Happy New Year folks! I hope that everyone enjoyed a happy holiday season and that 2013 is off to a great start. This year started with a big bang for me as I received the news that Kelsey’s Essentials has officially been picked up for its 5th season! Five seasons!!! I can’t believe it! I swear that we were just getting ready to film the pilot and now we’re approaching our 65th episode of programming.

Whenever I get the news of a pick up, it’s a very exciting time. I start making lists of show concepts and ideas, recipes I can’t get out of my head, and ways that I think the show could improve from the last go around. I pull out and read magazines, scour food blogs, and most importantly start talking to friends and family that are foodies to find out what they’re interested in and what they’re talking about.

I would love more than anything to hear from you and what it is that you would like to see in an upcoming season! Anything you’ve got, send it my way. I can’t thank you enough for the relentless support that I’ve received over the years. If it weren’t for the viewers, readers, and fans that support me, this dream job would not exist. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Cheers to season 5 and a happy and successful year!

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This week’s episode is all about unexpected desserts. It was a fun way to play with sweets the week before Halloween and the recipes are top notch. My favorite Halloween tradition that I grew up with was my mom making homemade root beer every year. When I pitched this idea to my production team, I was shocked when they stared at me like I was crazy as I explained the process for making this awesome homemade holiday drink. Then when I tested the recipe in the Food Network Kitchens, I got a similar response, people thought I was nuts. The dry ice used in this recipe carbonates the drink while giving it a super cool smoky look. I thought everyone knew about this! It’s so fun and easy for Halloween and such a hit with family and friends. Incorporated into a traditional root beer float, this recipe would be great for your Halloween party this week.

I also make a homemade ice cream cake this episode that is awesome. The method I use gives you so many different options for variations. However the process of filming a homemade ice cream cake was incredibly stressful – think lots of hot lights and melty ice cream while up against a serious time deadline. We survived it, and 3 ice cream cakes later, we got the shot. It’s one of the only times I’ve had negative feelings towards ice cream and I swore I’d never use it as a main ingredient in a recipe on set ever again.

Finally I’m using an unexpected ingredient in one of the most delicious cookie recipes that I’ve ever made. If I tell you what it is, you have to promise that you’ll still consider making the cookies…they are that good. Maybe it was because I had a baby on my mind, but somehow I came up with the idea of putting carrot baby food into these carrot cookies with orange buttercream. I was certain that it was going to fail, but surprisingly the cookies turned out awesome and these will forever be one of my go to cookies. I loved the unexpected idea of making a fruit and vegetable cookie, which is exactly what I did! Carrot in the cookies and orange in the frosting. The orange buttercream frosted on top of each cookie is to die for and should be used whenever possible.

Enjoy a few of my favorite behind the scenes photos above. I hope you love this episode as much as I loved filming it! Hopefully you’ll learn a thing or two and walk away with at least one recipe you’d like to try. What is the most unexpected dessert you make in your home? Is it something you’re known for?

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I’m so thrilled for season 4 of Kelsey’s Essentials to air. This season was a true labor of love as pre-production happened quickly and I was just transitioning from my 1st to 2nd trimester of pregnancy. So in a sense…this is Oliver’s big television debut! I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that certain pregnancy cravings may have influenced some of the episode choices. We even went as far as to create a junk food favorites show. I know, you can turn your nose up and walk away now, but don’t deny the fact that you wouldn’t watch a show that included Homemade Banana Split Funnel Cake, Cotton Candy Lemonade, and Boardwalk Dogs with a field trip to Coney Island to top it off. That episode shows up later in the season, but the episode that will kick things off is all about grilling on the go. The images above are all behind the scenes shots of this day. I loved shooting this episode which includes a rooftop grilling party with my friends and a visit to master chef Floyd Cardoz at North End Grill in Tribeca to learn a few of his go-to tips when it comes to grilling. The menu lineup is super tasty with Grilled Strawberry Shortcake Sandwiches, Sweet & Sour Barbecued Picnic Drumsticks, a Spicy Avocado Dill Dip, and Veggie Kebabs with Halloumi Cheese. Do you know about halloumi cheese? It’s one of the only cheeses that you can grill. It’s firm enough to stand up to the grill, but gets soft and melty on the inside. It will blow your mind.

The show is moving to a primetime slot (yay!) on Saturdays at 8:30 pm ET. I always get super nervous to watch new episodes and admittedly I sometimes avoid watching them altogether. Something about watching myself and listening to my voice on television makes me super vulnerable and bashful (especially when the episode was shot when I was 6 months pregnant!) I hope you’ll tune in and let me know what you think! Big thanks to everyone who supports the show season after season. I truly have the greatest job in the world thanks to all of that continued support.

p.s. Crazy fact about filming- because of the structure of our filming schedule, we shot the location portion of this episode at North End Grill on the first day of filming and the kitchen and rooftop portion of the episode on one of the last days of filming. That’s almost a 2 week time difference and I’m certain that I’ll look much bigger when it comes to the baby bump while cooking in the kitchen and on the rooftop. The horizontal stripes probably didn’t help anything either…

So tell me, will you be watching season 4 of Kelsey’s Essentials? I sure hope so!

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Season 4 brought an incredible amount of adventure and diversity to Kelsey’s Essentials. I can’t wait for this season to air!  From urban rooftop bee keeping to cooking with NFL football players… I’d say you’re all in for some great episodes! Here are just a few highlights from the season:

We spent an entire day taste testing at Coney Island trying to perfect fair food favorites. The experience gave the phrase “sugar high” a whole new meaning. Funnel cakes, cotton candy, and hot dogs galore!

I spent a day with superstar center for the New York Jets Nick Mangold cooking up a storm with him in his home kitchen. It was a learning experience for both of us as we both shared some of our favorites. In true football player form, I learned that Nick can put down a whole lot of (healthy) food before a big game!

Who knew local honey was being produced in my own neighborhood in Brooklyn?! I got up close and personal with honeybees and learned the ins & outs of this ancient craft from an incredible beekeeper who is producing “liquid gold” for restaurants all over New York City. I’ll never feel the same way about honey again…

Another unique thing that I’ll never forget about season 4 was filming with my baby bun in the oven. I was between 5-6 months pregnant while filming and had a growing bump as proof.  You’ll be sure to spot my belly when the episodes air! Stay tuned for air dates and more info. in the coming weeks.

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…we’re heading back to my set today, lovingly referred to as my “TV Apartment.” If only I actually possessed that much square footage. We shoot my show at a loft in Brooklyn where people actually live when the space isn’t booked out. It’s extremely unsuspecting and you would never know from the outside that television is made inside.

I’ve had the incredible privilege to work with an amazing prop stylist/set designer, Jeanne Lurvey, the past few seasons on Kelsey’s Essentials who has really made the set come to life. We have had a blast working together to talk about style and aesthetic and she is amazing at sourcing things that I love.

One of my most prized Kelsey’s Essentials items are the set drawings that she drew for a big set makeover before season 2. These were her ideas on paper after I put together a look book/mood board of what I wanted the set to look like. It’s amazing how she literally translated what was on paper to real life items. I hope to have these sketches framed for my office one day!

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