How Tieghan Gerard of Half-Baked Harvest Hosts a Vacation Occasion

I’m all the time impressed by those that break free from standard paths and carve out a artistic journey uniquely their very own—like Tieghan Gerard, the creator of Half-Baked Harvest. I first met Tieghan in 2017, and within the years since, she’s created a model and enterprise that actually displays her passions. From her transformed barn within the Colorado mountains, Tieghan crafts the form of recipes that really feel like a heat hug—homey, comforting, and impossibly scrumptious. She wears many hats, enjoying the function of recipe developer, stylist, photographer, and storyteller, sharing new recipes nearly each day. This hands-on method has earned her a loyal viewers of hundreds of thousands who flip to Half-Baked Harvest and her bestselling cookbooks for each day dinner inspo.

Simply earlier than the launch of her fourth cookbook, Fast & Cozy, Tieghan got here to Austin, the place we co-hosted a vacation banquet in my yard. The night was magic—buddies gathered round a candlelit desk, sharing dishes from her upcoming e-book that felt each festive and easy.

Within the vacation problem of Camille Types EDIT, we shared my heartfelt dialog with Tieghan about her journey—from constructing her profession to going through social media drama. Make sure to try the complete piece should you haven’t but, and skim on for all of Tieghan’s suggestions for cozy vacation internet hosting.

At Residence in Colorado

First issues first: what informs your method to meals? 

Simplicity is essential—however make it lovely and scrumptious.

What does a typical workday seem like for you?

It relies upon. After I’m touring, I’m doing interviews, picture shoots, and meet-and-greets. I’m multitasking, taking cellphone calls whereas I’m getting hair and make-up finished for an occasion. It’s nice, it’s thrilling, it’s busy. It’s a completely completely different facet of the enterprise. 

After I’m residence, my day couldn’t be extra reverse. I’m within the kitchen sunup to sunset. I’m cooking, testing, photographing, and capturing video. I’m very centered on creating content material, so I strive to not e-book calls throughout this time so I can keep actually centered on the creating. At evening, I’m doing emails, writing weblog posts, and enhancing images.

What’s your must-have cooking instrument and why?

That is form of humorous, however a cookie scoop is absolutely nice. I take advantage of it for lots of issues—scooping meatballs, cookies, muffin batter and cupcake batter.

Everybody additionally wants forged iron skillet. It’s straightforward to wash and it’s higher for you. 

Inform us just a few issues we’ll all the time discover in your fridge? 

Goat milk, completely different cheeses, jalapeños, avocados, and plenty of contemporary produce.

Your go-to weeknight meal to eat at residence? 

I’m a crispy taco lady. Like, I simply love a taco, beef, crispy taco that’s so easy, nothing fancy with cheddar cheese. So good, you guys. It’s so good.

How Tieghan Hosts a Occasion

What are three merchandise you like for the desk?

1. Candles. Each single desk is made higher with candles—they create such a comforting setting. In the event you’re doing tall taper candles, use just some of them, and should you’re doing low candles, you should utilize tons. 
2. A fairly bowl for a centerpiece. Fill it with seasonal produce, like pomegranates and persimmons within the fall, and even accumulate some acorns from outdoors, no matter you have got entry to. 
3. A meals merchandise. I like to make use of meals as decor—usually I set a desk actually minimally, however I like to set out a stupendous cheese board or serving platter with meals to make it really feel considerable. 

Apple Vanilla Chai Scorching Toddy

Baked Honeyed Brie

Garlic Mushroom Rooster Skillet

Winter Salad with Maple Candied Walnuts

Lemon Pesto Orzo

Basic Tiramisu

What does an ideal gathering seem like for you?

There’s a hearth roaring and there’s mild music enjoying within the background. There are candles lit in all places, there are flowers, and there’s the odor of actually good meals sluggish cooking within the oven. Simply actually stress-free and comforting—and also you gotta have candles.

The right banquet playlist consists of:

Very mellow and stress-free music. Classical is fairly. My grandma all the time used to play Frank Sinatra, and I like turning on his music at Christmas.

Your signature dishes for gatherings?

There are many nice recipes for gathering in my new cookbook, Fast & Cozy. The brisket recipe is unbelievable for gathering and could be excellent for a Christmas Eve dinner. Additionally, the meatballs on the quilt. In the event you don’t eat purple meat, you’ll be able to swap in floor hen—I supplied these substitutions within the e-book, so folks can adapt the recipes simply for his or her wants or their style buds. Every little thing within the e-book is tremendous easy, cozy, and fast. 

What’s your no-stress occasion rule to dwell by? 

Set the dinner desk the evening earlier than. Create a menu you can make prematurely—a crock pot or sluggish cooker recipe is the very best. Maintain it easy.

Dream dinner friends?

Victoria Beckham—proper now I’m simply loving her designs. After which, you may as properly invite David, proper? I additionally need to meet their son Brooklyn—he simply launched a brand new sizzling sauce model which is so fascinating. So I suppose I’m simply inviting your entire Beckham household!

Fill within the blanks:

An ideal meal ought to: really feel comforting to everybody.

It’s not a cocktail party with out: candles.

Each cook dinner ought to know learn how to: make a cheeseboard.