4 Cooking Tips To Get *Perfectly* Al Dente Pasta Every Time

​Can you freeze deli meat?

Yes! If you opt for freezing the deli meat upon purchase, you can keep it in the freezer for one to two months for best quality. Per the USDA, frozen foods are safe indefinitely if kept at zero degrees Fahrenheit.

​How can you tell if deli meat goes bad?

Like most foods, the ‘smell test’ will do the trick. If the deli meat even smells slightly off or funky, toss it in the garbage. The USDA notes change in color, mold, or a new slimy or sticky film/texture as signs that the protein has gone bad. Always check the expiration date before consuming.

​Can you eat deli meat when you're pregnant?

According to the American Pregnancy Association, you should avoid deli meats until after pregnancy due to a risk of Listeria (a bacterial infection caused by contaminated food). If you do choose to eat deli meats while pregnant, it’s important to take precautions, such as cooking them until they are steaming to rid of possible bacteria.

​How many hours can deli meat sit out?

The USDA's rule of thumb is to not leave out perishable foods (AKA deli meat) at room temperature for longer than 2 hours. If the temperature in the room or outside is hotter than 90 degrees Fahrenheit, then you should only leave deli meat out for a maximum of one hour.

Easy Celebrity Cookbooks To Follow

The Full Plate: Flavor-Filled, Easy Recipes for Families with No Time and a Lot to Do by Ayesha Curry

Cooking for more than one person can be a little daunting and exhausting, but Ayesha Curry's cookbook makes it a little easier with her easy recipes. She knows what it's like to be a busy wife and mom so she gathered 100 recipes that take less than an hour to prep, cook, and serve. Got a taste for chicken sandwiches that feature a hot honey sauce? She's got a recipe for that!

Not That Fancy: Simple Lessons on Living, Loving, Eating, and Dusting Off Your Boots by Reba McEntire with a Forward by Garth Brooks

Similar to Dolly Parton, we don't tolerate any Reba McEntire slander here! Aside from being one of the most popular country artists out there, she's got also got a knack for serving simple meals that are full of delicious flavor. You'll get more than 60 recipes that she's personally cooked and are available at Reba's Place.

Celebrity Cookbooks Filled with Comfort Meals

Cravings: All Together by Chrissy Teigen

Chrissy Teigen is the queen of cooking comfort food and she proves it with Cravings: All Together. From appetizers to dinner recipes, your heart and belly will be full. Also, there's a chance that your home will smell absolutely wonderful which creates a deeper element of coziness.

Just Feed Me: Simply Delicious Recipes from My Heart to Your Plate by Jessie James Decker

Known for doing things with a flair, Jessie James Decker invites you to cook some of her favorite recipes in Just Feed Me: Simply Delicious Recipes from My Heart to Your Plate. She mixes Italian and Cajun dishes together for flavorful meals you'll always be in the mood to eat.

Magnolia Table, Volume 2: A Collection of Recipes for Gathering by Joanna Gaines

Joanna Gaines has perfected the art of creating inviting atmospheres with Hearth & Hand With Magnolia, but she's also known for sharing recipes that encourages her readers to gather with the closest people in their lives. Made completely from scratch, Joanna's dinner recipes are mouth-watering good and make your home smell like a place where love can be found in every bite of the dishes you make.

Here We Go Again: Recipes and Inspiration to Level Up Your Leftovers by Tiffani Thiessen and Rachel Holtzman

Leftovers can get boring after the second day, but Tiffani Thiessen has a few tricks up her sleeves to help you look at them differently. From meals that maybe you didn't exactly love at first to Thanksgiving leftover recipes, you'll be glad that you're getting into the art of meal prepping.

Celebrity Cookbooks With Healthy Options

Cooking from the Spirit: Easy, Delicious, and Joyful Plant-Based Inspirations by Tabitha Brown

Tabitha Brown makes being vegan look and taste fun. Once she discovered that eating healthier led to a decrease in health problems, she started finding ways to make it appealing for her family. One of my favorite things about this cookbook is how easy it is to follow her recipes and add your own flair because, "That's your business."

Nourish: Simple Recipes to Empower Your Body & Feed Your Soul by Gisele Bündchen

Gisele Bündchen is a supermodel and philanthropist extraordinaire who's ready to let you enter her kitchen via her new cookbook. Before she dives into her healthy recipe offerings, she offers practical tips for how you can start making healthier food and lifestyle choices.

It's the thoughtfulness that initially pulls you in, but you'll stay for the easy recipes that are also kid-friendly.

True Roots: A Mindful Kitchen with More Than 100 Recipes Free of Gluten, Dairy, and Refined Sugar by Kristin Cavallari

Once named by MINDBODYGREEN for being one of the best gluten-free cookbooks, True Roots: A Mindful Kitchen with More Than 100 Recipes Free of Gluten, Dairy, and Refined Sugar is ready to help you develop a healthier relationship with foods that don't trigger inflammation like bloating.

Celebrity Cookbooks for The Fun Hostess

Open Wide: A Cookbook for Friends by Benny Blanco with Jess Damuck

Selena Gomez's boyfriend Benny Blanco is not only a talented music produder, but hes' also an excellent cook. His recipes' names may be unconventional (here's looking at you "5 Dishes to Get You Laid and One for the Morning After"), but he clearly knows his way around the kitchen and into the hearts of the people he loves.

Rebel Homemaker: Food, Family, Life by Drew Barrymore with Pilar Valdes

Drew Barrymore continues to find ways into the hearts and minds of people all over the world, but she also knows that food is at the center of every deep connection we have. I love that the recipes she shares have her own signature twist on them because they serve as a reminder that cooking doesn't have to be super scary or strict.

Y'all Eat Yet?: Welcome to the Pretty B*tchin' Kitchen by Miranda Lambert with Holly Gleason

We live for a good southern cookbook and Miranda Lambert's does not disappoint. She makes a point to celebrate the spirited women in her life for teaching her all about laughing, loving, and raising hell while sitting around home-cooked meals. It's a feisty cookbook that's full of great food and even better memories.

Shaq's Family Style: Championship Recipes for Feeding Family and Friends by Shaquille O'Neal with Rachel Holtzman, Matthew Silverman, and Matthew Piekarski

Is there anything former basketball player Shaquille O'Neal can't do? I had no idea he had a cookbook until my S.O. and I caught a glimpse of it at our local Barnes & Noble bookstore. Nevertheless, it's apparent from the first page that his love for food can be found in each recipe that's in Shaq's Family Style: Champion Recipes for Feeding Family and Friends.

More Amazing Celebrity Cookbooks

Trejo's Tacos: Recipes and Stories from L.A. by Danny Trejo with Hugh Garvey

Danny Trejo has several Trejo's Tacos locations around California, so you know the man knows his stuff. But for those of us who aren't anywhere near the sunny state, he's packaged some of the same hearty recipes you can find at his restaurants in this amazing cookbook. My S.O. and I have been enjoying making recipes like Chicken Tikka Tacos and Mushroom Asada Bowls. Yum!

The Tucci Cookbook by Stanley Tucci with Joan and Stan Tucci, Gianni Scappin, and Mimi Taft

This cookbook really doesn't need an introduction other than: it's by Stanley Tucci. When it comes to cooking tasty Italian dishes, he simply can do no wrong in our eyes. Gonna throw The Devil Wears Pradaon real quick while I cook with this!

F---, That's Delicious: An Annotated Guide to Eating Well by Action Bronson with Rachel Wharton

My S.O. actually introduced me to rapper Action Bronson's F--- THAT'S DELICIOUSseries on YouTube when I was pregnant in 2020 and we still faithfully revisit this channel every chance we get. Want recipes from someone who — for lack of a better explantation — orgasmically loves all types of food? Start with this cookbook if you don't buy anything else.

Celebrity Cookbooks Based On Delicious Drinks

Single AF Cocktails: Drinks for Bad B*tches by Ariana Madix

You know what Ariana Madix's Single AF Cocktails drink recipe book reminds me of Rapper JT's song "Okay." I literally can't get it out of my head, especially her CTA at the beginning: "Where my bad b-tches at?"

Given Ariana's life post-Scandoval, the title of cocktail recipes book is very fitting. Each section of the book features the various stages of relationships, and it's something I can totally get behind. BRB while I go whip up a drink!

Trejo's Cantina: Cocktails, Snacks, and Amazing Nonalcoholic Drinks from the Heart of Hollywood by Danny Trejo with Hugh Garvey

Want something that feels like a different kind of celebration? You'll want to pick up this nice complement to Trejo's Tacos. Instead of offering full-blown lunch and dinner recipes, Danny Trejo shares snacks and drinks that you can indulge in on a hot summer day with your loved ones.

Yulin Kuang's Journey To "How To End A Love Story"

Some people seem to be born knowing they're destined to right, but some of us stumble into it and realize, "Hey, I'm pretty good at this." For Yulin, her journey to her debut novel How to End a Love Story takes the latter route. Her first dream, you make ask? To be an Olympic figure skater.

"...that didn't pan out so I turned to storytelling," Yulin admits. That pivot led her to set her sights on becoming an author as she began honing her creative writing skills via your classic marble composition notebooks. If you're still wondering if she kept some of them, the answer is yes!

The screenwriter and author then found herself drawn to other aspects of writing and film. She says, "I eventually fell in love with screenwriting and directing while in undergrad at Carnegie Mellon, and I spent my first decade post-grad concentrating on my filmmaking career."

Yulin Kuang's Approach To Filmmaking

It's a reason why her hard work and the stars aligned for her to adapt Emily Henry's Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation.

When I ask what helps her approach the book-to-film trajectory, she credits writing fan fiction. This feels similar to Christina Lauren's own experience, further proving that fan fiction deserves the utmost praise for helping some of the best literary and film minds who ultimately birth what I could only describe as masterpieces.

Yulin says, "Fan fiction is where I first learned you could play with characters originated by someone else to discover what you’d make them do in your own version." Although it would be easy for anyone to snap their fingers and have their first pitches accepted by everyone, she learned to lean on what writing fan fiction taught her.

"Early in my career, I would pitch on book-to-film adaptations and I’d be like, 'Change nothing, just shoot the book!' And I wouldn’t get those jobs, because I didn’t have a clear “take” and because you can’t actually just shoot a book – adaptation is an art form unto itself. So onceI started approaching adaptation with more of a fan fiction mindset – 'What is my take on these characters and this world?' – that helped me approach the book-to-screen trajectory more successfully," she proudly says.

However, this doesn't mean she never questioned if she could still find ways to create new ideas. "...in 2021, at a time when everything else I was working on was an adaptation, I found myself wondering if I had anything original left within me," she remembers.

It's natural for creatives to experience moments of doubt, but Yulin has been able to turn the tide and discover untapped ideas in her mind. Just don't expect her to set her own expectations about any adaptations she's working on.

She says, "Know that I am an avid reader of romance and a frequent consumer of this genre across mediums, and I will be bringing everything I know going into these adaptations. But more specifically to Beach Read, which I have more creative ownership over as the writer/director."

How Yulin Kuang Relates To Her Main Characters In "How To End A Love Story"

And since How to End a Love Story is truly Yulin's own creative body of work, it makes sense that main characters Helen and Grant have pieces of her personality as well as her characteristics.

"I gave Helen all my hopes and insecurities from high school and gave her the alternate universe path where I had pursued publishing instead of Hollywood. I examined what might have happened if I’d grown into certain qualities I’ve actively tried to grow away from," she says of Helen Zhang.

Right away, readers get the sense that Helen is a whip-smart and hardworking, but her penchant for being cautious about her success also peeks through. Though she's written highly successful YA (read: young adult) novels, Helen waits with bated breath for the moment people will call her bluff. She's relatable because many of us wonder if we're simply cosplaying as versions of ourselves who've reached any level of success.

On the other hand, there's Grant Shepard. He's seemingly this cool, calm, and collected screenwriter who has a complicated past with Helen. Yulin says, "I gave Grant a lot of the qualities I’m proud of and/or have coveted as a working screenwriter, and I certainly relate to many of his thoughts on screenwriting and the current state of our industry."

The more the reader learns about Helen and Grant, the more it becomes obvious that there's more to them than meets the eye. Sure, they are complicated...but who isn't?

"At their core, Helen and Grant are just two kids from Jersey trying to make it in Hollywood, and of course I relate deeply to that," she says.

Yulin Kuang's View Of Rom-Coms

Based on Yulin's genuine interest in romance novels and the fact she's well-versed in adapting them, she knows what it takes to make rom-coms flourish. Her first take? "Romantic tension is key to any romance – I always need to know why our couple can’t be together now. The second that tension is gone, so is audience interest," she points out.

This explains why we can't get enough of reading books about it, listening to albums dedicated to it, or watching films that depict all levels of romance. Still, there are some people who approach the genre with a side eye.

"There seems to be a natural human suspicion of things that make us feel too good – like, 'That can’t possibly be good for us, that’s just candy!' I wonder if it’s something evolutionary at work," she says before doubling down. "You can’t argue with the fact that people absolutely fucking love rom-coms, and I will die on the hill that a well-earned happily ever after is both harder to achieve and more narratively satisfying when it’s pulled off successfully."

She's the type of writer who really appreciates a big kiss that's handled correctly onscreen, but she's also not afraid to "groan every time it's fumbled." But, she knows everyone still won't see romance the way she and so many others view it, but she doesn't really care.

"Ultimately, I don’t concern myself too much with changing minds that don’t want to be changed.There are enough smart people who recognize the power and value of rom-coms, and I’d rather spend my precious time creating art to surprise and delight the people with good taste."

Need I say that this is yet another reason why How to End a Love Story works so well?

How Yulin Kuang Wishes The World Would Celebrate AAPI Month

As much as she's vocal about screenwriting and rom-coms, Yulin also has thoughts about the way society-at-large talks about BIPOC creative artists. "There’s a real, 'This is important, eat your vegetables,' vibe to things. And while that might be true, it’s not the most appealing way to market or discover art," she says.

She admits this could be due to how many diversity-in-film panels she's attended. As a Black woman, the conversations I see every year during Black History Month seem to have a certain "Let's check this box so everyone can be happy" vibe, so I can imagine attending panels about diversity and inclusion can start to sound repetitive after awhile.

Yulin doesn't hold back when she says, "I’m a little jaded when people ask me diversity questions at this point. I don’t want to attract the kind of readers who are only showing up to be supportive of my Asian-ness. It’s a bit like showing up to a date where someone says, 'I’m so excited that you’re Asian!!!'" This is an analogy I can so get behind because it makes a lot of sense!

It's one thing to have representation, but I like to think it's always obvious when people are approaching the conversation in a way that 'others' BIPOC people. We're literally not asking for a trophy, but more so an acknowledgement that we shouldn't be excluded from conversations, spaces, and careers or treated differently.

This sentiment is shared by Yulin who says, "That’s the thing about me that I didn’t do on purpose, and while I’m glad you’re excited, I hope there are things that I did do on purpose that you find exciting, too" and feels there is a way to be a genuine ally.

"...support AAPI creatives by all means, and perhaps begin by celebrating us as individual artists even after the designated month ends. And where applicable, talk about our work like it’s candy, not vegetables. I’d rather be irresistible than important," she states.

Take a page from Yulin Kuang's book and pick up a copy of How to End a Love Story today! You won't regret it!