…of the year is the day you get the call saying, “you’ve been picked up for another season.” It’s basically a call that confirms that I still have a job- my dream job at that! I was ecstatic when I received this call last week regarding season four of Kelsey’s Essentials. These exciting days are usually celebrated with a fun dinner out to a restaurant that has been on our ever-growing list of NYC restaurants to try.

Then, the work begins. From the moment we’re officially “picked up” things basically get crazy for about six weeks. We first go into development mode for show themes, then it’s on to the recipes, recipe testing, and finally filming.

We are just entering the searching for show themes stage- which is very exciting! There are already some really fantastic ideas circulating, but I would love to hear from YOU! Any specific types of shows that you would love to see on Kelsey’s Essentials next season? I’m open to any and every idea. I’d also love to hear if there are certain types of recipes that you would like to see on the show.

Such an exciting time! I can’t thank you enough for your support both on the blog and to those of you that tune in week after week. My life lately seems to be a series of “pinch me” moments where I am in a constant state of feeling grateful for the opportunity I get to do this incredible job. Many, many thanks!

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When we filmed the Burger Essentials show for Kelsey’s Essentials this season. I never thought in a million years that I would be thrown on the line in a burger joint to work alongside the burger master himself, Mr. Bobby Flay. He shared all of his tips and techniques behind his famous burgers and I ate up every second of it! Bobby was so kind to participate in the episode and we had a blast filming together. I had several “pinch me” moments where I had to remind myself that I was both cooking with and shooting an episode with a food genius.

Tune in tomorrow at 2:30 ET to see if I can convince Bobby to add my Rocky Mountain Burger to his Burger of the Month list! One of my favorite episodes all season long!

p.s. Thanks for everyone’s support and well wishes on my Today Show appearance yesterday! I had a blast and the nice comments made my day!

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This week I get my first opportunity to be on the TODAY show and I couldn’t be more excited! I’m a regular viewer and start every day off with Matt, Anne, Al, and you better believe I tune into the 4th hour with KLG and Hoda.

I’ll be sharing my favorite sweet & savory recipes when it comes to utilizing one of my essential kitchen tools: the cast iron skillet. It’s no secret that I’m slightly obsessed with my cast iron skillet. One of its best features is that you can cook a delicious savory dinner in it and also use it as a rustic baking dish for a decadent cobbler.

Tune in this Thursday during the 3rd hour (between (9:30 – 10:00 AM) to catch me sharing these recipes. The chicken is a to-die-for one pot weeknight meal that is great for a family or for a simple dinner for two and the cobbler can’t be beat when it comes to dessert (especially when topped with vanilla ice cream). Both are rustic dishes that seem to celebrate the fading winter flavors and welcome spring that’s on its way.

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Was one of my favorites to film all season because I was in the company of some of my greatest friends. I take the classic Sunday dinner meal that I grew up having with my family and updated it with a few twists here and there. Then I had the great pleasure to serve this meal to my “city family” here in the big apple. A few of the recipes pay tribute to both of my grandmothers and the food is knock-down-drag-out goooood.

Don’t miss this great episode Saturday at 2:30 ET!

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Because it is the premier of the third season of Kelsey’s Essentials! It blows my mind that I even get to type that sentence. The fact that we have completed a third season is unbelievable and I’ve never been prouder of the work that we accomplished. I got to take a sneak peak last week screening a few episodes and boy was it a treat. I can’t even begin to explain the feeling of watching something that you care so passionately about come to life on the screen. To discuss ideas and recipes for weeks (months) on end and finally see the pay off is awesome.

You’ll notice a lot of changes to the show this season. In fact, it almost feels like a different show! The essentials are still front and center, but I spend time getting out of the kitchen to learn some of the essentials from the experts themselves. The first episode that airs tomorrow (yay!) is all about butchering. You better believe that I’m all over that with a knife holster and everything. I get a one-on-one butchering lesson from female butcher Sara at the Meat Hook in Brooklyn and it’s epic. I also try my hand at sausage making and well, that’s just “silly.” I then bring the goods back to the kitchen to create a few delicious recipes like my take on Chicken Fried Steak with Milk Gravy and Sausage Shrimp & Grits. Get a preview of the recipe lineup here and don’t forget to tune in tomorrow at 2:30pm ET for the season debut!

images: cooking channel

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