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.
Another month is in the books and it’s been quite the eventful one around here! We wrapped up a big shoot last week for a project launching in November and I am counting down the minutes until we can share more details. It’s festive and flavor-packed and so much fun!
On the Menu at My House
The final months of the year are always the busiest when it comes to work, so the mealtime lineup at home goes into auto-pilot with the same no-need-to-overthink-it favorites that I know the whole family will love, including:
- Chicken Milanese
- Beef Teriyaki Bowls (a.k.a. my signature dish)
- Quick Black Pepper Pork (light on the black pepper for the kids)
- Easy Bolognese Sauce
The Chicken Milanese, a.k.a. Chicken Schnitzel (or Little Guys), is usually on the Tuesday Dinner at Noni’s House menu. Here they are below, paired with Noni’s famous Basil Pesto… and of course, matching glasses of Champagne!
These crispy, foolproof cutlets are so loved by my crew that they often make a second appearance at my house during the week. I swapped the pesto for a simple arugula salad below, with plenty of shaved Parmesan cheese and a giant lemon wedge. This plate is usually enough to stop the after-school soccer game mid-kick for a quick dinner before the squad returns to the pitch.
Gameday Gourmet
And speaking of all things sports… my beloved Padres managed to stretch the season into October, which is always fun for this San Diego girl. My husband and I had the chance to take our two oldest sons to a late-September game, and both the baseball and the Mister Softee with iconic brown and gold Padres sprinkles did not disappoint.
Now that the Padres have been knocked out of the playoffs, I have fully shifted all of my attention to football and all of the gameday cuisine that goes with it. I really do love a solid Saturday (college) and Sunday (NFL) football weekend with savory snacks galore, including:
And where would we be in early October without KELCE COOKIES! Now that Taylor Swift has released the much-anticipated The Life of a Showgirl album AND is engaged to Travis Kelce, I need little excuse to whip up a batch of these fan favorite cookies.
Even if you aren’t a Swiftie, this is one chocolate chip cookie recipe you don’t want to miss. It’s inspired by a recipe Donna Kelce made for her sons, Travis and Jason, but I had to put my own twist on it by shrinking the prep time to a swift (see what I did there?) 40 minutes. The result is cookies with slightly crispy edges that taper into soft and chewy centers. They’re a total flavor touchdown and have become one of the most popular cookie recipes in recent years on Just a Taste.
Tired Mom Beauty Recs
The recent reveal of my celebrity-approved beauty product favorites was a big hit with this crowd, but never did I ever anticipate the reaction I would get to a casual Instagram Story post on a Saturday night!
There we are, just unwillingly breaking the Internet, or I suppose Instagram? This is me (and not pictured: my sister-in-law) every Saturday night. Viral Korean face masks in place, wine with straw in hand.
Let’s have a moment for these face masks. They are outrageously amazing. And this is coming from a woman who didn’t decide to start a skincare routine until she turned 30. Now I’m face-masking and dermaplaning like a fiend. The masks feel so luxurious and are affordable (a set of four is currently $19!). Do yourself a favor and pick up a pack or two. As a mom, it’s one of the little luxuries I’ve really come to look forward to on a weekly basis.
Coming Up Next!
Would you believe me if I told you we already shot our Christmas and holiday recipe lineup? This year’s collection of new and improved recipes are my favorite ones yet, from crowd-friendly main dishes and seasonal sides to slow cooker sensations and too many cookies to count (more on that to come!).
But I’d love to hear from you: What holiday recipes are you most in need of?
Since we are so far ahead, I have plenty of time to slot additional recipes into the holiday release. The more, the merrier, so please sound off below or send me an email with all of your holiday recipe requests!
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OMG! Those SHOES!!! Gorgeous pictures, as always. Can’t wait for your big reveal! :)
Thanks so much, Jen! Can’t wait to share!