Hi {{first_name | Friends}},
Happy Monday! This week is a fun one - a new podcast guest with the best cocktail (well, mocktail) story in the business, Jane Leeves back for round three, and October's full lineup is ready for you. Let's get into it.
"This Girl Walks Into a Bar" with Jordan Catapano
🎬 GETTING NAKED: THE PODCAST
After three heavy weeks with Mackenzie, I needed something fun - so I brought on Jordan Catapano, co-founder of This Girl Walks Into a Bar, the mixer company that’s also part of this week's Meals for One. Jordan's story is a good one: failed screenwriter turned bartender turned entrepreneur, building a company with her sister that's about to land in Kroger stores nationwide. We talk about creativity, business, motherhood, and she opens up about some genuinely hard things her family has gone through this past year - I was so moved by her honesty.
The Full Reveal - exclusively here at Valerie's Place - is Jordan making me two drinks live, including a charcoal margarita that might be the prettiest mocktail I've ever seen - and perfect for your next Halloween Party! Join for $2/month to watch the Full Reveal.
🎧 New episodes every Friday on Valerie's Place and the following Monday on Spotify and YouTube.
→ ▶️ Watch on YouTube
→ 🎵Listen on Spotify
Available to members starting at $2/month (VP General and above)
🍹 MEALS FOR ONE
This one's for anyone who wants a "cocktail" without the cocktail part. Watermelon juice, a little fizz from club soda, and a splash of agave to sweeten it up - but the real MVP here is the margarita mix from This Girl Walks Into a Bar, which you just heard all about on this week's podcast. I am obsessed with this brand, obsessed, and I don't say that lightly. Rim the glass in Tajín, add a lime wheel, and you've got something that feels like a treat even if there's not a drop of alcohol in it.
And because I love you people almost as much as I love this mixer: This Girl Walks Into a Bar is giving Valerie's Place members 30% off their entire order. Head to thisgirlmixerssnacks.com and use code VALERIE at checkout.
"Once You Go BlackBerry" — Season 5 Kickoff with Jane Leeves. Available to members starting at $2/month (VP General and above)
🔥 STILL HOT IN CLEVELAND
Jane Leeves came back for her third time on the podcast, and this one turned into a proper trip down memory lane - Season 5 was when the show really let loose. We talked about Elka's campaign for office, the episode where Melanie nearly marries into English nobility (British accents included, none of them clean), and the guest stars who made that season a blast - Carl Reiner, Kevin Nealon, Jon Lovitz, Regis, and more. We also took a minute to talk about Betty, because some things you never stop wanting to say out loud.
Stick around for Still Steamy - there's a time capsule game waiting that's going to test how well you actually remember this show.
🎧 On YouTube and Spotify - a few weeks behind VP, catch up now:
→ Watch on YouTube
→ Listen on Spotify
🔥 THE HIC PILOT DRESS GIVEAWAY: FINAL WEEK👗
This is it - your last few days to enter the Hot in Cleveland Pilot Dress Giveaway. Every Valerie's Place member is already entered automatically. Want better odds? Refer a friend - every person who joins because of you earns you an extra entry. Don't sit on this one; once the week's up, that's it.
🏈 VAL’S GAMEDAY PICKS
Football's back, and so is my game day lineup. See my picks, then watch the episodes and cook the recipes that go with them — everything you need for a Sunday spread that actually delivers.
💬 AVA: ASK VAL ANYTHING: REPLAY NOW AVAILABLE
Val takes you behind the scenes at The Drew Barrymore Show for an Ask Val Anything you won't want to miss! Walk the halls with her, peek inside her dressing room, and hang out while she answers your questions from the live chat. It's been months since the last AVA, and this one was worth the wait.
Angel Hair with Fresh Tomato Sauce
🍝 NOW WE’RE COOKING - THIS THURSDAY at 5pm ET
We're keeping it simple and seasonal this time - ripe tomatoes, good olive oil, garlic, a little heat, and angel hair pasta. This is the kind of dinner that comes together in the time it takes the water to boil, and it tastes like summer's last stand. Get your ingredients together and cook along with me live.
You'll need:
Kosher salt
1½ pounds ripe on-the-vine tomatoes, finely chopped
¼ cup good-quality olive oil, plus more for drizzling
4 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
12 ounces angel hair pasta
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
¼ cup sliced basil
Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts
From Valerie's Home Cooking, Season 4 — "Pumpkins, Sweets and Treats"
🍩 RECIPE OF THE WEEK
October's here, so we're leaning all the way into it. These are baked, not fried, so you don't need a vat of hot oil to have doughnuts happen on a Tuesday — just pumpkin puree, warm spices, and a quick dunk in cinnamon sugar while they're still warm. The whole house smells like fall the second these hit the oven. Make a batch for a weekend breakfast, or honestly, just because it's October and you deserve one.
📅 OCTOBER CALENDAR
October 1st: Now We're Cooking Live
October 6th: Special Halloween VHC Watch Party
October 14th: Live AVA from backstage
October 21st at 5pm ET: Still Hot In Cleveland Live Episode
October 22nd: Episode #3 of Undeveloped
October 27th: Now We're Reading... Atmosphere
See you at Valerie's Place!
Valerie 💛
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