fan (my favorite recipe is coming soon!) so I was pretty psyched about this dish. I really love the bits of red pepper flakes sprinkled in too.  

The rooster really liked it too.  I’m so nice feeding everyone.

In the beginning of the video on the roof, you might think I look a little wet, that’s because it was pouring! Pouring! And there’s me, trying to see and hoping my mascara isn’t running.  

Behind The Scenes:
It’s pretty amazing to see all the behind the scenes work that goes into cooking segments.   Since I often work on filmsets I’m pretty used to all the cameras, mess outside of the camera, clamps holding together a model’s dress so it fits her perfectly, and making a magical world that doesn’t really exist. But with shooting cooking segments, everything is cooked in separate sections so it’s ready to go. There’s not 1 strawberry pie made, there’s 8 of them in all various steps.  Also outside of the camera there is space dedicated to every pan, towel, appliance, kitchen gadget you can think of.    Wouldn’t it be amazing if instead of waiting 40 minutes for those brownies to finish, someone just walked into your kitchen, took the brownie mix (wait, give that back!) and replaced it with a hot tray of brownies already made.  Come on science, make this happen.

Multiple crusts in different stages ready to go.

Keeping that pasta warm, bowls for days.   The number of pretty Anthropologie towels they had for props made me pass out. Kidding, I didn’t pass out, I just laid on the floor hugging the towels.

Binders full of pictures showing all the steps of making the recipe.

Waiting for the next step.. with my pink cat bag on the counter.

Lights, Camera, Food.

 
Hey, that’s me.  How did that cat get in the bottom right?  I have no idea!

Makeup, please come and save me from these hot lights.  Honestly, I was pretty scared of the eyeliner.  But it worked out. Thanks makeup artist!

I’d like to think I am saying something very exciting about kale here.

At the end of the shoot they made me do this. You can see how enthusiastic I am.  Charlie’s Angels aired until 1981.  I was born in 1983. Now if they wanted to pretend to be Jem & The Holograms, I totally would have been more exited. 

Hope you liked these videos! They were lots of fun to make. 
If you try the recipes, let me know what you think!