Katie Lee Biegel’s House Rules—Take It Easy (and Enjoy a Glass of Wine)

From her easy breezy approach to hosting to her evening wind-down routine, Katie Lee Biegel dishes on her rules at home.

“Easy breezy” is a term you’ll hear Katie Lee Biegel use a lot—especially when it comes to her cooking.

“I love comforting, simple food,” says Biegel, co-host of The Kitchen on the Food Network and author of four cookbooks. That’s even more true now that she’s a mom to 3-1/2-year-old daughter Iris. “If I see a laundry list of ingredients, I hear that saying in my head—‘Ain’t nobody got time for that.’ It is not happening.”

What she does have time for is hosting parties—especially outdoors. “I love entertaining in summer more than any other time of year because it’s so much more relaxed,” Biegel says. “Nobody is expecting the etiquette police to come out at a summer barbecue.”

Related: Kristen Kish’s House Rules—Take Off Your Shoes and Tell Her What You’re Craving

Katie’s Outdoor Entertaining Secrets

Biegel spoke with Better Homes & Gardens about her approach to cooking for a crowd, and her new venture: a lineup of party-perfect organic wines.

Focus on One Main Attraction

Biegel and husband, Ryan, have friends over around three times a week during summer, and throw a big annual 3rd of July bash (”On the fourth, people are busy doing their own things with their families,” Biegel explains.) Whenever she has guests, she typically makes a salad and a vegetable side ahead of time, and then grills or roasts the main attraction—fish with a simple tomato relish (featured in her cookbook, Easy-Breezy Eats), or meat that’s been seasoned with a rub of chile powder, onion powder, garlic powder, plus a little brown sugar, salt, and pepper. 

Stay Stocked Up on Wine

“I love wine—not to sound like a total lush!” Biegel laughs. So much so that, seeing a hole in the market, she recently co-founded Kind of Wild, which produces organic, zero-preservative wines. They dovetail with her own effort to live clean, but, she points out, “the most important thing about Kind of Wild wines are that they taste really good and I want to drink them.”

For parties, she stays well-stocked: “I always have a house white, a red, and rosé on hand,” she says. One of her favorites for summer is Kind of Wild’s Montepulciano. “It’s a lighter red and really good with a slight chill,” she says. “And it’s fantastic with grilled hot dogs and sausages.”  

Keep Styling Simple

Biegel takes a casual approach to styling an outdoor party: “Our farm stands always have beautiful local wildflowers so I just buy them while I’m getting vegetables for dinner,” she says. “I like to make cute little flower arrangements, nothing over the top, to add a pop of color to the table.” When it comes to setting the table, she just brings her indoor dishes outside. “It’s very rare that someone drops a dish at a party. Someone might drop a glass here and there, but you’re probably going to be OK.”  

“In the summertime, it’s like everyone’s just taken a deep breath and exhaled the whole year out. They’re ready to have fun, ready to let loose. It’s just an easy time to host a party.”

Katie Lee Biegel

Embrace the Unexpected

“Last year, there was a power outage an hour before everybody was supposed to get to our house for a party, and when my husband had 10 racks of ribs slow-cooking in the oven,” says Biegel. The couple quickly shifted course—moving the ribs to the grill, lighting every candle they could find, and bringing out a portable speaker. “It turned out to be a magical night,” she says. “I think that goes to show that when it comes to entertaining, don’t get hung up on everything being perfect.” 

Prep Hard—and Then Relax 

“When I’m doing my meal prep, I just want to do my thing and be super efficient,” Biegel says. She relies on Post-Its, her phone timer, and—if she’s preparing a more involved menu—a written timeline for cooking. “Once I’ve got everything prepped, I’m cool with guests coming into the kitchen. They sit at the kitchen island, and because I’ve got all my little bowls of ingredients ready, it’s just like I’m cooking on The Kitchen.”

Hosting Must-Do

Outside of taking care of the food, Biegel says there’s one thing she always does before a party: “One of my top tips for entertaining is to pay attention to your guest bathroom.”

Biegel likes to stock up on disposable monogrammed hand towels and light a candle for ambience. “I make sure that guest bathroom is perfection,” she says.

Related: Anita Yokota’s House Rules—It’s All About Intention

Katie Lee Biegel’s House Rules

Biegel doesn’t go overboard trying to make everything perfect when she’s hosting, but she does have a few rules of thumb for her household—whether guests are coming over or it’s just the family at home. Here’s what she had to say about her House Rules.

Take Your Shoes Off—Unless It’s a Party

My house rules would start with: Take your shoes off when you come in. But if it’s a party, you can leave your shoes on. They’re part of people’s outfits and I think it makes people feel comfortable to stay as they came. I just clean the floors the next day.

Give Mom 30 Minutes to Exercise

My SoulCycle bike is like a total escape for me. Sometimes Iris is in there with me, but she plays with her toys. If I try to get on the floor to do sit ups when she’s in there, it’s all over though.

Put Away Toys Before Bed

Someday our daughter will put the toys away before bed. Unfortunately, right now my husband and I wind up being the ones to do it. We put them away even though we know the minute she wakes up it’s going to be a mess again. But that little time we get with it clean feels really good.

Eat Your Greens Every Day

That was one of my mom’s rules—you have to have something green. So I’m always making a big salad. We have a fruit bowl every morning at breakfast with Iris. I have to then find tricky ways to get the greens into her food. I have a big salad and her greens end up pureed in something.

Make the Bed Every Day

This is key for me. Whether you’re staying home all day long or if you’re leaving and have a day full of meetings, there’s something about knowing that bed is made. And also, when you get into a nicely made bed at the end of the day, it’s more comfortable, more conducive to a good night’s sleep.

Take Time to Enjoy Yourself

Pour a glass of wine at night. Watch TV—I love TV. When I was growing up, one of my mom’s house rules was that on Wednesday night, it was time for Beverly Hills 90210. We’d unplug the phone, have a big bowl of popcorn, then a big bowl of ice cream. That was like the night we looked forward to all week long.

Make Coffee the Night Before

We always make our coffee in the evening, then whoever gets up first pushes the button so the coffee is brewed. That’s the most important part of the morning.

Rapid-Fire

Top sheet or no top sheet?

Top sheet.

Should the toilet paper roll go over or under? 

Over. It has to be. I don’t understand the under people.

Do you clean as you cook, or do you clean it all up at the end? 

As you cook. I’m a big believer in that.

You’re loading the dishwasher: Do you rinse dishes first, or put them in as-is? 

This is something my husband and I go back and forth on, because I know they say you don’t need to rinse, but we rinse. I just think if the dishes are going to sit there for a couple hours, I don’t want them covered in food.

Coffee or Tea?

Coffee. With just a little half and half and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Fruit Desserts or Chocolate?

Chocolate. No question. I love a plain old chocolate cake with chocolate frosting.

Sweet or Savory?

Savory.

Spicy or mild?

Spicy.

Eating at home or going out to eat?

Eating at home.

Cooking or baking?

Cooking. I’m not much of a baker, but I love a no-bake dessert.

For More Cooking Advice From Katie

Co-hosted by Biegel along with other food-world stars, The Kitchen celebrates 10 years on air this year. “It’s has been the greatest blessing of my career,” Biegel says. “My cohosts are like my family. I think that’s why the show resonates with people—because we really and truly are friends. The Kitchen is about sitting around together like you would at home in the kitchen, pouring a glass of wine, having some good food, and talking about what’s going on in your lives.”

For a taste of Biegel’s cooking, check out her latest cookbook, It’s Not That Complicated, which features 100 easy dishes that are packed with flavor but don’t take hours in the kitchen.

Related: Buddha Lo’s House Rules—Don’t Wear Black and Just Bring Yourself

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