I grew up cooking. I was always in my grandma's cooking, and I never thought of it as a career.
— Katie Lee
I'm a big coffee drinker, and I like the ritual of using a French press - plus it makes great coffee.
I do shop on eBay. I love to buy china on eBay. I've bought quite a few sets of plates. I like to buy gifts as well. If I know somebody has a favorite writer, I look for a first edition. It's also a great place to buy vintage jewelry.
My favorite southern dish has to be fried chicken. I love to cook it. I love to have it in the summer.
I once had a 'best friend' share private stories that I had told her in confidence to another mutual friend. I think the worst part, aside from the actual betrayal of trust, is that this experience affected my future relationships, as I was hesitant to be as open with my other friends.
In the winter, I always buy frozen organic berries instead of fresh. They are frozen as soon as they're harvested, so they actually have a higher vitamin content than fresh this time of year.
One of my favorite salads is spinach with pickled strawberries.
Every great summer party starts with a list. Throwing something together chaotically ends up being more work than taking 15 minutes to make a plan first.
My dining and entertainment philosophy - I can boil it down to 'the three C's - I like my food like my fashion: casual, classic, and with a touch of couture.
I love Montauk Pearl oysters. They are briny, creamy, and sweet. To me, they are the perfect oyster.
You can deep-fry anything, and I would eat it.
If I had to describe my diet in one word, it would be 'colorful.' I always think about adding color to the plate.
I think it's odd when people say jeans are comfortable, because to me, they feel like sausage casings.
Nobody ever got fat eating vegetables.
Frozen bananas pureed in the food processor make a great fake ice cream.
I grew up in a small town in West Virginia, and most of my family lived in our neighborhood or very close by. I had my grandparents down the street, my great-grandmother next door, and my great-aunt and great-uncle one door down.
My biggest cooking influence, my No. 1, is my grandma. Then it's the farmers. When I go to the farm stand and see what's available, that's where I get most of my inspiration.
I wash my hands constantly in the kitchen, so they're always dry.
I pretty much grew up with my grandma. She would pull a stool over to the kitchen, and I would climb up at the kitchen counter, and I'd help her make biscuits.
I'm always buying glasses and teacups. I have way too many to use, but I just love them, particularly anything vintage.
I really want to write another novel, and I am trying to come up with what the story will be. As I learned with 'Groundswell,' I can't force it; I just have to wait for it to come to me.
I have always wanted to write a novel, and I tried many times but could never find the right story. One day, I was walking on the beach, and the idea for 'Groundswell' hit me. I went into the house and started writing and never stopped.
For breakfast, a grain bowl is healthy but hearty.
The grill is the summer equivalent of a fireplace; everyone gravitates to it.
I think it's fun to serve comfort food because it's an instant ice-breaker. If somebody's expecting fancy food, and you whip out some fried chicken, they feel like, you know, they can put their elbows on the table, and the etiquette police aren't going to come out.
I can't have a party without deviled eggs.
I love a waffle fry.
I don't put myself out there - I'm really a homebody.
My cooking style is really simple. Not a lot of ingredients, but all good quality, so you don't have to do that much to them.
When I work out at home, I don't have mirrors, and I really like it. When I'm not working out in front of a mirror, I don't have those conversations with myself that I have in the gym, when my head starts drifting in all those dark spots.
It's hard when you get into an Instagram hole, because we live in such a Facetuned world. You see all these girls are in their bathing suits, and it's hard not to think, 'I wish I looked like that.' But you can only be your own personal best.
I eat a crazy amount of vegetables. I always look at my plate and make 70 percent of it vegetables and leave the rest for whatever else I'm eating.
I come from a family of great cooks and big eaters.
Many beach locales offer surf lessons, and you get a different perspective of the ocean when you're out on the water.
I use coconut oil in my cooking and as a beauty product. It's great for sauteing and baking and makes the best moisturizer and hair treatment. I'm coconut-oil obsessed!
I really thought that Billy Joel had two hits. I thought it was 'Uptown Girl' and 'Piano Man,' and that was basically it.
A lot of my recipes I take from foods my grandmother used to cook, things she prepared for family reunions.
I think friendships, true friendships, morph as our lives change into what we need them to be. I am very lucky to have some really great friends, who have been there for me during my ups and downs.
Betrayal is one of my biggest fears. Betrayal happens on many different levels all the time, and there is no worse feeling than realizing someone you thought you could trust has gone against you.
My grandpa and I, whenever we would go to Myrtle Beach, we couldn't wait to get there and have fried seafood.
The best thing about summer entertaining is it doesn't have to be fancy - and you can eat outdoors. You can use a tablecloth or just a piece of fabric you love. You can't go wrong with white candles; put them in jars or hurricane vases.
I love to have a dinner party. I love to have people over. I like the feeling it creates in my home - having guests laughing and telling their stories - and I put a lot of thought into it. I plan my menu kind of depending on whatever mood I'm in.
Portion control is not an option for me. I like mass quantities, so I have to create healthy meals that I love but won't feel guilty about eating.
I'm all or nothing. I'm either having fresh vegetables, or I'm eating fried fish.
I never grew up with money, and I never wanted a lot of material things.
I love comfort food - it's the basis of everything.
I don't subscribe to that no-carb thing. I'm so sick of the Atkins diet and all that. First of all, if you're not eating carbs, all you do is think about them. It's one of those things that you take out, and initially, you lose weight, but you are miserable.
Ground turkey is fantastic in a comforting classic - meatloaf.
Cauliflower is a great swap in so many comfort food dishes.
When I look back on my childhood, my fondest memories are those surrounding the dinner table.
