Kelly’s Monthly Edit: February

Welcome to Kelly’s Monthly Edit!
Join me every month as I round up the little joys that sparked inspiration, from must-make recipes and Mom-approved grocery finds to favorite products in kitchenware, skincare, fashion and beyond. Consider this your behind-the-scenes bite of life at Just a Taste—no gatekeeping, just good taste.

February was a whirlwind of concert magic, family celebrations, and a lot of camera time. While it was the shortest month in days, it absolutely packed the most memorable moments I’ve had in a long time, from filming for YouTube to celebrating Evan’s 8th birthday to having one of the greatest boyband encounters of all time…

3, 2, 1… Action!

It’s been a non-stop hustle on the YouTube front, filming seven new long-form videos in a whirlwind 2-day shoot. I am so drawn to the production side and excitement that YouTube brings, and I am so happy you all have been enjoying the videos as much as we enjoy making them. You can catch the last few episodes below:

• The Best Carrot Cake (Made In a 13×9-inch Baking Pan!)
• Greek Yogurt Banana Bread
• Can You Make Chocolate Lava Cake in 18 Minutes?

New episodes release every Wednesday, so grab the popcorn and get ready for more food, fun, and pro tips to make cooking (and hosting!) a stress-free endeavor.

San Diego Sunsets

I apologize in advance to all of my east coast friends, but San Diego has really been showing off on the weather front lately. We’ve had summer-esque temps popping up regularly, with spectacular sunsets on the Pacific.

One of my favorite spots in San Diego to soak up the sunset and celebrate special occasions is Eddie V’s in La Jolla. The view, the food and the service are all solid 10’s in my book.

It was the restaurant of choice for my son Evan to celebrate his 8th birthday this month. And you know with every child’s birthday comes… a custom cake!

With four kids, I like to make sure each of them really feel special and unique on their birthdays so they get to pick their cake flavor and design of choice. Evan opted for his all-time favorite Chocolate Raspberry Cake with extra cream cheese frosting, loads of sprinkles and a soccer theme.

This cake featured three layers of extra-moist sour cream chocolate cake studded with chocolate chips and sandwiched together with my go-to cream cheese frosting and fresh raspberries. It was a major flavor and texture win and, most importantly, the birthday boy was thrilled!

Backstreet Boys at the Sphere in Las Vegas!

A trip to the Sphere in Las Vegas with my 70-year-old parents to see the Backstreet Boys wasn’t exactly on my 2026 bingo card… and neither was meeting the band! Once my parents scored seats to the show, I kindly invited myself to the extravaganza. As a diehard N*SYNC fan, I couldn’t fathom cheating on the 5 most iconic superstars of my youth, but one foot inside the Sphere and I switched teams. BSB Army for life!

We stayed at The Fontainbleau Las Vegas, which was recently built and absolutely stunning. There were multiple restaurants within the hotel, but our favorite breakfast spot quickly became La Fontaine—think simple, fresh spins on breakfast classics, including a perfectly cooked French omelette filled with shaved ham and Gruyere and a basketball-sized croissant served warm with plenty of extra butter for slathering.

The night of the show, we had dinner at the bar at Milos, my new favorite restaurant on the planet. The ambiance was unbeatable and the food was impeccable. I cannot recommend it highly enough!

I had no idea what to expect at the Sphere, and with the realization that you all are here for food, I will keep this short and sweet: The Sphere is unlike anything I have ever experienced before. The audio and visuals are impossible to describe. I literally gasped the second I walked in. It is enormous, loud, vibrant, crisp and all-around amazing. I cannot wait to return. (And yes, the seats vibrate to the beat of the music!)

I never could’ve imagined what would transpire after the show. We were lucky enough to meet up with the Backstreet Boys themselves for a quick chat and all I can say is they are, without a doubt, the kindest, most humble and genuinely amazing men (not boys). I have a new level of respect for all of them and their mastery of music. To summarize: Vegas was one of the best weekends of my life!

Up Next…

Find a way to get the Backstreet Boys in a Just a Taste YouTube video… I kid, I kid. But how amazing would that be? Howie is quite the foodie…

We’ve got a whole lot coming your way this spring and beyond. YouTube continues to grow alongside some exciting new projects in the works. After nearly 18 years running this site, I never lose sight of the fact that it still brings me endless joy to share easy but impressive recipes with the hope of all of us making great meals and even better memories around the dinner table (or soccer field… or karate studio … or anywhere else you find yourself dining!).

Thank you for hanging in with me this month. I’d love to know: What would you like to see more of on Just a Taste? Drop your ideas in the comments and we’ll make them come to life!

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