It's all about the approach to food whether you're making it or enjoying it. We've been fans of Katie Lee Biegel for a number of years as we love how she simply enjoys telling her story through food. With a hectic holiday season upon us, we wanted to chat with her to talk about her love of food, being a co-host on The Kitchen, partaking in Kitchen Therapy as a form of self-care and her thoughts on her bestselling book being turned into a film on the Hallmark channel!
ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you realize you wanted to work in food?
KATIE LEE BIEGEL: I don’t consider myself a chef, I consider myself a home cook that likes to share what I know. I grew up in my Grandma’s kitchen. I’ve always been cooking my whole life and I realized that I could make it a career, probably 20 years ago when I was in college. I started thinking that this was what I wanted to do and I have been fortunate enough to be able to make it my life’s work and it’s also my hobby and I love to cook!
AM: Which is awesome and we always love seeing you in different shows as you make food so approachable. Love seeing you on The Kitchen, what drew you to want to be on that show?
KLB: Oh gosh, The Kitchen is a dream come true! We’ve been doing that show for almost 10 years now! It’s the best thing that ever happened to me professionally. Those are my people and we have such a good time, we have become family. But it’s also our viewers as well. We have such a loyal following and I love hearing from our viewers on social media. Especially at this time of year, the holidays are when everyone is in the kitchen, everybody is cooking and it's our busiest time. I really believe in making and cooking with an enjoyable experience with people. It doesn’t have to be stressful. I teamed up with Sub-Zero, Wolf and Cove for this Kitchen Therapy initiative which I am so into. I like during the holidays to carve out some me time and to go to the kitchen. It's actually my form of self-care by having those moments of peace in the kitchen when everything else about the holidays can be chaotic.
AM: I love that you say that. I never thought of self-care happening in the kitchen so when I heard about it, I knew that I wanted to know more about this as we’re all about wellness and bringing self-care to other areas, so why not here? Tell me more about your partnership with Sub-Zero, Wolf & Cove.
KLB: I learned that 95% of Americans find cooking to be calming. That actually surprised me because you hear a lot of people getting stressed out about food and what they are cooking. I think when it comes to holiday cooking especially, it’s about making a game plan and carving out that time in your schedule as opposed to waiting until the last minute. I always wait to the last minute to buy gifts and then I’m totally stressed. I got the kitchen part down, I just need to get the gift buying part down and maybe I would have a stress free holiday!
I think that when you can carve out that time and get in the kitchen, whether you’re putting on your favorite music or turning on a holiday movie that you love to watch while you cook or open a bottle of wine if you like. It’s about having that time that’s yours. For me, I get that sense of contentment that I am cooking for my family and loved ones. It makes me feel good, especially if I’m not in a rush.
AM: Why do you think it’s so important that we all need to find ways to do Kitchen Therapy?
KLB: Well I mean, food is what nourishes our bodies right? When you’re taking the time to cook good nourishing food, I think that you’re going to feel good about it. I just did a renovation and I’m here in my kitchen in NYC.
AM: Which is beautiful!
KLB: Thank you! I got my favorite appliances. I got my Sub-Zero fridge, I got my Wolf Range Oven and my Cove Dishwasher. I think that having those appliances that really do their jobs effectively and efficiently makes me feel a sense of ease as well in the kitchen.
AM: Well how can we make cooking an escape from the stress? What are tips that you suggest? Someone such as yourself has already adopted it, but what can people do that makes it a lot easier for them?
KLB: I’m a big believer in making lists. If it’s not written down, I don’t remember it. So I write out my menu, I write out everything that I am going to need to buy at the store and I shop in advance. I know that the refrigerator is going to keep things fresh so I do a lot of cooking in advance as well. Whether it’s making my dressing a couple of days ahead of time and storing it in there. I have a bread pudding back there on the stove. Bread pudding is a fantastic dessert to make in advance, to keep it in the fridge and then to pop it in the oven before dessert time. I can’t stress enough to plan ahead before the holidays.
AM: What are some of your favorite recipes to make especially with these amazing appliances that you have?
KLB: Oh some of my favorite recipes! I’ve got so many! I always look forward to making my Thanksgiving turkey. Some people are intimidated by the turkey, we always joke that it’s a big chicken! Again, allow yourself some time with the turkey.If you have a frozen turkey, allow yourself 1 day for every 5lbs to thaw in your refrigerator. Then I like to do an herb butter under the skin and I do a dry brine and put it back in the refrigerator and then I let it sit out for an hour to come to room temperature before putting it in the oven. Then it’s going to need a good hour to rest after it has come out of the oven. So think about what time you want to start serving your Thanksgiving dinner and work backwards from there.
AM: What plans do you have for the holiday season and what does Katie Lee’s kitchen serving and doing?
KLB: We’ve got a jam packed holiday season! We moved into our new place in the city and we invited my husband’s family to come for Thanksgiving. He has a big family and we’ve got a lot of plans! So, I definitely have to cook in advance. We’ve got plans to go to the Museum of Natural History, we’re going to do a pizza party at one of our favorite places the night before Thanksgiving so that I’m not cooking the night before Thanksgiving. We’re going to the Thanksgiving Day Parade and then we’ve got plans to see the Radio City Rockettes. We’ve got all kinds of plans. We’re going to do a Chinatown night – super excited for it! But I’ve been thinking a lot about our meal and how I am going to time that out. I’m actually going to start cooking on Mon of Thanksgiving week.
AM: Wow! That’s smart!
You’re also the Executive Producer for the Hallmark film, Groundswell which is based on your bestselling debut novel. How exciting has this been for you to be part of this and to see your book become this whole other thing?
KLB: I enjoyed working with Hallmark so much. It was really a dream come true to see my book become a film and it had been a really long time. That book came out in 2011 and I certainly wasn’t expecting that in 2022, to have it become a movie! So it just goes to show that anything can happen!
AM: Exactly!
What are you excited about for the upcoming year as we’re closing this one out which seems crazy to say! Is there anything that we should keep an eye out for?
KLB: I’m really focused on my daughter, I have a 2 year old and she’s going to nursery school this year, so I’m really enjoying all of the things with her school and participating in holiday events with her. As far as professionally, continuing on with The Kitchen, we are in production all year long so I’m constantly writing recipes for The Kitchen and I’d like to do something again in the scripted world. So we’ll see if it’s another movie or if I start writing another book. I’m not exactly sure, but I want to be able to get those creative juices flowing again! I think that when we first become moms, it’s like that part of your brain turns off, because you’re so focused on your child, your baby and now she’s getting to the point where I can begin to start thinking of other things!
AM: Does she help you in the kitchen as well?
KLB: She loves to be in the kitchen and she definitely helps a lot in making messes!
AM: Every little bit helps and that’s why you plan as you know there will be 20mins of “uh-oh!”
KLB: There’s definitely some extra clean up, but it’s so worth it and so much fun!
Katie Lee Biegel is known for having the perfect recipe and especially during the holiday season, she wanted to share her Pumpkin and Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding that she was talking about that could be made ahead and then heated up when friends and family come over for holiday festivities!
PUMPKIN AND CHOCOLATE CROISSANT BREAD PUDDING
Ingredients
• Nonstick cooking spray, for the baking dish
• 6 large eggs
• 3 cups half-and-half
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 chocolate croissants, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)
• Hot fudge sauce
• Caramel sauce
Directions:
1. Spray an 8-inch square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, half-and-half, pumpkin, sugar, salt, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and vanilla. Add the croissant pieces and chocolate chunks and toss to coat. Transfer to the prepared baking dish. Press the mixture down into the pan. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to overnight to allow the liquid to be absorbed.
3. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
4. Bake until golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes. Serve hot with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired. Drizzle with hot fudge sauce and caramel sauce.
PHOTOGRAPHY COURESY | Katie Lee
Read the NOV ISSUE #83 of Athleisure Mag and see KITCHEN THERAPY | Katie Lee Biegel in mag.
