My dining and entertainment philosophy - I can boil it down to 'the three C's - I like my food like my fashion: casual, classic, and with a touch of couture.

There's something so intimate about a picnic with your guy.

I love to have my girlfriends over for a movie night of chick flicks. I usually make some simple snacks, and the favorite is always my Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip.

Ground turkey is fantastic in a comforting classic - meatloaf.

I love comfort food - it's the basis of everything.

I'm a big coffee drinker, and I like the ritual of using a French press - plus it makes great coffee.

For me, the thought of spaghetti and meatballs conjures up the image of that scene where 'Lady and the Tramp' gaze into each other's eyes as they slurp a strand of pasta into a fateful kiss.

I think friendships, true friendships, morph as our lives change into what we need them to be. I am very lucky to have some really great friends, who have been there for me during my ups and downs.

For breakfast, a grain bowl is healthy but hearty.

The rich, hearty flavor of portobello mushroom caps are a dynamite alternative to the traditional burger.

You can tap into culture by exploring what's grown or produced in the region, like going into the Blue Mountains in Jamaica to visit a coffee plantation or a rum distillery in Barbados.

Holiday shopping is a challenge. Stores are crowded; people are stressed and rude... not exactly the spirit of the season.

I'll take any excuse to have a get-together. For me, it's all about the everyday occasions, whether it's popping champagne to toast good weather, inviting the girls for brunch to rehash a night out, or just making snacks and watching a movie.

My secret for feeding a bunch of guests without seeming stingy is pork tenderloin. It's an inexpensive cut that looks impressive and is full of flavor. Plus, guys love it.

I grew up eating chicken and dumplings in my grandma's kitchen.

I don't put myself out there - I'm really a homebody.

I've always been a big fan of ribs.

I grew up cooking. I was always in my grandma's cooking, and I never thought of it as a career.

Frozen bananas pureed in the food processor make a great fake ice cream.

I once had a 'best friend' share private stories that I had told her in confidence to another mutual friend. I think the worst part, aside from the actual betrayal of trust, is that this experience affected my future relationships, as I was hesitant to be as open with my other friends.

I think it's odd when people say jeans are comfortable, because to me, they feel like sausage casings.

My zero-stress way to host a gathering: Make the guests do the cooking.

I used to think of Mexican food as a once-in-a-while type of thing because it can be so heavy, but I learned how to lighten it up easily and keep it just as flavorful. That's awesome, since it's the perfect festive dinner for hanging out with friends on a relaxed night.

I do shop on eBay. I love to buy china on eBay. I've bought quite a few sets of plates. I like to buy gifts as well. If I know somebody has a favorite writer, I look for a first edition. It's also a great place to buy vintage jewelry.

I'd rather spend my Sunday doing just about anything other than watching a football game - unless it's the Super Bowl.

My grandpa and I, whenever we would go to Myrtle Beach, we couldn't wait to get there and have fried seafood.

When cooking for a man, treat all of his senses.

Every great summer party starts with a list. Throwing something together chaotically ends up being more work than taking 15 minutes to make a plan first.

A lot of my recipes I take from foods my grandmother used to cook, things she prepared for family reunions.

I love a waffle fry.

If you look at the cookbooks that sell the most, it's almost always people who have their own TV shows.

One of my favorite salads is spinach with pickled strawberries.

Many beach locales offer surf lessons, and you get a different perspective of the ocean when you're out on the water.

I love to have a dinner party. I love to have people over. I like the feeling it creates in my home - having guests laughing and telling their stories - and I put a lot of thought into it. I plan my menu kind of depending on whatever mood I'm in.

I love Montauk Pearl oysters. They are briny, creamy, and sweet. To me, they are the perfect oyster.

My cooking style is really simple. Not a lot of ingredients, but all good quality, so you don't have to do that much to them.

Nobody ever got fat eating vegetables.

Devising the menu for an intimate meal can be a thorny task. You want to make something your guy will go crazy for, but that usually means big and heavy. And feeling overly full kind of kills the mood.

I eat a crazy amount of vegetables. I always look at my plate and make 70 percent of it vegetables and leave the rest for whatever else I'm eating.

If I had to describe my diet in one word, it would be 'colorful.' I always think about adding color to the plate.

I've been using carrot tops to make pesto and broccoli stalks to make broccoli 'rice.' There's no reason to throw those things away - just get creative.

Some guys find eating face-to-face weirdly intense. But sitting on the same side of the table allows both intermittent physical contact and eye contact.

I don't subscribe to that no-carb thing. I'm so sick of the Atkins diet and all that. First of all, if you're not eating carbs, all you do is think about them. It's one of those things that you take out, and initially, you lose weight, but you are miserable.

I make green juice daily.

I would have loved to have been an aesthetician. I love, like, anything to do with - I know this sounds kind of gross - but any kind of zit popping is so fascinating to me.

For my Mai Tai recipe, I juice fresh orange, pineapple, and lime. It's like vacation in a glass!

During the summer, I used to hate when my mom would call me inside to eat - it was such a drag to leave all the fun.

Working on my first novel, 'Groundswell' - about a woman recovering from a bad breakup who falls in love with surfing - I spent a month south of the border. And when I wasn't writing or surfing, I was eating. A lot.

I'm all or nothing. I'm either having fresh vegetables, or I'm eating fried fish.

My grandmother Dora taught me how to cook. She's from a small town in West Virginia called Milton. I would pull a stool up to her kitchen counter after school. My love of food started there.