In the Kitchen with Cassie Scerbo

We spent some time with actress and singer Cassie Scerbo ("Sharknado") in her home, where she cooked a tasty pesto tortellini dish. It smelled so good, we were so ready to eat it off the pot! And she was so sweet enough to share our readers with the recipe - trust us, it's so easy you have to make it for your family dinners!

We also got to speak to Cassie about the holidays, her family, and her future plans!

Ingredients: 20 oz. of tortellini Pestro 1 container of crumbled feta cheese 1 can of black olives 1 cup of cherry tomatoes 1/4 cup of purple onions

Directions: Boil approximately 20 oz of tortellini (Buittoni's) for 5 minutes.

Strain the tortellini and pour into a mixing bowl.

Mix in one container of pesto (preferably Buittoni's as well), one container of crumbled feta cheese, one can of black olives, about a cup of cherry tomatoes (chopped into halves) and a quarter cup of a purple onion (chopped) And voila! You have a very simple, yet delicious pasta dish!

We love your home - so beautifully decorated. Where do you generally shop for home decor? Thank you! I absolutely love Z Gallerie! Also, unfortunately for me, Pier 1 is right around the corner and I just so happen to have an obsession with buying things for my home! Those two places are currently my favorite. Affordable and adorable!

How excited are you for the holidays? What are you doing and where will you be? I'm beyond excited! The holidays are definitely my favorite time of year. I'm going back home to be with my family in Florida. My mom does the traditional Italian Christmas Eve, which consists of seven fish dishes (although she always cooks way more than that). Then there's Christmas morning, which will be my niece's first Christmas this year! I'm so excited! And of course, New Year's, which we usually spend New Year's Eve at our family friend's very well-known, beautiful Italian restaurant, Anthony's Runway 84. My uncle's band, Studio 54, plays classics all night! For actual New Year's day we usually have a bunch of family friends over and just hang out! Basically for me, the holidays mean family and food!

What's been on your wish list? Or your shopping list for others? I had asked for a couple fun things; the new aviator Ray Bans with the colored mirror lenses in blue, a specific David Yurman piece, some new shoes and some other fun things. It's definitely way more exciting to give presents though! I can’t say what I am getting everyone because they will be reading this...

What are your favorite foods?

My favorite food is Italian food. My mother's famous meatballs & ricotta cheesecake are out of this world. Everything she makes is. That's why I have to force myself to go to the gym even more when I visit back home, because I eat twice as much!

We love that you're family-oriented! What are your family traditions?

In our family, every Sunday is traditional. My mom cooks a big Italian feast with the help of my dad. Besides our Christmas Eve tradition, we also do an annual Scerbo girl cookie baking night! I definitely try to take the load off my mom's shoulders and cook for the family from time to time when I'm home, although she always ends up jumping in any way! We love cooking together. For her birthday this year, I made an arrangement of cauliflower crust pizzas (one of my new favorite recipes.) I made a Mediterranean style pizza with pesto, mascarpone spread, feta, chopped grape tomatoes, a little red onion, olives etc. I also made a simple Pepperoni pie and a vegetable one, accompanied by my favorite kale salad.

Where do you enjoy eating in Los Angeles? Some of my favorite restaurants in Los Angeles are Aventine, Angelini, Fabrocini's, Asia De Cuba, Takami, Yatai, Talesai, Studio Cafe, The Six, and Katsuya.

Tell us about all your upcoming projects! What are you most excited to share with your fans? I'm very excited to be singing again! I plan on releasing a fun cover video on December 27th when I do my Just Jared Jr. takeover. It's going to be a simple acoustic cover, the vibe is very cool and moody. It's my Christmas gift to my fans! Also, I can't wait to attend the People's Choice Awards, especially since I have a film that's nominated! And of course my Baby Daddy episodes which will be airing in the spring! I had such a blast with the cast. They're all so talented and sweet!

You're an Italian New Yorker. How much different is living in New York to Los Angeles? Which do you prefer? Well, I was born in New York and raised in Florida, although my family is your typical "New York Italian" family. Everyone has heavy New York accents, and a Sunday Dinner at our house resembles an episode of The Sopranos (minus the violence!) I personally prefer the East Coast because I feel the vibe is a bit more "real", and of course, the city is my favorite place in the world..

How are your roots inspiring the way you live your life? My family and our grounded lifestyle keep me in line. My parents have definitely done an amazing job raising my big sister, big brother and I. We're big on "Trust, loyalty, respect." I've seen so many people go down the wrong path, and I just pray to always stay focused. Staying on track with my personal life keeps me focused on my craft as well. It's all about stability and balance.

Where do you see yourself 5, 10 years from now? Sky's the limit, ya know? There is so much I hope to accomplish in my lifetime between entertainment and charity. Most important is just making my fans and loved ones proud.

Photographed by Brandon Kidd Styled by Sarah Chorley Hair and Makeup by Crystal Liz

Stockists: Black sequin dress: Lumier by Bariano // Orange coat: Darling

Granny Girls' Thanksgiving DIY!

Today, we are excited to introduce you to the ladies behind the new blog The Granny Girls - Amanda Crew (who you probably saw in our current issue!) and Amber Borycki. It's finally the holiday season...and everything looks just 10 x better. While American stores and hotspots have skipped out on Thanksgiving with their Christmas-Hanukkah-Kwanzaa decorations, we figured we'd celebrate Thanksgiving first with a fun parting gift idea for your dinner guests. The Granny Girls show us how to make caramel popcorn, and how to pack them for friends and family! We had almost too much fun doing this, and thankful for the Los Feliz Lodge for allowing us to take over a whole casita!

Ingredients: 10-12 cups of popped popcorn 1 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1/4 cup corn syrup 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. 2. Pop your popcorn (pick out any unpopped kernels) and divide between two baking sheets. Place in oven to keep popcorn warm (this will allow the caramel to spread more easily). 3. In a medium saucepan, add the brown sugar, butter, corn syrup and salt. 4. Over medium heat, melt ingredients together while stirring constantly. 5. As soon as it starts to boil, stop stirring.  Set timer & let mixture boil for 5 minutes (DO NOT STIR). It is important that your element is set to medium heat.  If it is too high, the sugar will burn and if it is too low the sugar crystals won't completely dissolve. 6. Once the 5 minutes is up, turn the heat off and add your baking soda & vanilla.  Mix well.  This is the fun part as the baking soda causes the caramel to foam up & increase in volume! 7. Remove your popcorn from the oven, pour it into a giant bowl (make sure there's enough room for mixing) and slowly pour some of the caramel over the top.  Mix well (using utensils, as the caramel will be very hot).  Continue adding & mixing until all of the caramel is used up.  Don't worry if the coating is a bit uneven, we'll be mixing it again later. 8. Split caramel corn between two baking trays and bake in oven for 45 minutes.  During baking, remove from oven every 15 minutes or so to stir.  This will help to more evenly distribute the caramel. 9. Remove from oven, let cool, and enjoy!

Can you help but notice Amanda is wearing "hashtag" rings? They're available at Gracie B., and you can use code: ZOOEYMAG for 20% off!

"Caramel corn makes a great holiday gift. We packaged ours in Mason jars topped with some festive fabric and a pretty tag (we bought shipping tags at Staples and stamped them with rubber stamps). You can also add twine, lace or glitter - use your imagination!"

Have fun making these, and if you do...be sure to Instagram @thegrannygirls and @zooeymagazine!

Photographed by Roneil Chavez Styled by Lucia Tran Hair by Richie Roman Makeup by Jeanne San Diego

Brands used: Ruche, Gracie B., Crafts and Love, and Lemon & Line

Psst - Use code 'ZOOEY' for all your jewelry purchases from Crafts & Love for 15% off! 

In the Kitchen with Samantha Harris

The Zooey team had the opportunity to meet Samantha Harris at her beautiful home, and watch she and her two daughters (Josselyn, 4, and Hillary, 2 1/2) blend a delicious smoothie. We also got to talk to her about her career (hosting "Entertainment Tonight" and even "Dancing with the Stars"), as well as her very healthy lifestyle! So, you’ve hosted a multitude of different programs, including some of my favorites, “Dancing with the Stars” and “Entertainment Tonight”! Tell us what you enjoy most about your line of work and why? Every day is a different adventure! I love meeting new people, challenging myself to elicit more out of the stars I interview, getting to see the world while shooting on location, and working with some of the best in the business.

You make interviews with celebrities look so effortless and fun! Do you have a “most memorable” interview you can share with us, be it funny, awkward or otherwise?

One of the most thrilling was having Tom Cruise zoom off with me on the back of his Ducati motorcycle, clinging to him as we sped through the streets of Seville, Spain! It wasn’t planned and those moments always make for the best interviews and shoots!

With a degree in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, what drew you towards entertainment news?

Entertainment is in my blood! I grew up backstage at rock concerts, since my dad was the main concert promoter in the Twin Cities. Additionally, during the summers I was able to frolic through a 16th century festival playing dress-up with a king, a queen, gypsy dancers, knights jousting on horseback and more because my parents created and ran one of the country’s first renaissance faires. To this day, my mom and sister own and operate King Richard’s Faire near Boston, MA. It’s a blast being able to bring my own girls there now and see all the magic and amazement through their eyes.

You also have two beautiful young girls. What has it been like raising a family and also focusing on your career? Is it difficult to find a balance?

Balance is always a challenge for any working mom. If your career is thriving and busy, you feel the heartache of missing out on the nuances of the daily activities, playdates, drop-offs and dance classes. If you give up a hard-earned career to stay at home, you wonder what could have been.

I feel very lucky to have found a rather happy balance, with some anguish mixed in. Thankfully, my husband is very hands on and an incredible dad. He and I always work as a team, with others pitching in to make it all come together when work is at its busiest. We aim to have breakfast and dinner together as a family daily – so when a day or two each week or so fall short of that, no one is too disappointed because it all comes back together in rhythm again by the next day.

I’ve noticed on your Twitter that you enjoy doing arts and crafts with the girls! What are some of your favorite activities to do as a family?

Art projects are a big hit over here! We do everything from painting, drawing and playdough to beaded bracelets, baking, and sand castles. It’s fun to get an 8-foot-long piece of sheet paper, lay it out and put out all the art supplies around it so the girls and their friends can create a humongous masterpiece.

I also saw on your Twitter feed, and rather enjoyed, all of the #FitTip’s you have for your followers. We love that you have a connection with fans that really promotes a healthy body lifestyle. Have you always been very health conscious? If so, what got you started?

I think I was aware of being active at a young age because my mom was in a dance company for a few years. As I began to live on my own after college, I realized that I needed to find ways to keep in shape – I didn’t have a teenager’s metabolism any more! That led me to seek a more healthy way of eating. Slowly I changed my habits (no butter, egg whites only, whole grain breads, more chicken and fish, lots of fresh whole fruits and veggies!). It took time, but eventually, it became a way of life. As a mom, I immediately wanted to give my girls the best chance to have good health. So it began with breast feeding, then introducing lots of fruits, veggies (which they still don’t eat much of, like most kids!), whole grains, and so on. I feel lucky that my husband and I are able to provide nutritious food for them. After having my first child, I learned that 1 in 5 American children struggle with hunger. I then became actively involved in Feeding America (www.feedingamerica.org) because of this. I hope more people will donate food, money or their time to help end hunger in America. Just $1 provides 8 meals.

Tell us what you enjoy most about cooking for your family?

It’s fun when we cook as a family. Everyone pitches in, even our 2-year-old! It’s together time. I try to teach our girls by example. I love making healthy meals that have flavor and great nutrients so my kids will develop well, cognitively and physically, as well as energize and keep my husband and I in the best possible health so we can thrive as a family. I lost my dad when he was just 50. It broke my heart (and my mom’s and sister’s). I want to be certain we are here to see our great-grandkids, if possible!

We're so sorry to hear!

Well, you did make such a delicious smoothie for us at the photo shoot! What is the best advice you can give for someone who wishes to start living a healthier lifestyle?

Take baby steps. Don’t overwhelm yourself. It can be done, just add one change every few weeks. For example, Week 1: NO FRIED foods. (Later you can add back the occasional side of sweet potato fries, like I do). Week 2: Help yourself to more fresh fruit with each meal. Week 6: Change from eggs with yolk to no yolk. Add more fish and white meat poultry into your meal plan. Week 10: Limit red meat to only 1x per week and only the leanest cut. And so on! You’ll get it! Before you know it, healthy eating will be just another automatic thing you do like brushing your teeth.

And finally, if you had to pick one...what is your favorite dance style from DWTS?

The JIVE!!! I did it in season 2 with pro Jonathon Roberts. So energetic, calorie-burning, and FUN! You can’t do the jive without smiling.

Below follows Samantha's recipe for her power green smoothie, which serves 2 -

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Skim milk or water 1 T. ground Flax Seeds (can use whole seeds as well) 1 T. Chia Seeds 1 frozen Banana 10 frozen Strawberries 3/4 cup frozen Blueberries 5-6 chunks (cut pieces) fresh (or frozen) Pineapple 1 small bunch (or two big handfuls) fresh Spinach 4-5 leaves (No ribs/spine) fresh Kale **Put Spinach and Kale into blender last

Directions:

Place all ingredients into powerful blender - in the order above. Blend until smooth. You may need to use a tool (like a Tamper) to press the greens into the blade, but be careful not to touch utensil to the blades!

Serve and enjoy! Here's to your best health!

Photographed by Roneil Chavez Styled by Sarah Chorley Hair and Makeup by Jeanne San Diego

Aprons by Sugar Baby Aprons