Michelle Obama: The Light Podcast - Life Is A Party And They Are The Hosts A Conversation With Brie Larson Courtney Mcbroom

Episode Date: January 11, 2026

Oscar-winning actress, Brie Larson, and her best friend, chef and dinner party guru Courtney McBroom, drop by to talk about their new cookbook Party People — a love letter to low-stakes, high-fun get togethers. The duo swap stories about their shared obsession with hosting (and, unexpectedly, Taco Bell!), and how Brie's mom, an over-the-top party planner, sparked her lifelong love of bringing people together. They also reminisce about working side by side on Lessons in Chemistry, where Courtney was head food consultant and Brie learned to see cooking in a whole new light. Plus, they share not one but two family recipes: Courtney’s grandma’s famous Texas sheet cake and a pistachio pie that almost didn’t make the cut.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Your Mama's Kitchen is brought to you by Rivian. My mom was the biggest party thrower ever. It would throw me incredibly elaborate birthday parties, like a two-day Indiana Jones, scavenger hunt. My seventh birthday, she turned, she was a chiropractor, turned her office into a casino. And all of my friends were dressed in, like, cocktail outfits. And all the parents were, like, waiters. And we, like, ate hors d'oeuvres and, like, drank Martinelli's. and like played craps. It was bizarre and so fun. And we did the macarena. It was the best.

Hello, hello. Hello, hello. And welcome back to your mama's kitchen. This is the place where we explore how we are shaped as adults by the kitchens that we grew up in as kids. And not just the food, but all the stuff that happened there. The laughter, the birthday parties, the science experiments, the bills that piled up on the kitchen table, all that stuff. I'm Michelle Norris. And we are lucky today because we are joined by not just one but two brilliant guests, Academy Award-winning actress Brie Larson, and chef, cookbook author, and dinner party expert, Courtney McBrough. Now, you've probably seen Brie in several blockbusters, like 21 Jump Street, Scott Pilgrim versus the world, Lessons in Chemistry Room as the Captain Marvel in the Captain Marvel Enterprise. and you may have seen or tasted some of Courtney's work without even knowing it because she is the head food consultant on lessons in chemistry and the former culinary director of Mofuku Milk Bar in New York City.

Mmm, delicious. We love that. She's also the founder of Ruin Table, a fun event series about all kinds of dinner parties. We did say she's a dinner party expert. Together they have co-written a book called Party People, which shares their taste, and recipes to host the perfect party with all kinds of tips, including menus and ambiance and a playlist for every party. Welcome to both of you. Thanks so much for being with us. Thank you so much. We're happy to be here. Yeah, we are. Thank you. And thank you for this cookbook. It's fun, party people. The stories sort of jump off the page. It's bright and technicolor and

very inviting. And I love that it's dedicated to anyone who ever felt like, you know, they weren't invited. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah, I just want to get you crying. So, yeah, everybody has a seat at the table. Well, let's start with the kitchen table because here we always like to know a little bit about the spaces that you grew up in.

And could you each tell me a little bit about the kitchen you grew up and describe it? What was the mood? What was the vibe? What was it? Sure. What was, what do you remember most? The very first kitchen I remember is in Sacramento. I was born in 89, so sort of that late 80s style where it's tiled, white, and sort of a light blue,

with some pattern tiles as well, with like a thick grout. There was a kitchen spilled over into the living area. There was bar stools, and my mom did a trade with a painter, and she painted these barstools. to have little optical illusions on it. There was one that had a lizard crawling up it, and there was one that had it looked like an apple with a bite taken out of it. And I can't even have to ask her what was on the third one. I feel like it was like a bug or something.

I can't remember. But it was a big deal on our family because my sister and I would argue over who was going to sit on the one with the rotten apple, with the bite mark apple. We didn't want to sit down. So you chose the lizard? Of course. And my mom cooked all of our meals. Aside from breakfast, I was always an early riser.

And so my mom at a very young age, she had me set up with breakfast. So I would, I'm talking like three years old, I would go downstairs and she got me a little carafe that had the milk in it and a bowl of pops. I had some saran wrap over it. And I would pour my milk over my pops and watch Ninja Turtles in the morning. And it was amazing. And one of my favorite Christmases in the world was getting an easy bake oven. And once I used up all of the cake mixes, I would use it to make nachos. I thought I was a genius for that. Cooking with a light bulb. Yes. Yes. You are a genius for that. What else can you do with melting cheese on chips? Yep. That's, those are my memories. Wow. Okay. So my, my memories, it's kind of weird when I'm thinking about. I'm like, what? I remember,

my first first memory was in our house in Wichita Falls, Texas. And I was born a few years before you. So ours was like dark brown tile, you know, like the early 80s vibe. It was like a bunch of brown tile. And this butcher block that my mom had in the center of the kitchen that I remember rolling out pytoes on with her. There's a photo of me doing it on my Instagram that I love so much. And that Butcher block came with us around. I ended up taking it with me to college at one point. And then to New York City when I moved there and I've somehow lost it. I'd actually, this is the first time I've thought about it. I don't know where that butcher block was. Oh, no. So there was that kitchen. And then I always remember my grandma's kitchens,

like my grandma in Texas and then I had another grandma in Kansas. And anytime I went to either grandparents' house, I was in the kitchen right next to them the whole time helping them cook. learning. And sometimes they would just let me cook. And I had this thing that I called, and it's in our book. I write about it called Black Pepper Hot Dogs that I invented. And I would just slice them up into really thin coins and like douse them with black pepper, like so much black pepper, like an edible amount of black pepper. But I would make it. And my grandparents, my parents, everyone would take bites and be like, mm, Courtney, this is so good. And that marked the beginning of my career in food.

That early encouragement, though, is important. It really is. It really is. Was the kitchen a happy space for both of you? Because kitchens are complicated. That's where we have permission to let go of all kinds of emotions. I always say it's where we have our loudest laughter, but also our most intense arguments sometimes. It's where we let it all hang out.

It's hitting on. so many different things. Like I think back, the kitchen was always an inventive space for me. I was homeschooled, so I had a lot of time. My sister went to a regular school, but I wanted to be homeschooled. So I had a lot of time in the kitchen on my own, and I was encouraged, even though my mom always made dinner and it was like a thing that we had dinner together every night. But the rest of the time, I was always encouraged to make my own meals. And I became very inventive. in that way. But now that you're mentioning it, too,

it's like it was also the place where I, from a young age, was frustrated because I wasn't good at math and, like, struggled with my math homework at the, at the bar, in the kitchen. I also remember then later in life, going through a terrible breakup with an ex-boyfriend, and in the middle of an argument,

we were exhausted from arguing, and he was like, I'm going to cook an egg, do you want one? And I was like, yeah. And we just had this, like, breakfast where we both knew that it was the end, but still were sharing a meal before we started arguing again. And so I think what you're landing on is absolutely right.

It's a place where so much happens. And the food is there as kind of this vessel as part of it. We all get drawn in like moth to the flame of the kitchen. Yeah. Oof. Yeah. What about you? You know that scene you just described as a pretty potent cinematic scene, right?

I know, the last egg. I really think about it a lot because it was my first big breakup. And I remember specifically that moment going, wow, I didn't realize that breakups were so complex where you could still like basically take a break from arguing to share a meal and then just like have the fuel to pick it up again and try. You know, we were still trying to make it work,

but we also like knew that it was all falling apart. And yeah, it's everything happens. Everything happens in the, kitchen. Yeah. It's where, you know, multi-generational, too. Yeah. That's where parties, parties always end up in the kitchen, too. Yeah. For me, I, you know, it's interesting. Like, I, my parents got divorced and I was quite young. And I remember when I, when they were still married, my dad was very strict. And I remember, like, being, I was probably three or four, five years

old sitting at the dinner table. And I always remember my parents getting in fights because my dad would be like, Courtney, sit up straight. Courtney, don't chew with your mouth open. And my mom would be like, Bob, she's just a little kid, let her do what she wants. And my dad would be like, no. And like, I'm glad that he did because I sit up straight and I keep my mouth shut. Well, actually I talk with my mouthful all the time. What am I saying? But so, and then they divorced. And then my mom went back to work and she was working nights as a nurse. She went back. She got her master's degree. She started working night shifts as a nurse. And so I, my sister and I kind of became latchkey kids. And I was older. So I was in charge of like, we had like a babysitter, of course. But then like, as we grew older, we didn't need.

one and then I was in charge of like feeding us. So I was making like tuna helper and like or a lot of times we would just eat ice, a gallon of ice cream and you know, it was so fun. Like at the time when we're kids like we're like that age, we're like, oh, let's go to our house. It's the party. It's the party house. There's no parents. So I kind of, and then when my mom, you know, when my mom was there because you didn't work every night, she was so exhausted that we would go out to dinner. So like we went to the Olive Garden like regularly. We're at the Olive Garden. We're at Chili's. We're at Applebee's. You know, it was a small town. Those are the options. So, yeah, it's interesting that I became a chef because, you know, it is, I have had like kind of a strange connection with food my whole life, some really good, some like not as great. But again, food brings us together. And when we, when I was having parties at my house, we definitely ended up in the kitchen when we weren't secretly smoking. Did I hear you say that you would sometimes have a gallon of ice cream for dinner with your, your subs?

Oh, yeah, chocolate shit, pogging does. And did you tell mom about that, or that was just... We're not sure. Yeah, she didn't ask. You didn't know. It was our little secret. Eventually, Bree, you moved to Burbank, California because you were interested in acting at a very early age.

You know, you both work in a celebrity space. Is the kitchen a complicated place? Because of that, because of the way you have to eat for a role, because the discipline that you have to show. It's really not. It's actually a very important space for me. It's how I decompress. I'm very comfortable in the kitchen. And I also am very committed to making my own lunches when I'm working.

It's just a way of feeling like I'm giving a gift to myself. And it makes me happen. You bring a bag lunch with you or a bowl? box lunch or you bring your bunch on your... Yeah, bento boxes in a lunch box. I went through a couple years ago, I had this like crazy epiphany that so much of my day when I'm on set playing another character is as somebody else. And my day is completely dictated by that.

So I'm told when to wake up because of when I'm coming to work, when I can take my lunch break, when it's okay to go to the bathroom, when I'm drinking water, when I'm sitting down, when I'm standing, when I'm doing a certain scene. And it can feel really... it can build you up in a way to get kind of agitated because you realize that you don't have any agency. None of the normal things that you normally have in a day, it's all dictated. And it's kind of silent. You don't realize it's happening until at the end of every job, you're like, oh, I just want to be free.

And you're like, well, why was that the case? So one thing for me is having a lunch that I've made that's like my choice because outside of that it's going to be a catered lunch. And they're like, today you're getting eggplant parmesan. You're like, but I really wanted noodles. Or I really like making kittry when I'm, it's like my go-to whenever I'm filming as I make big pots of kittery, which is like an Ayurvedic lentil rice dish. And it means a lot to me. And a lot of the time, it's either Sundays or a prep day.

So I'll usually be like a Sunday, farmer's market, prep my meals, meased it out. And then mid-week, it's also like. whatever I've cooked myself for dinner, then can become a lunch as well. Anything extra gets frozen. This last job I was on, I was by myself for a lot of it. So, like, I made like a big, pulled pork roast. And then, like, obviously the smallest amount for that is going to be, like, at least four meals for me. So you freeze it. But you have it. And it feels like a gift to yourself. And then for roles and stuff, there's, of course, characters I've played where I've had to make sacrifices and you're on like more specific diets or you know even things like having

less sodium is like really not fun but I've never I don't have a like a relationship with food in that way where it's felt like imbalanced in some way like I've always worked with the nutritionist with those things there's always a way like that's part of the ingenuity part is I feel like I'm the type of mind that wants to fix things. And so if I'm like, okay, I need to like eat 100 grams of protein a day now, what am I going to do about that? Like, how am I going to have fun with that? How am I going to like figure this out so that this doesn't feel like a tour? And then food tastes really great on the other side of it too. But nothing is forever. So nah. Yeah. Food is too important to me, really. I always say like, I don't really hate myself enough to be restrictive or exercise more

than I ever want to, you know. I like myself too much to care about that. That's great. Listening to you talk about that, it sounds very much like your character in lessons and chemistry. I know. You are very in line. It's like I felt like you went into character for just a moment. Well, and I think Elizabeth, that character, she was my awakening with specifically making my lunch. Up until that point, I was really big on Sunday Farmers Market, food prep day, and I would make my dinners every night. didn't consider that making a lunch that looked beautiful until I was playing this character that would make these gorgeous lunches, lunches that Courtney actually made in the show, making these lunches for her daughter. And shortly after the show, I was like, you lose a sense of purpose

when a show is over, when a movie's over, especially when it was something that I had produced and developed for so many years. And I felt like I had all of this energy and output that I wasn't going towards the show anymore, and I didn't know where to put it. And I was single. and was like, immediately you go to, oh, I want friends to come over around with it. I'm like, wait, but I need to slow down and maybe I need to learn how to make a meal for myself. Like, I will go out of my way to roast a chicken

because a friend is coming over, but why wouldn't I do that just for a solo night by myself? And so it became after the show, this inspiration and this residual. Like, characters, or when you finish your job, there's always this process I call like, like unpacking the suitcase and sorting through, and there's like certain things.

that you're like, oh, I can donate that. I don't need that. There's certain parts of certain characters that you're like, I don't need to take that on in my life. And other things that you learn from characters you play, that you're like, actually, that's going to stay here. And that was something from her that stayed with me and has become really kind of central in my process

because I've realized that there's two tandem tracks and there's the development of the character I'm playing, and then there's the development of myself that can sustain playing somebody else for 12 hours a day, and both need to be thought about and considered before you start filming. Courtney, did Elizabeth stay with you too? Because you were portraying Elizabeth also. You were portraying her culinary personality. Yeah, I felt like, I mean, in the same way, like, Bree was like, there's a reason why I wanted to play this character. Same for me. I was, like, reading the script. And I was like, oh, I actually am the perfect person to do this

because I feel like I am Elizabeth, like everything about it. So, again, like, yes, many parts of her stayed with me, but also many parts of her were already there, like her attention to detail, her perfectionism. And it was really nice. Her arc in the show, I guess that is something. Like, I realized in the show, it was like, oh, in the same way that she realized that, like, not everything has to be perfect. And she found, like, you know, different ways to bring people together without being so, like, strict. Like, this, I felt like I loosened up a little bit too, which was cool. How much did you all know each other before you worked on lessons and chemistry?

Ten years. Yeah. Best friends. How did you mean? Tell us the story. Yeah. You have a wonderful meet-cute story. Maybe you should share that. Okay, so it was a mutual friends presidential debate party. Arguably not a fun party. Yeah, the least fun party. And I was making my world famous queso, and I was in the kitchen, and I had all the ingredients in the pot, and it was like melting slowly, and it was still like gloopy and most certainly not ready to be eaten yet. Embree walks in, and she's like, oh, what's that? grabs a chip off the table,

dips it in. She's like, it's the best thing I've ever tasted. And like, I knew immediately that we would be best friends. Anyone who loves queso on that level is a friend of mine. And it just snowballed from there. And you're both natural hosts. You like to throw parties. Yes. Yeah, we've been doing it. Did you grow up with party throwing people? I did. My mom was the biggest party thrower ever. It would throw me incredibly elaborate birthday parties, like a two-day Indiana Jones, scavenger hunt. My seventh birthday, she turned, they were, she was a chiropractor, turned her office into a casino and all of my friends were dressed in like cocktail outfits and all the parents were like waiters and we like ate hors d'oeuvres and like drank martinelli's and like played

craps. It was bizarre and so fun. And we did the macarena. It was the best. So I grew up with this like we do Easter Olympics every year. It's now turned into like Easter Olympics. It's deal or no deal. Every holiday is like a massive event. And that then once me and my sister were a little older, and my mom wasn't just like a stay-at-home mom. I mean, I say stay-at-home mom, but also she was like a single mom who was like doing the hustle that only single moms know how to do, that like was seamless and she was always there for us.

And I don't actually know what her jobs were at that time. But she was working hard. And then that Segway, when we got older, into her having, being an event planner, and now she has her own business. And she does mostly proms and weddings, but she'll do honestly anything. But that's like mostly the events that people ask for an event planner for.

Yeah. And so that's her full-time job on top of, you know, our four-day, Fourth of July, epic family gatherings. Four days? Four days? Yeah, according to last year, it's exhausting. It's a lot.

It is so fun. There's a night that's just glow game. So you wear glow in the dark outfits. and play with glow-in-the-dark games. She builds, like, a huge battleship game that you're playing or, like, glow-in-the-dark badmitten. It's, like, it's a whole thing. Yeah. It's multiple days.

This last year was also Courtney's birthday, so we surprised her with a teaky boat. We did, like, a teaky night. It was so fun. It's a massive thing. My mom instilled that in me at a young age, and so when I moved out, I moved out, like, right on the dot when I turned 18. and I immediately started, I was already really interested in cooking very good in the kitchen at that point already.

And so I started hosting dinner parties in my apartment. And then, like, once I was in my 20s and had a house, same thing. I would do a dinner party once a month. That was about the seasons. And so that just kind of has snowballed. And then once I met Courtney, it, like, snowballed even more because we have such a similar mind. and also, gosh, you want to throw a party way more when you have a co-host. It makes it so much easier when you have somebody that's going to help with the work.

Like, we help with the ideation. We also, like, we divvy up all the work from food to decor to invite list, all of it, and then clean up. So, and now we've just done it so much. And obviously written a book about it. We know it's, like, deeply in us at this point. Yeah, that's one of the lessons in your book is get, you know, get yourself a co-pice. if you're going to do this. And I want to ask you about that a minute. But first, hats off to your mom, Heather. I know. I mean, she was ideating her career as an event planner

with an Indiana Jones themed party where you were excavating in the neighborhood for candy. I mean, you know, she couldn't do it professionally. So you were her beta test, essentially, for this. Yeah. And she did a career that she would eventually have. I want to go. And also, this is like pre-social media, you know, like this was for nothing. other than us having the most epic memories possible. Like, there's nobody watching. And, like, she was making for, like, my, I think it was like my sixth or fifth birthday. It was like a luau, and she carved a cake into a volcano and put dry ice in it.

Like, nobody was doing cakes like that. Now there's all these shows that are like, is it cake? My mom was doing that when I was a kid when, like, I don't even know how she figured that stuff out or knew how to do it. She just has an incredibly creative mind. and she's also is my grandmother's daughter and is incredibly hospitable. It's like hospitality. It's like it's Christmas time. My grandma to this day has like a list of 100 people that are getting a gift basket

that has her jelly in it, that has her pies, that has her cookies, all of her crockpot candy, like the whole deal. And so like that's, you know, party people for us is it's like we came from the women before us who were like working it. And, like, we're cooking Thanksgiving, the Thanksgiving dinner, like, all day and staying up after everyone's asleep doing the dishes. Like, that's where we came from. And so we're saying, that's where we all came from. And, like, these are some tips so that you actually can get rid of some of that trauma of being like, oh, man, I saw how much work that was or how stressful that was. I don't want that. And to say,

we know how to refine this a little bit so that you want to do this and that we can bring back the desire to sit at a table together. Yeah. Yeah. It sounds like it's in the jeans for both of you. Courtney, you too? Oh, yeah. I mean, both of my, really, it was my grandmas who really, again, my mom was like also a single mom working her butt off at night.

And so, and when she wasn't working, she was exhausted. So we would go to my grandma's house and like we would be cooking together. I remember she would make me, what was it? It was like cinnamon sugar toast. He's just like putting a little butter on a piece of white sandwich, bread, a little bit of cinnamon sugar. She didn't even, actually, it wasn't even a toast. She wouldn't even cook it.

She wouldn't even toast. It was just like the raw part and it was so good. And like all those like magic treats that your grandmas make for you. That's just like they make you feel like the most special loved person in the world. And she also gave me my first cookbook, which is the Care Bears party book. And so I took that thing and ran with it. I was making fun shine fizz. I was making, it was like fruit, rainbow fruit sticks, carolot, clubs.

cloud cake. Like, I would be making the biggest mess in the kitchen. I wasn't good at cleaning up back then, unfortunately, because I was only seven, but, um, and feeding it. And like, I think that's really, that's how I found my love for food and how I found my love for like sharing that with others, sharing food with others. Because again, I was making all the stuff, whether or not it actually tastes good. I don't know. But they, my parents, my grandparents, they all at least pretended to love it and eat it up. And that gave me the courage to keep moving. forward. Before we continue, I want to take a moment to talk about a really important topic, and that's hope for the future. On Your Mama's Kitchen, we hear from all kinds of guests about the

different kinds of hope that they fostered in their childhood kitchens, hopes of pursuing their dreams, hopes of becoming a star, hopes to spread their culture to the world. They know how powerful it is to believe in what is possible. They prove that all of our stories matter, and hearing about their journey should inspire everyone to foster their own hopes for the future, no matter where they are in life. And speaking of hope for the future, I want to talk about Rivian, the makers of the fully electric, full-sized SUVs and pickups designed with tomorrow in mind. Our friends at Rivian have given me a vehicle, and let me tell you, it has been incredible, driving a fully electric SUV that fits my lifestyle so beautifully. It's got capability. It's got capability. It's got

tons of storage. It's beautifully designed. We're tall people in my family, and everyone fits, and everyone is comfortable, even if we're using all three rows. It's packed with over 30 sensors and advanced safety features to help keep your loved ones protected. I'm going to throw out some of my favorite features. The Rivian's autonomy platform includes adaptive cruise control. They call it active lane keeping. There's forward collision warning and even highway assist. which handles steering, braking, and acceleration. Rivian also gave me a travel kitchen, which is sold separately. It has a two-burner induction cooktop that fits right on the tailgate.

I love it so much because whether I'm at a sporting event and I want to cook up some hot chili or I'm visiting the beach and I want to cook up some seafood that's right from the ocean or if I want to make some eggs after a long hike, I could just fire up that kitchen and serve up something delicious while I'm on the road. It's got hangout lights at the top that sort of dangle over the top of the cooktops, so I can even cook when it's starting to get dark outside. Rivian is on a mission to build a sustainable world, one that is rich in wonder and adventure and full of hope for future generations. Who doesn't love that? Learn more at rivian.com. Do you have a dream trip on your bucket list? I do. Actually, I have

several of them. I travel all the time for work, but there are dream trips that I have not yet been able to undertake, and I am excited about the possibilities. There are some countries I haven't been able to get to, or at least not as a tourist. Usually I'm working, always on the move, often on assignment, but I love to go someplace new and just wander the streets, often in a new place without any real agenda, just to walk around and absorb the atmosphere. And as I am imagine myself there halfway around the world. It occurred to me that falling in love with someone else's home is pretty wonderful, but what if someone else could do the same thing? That's the beauty of hosting on Airbnb. Your home doesn't have to sit empty while you're off on your own adventures.

It becomes part of someone else's story if you're willing to open it up. Maybe it's a couple on their first big trip together, making breakfast in your kitchen before a day of museum hopping, or it's a solo traveler curled up with a good book in your favorite chair, finding a little piece in a busy world, enjoying the view out the window. Knowing that your space can give them the same sense of comfort that you look for when you travel, well, that's what makes hosting on Airbnb so special. Of course, the extra income doesn't hurt, especially when it helps fund that dream trip that's on your bucket list. Your home could be worth more than you think. Find out about its potential at Airbnb.com slash host. The Thanksgiving table is more than just about meals.

It's about creating a holiday story. And every story needs the right ingredients. And when it's Thanksgiving, well, the turkey is the star of the show. And I'm going to share a story with you that I'm not particularly proud of. When I was a lot younger, a lot newer in the kitchen, I was having a hard time nailing the turkey. And I needed a replacement turkey. And I was frantic to find one. And guess what? Whole Foods Market saved the day with a turkey that was both affordable and a turkey that I know was raised with care. What a relief. Their turkeys start at just $1.49 a pound. And every single one is raised with no antibiotics ever, and it can be the centerpiece of your holiday story without the worry. And the real magic for me is a supporting cast. The sides, that's where the magic happens.

And I lean on Whole Foods' 365 brand for all the things that I need. It's my secret for a flawless, affordable feast, and we're talking organic carrots for that perfect glazed dish. I'm talking about green beans for the casserole or for any other green beans. dish that you might want to make because there are so many options for the holiday, from essentials like creamy condensed soups to organic baking spices that when it comes time to baking those delicious desserts makes the entire house smell like one great big hug. And for those moments when guests arrive and you're still in the kitchen, but you need to have something to greet them with that taste delicious, well, those 365 frozen appetizers will always do the trick. The Kish Trio or the

butterfly shrimp can be lifesavers, and people will remember it and they will talk about it for years to come. They feel special and they let you finish up in the kitchen. Enjoy so many ways to save on your Thanksgiving spread at Whole Foods Market, and I hope the holiday is bountiful in all the best ways. We all know that food waste is bad for the planet, but that doesn't mean we're ready to start a compost pile or we're okay with having a smelly fruit fly condo compost pail on the counter. That's why I am so into the mill food recycler. The whole idea is to make keeping food out of the trash as easy as dropping it into the trash. I just add my scraps, and I mean like almost anything. I mean anything from chicken wing bones to

avocado pits to cannulop rinds, and mill runs automatically while I sleep. I can keep filling it for weeks, and it never smells. What really surprised is, surprises me is the peace of mind. I used to feel guilty every time I tossed out wilted spinach or half-eaten leftovers. Now I just drop them into the bin, open the lid, drop them in, and I know that they're going to a better place. You can use the grounds in your garden or feed them to your chickens, but me, I have mill, get them to small farms for me so farmers can grow more food. You just send those grounds off to farms in little boxes that mill can provide, and they will turn that back into real food for real animals. That's such a good feeling. It's a full-circle

moment that I didn't know that I needed. You can have your own full-circle moment. Try Mill, risk-free, and get $75 off at Mill.com slash YMK Podcast. That's mill.com slash YMK Podcast. I've been reading a lot about the introduction of convenience foods, and you both mentioned some of those stuff you've grown up with, like, you know, cold cereal, I think you mentioned tuna helper. There is a worry in the food industry that America was going to introduce a generation of young people who didn't know how to cook, didn't have any interest in cooking because everything came out of a box or a can or was meant to, you know, be done quickly. And that hasn't happened. In fact, younger people are much more interested in food and going back to the land and, you know,

and cooking, ingredient cooking, you know, where you're actually. actually going, as you mentioned, to the farmer's market, where you're actually going to the source where you're, you know, maybe getting the box every month or maybe every week that comes from the local farm. Are you seeing that in your life? And is that something that is reflected in the cookbook that you're writing now? Oh, completely. I do, though. Yeah, I mean, I think it's a combination of both, right? Like, I think it's important to, like, go to the farmer's market, to support, like, the local farms, to support, you know, the local restaurants and mom and pop stuff. And, and to make things from scratch.

But I also think it's important that like to give yourself the grace of like I'm exhausted, you know what I'm going to do is like make tuna helper. You know, I think it's important to have both. It needs to be a balance.

I think you can go too far in either direction. And I think that is quite well represented in our book. It was actually hitting on a huge topic of conversation we had when we were considering the recipes that we would put in this book and how we'd go about it. And like, for example,

one recipe that didn't make it in the book, because in our discourse back and forth, we couldn't figure out where we would land on this, which is like my favorite dessert in the entire world is this pistachio dessert that my grandma would make. And it's just like a very simple like walnut and graham cracker crust with pistachio jello and cool whip. That's it.

And we were like, this is the best dessert ever. But can we live with ourselves if we say, you're going to buy instant jello and you're going to buy cool whip? Because like, is that food? Yeah. Is that food? Like, are we saying that that's a rest of it? What was I said jello pudding, right?

It's like the jello pudding. It's the jello pudding. Yeah. Yeah, sorry. That's to be clear. It's not jello jello, it's jello pudding. But it was this thing where we're like, okay, another example would be our party people punch, which, like, I was like, this has to taste like minute made fruit punch. And in all of the testing of freshly squeezed juice and all of these things that we went through, it was like, actually, Minutemate Fruit Punch tastes that way because it's 5% juice.

Yeah. And you can't get that with all of the stuff. So we had to put Minut Made Fruit Punch is an ingredient in our party people. And with that, we also said, listen, if you want this to taste extra good, buy your oranges, buy your limes, juice these, and pour them in. And also, if you don't have time and you're hosting a bunch of people and you're like, I don't have time to like juice to make, you know, two cups of orange juice, by the orange juice that's already made, it's okay. Don't let that be the reason why you don't make this or the reason why, like, we're trying to get rid of the perfectionist part too. So,

So to your point, it's like, you can be interested in the food chain and you can be interested in knowing where things came from and what is food. Like, okay, outside of instant pistachio pudding, what the heck is pudding? You know? And also, you can be like, and I like what I like. And like, I work really hard and I want to pop a frozen pizza in the oven. Like the book holds both for us where we're like, be realistic about where you're at. It's okay.

We don't need to make all the food poison. Like, let's enjoy ourselves and do the best that we can. Well, and also, like, as a professional chef, like, I'm so, like, cooking is my job. When I'm not working, I don't necessarily want to cook for myself. I want to pop a frozen pizza in the oven or eat a peanut butter and jelly. You know, there's a, I mean, that's like, I feel like that's such a stereotype with chefs. And it's true for a reason. It's like when food's your job, you don't necessarily want to, like, come home from work and then spend another two hours cooking yourself dinner.

You know, you want to, like, stop at Taco Bell or you want to, like, order ramen take out. Did you say Taco Bell? No, that surprised me. We both are huge Taco Bell lovers. And we will not apologize. Really? Yeah, we love Taco Bell. We ate it like yesterday.

What's your go-to at Taco Bell? Well, we're both the same. We're the same taste. So, of course, we both want a Mexican pizza. Yeah. But then I like to go through the crispy tacos supreme, two of those on the side. And you prefer... I do another burrito.

Yeah, I usually do a burrito or I'll just do a little tray of nachos. But, yeah, usually a burrito with a side of nacho cheese. and then I dip the bean and cheese burrito in the nacho cheese. See, it's a balance. I did not think that we were going to be talking about Taco Bell. Surprise, surprise. Yeah, it can be, it's not either or it's everything. And then like the other day, we went to like the most amazing dinner at this restaurant in New York called Sons.

That is just got gorgeous. Yeah, like the most beautiful Korean food made by the most beautiful woman. She, her dad goes diving for the scallops. every day that we ate. And so it's like, again, it's both. Like, sure, did we have Mexican pizza for lunch that day? Yeah, but then we had a really nice, freshly fresh salad. Balance, you do a little bit of both.

Since we're going into the holiday season, I want to get some entertaining tips from you. So what are one or two things that people should think about? Beyond having a co-pilot, find yourself a hosting buddy to make it easier. What are one or two or three or four things that people can do to lighten the load? because even if you entertain a lot, you feel like a freight train is on your back sometimes. Of course. You know, timing is difficult.

Do I want to have six people or ten people? You know, figuring out the mix. You mentioned the music. A lot of times, oh, I have this great party, but I forgot to put together a playlist. Why didn't I put together a playlist? So what are two or three or four things that people can think about,

especially with the holidays coming up? Everything you can do in advance, do it. So don't be like, don't be like, I'm going to have a party tomorrow. I'm going to have a party in two weeks. When I have in my free time between those two weeks, I'm going to make the playlist. I'm going to make any decorations I want to do. I'm going to look at the, I'm going to decide on the menu and I'm going to back it out. And anything that can be made in advance, I'm going to do that.

Anything that can be in the freezer. Like mezed out in advance, I'm going to do that. I'm going to figure out which platters, what platters are going to be used and stage it. And I'm going to put a little post-it note inside to be like, this is for. the roast chicken, so I don't forget. And in our book, we've done that for you. Anything that could be made in advance, we note it. We create prep list for you so you can follow the prepolis. And I think that alone is, well, it's so freeing. And we have millions of more tips. Do you have a tip you want to give? Yeah, I do. I mean, my mom is the queen of this, but thinking about budget,

I think budget, especially when you're getting into holiday season and you're imagining, like having six people over, that's expensive. It doesn't matter who you are. It's expensive. So my mom is the queen of this where she will think about, okay, Thanksgiving is coming. And she will start to note when there's sales for things, when there's things. And she paces it out. So she's first of all not spending a bunch of money in one week.

she's building it over the course of time. And then the other one is actually creating a budget, which is like not the fun conversation to have. But if you do that, you really, it helps you. It'll help you make your menu because you'll know what it is that you can afford to make. If you realize that it'll help you say no if someone asks for a plus one that you're like, I can't afford. I know it's like going to cost me another 20 bucks. I can't do that. It will make you ask for help, meaning have someone bring ice, have someone bring a bottle of wine. If you're feeling really cozy, ask them to bring a side dish or like an appetizer, a bag of nuts that you guys can have as like bar snacks. It's okay.

But I think being realistic about those things will allow you to feel really comfortable and less stressed out. And then if saying you've been able to do all of that and you're feeling really good, set it up so that when your guests come in, they are kind of, it's self-service, right? You come in, they go, this is where the bathroom is, let me get you a drink. These are, if you want it to be this way, I love to show people, this is where the water comes from, these are where the cups are, this is where the ice is. From now on, for forever, you're allowed to grab those things. You don't have to ask me for those things. And so then it's set up. Everybody's seated over here. I like to put a jigsaw puzzle in the area that I want people to congregate, for example, people will go towards that.

And then you kind of like slowly corral people so that they know where to go. And it's like, you're good. You know, I think people get a little word. They're like, how do I know how to help people enter? You know, it's like, have your drinks ready, show people where to go. Get them seated. You're good. Have like a batched out cocktail.

They can serve themselves. And like you really hit it with the jigsaw puzzle. Like it's we found in all of our experience, it's really nice to give people something to do, something to talk about, something to like rally around, whether that's a jigsaw puzzle or like a theme or a dress code, like something fun to give people a reason to like talk about something besides the weather. You all seem like you're big on games too. Yeah. Yeah. I'm very big on games. Again, because they're a container. And I also feel like games and dress codes are things that people are really intimidated by. And I'm here to encourage people that,

It will make your party so much easier. If you're not somebody that hosts often, like one party we haven't thrown that we really want to do is the wear something that you never get to wear but you always want to party. Yeah, that's it. It doesn't have to be a hard dress code. It can be like cozy pajamas.

You know, it doesn't have to be like some wild dress code, but just like something for people to rally. So that if you have a party where say, you know, it's a bunch of people that haven't met each other before and you're nervous about how is that, conversation going to go. You create this anticipation of, okay, they're going to walk through the door and what are they wearing? And then person go, oh, my God, you're wearing? Like, what is this? Like, oh, it's my wedding dress. I haven't got to wear it. I always want to wear it again.

Or like, somebody else comes in and they're like in a top hat or like someone's in a bikini or whatever. And like you have immediately something to talk about. Yeah. And it just makes everything smooth. And then again, it's like I am the first person that if I start to feel like things are lulling, people don't know what to talk about, I'm either giving out conversation starters. or I'm saying I'm dumping Legos on the dining table. I'm like all about like give people direction if they need it. And a lot of the times they don't. But if you just have those things in your back pocket, you're good.

I noticed in the book that the tables don't look fussy. Like when you set up the buffet, you know, it doesn't look like you spent five hours trying to lay out the perfect floral arrangement. I mean, sometimes there's corningware. You know, the main dishes. It looks, you know, there's vintage on almost every table. Is that a residual from lessons in chemistry? Do you guys just both love to roam flea markets?

Or, you know, what's the message there? Yeah. I mean, the message is like, don't, not everything has to be perfect. Like, use what you got. And don't stress. Also another hosting tip, don't stress about it. You don't have to have the perfect plates. You don't have to have the perfect napkins.

It doesn't have to be all perfectly set up. And the match. Yeah. The most important thing is that you're doing it and you're inviting people over and like we all need to get together in real life and break bread together. Like don't worry about whether or not the China matches. Exactly. And again, like part of why it looks like that in the book is because that's what we like. Part of it is because we were in charge of the photo shoot and so we're using our own plates. Like a lot of the stuff is the combination of corny stuff, my stuff, and my mom's

stuff because my mom has a lot of things from doing it. I noticed like the Tiki, like someone has been at Trader Vicks or something. Exactly. All of the toys and stuff are mine, too. It's like, and some of Courtney's pet robot. I have a robot son. My robot son. So all of that stuff is like our actual stuff.

But it's like, go. It's encouraging people to say like, go to your local Salvation Army or Goodwill or whatever, your charity shop. And like, buy a bunch of stuff that's like cheap that you think looks cool. Doesn't all have to match. And it's going to be the stuff that like, if someone passes the bowl and they drop it and it breaks, you're not going to cry because it was like your great grandmother's heirloom. Like, have stuff that you like that you're actually not

afraid to use because, again, people are like, if we're trying to tell people, there's a list of things that stress people out and we're here to help you alleviate those. That is one of them. And it's all wrapped up in this thing about feeling like hosting a party is like your opportunity to display how perfect you are. And we're here to say like, you're not going to do it. You shouldn't do it. It's not the best party if you do that. Make it so that it's easy and comfortable for people. That's the idea. Including yourself. Because if you're not having fun, if you're not relaxed, your guests are going to pick up on that and they're going to be like this. Like the best thing you can do as up. And they're going to taste it in the food. Yes. And that too.

So like figure out what it is you need to do to be relaxed at your own party and do that. If that means like maybe you're just cooking one recipe and you're ordering take out for the rest, you know, maybe that's what it is. That's okay. We're not here to tell you, what to do other than just please have a party, invite your friends, invite your family, invite your chosen family over and get together because we all need to be supporting each other right now, you know? It is a time where people really are feeling a need to come together. Yeah, exactly.

That's the message in the book. We always gift our listeners with a recipe, and you chose a recipe, of course, from your book. Yes. We're going to talk about Courtney's grandma's Texas sheetcake. Is that correct? Yeah. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah, that was the cake that I was talking about earlier that my grandma has been making since I can remember. It was every time we went over to her house, she would have it already cut into little squares. And she would do half with pecans on top and the other half plain because my dad, sorry with my dad when he was a kid, he didn't like nuts. And so he wanted it plain. And so she continues with that tradition today. I can hear her sweet little boy. She's like, do you want yours with nuts or without nuts? strong like this Texas accent is strong and I would go from one or the other because I like both

and it's just it's this moist fudgy really light chocolate cake and then you ice it when it's hot straight out of the oven so the icing kind of melts into it and then you either top it with nuts or you don't depending on if you're a nut person. Or two half an half. Yeah it's and is it dark chocolate or milk chocolate? Does the chocolate make a difference? It's also it's cocoa powder. It's just straight up cocoa powder and it's chef's kiss. You bloom it in hot boiling water first so it kind of meles out the flavor and brings

it makes it more strong as well and then you just, it's also it's also so easy to make. You don't need a stand mixer. You do it all by hand in one bowl and you dump it in you whisk it together and then you throw it in the oven. It's so easy to make. It sounds

delicious and there's a beautiful picture of it and you in the book and it looks to And there are candles in this case. So it's also like, I guess, the standard family birthday cake. Oh, most certainly. Most certainly. Well, because, Bree, you also mentioned you didn't include it in the book, but if you're willing to give up the recipe, I would love to road test this pistachio pie.

It's literally, it's like crushed nuts and is it graham crackers? Mixed with butter, press in the bottom of the pan. And then you get the pistachio pudding, you make that, you pour that in and you chip that. it, and then once that sets, you literally spoon whipped cream. Cool whip. Sorry, sorry, cool whip on top. And then, like, if you're doing that... Could you do whipped cream, though? Could you make whipped cream if you really are that person when you wanted to make a whipped cream? I'm just telling you, like, I've been in a battle for the last couple of years because my grandma uses Crisco and her pie crust, and I'm like, grandma is so bad for you. Like, we've got to stop doing it. And there's so many

things, and I learned a lot from talking with her because of making this cookbook. have her twice baked potato recipe in there for, and anytime I deviate from what she's done, it doesn't work. And then I'm like, why? And she's like, I don't know. This is just the way we do it. And so we've been in a battle where I've been trying to prove to her that you can make a good pie crust with butter. It just is harder to do because you have to keep chilling the butter over and over and over again. She has yet to agree with me. I'm getting closer. I'm getting closer, but she has yet to be satisfied by it. But again, it's like, I can't imagine.

Like, if I said to her, what if we put, like, actual whipped cream on it, she'd be like, you can. I don't think that's going to work. And you're like, why? And she's like, because this is how we do it. You know, it's like part of the charm of it is that she has, like, there's a process to everything. And this has been passed down.

And, like, they don't know why, but that's just the way that you do it. Well, Koo-WIP does have a stand at attention kind of, It is sturdy. You know, it kind of holds up. Yeah. And it's that type of food that, like, it's a dessert that you can have sit out like all day. And trust me, we do. And that thing is not changing at all.

That's what I mean. It's still standing at attention. Yeah. It's exactly right. It's standing at attention. And that's like part of the beauty of it is that like, and I eat that for breakfast. It's like a thing my grandma always makes just for me. I'm the only one who likes it.

I'm the only one who eats it. She makes a whole, okay, I'm so doing this. dish of this. I eat like a massive slice of it. It's like the only thing that's a dessert that I like. And then I eat it for breakfast for the next week. I love banana pudding, but I'm willing to try this pistachio pudding. I'm excited about it. But a woman, I had some of the best pie I've ever had and I was like, girl, what did you do with this crust? And it was a buttercrest, but she added vodka to it. And she said it was about chemistry. It was like that actually it brought the temperature down and something, the bonds and the wheat or whatever, that the vodka did something.

I was actually just reading that because I tested a version of a pie crust with vodka. And there's something about, and I'm probably getting this wrong, but when you add the vodka to it, you're able to increase the liquid content without adding actual liquid. Liquid because it bakes off. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. The vodka bakes out quicker. Yeah. It evaporates.

Yeah. Something like that. Interesting. But it was about. But it holds the butter also. makes it easier to work with the butter. It's like it encapsulates the butter in a different way and helps it stay quickly. We're going to have to Google it.

No, we're going to Google it. I'm going to try it because tis the season where I'm in my bake-off era with my grandma and I lose miserably every single time. Maybe this is the secret. But maybe I'll try the vodka this time. Okay, I'm going to try it too. And we can find each other on the socials and we'll compare. And here we are giving people lessons in chemistry on how to make my crust.

With vodka. I have loved talking to both of you. This cookbook is so much fun. And I hope it finds itself in many a kitchen and under many a tree. We hope so too. And whatever holiday you celebrate, you know, you will find a way to celebrate it with much more merriment in the pages of this book. Thank you so much. We love this conversation too. It was really good. Thank you so much. Best to you. That was fun. And I hope you all leave this episode more ready to host your own dinner party. or your holiday celebrations. I want to remind you that, as always, our inbox is open because we want to hear from you.

We want to hear about your mama's kitchen. We want to hear about recipes, memories, maybe your thoughts on some of the previous episodes. You can record a video or make an audio recording and send that to us at yMK at highergroundproductions.com and you might just hear your voice on one of the upcoming episodes. And if you want to try the Texas Sheetcake, You can find that at our website.

That's your mama's kitchen.com. And when you're there, take some time, scroll through, because you will find all the recipes for all the previous episodes, and there's some good stuff there. Thanks for being with us. I hope you come back next week, and until then, be bountiful.