With Love, Meghan (2025 s01e01 Episode Script
Hello, Honey!
[insects chirping]
[buzzing]
[Meghan] The biggest thing
is keeping a low tone.
-[man] Mm…
-[Meghan] Talk in our bee voice.
-Mark.
-[man] Thank you.
[gentle music playing]
[Meghan] Okay, so the last time
we came and checked on the bees
was a couple months ago.
-[Branden] Yeah.
-[Meghan] But you checked on them.
[Branden] I was here since
and they were doing well.
[Meghan] Okay.
This is one
of my favorite times of the year.
["Phoenix" by Big Red Machine playing]
Out in the loading bay light ♪
Watching the fog recede ♪
Divided the flame
You slowly gave to me ♪
I can't, I know some people just do
this entirely by themselves at home.
We've been doing this for over a year now,
but I still need you.
-[Branden] Mm-hm.
-I can't do this part, it makes me scared.
[Branden] Oh, don't be scared.
[Meghan] I remember when we started,
we didn't have any.
There were bees here,
but we didn't have any.
And to watch this growing
for so long is incredible.
Oh, they're busy.
-[Branden] Mm.
-Busy bees.
[Meghan] I've got good vibes.
We're about to immerse ourselves
in like 70,000 good vibes.
Good vibes for good hives.
[Branden] Here we go.
How do you bear the full weight? ♪
How does the long way feel? ♪
-[Meghan] What's the lifespan of a bee?
-[Branden] Four weeks.
-[Meghan] What?
-[Branden] Maybe six.
And they have different roles
and different jobs.
-[Meghan] Look at how much honey we have!
-[Branden] Bam.
Look at how much honey
we have on that rack!
-That's incredible!
-[Branden] That's full.
[Meghan] It is so heavy,
the weight of the honey.
You know what it is?
It's like also that reminder to do
something that scares you a little bit.
I think that's part of it,
but I'm trying to stay in the calm of it,
because it's beautiful
to be this connected.
[Branden] The bees have been here
since the dinosaurs.
[Meghan] I know. It's amazing.
On hour ♪
I was trying to find my way ♪
I was thinking my mind was made ♪
But you were making my heart… ♪
[Meghan] Oh, we're going
to have a lot of honey.
[Branden] We are.
…I could take ♪
I was trying to find my way ♪
I was thinking my mind was made ♪
[music fades]
[upbeat music playing]
[Meghan] Okay…
[Michael] Who's coming over?
So, my dear friend Daniel is coming over.
We've known each other
for a very long time.
And whenever I have someone come and stay,
one of my favorite things to do
is to prep the guest room.
I think about the two places
of a guest experience
once they've gone into their room.
What's at the side of the bed for them?
That's their good morning
and good night moment.
And what is in the bathroom for them,
so they can have a beautiful soak,
a nice bath at the end of the night.
So for bath salts,
the base of what we need
is good old-fashioned
Epsom salts or magnesium flakes.
Great to relax the body.
But you can add more to it.
I use a lot of arnica in my house.
That's toddler life.
Lots of bumps and bruises.
And arnica oil is great
for treating small bruises.
Is there a certain amount of salt
that I'm dealing with here?
We're going to try to fill this container,
so we're probably gonna use quite a bit.
But I am not modest when it comes
to the amount of salt I put in the bath.
Some lavender.
I think it's calming
at the end of the night.
Pink Himalayan sea salt, why not?
Also adds some color.
And it's a great anti-inflammatory.
[jazz music playing]
So,
let's bulk this up.
Put some more of the pink one in.
The reason I'm leaving
some room at the top,
I like to make
like a tea bag for the bath.
With other things
that you don't just want in the drain.
Your salts at the bottom.
Pretty rosebuds are nice.
Dry lavender.
You don't want to clean this
after you've taken a nice bath.
Let's tie it up.
The joy of hostessing for me
is surprising people
with moments that let them know
I was really thinking
of their whole experience
from morning till evening.
When it comes to Daniel,
we've been friends for maybe 15 years.
When I first had my job on Suits,
and I started going to events,
he was doing my makeup for that.
And we far transcended makeup
and just became friends.
And he has just been in my life
for the before, during, and after,
shall we say.
And he's very much a mainstay.
Uncle Daniel, the kids call him.
I know Daniel very well,
and I love him to pieces.
So, I want him to feel looked after
and cared for for his entire stay with me.
Best compliment you can get as a hostess
when you say to them in the morning,
"How was your night?"
And they go, "I had the best sleep."
These are all the things
that add to that sleep being so good.
I want everyone to come and feel really,
really comforted
when they're in our house.
And I'm putting this in here
because this isn't my house.
Daniel's going to be staying at my house,
but I'm going to prep everything here
as I would at home
and then bring it back to my house
so I can have it there for him.
Finally, let's do some bedside blooms.
It's just a sweet gesture.
All these little things
are letting someone know
that you're thinking of them.
So when he comes back here
with me tomorrow,
I'm thinking we can make
an easy and delicious pasta.
He has a massive sweet tooth,
so I want to make sure
we make something really sweet
while he's here.
So, we're going to make
a beautiful little cake.
And a little bit later,
we could melt down beeswax
to make candles.
Okay, so we have done the base
of what we need to welcome Daniel.
Now, let's go prep some snacks.
[pleasant music playing]
Snacks for Daniel
or any guest who's coming.
Something sweet, something savory.
I always want to make sure
they have a late-night nibble.
I learned this very, very recently.
You can take a cob of dried corn,
put it in a paper bag,
fold it,
and put it in the microwave
for two minutes.
Two minutes.
[corn pops]
That's a little bit shy of two minutes.
You guys…
Look at how fun that is.
This is very fun to do with kids.
Or not, because I just had
quite a bit of fun.
For Daniel, why don't we do
some truffle popcorn?
Truffle, truffle, truffle, truffle.
Truffle oil.
Truffle salt.
Pretty good. It needs more salt.
Don't tie a knot without a bow.
What you don't want to do is make it
hard for your guests to get into it.
Cut some little labels.
And since we put all of our energy
into making those,
this we're just going
to put into a different bag.
[jazz music playing]
Peanut butter pretzels.
I've been eating these forever,
and I love these so much.
My mom does, too.
I know that Daniel loves peanut butter.
I'm still going to label this.
You always want to be conscious
if someone has a nut allergy.
All right.
I'm packing this all up
so I can take it home
and prep the guest room.
And now, everything's ready
for Daniel's arrival tonight.
I can't wait.
[soul music playing]
Me and my cousin
Got coffee by the Eiffel Tower ♪
I got coffee, he got a latte ♪
-What are you drinking this morning?
-[Michael] Coffee.
Sounds about right.
[Michael] Latte.
A latte love.
[Michael] A latte love.
[soul music continues]
There's nothing so fancy
about a crudité platter
except that it's called crudité.
But little moments can suddenly take it
to something a little bit more artistic.
Tiny details.
[Daniel] Hello.
[Meghan] He's here.
[Michael] He's here.
Oh, hello.
He's here.
All right.
[Daniel] This is so beautiful.
You're so sweet.
I wanted to make it
colorful and joyful for you.
How long did it take to make this?
It's just chopping veggies.
And as you know,
with your work and your art,
it's the little details at the end
that make it.
I mean, this is imperfect,
but it doesn't need to be perfect.
-It's…
-It looks pretty perfect.
[Meghan] You're very sweet.
Why doesn't anyone
ever present peas like this?
-[Meghan laughs]
-This is-- They're like green pearls.
Well, that's sweet. Green pearls.
[Daniel] Green pearls.
[Meghan] Green pearls, girls.
Seriously, every time I leave your house,
I gain like ten pounds.
You're always feeding me.
It's healthful things.
It's ten pounds of joy.
Hallelu.
[Meghan] I'm going to make you pasta.
Speaking of our pounds of joy,
eat it all in one pot.
Single skillet spaghetti.
-S-s-s.
-S-s-s-s-s.
Single skillet spaghetti.
We do the whole thing in one pan,
just like making a frittata. One pan.
-Oh.
-One and done.
-We don't have time for these pot changes.
-Yeah, that's perfect for me in New York.
Like, I get home from work,
I need to make something.
You'll love this and you'll go,
"Why have I been doing this,
this different way this whole time?"
It allows the starch to stay in the pan,
which gives it this creamy quality
without any cream.
Super simple.
-Do you like tomatoes?
-I love tomatoes.
[Meghan] Great.
-Let's chop those tomatoes in half.
-Okay.
-And you don't have to be…
-[Daniel] Precious?
[Meghan] No, no. We're precise about this.
All this is gonna cook down.
We're here for the flavor.
I literally just cut myself.
[Meghan gasps] Oh no!
-Okay. Well, we can fix that.
-Sorry.
He really did. Let me get you something.
-I was like, "Uh… oh…"
-I'm gonna put you on drinking tea duty.
Your only ratchet friend.
[Michael] Five minutes in.
-Literally five minutes in.
-But he's an artist.
These hands can't be hurt.
-He needs his hands for his…
-Oh, but I'm left-handed. So this is fine.
-Oh my gosh.
-[laughing] I'm a lefty. We're good.
[Meghan] My sous-chef is injured.
Oh, it's a nice cool green, too.
So chic.
I can beat your face,
but I can't cut a tomato.
[both laugh]
So we're doing yellow and red.
Use whatever you have.
If you have heirlooms, that's fine.
It's very easy. It's a family favorite.
And I think that you will start
making this for Corey.
[Daniel] He'd love that.
'Cause then it won't take an hour.
[Meghan] You have one dish
to clean afterwards.
Unless you sit very cute at the counter,
put a thing there,
have your skillet, you on either side.
We don't have a counter in New York.
[giggles]
-On your lap.
-[both laugh]
I wouldn't advise
a hot skillet on your lap.
We'll throw all these in there.
Let's boil this water
while we're doing this.
You're not boiling a huge pot.
Just a kettle.
Let's put some salt in.
Drizzle a lot of olive oil over it.
I'm gonna put some garlic in there.
I love garlic. Bring it.
-Great. We're friends.
-[giggling] Yeah. Exactly.
We're good.
You've always shown your love
through food. Like…
Mm. A big love language.
I remember the first time
we worked together.
-What was our first job together?
-It was for Suits.
But I just remember that first time
I was told by my agent
that you reached out to them directly
because
you didn't have representation then.
I just had an agent.
No publicist or anything.
[Daniel] You reached out, like,
"Tell people that--"
"I'd like to book someone
for this press event I have for my show."
That's exactly what happened.
You were so appreciative
of me coming so early,
and offering me, like,
"Room service isn't up and running yet,
but can I get you a coffee
or can I get you this?"
But when you weren't working on the show,
we had The TIG.
-We had The TIG.
-So like…
Daniel was my beauty editor for The TIG.
I started this lifestyle website.
Doing it in between scenes in my trailer.
Which is crazy to me
'cause you were working,
and then you added more work.
But you're so excited at the time.
And we were both creating
and figuring it out.
[Daniel] And that's when
our friendship really grew.
It was all in the spirit
of just sharing the things that I loved.
-Yeah.
-Mm-hm.
This-- This skillet spaghetti
would have been on there.
You put the dry pasta in,
you pour boiling water on top,
and that's it.
But also, when I make this,
I make it for my family…
Not that my children
are eating heaps of noodles,
but I'll make enough that I can put
leftovers in their lunchbox.
An entire pack of spaghetti.
Okay, I need some lemon zest.
[Daniel] I love zesting.
This is the perfect job for you.
[gentle music playing]
[Meghan] I think the brightness of citrus
helps so many things.
We have some chard,
we have some lacinato kale.
I've never thought
to use that part for anything.
[Meghan] Mm. Such good flavor in this.
Don't want that to go to waste.
Did you always cook like this?
[Meghan] Not like this,
but I've always loved to cook.
And I used to watch
a lot of cooking shows.
-Oh, I remember you telling me that.
-Loved it.
Were you always artistic?
Did you always want to do makeup?
I mean, my grandmother was my inspiration.
I'd sit and watch her do her makeup.
She's French.
She had this ritual
of sitting in front of her vanity,
getting her hair rolled.
And my sisters, they all wore makeup,
but they all wore it differently.
I just fell in love
with that kind of ritual, that process.
I've learned so much from you.
All those years
when I was doing my makeup by myself,
And I would text you and say,
"Hi, what's on trend right now?
What color is cool?"
Oh, my God. [chuckles]
You're like, "What are you talking about?"
[chuckles]
[Meghan] Okay, that lemon
is beautifully zested.
-[Daniel] Thank you.
-You're welcome.
So, all of our boiling water.
[Daniel] And how much water is that?
[Meghan] I put about three
and a half cups in, give or take.
You want the noodles to be just covered.
I'm gonna turn this on.
[stove clicks]
We're going to put the lid on this.
Let it come to a boil
and do this for six minutes in there.
I'll chop up some greens
to tier on top of it.
[upbeat music playing]
-[Meghan] Should we grate some Parmesan?
-[Daniel] Ooh, yes.
[upbeat music continues]
[Meghan] Woo!
You see it's cooked in that.
Now that we've taken the lid off, a lot
of this moisture it's gonna evaporate.
But we're still keeping
that starchy pasta water.
[Daniel] Mm.
-[Meghan] I'm gonna add some greens now.
-Mm.
It'll cook another four or five minutes
until the noodle
is the right texture we want. Al dente.
The greens going in at the end
also keeps a lot of that color…
-[Daniel] It's so bright.
-Yeah, vibrant.
The more it cooks down,
the more this liquid continues to bubble,
it will become almost creamier,
without adding cream.
Just from the starch.
Let's put some arugula in as well.
It's a nice, peppery bite.
-You want to put cheese in now?
-Yeah.
-He's got it.
-Just dump it?
Yeah, please.
-Thank you.
-[Daniel gasps]
-Yes.
-This looks so good.
Everything's caramelized and creamy.
Oh, the red chili flakes.
Mm. So yummy.
-I'll show you pretty plating.
-Gotta make it purdy.
"Daniel's in town, make it look pretty!"
Whatever sauce you have,
even if spaghetti sauce, put a little bit.
Oh, first.
Okay, got it.
With that, I'm going to give you
little blistered tomatoes around.
Basil.
[Daniel] This is so beautiful to me.
[Meghan] A bit of finishing salt.
So, let's try it.
Get all the goodness in there.
[upbeat music playing]
-That is so good.
-[Meghan laughs]
Oh, my God.
[Meghan] That is so good.
It's your choice of adjectives
that I really appreciate.
It's so weird because it's so hearty…
-[Meghan] Mm-hmm.
-[Daniel] …but it's not heavy.
This is literally cozy.
-It's like that Beyoncé song. "Cozy."
-Yeah.
Okay. I have this surprise.
We harvested fresh honey yesterday.
My mamma said you break my heart ♪
I should've listened ♪
My mamma told me to be smart ♪
And pay attention… ♪
-[Branden] Click and release.
-That's not my wheelhouse.
-Thank you.
-It's a good thing to know.
[Meghan] Look at that.
Okay, the way I did it the last time,
you taught me…
[Branden] This is literally
as good as it gets.
It's local capped honey.
-[gentle music playing]
-[Meghan chuckles]
[Branden] Voilà.
[Meghan] Look at that.
Every last little bit.
It's always fascinating.
You think it's done, then you scrape it
and, "There's a serving."
[Meghan] Ooh!
[Branden] Mm.
[both chuckling]
I'm so tickled by it every time.
It's amazing.
-[Branden] It really is.
-[Meghan] It's amazing.
-That taste okay?
-It's great. You wanna try some?
Sure. [chuckles]
You know what's so ironic about it?
-I've never liked honey.
-Mm.
I didn't think it was bad.
I didn't crave it.
I thought it was almost too sweet.
And now, because of this process,
-I just appreciate it so much.
-Aw.
And it's as high quality as it gets, too.
-I'm sure that's helpful.
-[both chuckle]
It's-- It's literally nature's magic
that's making this so good.
Let's see if it goes through.
-This is a double--
-[Meghan] A double sieve.
Very good. You want to hold that, Meghan?
Damn right I do.
-[Branden] Here you go.
-Oh, my God.
[Branden chuckles]
[Meghan] Ooh!
It's so cool.
Come on, sweet angel ♪
Take me to heaven now ♪
Now, on top of the honey,
help me figure out
what to do with all the the wax,
because I saved it.
I saved it from one of the last times
we were harvesting.
Once it strains and you get the honey,
"What do I do with this wax? Candles?"
Candles. Candles are the way to go.
When you burn a pure beeswax candle,
it actually purifies the air.
-So… [chuckles]
-Okay.
How's that for full circle?
-Amazing. I love that.
-Pollinating the world.
-Thank you. It's so cool.
-Yeah.
Amazing.
[pleasant music playing]
[Meghan] Because I spent time
with the beekeeper, I have this wax.
[Daniel] Amazing.
-I was thinking, let's make candles.
-Yeah.
-I've never made candles.
-I've never made candles.
We have instructions, but we've got this.
We'll fill this with wax.
It's gonna go on top of that, almost like…
-Chocolate…
-Yes, like bain-marie.
If you're lightly melting down
something that's delicate
and you don't want it to scald.
-Okay.
-So, let's fill this in here.
[Daniel] I've never touched beeswax
like this before.
-Can we pour it in?
-Yeah.
[Meghan] You can get wax
from your local beekeeper.
You can buy it online.
All right, so if we put this here.
Okay, so we've put our wax in here.
We'll wait for it to slowly melt down.
And I think we're going for 170, 180.
-170 to 180.
-We can't wing it.
We'll have to use the candy thermometer.
Once we pour it into pitchers
to put into the candle vessels,
it needs to be at… 160.
If it's anything less than that,
it creates dips in candles.
That sinkhole. We're not gonna do that.
-We'll do it right.
-Do it right.
-It smells amazing.
-Isn't that wild?
[Daniel] There is something earthy
about this natural scent.
-It does have a really soft honey scent.
-It smells like honey.
[Daniel] Yeah.
It's not cheese.
That's why you're so drawn to it.
You're like, "It's Parmesan." It's not.
So, as that's melting down,
let's think about
if we wanted to put an essential oil in.
We have a few. What's your preference?
I always love lavender.
My allergies have been bonkers.
-And I feel like…
-Clean is better.
Yeah, so like a eucalyptus,
honey, rosemary, peppermint.
Clarifying. Maybe eucalyptus
and peppermint for you.
That feels good and cleansing.
Some nice fresh mint.
Rosemary would be really good as well.
-Just a little.
-Love rosemary.
Because a little… [sniffs]
…goes a long way.
But I think, yeah,
the rosemary is nice and grounding.
-Oh my God.
-[Meghan] Mm-hmm.
-Here we go. We're getting some action.
-[Daniel] Oh yeah, it's melting.
You're going to have to test and make sure
we're at the right temperature.
Let's just try this.
[Meghan] I love doing this together.
We've got quite a ways to go.
-Should we prep our candle vessels?
-[Daniel] Yes.
We could do this,
because you can travel with it.
-[Daniel] Yes.
-For home, I'll do something like this.
-Oh, yeah.
-Is that good?
-Awesome.
-You can take it home.
So, there's the wick of a normal candle.
-When you burn down a candle…
-Never seen a wick not in a candle.
To the end, there's always that metal bit.
That's it, which is gonna anchor it.
So, essentially,
if we dip this in a little bit of wax,
it's going to secure itself in there
and then be extra secured through a dowel.
Now, what is that? An ice pop stick.
-Just like a little…
-[Daniel] Oh, okay.
That way, as we pour everything in,
this is stabilized.
-Let's lock this down.
-Get your dowel.
Oh. We're in better shape.
-Ooh.
-That's so pretty.
Now we're talking turkey.
I'm just gonna do a little dip
while it's hot.
Let's see. Is enough on there?
[Daniel] Oh, yeah.
-Yes. Work.
-Yes? Okay.
She is ready.
-Fantastic.
-Oh, yeah. [gasps] Awesome.
-So good.
-So, that'll sit.
And now, where are we?
-We got it there.
This part scares me, but we'll be fine.
I'll pour these into our two pitchers.
-Okay.
-You wanna do this part?
I'll pour.
Oh, great. Look at him go.
Oh.
-I'm with you. I got you. It's just water.
-Okay. Cool.
-Okay.
-Oh my God, this smells so good.
I'm removing my hands from this equation,
so you tell me what works for you.
-You should probably…
-One for each of us.
Don't use too much. We're good.
[jazz music playing]
[Meghan] We're working against the clock,
to keep this in the right temperature.
-We have to make sure that this is at 160.
-Yep.
I would pour that in quickly.
You don't want a sinkhole.
-You want eucalyptus, peppermint?
-Yes.
-Oh, you put it in here.
-Peppermint as well?
-Sure.
-Okay.
I'm going to put
a couple drops of lavender oil in mine.
-Oh, my gosh, look at us.
-[Daniel] Oh, my God.
-Do we make another?
-Yes, I'm going to grab the things.
-This is so exciting.
-Come on, girl. 161, 162.
The pressure. It's like
The Amazing Race of candles.
[chuckling] It really is.
[Meghan] We'd be great
on The Amazing Race together.
Do you think?
-Yeah. Or we'd just…
-I've already injured myself.
I'd do something stupid the first…
-"Daniel, let's go! Come on!"
-[chuckling] "Get up, girl!"
[Meghan] Just put a dowel on this one.
Dowel Daniel.
[Meghan] Dowel Daniel ♪
Look at how many candles we're making.
[gasps]
-That's beautiful.
-She is pretty.
-I love it.
-Oh my God.
-We could open up a store.
-We'll be starting a store.
[both laughing]
-I mean.
-Oh, my God.
[Meghan] I'm nerding out
about these candles.
-We're nerds.
-Totally nerds.
How long does it take for a candle to dry?
Three or four hours?
Three or four hours?
Where do you have to go?
-[gasps]
-[chuckles]
I…
In the next three to four hours,
let's go make a beautiful cake
-because I know you have a sweet tooth.
-[gasps] A cake?
I already baked the cake in advance,
so now we just get to do the decorating.
And then by the time
our day comes to a close,
we'll have candles to send you home
and some for me to bring home.
-I don't wanna go home.
-You don't have to.
-Let's go.
-I wanna go to my cottage.
-Yes, I know.
-At your house!
[upbeat music playing]
[Meghan] Working hard for the honey.
Baking is not my favorite thing,
but I will do it
for one of my favorite people.
I am thinking,
because we have honey from our bees,
to do a three-layer,
honey lemon cake with berries.
Let's sift our dry ingredients together.
You don't need to sift sugar.
That's gonna go right in.
A cup and a half of sugar.
[pleasant music playing]
Three cups of flour.
A tablespoon and a half of baking powder.
One teaspoon of salt.
Fold that together.
This is all going to go in
with our wet ingredients in a second
Set that to the side.
Let's do our wet ingredients.
A cup and a half of milk.
Three-quarters cups of olive oil.
Four eggs.
Lemon zest of two lemons.
And we're just going to fold it in.
Three tablespoons of honey-honey.
Here we go.
Give that a nice blend.
We're going to try to do this as evenly
as possible because, of course,
we want all the levels of our cake
to be even.
Then, put these into the oven to bake
at around 350 for 25 to 30 minutes.
Good night, sweetheart.
Let's make a glaze.
Half a cup of honey.
A quarter cup of water.
And a quarter cup of lemon juice.
And the zest of a lemon.
We're gonna give that a stir.
Bring it up to a boil.
Let those flavors marry.
We are going to drizzle it
between each layer,
so the cake will absorb that flavor.
One, two, three.
We're in good shape. Let them cool.
Then, we will do our glazing
and our frosting and our entertaining.
-Apron, apron.
-Yes.
-Cake-making time.
-Cake-making time.
So, I did the heavy lifting for us.
Now we just do the artistic piece.
If we're making a layered cake,
these need to be level.
So, we use a serrated knife.
A bread knife will work.
I'll do this part.
-Yes, I've never done this.
-'Cause knives are not your friends.
[chuckling]
We've established that.
-So, all we're doing is making it even.
-Okay.
It's not rocket science.
Clearly, I'm not a rocket scientist.
Yeah. We'll take that bit off.
Actually, I should get a plate for that.
I don't think my children
would be mad at this.
-It's like an enormous pancake.
-I was, "Can you eat that?"
-'Course. It's cake.
-You can't waste it.
Well, this is a delicious cake
that I made for you.
-It has honey in it, lemon, lemon zest.
-Oh my God, yes.
You said lemon.
It made me think of your wedding cake.
Oh, my God. Yes.
-Was it lemon elderberry?
-Elderflower.
[Daniel] Elderflower.
-Yeah, good memory.
-'Cause I got to taste it.
-Remember?
-We did the tasting together.
We did the tasting together.
[Meghan] This is a honey glaze.
We want to infuse all this flavor
in each layer before we stack it.
Okay.
-Can I tell you what the plan is?
-Yes.
[Meghan] It's called a naked cake.
It's layered with buttercream that I made.
Some raspberries.
When we cut it, it'll be beautiful,
but we keep the outside exposed.
You know what it is?
-She's beautiful on the inside.
-Inside. Yes.
-Beautiful inside.
-Beautiful on the inside cake.
All this stuff to make her
look pretty on the outside.
-She's beautiful on the inside.
-I love that.
-My other hack I haven't shown you.
-Yeah.
I don't get the equipment, the piping bag.
I was going to say…
I'm just gonna use a plastic bag,
put it in a jar, fill it with the icing.
This is it. Cut the tip off.
And that will become your piping bag now.
And I always put a tiny bit here.
I'm putting that there,
so this isn't gonna shift around.
Okay. We're going to do this.
Okay. So, what I'm thinking is,
this almost like the cement, right?
That's gonna keep it together.
So, we need to seal the edges.
-Just like our hair.
-Right. Lay them down, girl.
I'm just gonna show you first.
-You're gonna find this very--
-It's one round squeeze.
Mm-hmm. Make sure
the outside is our sealant.
And then everything in here
we can go in the same pattern.
And then, good old,
homemade, raspberry preserves
in the layers in between.
Would you rather it be in a piping bag?
-I'm wondering.
-It'll do the same effect.
Yeah.
So…
-You're going to love this.
-Sorry. I had to taste this.
-Isn't it so good?
-Oh, my God.
[chuckles]
Those are berries from the garden.
[upbeat music playing]
Okay, so see what I'm doing there?
I'm just getting it to that point.
Cut just a tiny bit.
And this will be your piping bag now.
Just try to keep it on the inside.
It's going to be delicious.
[Daniel] I'm getting my workout.
Fantastic. On to the next layer.
Okay, go for it.
-See, I already messed up.
-No, you didn't. It's great.
No one's going to see these layers.
It's not about perfection.
Okay.
Gorgeous.
So, now, we're going to ice
the top of this with buttercream frosting.
In the fridge for 20 minutes.
We can check on our candles.
When we come back,
we can do the actual decor.
It's always the same ♪
There's something really satisfying
about a cake that is bare on the outside.
-But she's so beautiful on the inside.
-Mm-hmm.
And you just don't know how good she is
until you go deep…
-Don't pass judgment.
-…and you get to know her better.
-I know.
-No one knows your business.
Until you cut them open.
Into the fridge she goes.
-They look good. Oh my God.
-[giggling]
[Meghan] I mean, for a first time…
They're beautiful. I'm really impressed.
-[Meghan] A grand first attempt.
-I'm really impressed by our patience.
Our creativity. Oh, they smell so good.
-[Meghan] You can cut the wick down.
-Cut the wicks? Cutting it off like this?
[Meghan] Yeah, where you would actually
naturally want it.
My only basis of knowledge here
is the candles that I own at home.
We just made candles.
-I'm so…
-Should I put a little label on it?
Should I write something?
"Daniel's Candles"?
"Daniel's Candles"!
[Meghan] Do you want
one for Corey, one for you?
-[Daniel] This one's Corey's.
-Okay.
He's going to be so happy.
Sweet. And then this we're going to call
"Come Back to Montecito" candle.
-Aww.
-"Come Home Soon" candle?
"Come Home Soon" candle.
[Meghan] Sweet trio.
-Shall we?
-Yay.
Let's head back and check on our cake.
I'll come do this in a little bit.
I'm going to make you some tea.
[Meghan] Okay.
I'm very proud of us. We have our candles.
-Mm!
-Let's decorate our cake.
So I have this vision for this cake.
Say, if we were going to do
something like that,
we're going to anchor it with, um.…
a tiny bit of frosting.
So it's going to make it, uh… tacky?
You won't even see it.
But it will help it stick.
So if we do that there…
Mm.
I really like the sound effects from you.
-[chuckling] Sorry.
-It's helpful.
-"Mmm…"
-"Mmm…"
[Meghan] Put that one there.
We're going to add these small leaves.
Lemon verbena?
It doesn't need to feel so precious.
I'm literally on my tiptoes because I…
Well, I need to see.
[Meghan] And then maybe
we'll just dot a couple at the bottom.
Look at our sweet cake.
I'm going to go and put the kettle on.
I'm going to make you some tea
for your allergies.
[upbeat music playing]
Lemon, ginger.
We did it. It's sweet.
[Daniel] Ah, it's pretty.
Can you hand me the syrup that we made?
This has the honey. This has lemon.
This has lemon zest.
So I think when we add this
to some hot water,
and put some ginger in it,
a tiny bit of turmeric for you too,
then we're getting this elixir
that I think will be so healing.
Maybe a tiny kick of cayenne
if you can do it.
-Yeah, yeah, yeah.
-Okay.
[upbeat music playing]
Let's put a healthy amount of that there.
Let's add some fresh ginger to it.
And then I won't feel so guilty
eating the cake.
Because this, which is also in this,
is making me feel better.
-Whatever brings you joy.
-[laughing]
[Meghan] Tiniest bit of cayenne for you.
We have a lot
of lemon juice in there anyway,
but I think it's nice to have that.
[Meghan] Mm.
[Daniel] Oh, that looks so pretty.
So let's let that steep for a moment.
So you pour that,
I'm going to grab a knife
and some plates for us to enjoy our cake.
I'm going to bring us
some extra honey, honey.
Extra honey, honey.
This tea looks amazing.
It's like chartreuse.
Oh my gosh.
-Is it good?
-So good.
When you put the cayenne in there,
I was like, "Uh-oh."
-Mm-mm. Delicious.
-Delicious.
Let's see the magic we made here.
[gentle jazz music playing]
Oh, I'm so excited.
[Daniel] Ooh.
[softly] I love that.
Okay.
[Daniel] Oh, look at that. That's so cool.
-[Meghan] "Beautiful on the inside" cake.
-"Beautiful on the inside."
Let's do that right there.
All right, I'll grab us some napkins
once we get settled.
I'll be searching all day and night ♪
For someone to hold me tight ♪
[Meghan] Mmm.
-Oh my God, are you serious?
-[Meghan chuckles]
-[Daniel] What is this view?
-What is this? This is so pretty.
[Daniel] This is insane.
I feel like this is all fake.
It is not a backdrop.
This is not a green screen.
This is called Los Padres National Forest.
How high is that?
That is not a question
that I can answer for you.
I wish I knew.
Oh my God.
Shut up.
I can't.
[Meghan giggles]
That is very, very delicious. I will say.
-And it's so light.
-Very tasty.
It's so tasty.
Thank you so much for having me.
-I'm so happy you're here, my buddy.
-And just like…
-This was fun.
-And we got to learn stuff together, too.
Yeah.
-What have we had? We've had pasta.
-Pasta.
[Meghan] Made sure you soaked
and had a cozy bath.
-We have our cake.
-Yes.
-I have my candle.
-[Meghan] That you made.
Every time I light it,
I'm going to think of you.
You've always sent me home
with incredible things, but this basket…
-Enjoy them.
-And it goes back to, like,
-doing things with intention.
-And do it with someone that you love.
-Right.
-Or for someone that you love.
Exactly.
What a beautiful day.
So beautiful, yeah.
-To love.
-To love.
-Cheers, dear.
-Cheers, dear.
-Can't end on a better note than that.
-[chuckle]
Mm.
I used to think that love could be ♪
So damn ridiculous ♪
[Meghan] Next time you come,
we're gonna hike that.
-Okay.
-Bring your hiking boots.
You Cali people and your hikes.
I can't. Mm-mm.
[train honking]
-Toot-toot. Beep beep.
-My ride is here, girl. Gotta go.
[Meghan laughs]
You turn the dark, cold night
Into a brand-new, bright sunny day ♪
Now life is so adventurous ♪
I know true love is meant for us ♪
I'm so darn glad ♪
That you showed me the way ♪
You turn the dark, cold night ♪
You turn the dark, cold night ♪
You turn the dark, cold night
Into a brand-new, bright sunny day ♪
Bright sunny day ♪
Dum-bah-dum-bam ♪
Bah-dum-bam ♪
[buzzing]
[Meghan] The biggest thing
is keeping a low tone.
-[man] Mm…
-[Meghan] Talk in our bee voice.
-Mark.
-[man] Thank you.
[gentle music playing]
[Meghan] Okay, so the last time
we came and checked on the bees
was a couple months ago.
-[Branden] Yeah.
-[Meghan] But you checked on them.
[Branden] I was here since
and they were doing well.
[Meghan] Okay.
This is one
of my favorite times of the year.
["Phoenix" by Big Red Machine playing]
Out in the loading bay light ♪
Watching the fog recede ♪
Divided the flame
You slowly gave to me ♪
I can't, I know some people just do
this entirely by themselves at home.
We've been doing this for over a year now,
but I still need you.
-[Branden] Mm-hm.
-I can't do this part, it makes me scared.
[Branden] Oh, don't be scared.
[Meghan] I remember when we started,
we didn't have any.
There were bees here,
but we didn't have any.
And to watch this growing
for so long is incredible.
Oh, they're busy.
-[Branden] Mm.
-Busy bees.
[Meghan] I've got good vibes.
We're about to immerse ourselves
in like 70,000 good vibes.
Good vibes for good hives.
[Branden] Here we go.
How do you bear the full weight? ♪
How does the long way feel? ♪
-[Meghan] What's the lifespan of a bee?
-[Branden] Four weeks.
-[Meghan] What?
-[Branden] Maybe six.
And they have different roles
and different jobs.
-[Meghan] Look at how much honey we have!
-[Branden] Bam.
Look at how much honey
we have on that rack!
-That's incredible!
-[Branden] That's full.
[Meghan] It is so heavy,
the weight of the honey.
You know what it is?
It's like also that reminder to do
something that scares you a little bit.
I think that's part of it,
but I'm trying to stay in the calm of it,
because it's beautiful
to be this connected.
[Branden] The bees have been here
since the dinosaurs.
[Meghan] I know. It's amazing.
On hour ♪
I was trying to find my way ♪
I was thinking my mind was made ♪
But you were making my heart… ♪
[Meghan] Oh, we're going
to have a lot of honey.
[Branden] We are.
…I could take ♪
I was trying to find my way ♪
I was thinking my mind was made ♪
[music fades]
[upbeat music playing]
[Meghan] Okay…
[Michael] Who's coming over?
So, my dear friend Daniel is coming over.
We've known each other
for a very long time.
And whenever I have someone come and stay,
one of my favorite things to do
is to prep the guest room.
I think about the two places
of a guest experience
once they've gone into their room.
What's at the side of the bed for them?
That's their good morning
and good night moment.
And what is in the bathroom for them,
so they can have a beautiful soak,
a nice bath at the end of the night.
So for bath salts,
the base of what we need
is good old-fashioned
Epsom salts or magnesium flakes.
Great to relax the body.
But you can add more to it.
I use a lot of arnica in my house.
That's toddler life.
Lots of bumps and bruises.
And arnica oil is great
for treating small bruises.
Is there a certain amount of salt
that I'm dealing with here?
We're going to try to fill this container,
so we're probably gonna use quite a bit.
But I am not modest when it comes
to the amount of salt I put in the bath.
Some lavender.
I think it's calming
at the end of the night.
Pink Himalayan sea salt, why not?
Also adds some color.
And it's a great anti-inflammatory.
[jazz music playing]
So,
let's bulk this up.
Put some more of the pink one in.
The reason I'm leaving
some room at the top,
I like to make
like a tea bag for the bath.
With other things
that you don't just want in the drain.
Your salts at the bottom.
Pretty rosebuds are nice.
Dry lavender.
You don't want to clean this
after you've taken a nice bath.
Let's tie it up.
The joy of hostessing for me
is surprising people
with moments that let them know
I was really thinking
of their whole experience
from morning till evening.
When it comes to Daniel,
we've been friends for maybe 15 years.
When I first had my job on Suits,
and I started going to events,
he was doing my makeup for that.
And we far transcended makeup
and just became friends.
And he has just been in my life
for the before, during, and after,
shall we say.
And he's very much a mainstay.
Uncle Daniel, the kids call him.
I know Daniel very well,
and I love him to pieces.
So, I want him to feel looked after
and cared for for his entire stay with me.
Best compliment you can get as a hostess
when you say to them in the morning,
"How was your night?"
And they go, "I had the best sleep."
These are all the things
that add to that sleep being so good.
I want everyone to come and feel really,
really comforted
when they're in our house.
And I'm putting this in here
because this isn't my house.
Daniel's going to be staying at my house,
but I'm going to prep everything here
as I would at home
and then bring it back to my house
so I can have it there for him.
Finally, let's do some bedside blooms.
It's just a sweet gesture.
All these little things
are letting someone know
that you're thinking of them.
So when he comes back here
with me tomorrow,
I'm thinking we can make
an easy and delicious pasta.
He has a massive sweet tooth,
so I want to make sure
we make something really sweet
while he's here.
So, we're going to make
a beautiful little cake.
And a little bit later,
we could melt down beeswax
to make candles.
Okay, so we have done the base
of what we need to welcome Daniel.
Now, let's go prep some snacks.
[pleasant music playing]
Snacks for Daniel
or any guest who's coming.
Something sweet, something savory.
I always want to make sure
they have a late-night nibble.
I learned this very, very recently.
You can take a cob of dried corn,
put it in a paper bag,
fold it,
and put it in the microwave
for two minutes.
Two minutes.
[corn pops]
That's a little bit shy of two minutes.
You guys…
Look at how fun that is.
This is very fun to do with kids.
Or not, because I just had
quite a bit of fun.
For Daniel, why don't we do
some truffle popcorn?
Truffle, truffle, truffle, truffle.
Truffle oil.
Truffle salt.
Pretty good. It needs more salt.
Don't tie a knot without a bow.
What you don't want to do is make it
hard for your guests to get into it.
Cut some little labels.
And since we put all of our energy
into making those,
this we're just going
to put into a different bag.
[jazz music playing]
Peanut butter pretzels.
I've been eating these forever,
and I love these so much.
My mom does, too.
I know that Daniel loves peanut butter.
I'm still going to label this.
You always want to be conscious
if someone has a nut allergy.
All right.
I'm packing this all up
so I can take it home
and prep the guest room.
And now, everything's ready
for Daniel's arrival tonight.
I can't wait.
[soul music playing]
Me and my cousin
Got coffee by the Eiffel Tower ♪
I got coffee, he got a latte ♪
-What are you drinking this morning?
-[Michael] Coffee.
Sounds about right.
[Michael] Latte.
A latte love.
[Michael] A latte love.
[soul music continues]
There's nothing so fancy
about a crudité platter
except that it's called crudité.
But little moments can suddenly take it
to something a little bit more artistic.
Tiny details.
[Daniel] Hello.
[Meghan] He's here.
[Michael] He's here.
Oh, hello.
He's here.
All right.
[Daniel] This is so beautiful.
You're so sweet.
I wanted to make it
colorful and joyful for you.
How long did it take to make this?
It's just chopping veggies.
And as you know,
with your work and your art,
it's the little details at the end
that make it.
I mean, this is imperfect,
but it doesn't need to be perfect.
-It's…
-It looks pretty perfect.
[Meghan] You're very sweet.
Why doesn't anyone
ever present peas like this?
-[Meghan laughs]
-This is-- They're like green pearls.
Well, that's sweet. Green pearls.
[Daniel] Green pearls.
[Meghan] Green pearls, girls.
Seriously, every time I leave your house,
I gain like ten pounds.
You're always feeding me.
It's healthful things.
It's ten pounds of joy.
Hallelu.
[Meghan] I'm going to make you pasta.
Speaking of our pounds of joy,
eat it all in one pot.
Single skillet spaghetti.
-S-s-s.
-S-s-s-s-s.
Single skillet spaghetti.
We do the whole thing in one pan,
just like making a frittata. One pan.
-Oh.
-One and done.
-We don't have time for these pot changes.
-Yeah, that's perfect for me in New York.
Like, I get home from work,
I need to make something.
You'll love this and you'll go,
"Why have I been doing this,
this different way this whole time?"
It allows the starch to stay in the pan,
which gives it this creamy quality
without any cream.
Super simple.
-Do you like tomatoes?
-I love tomatoes.
[Meghan] Great.
-Let's chop those tomatoes in half.
-Okay.
-And you don't have to be…
-[Daniel] Precious?
[Meghan] No, no. We're precise about this.
All this is gonna cook down.
We're here for the flavor.
I literally just cut myself.
[Meghan gasps] Oh no!
-Okay. Well, we can fix that.
-Sorry.
He really did. Let me get you something.
-I was like, "Uh… oh…"
-I'm gonna put you on drinking tea duty.
Your only ratchet friend.
[Michael] Five minutes in.
-Literally five minutes in.
-But he's an artist.
These hands can't be hurt.
-He needs his hands for his…
-Oh, but I'm left-handed. So this is fine.
-Oh my gosh.
-[laughing] I'm a lefty. We're good.
[Meghan] My sous-chef is injured.
Oh, it's a nice cool green, too.
So chic.
I can beat your face,
but I can't cut a tomato.
[both laugh]
So we're doing yellow and red.
Use whatever you have.
If you have heirlooms, that's fine.
It's very easy. It's a family favorite.
And I think that you will start
making this for Corey.
[Daniel] He'd love that.
'Cause then it won't take an hour.
[Meghan] You have one dish
to clean afterwards.
Unless you sit very cute at the counter,
put a thing there,
have your skillet, you on either side.
We don't have a counter in New York.
[giggles]
-On your lap.
-[both laugh]
I wouldn't advise
a hot skillet on your lap.
We'll throw all these in there.
Let's boil this water
while we're doing this.
You're not boiling a huge pot.
Just a kettle.
Let's put some salt in.
Drizzle a lot of olive oil over it.
I'm gonna put some garlic in there.
I love garlic. Bring it.
-Great. We're friends.
-[giggling] Yeah. Exactly.
We're good.
You've always shown your love
through food. Like…
Mm. A big love language.
I remember the first time
we worked together.
-What was our first job together?
-It was for Suits.
But I just remember that first time
I was told by my agent
that you reached out to them directly
because
you didn't have representation then.
I just had an agent.
No publicist or anything.
[Daniel] You reached out, like,
"Tell people that--"
"I'd like to book someone
for this press event I have for my show."
That's exactly what happened.
You were so appreciative
of me coming so early,
and offering me, like,
"Room service isn't up and running yet,
but can I get you a coffee
or can I get you this?"
But when you weren't working on the show,
we had The TIG.
-We had The TIG.
-So like…
Daniel was my beauty editor for The TIG.
I started this lifestyle website.
Doing it in between scenes in my trailer.
Which is crazy to me
'cause you were working,
and then you added more work.
But you're so excited at the time.
And we were both creating
and figuring it out.
[Daniel] And that's when
our friendship really grew.
It was all in the spirit
of just sharing the things that I loved.
-Yeah.
-Mm-hm.
This-- This skillet spaghetti
would have been on there.
You put the dry pasta in,
you pour boiling water on top,
and that's it.
But also, when I make this,
I make it for my family…
Not that my children
are eating heaps of noodles,
but I'll make enough that I can put
leftovers in their lunchbox.
An entire pack of spaghetti.
Okay, I need some lemon zest.
[Daniel] I love zesting.
This is the perfect job for you.
[gentle music playing]
[Meghan] I think the brightness of citrus
helps so many things.
We have some chard,
we have some lacinato kale.
I've never thought
to use that part for anything.
[Meghan] Mm. Such good flavor in this.
Don't want that to go to waste.
Did you always cook like this?
[Meghan] Not like this,
but I've always loved to cook.
And I used to watch
a lot of cooking shows.
-Oh, I remember you telling me that.
-Loved it.
Were you always artistic?
Did you always want to do makeup?
I mean, my grandmother was my inspiration.
I'd sit and watch her do her makeup.
She's French.
She had this ritual
of sitting in front of her vanity,
getting her hair rolled.
And my sisters, they all wore makeup,
but they all wore it differently.
I just fell in love
with that kind of ritual, that process.
I've learned so much from you.
All those years
when I was doing my makeup by myself,
And I would text you and say,
"Hi, what's on trend right now?
What color is cool?"
Oh, my God. [chuckles]
You're like, "What are you talking about?"
[chuckles]
[Meghan] Okay, that lemon
is beautifully zested.
-[Daniel] Thank you.
-You're welcome.
So, all of our boiling water.
[Daniel] And how much water is that?
[Meghan] I put about three
and a half cups in, give or take.
You want the noodles to be just covered.
I'm gonna turn this on.
[stove clicks]
We're going to put the lid on this.
Let it come to a boil
and do this for six minutes in there.
I'll chop up some greens
to tier on top of it.
[upbeat music playing]
-[Meghan] Should we grate some Parmesan?
-[Daniel] Ooh, yes.
[upbeat music continues]
[Meghan] Woo!
You see it's cooked in that.
Now that we've taken the lid off, a lot
of this moisture it's gonna evaporate.
But we're still keeping
that starchy pasta water.
[Daniel] Mm.
-[Meghan] I'm gonna add some greens now.
-Mm.
It'll cook another four or five minutes
until the noodle
is the right texture we want. Al dente.
The greens going in at the end
also keeps a lot of that color…
-[Daniel] It's so bright.
-Yeah, vibrant.
The more it cooks down,
the more this liquid continues to bubble,
it will become almost creamier,
without adding cream.
Just from the starch.
Let's put some arugula in as well.
It's a nice, peppery bite.
-You want to put cheese in now?
-Yeah.
-He's got it.
-Just dump it?
Yeah, please.
-Thank you.
-[Daniel gasps]
-Yes.
-This looks so good.
Everything's caramelized and creamy.
Oh, the red chili flakes.
Mm. So yummy.
-I'll show you pretty plating.
-Gotta make it purdy.
"Daniel's in town, make it look pretty!"
Whatever sauce you have,
even if spaghetti sauce, put a little bit.
Oh, first.
Okay, got it.
With that, I'm going to give you
little blistered tomatoes around.
Basil.
[Daniel] This is so beautiful to me.
[Meghan] A bit of finishing salt.
So, let's try it.
Get all the goodness in there.
[upbeat music playing]
-That is so good.
-[Meghan laughs]
Oh, my God.
[Meghan] That is so good.
It's your choice of adjectives
that I really appreciate.
It's so weird because it's so hearty…
-[Meghan] Mm-hmm.
-[Daniel] …but it's not heavy.
This is literally cozy.
-It's like that Beyoncé song. "Cozy."
-Yeah.
Okay. I have this surprise.
We harvested fresh honey yesterday.
My mamma said you break my heart ♪
I should've listened ♪
My mamma told me to be smart ♪
And pay attention… ♪
-[Branden] Click and release.
-That's not my wheelhouse.
-Thank you.
-It's a good thing to know.
[Meghan] Look at that.
Okay, the way I did it the last time,
you taught me…
[Branden] This is literally
as good as it gets.
It's local capped honey.
-[gentle music playing]
-[Meghan chuckles]
[Branden] Voilà.
[Meghan] Look at that.
Every last little bit.
It's always fascinating.
You think it's done, then you scrape it
and, "There's a serving."
[Meghan] Ooh!
[Branden] Mm.
[both chuckling]
I'm so tickled by it every time.
It's amazing.
-[Branden] It really is.
-[Meghan] It's amazing.
-That taste okay?
-It's great. You wanna try some?
Sure. [chuckles]
You know what's so ironic about it?
-I've never liked honey.
-Mm.
I didn't think it was bad.
I didn't crave it.
I thought it was almost too sweet.
And now, because of this process,
-I just appreciate it so much.
-Aw.
And it's as high quality as it gets, too.
-I'm sure that's helpful.
-[both chuckle]
It's-- It's literally nature's magic
that's making this so good.
Let's see if it goes through.
-This is a double--
-[Meghan] A double sieve.
Very good. You want to hold that, Meghan?
Damn right I do.
-[Branden] Here you go.
-Oh, my God.
[Branden chuckles]
[Meghan] Ooh!
It's so cool.
Come on, sweet angel ♪
Take me to heaven now ♪
Now, on top of the honey,
help me figure out
what to do with all the the wax,
because I saved it.
I saved it from one of the last times
we were harvesting.
Once it strains and you get the honey,
"What do I do with this wax? Candles?"
Candles. Candles are the way to go.
When you burn a pure beeswax candle,
it actually purifies the air.
-So… [chuckles]
-Okay.
How's that for full circle?
-Amazing. I love that.
-Pollinating the world.
-Thank you. It's so cool.
-Yeah.
Amazing.
[pleasant music playing]
[Meghan] Because I spent time
with the beekeeper, I have this wax.
[Daniel] Amazing.
-I was thinking, let's make candles.
-Yeah.
-I've never made candles.
-I've never made candles.
We have instructions, but we've got this.
We'll fill this with wax.
It's gonna go on top of that, almost like…
-Chocolate…
-Yes, like bain-marie.
If you're lightly melting down
something that's delicate
and you don't want it to scald.
-Okay.
-So, let's fill this in here.
[Daniel] I've never touched beeswax
like this before.
-Can we pour it in?
-Yeah.
[Meghan] You can get wax
from your local beekeeper.
You can buy it online.
All right, so if we put this here.
Okay, so we've put our wax in here.
We'll wait for it to slowly melt down.
And I think we're going for 170, 180.
-170 to 180.
-We can't wing it.
We'll have to use the candy thermometer.
Once we pour it into pitchers
to put into the candle vessels,
it needs to be at… 160.
If it's anything less than that,
it creates dips in candles.
That sinkhole. We're not gonna do that.
-We'll do it right.
-Do it right.
-It smells amazing.
-Isn't that wild?
[Daniel] There is something earthy
about this natural scent.
-It does have a really soft honey scent.
-It smells like honey.
[Daniel] Yeah.
It's not cheese.
That's why you're so drawn to it.
You're like, "It's Parmesan." It's not.
So, as that's melting down,
let's think about
if we wanted to put an essential oil in.
We have a few. What's your preference?
I always love lavender.
My allergies have been bonkers.
-And I feel like…
-Clean is better.
Yeah, so like a eucalyptus,
honey, rosemary, peppermint.
Clarifying. Maybe eucalyptus
and peppermint for you.
That feels good and cleansing.
Some nice fresh mint.
Rosemary would be really good as well.
-Just a little.
-Love rosemary.
Because a little… [sniffs]
…goes a long way.
But I think, yeah,
the rosemary is nice and grounding.
-Oh my God.
-[Meghan] Mm-hmm.
-Here we go. We're getting some action.
-[Daniel] Oh yeah, it's melting.
You're going to have to test and make sure
we're at the right temperature.
Let's just try this.
[Meghan] I love doing this together.
We've got quite a ways to go.
-Should we prep our candle vessels?
-[Daniel] Yes.
We could do this,
because you can travel with it.
-[Daniel] Yes.
-For home, I'll do something like this.
-Oh, yeah.
-Is that good?
-Awesome.
-You can take it home.
So, there's the wick of a normal candle.
-When you burn down a candle…
-Never seen a wick not in a candle.
To the end, there's always that metal bit.
That's it, which is gonna anchor it.
So, essentially,
if we dip this in a little bit of wax,
it's going to secure itself in there
and then be extra secured through a dowel.
Now, what is that? An ice pop stick.
-Just like a little…
-[Daniel] Oh, okay.
That way, as we pour everything in,
this is stabilized.
-Let's lock this down.
-Get your dowel.
Oh. We're in better shape.
-Ooh.
-That's so pretty.
Now we're talking turkey.
I'm just gonna do a little dip
while it's hot.
Let's see. Is enough on there?
[Daniel] Oh, yeah.
-Yes. Work.
-Yes? Okay.
She is ready.
-Fantastic.
-Oh, yeah. [gasps] Awesome.
-So good.
-So, that'll sit.
And now, where are we?
-We got it there.
This part scares me, but we'll be fine.
I'll pour these into our two pitchers.
-Okay.
-You wanna do this part?
I'll pour.
Oh, great. Look at him go.
Oh.
-I'm with you. I got you. It's just water.
-Okay. Cool.
-Okay.
-Oh my God, this smells so good.
I'm removing my hands from this equation,
so you tell me what works for you.
-You should probably…
-One for each of us.
Don't use too much. We're good.
[jazz music playing]
[Meghan] We're working against the clock,
to keep this in the right temperature.
-We have to make sure that this is at 160.
-Yep.
I would pour that in quickly.
You don't want a sinkhole.
-You want eucalyptus, peppermint?
-Yes.
-Oh, you put it in here.
-Peppermint as well?
-Sure.
-Okay.
I'm going to put
a couple drops of lavender oil in mine.
-Oh, my gosh, look at us.
-[Daniel] Oh, my God.
-Do we make another?
-Yes, I'm going to grab the things.
-This is so exciting.
-Come on, girl. 161, 162.
The pressure. It's like
The Amazing Race of candles.
[chuckling] It really is.
[Meghan] We'd be great
on The Amazing Race together.
Do you think?
-Yeah. Or we'd just…
-I've already injured myself.
I'd do something stupid the first…
-"Daniel, let's go! Come on!"
-[chuckling] "Get up, girl!"
[Meghan] Just put a dowel on this one.
Dowel Daniel.
[Meghan] Dowel Daniel ♪
Look at how many candles we're making.
[gasps]
-That's beautiful.
-She is pretty.
-I love it.
-Oh my God.
-We could open up a store.
-We'll be starting a store.
[both laughing]
-I mean.
-Oh, my God.
[Meghan] I'm nerding out
about these candles.
-We're nerds.
-Totally nerds.
How long does it take for a candle to dry?
Three or four hours?
Three or four hours?
Where do you have to go?
-[gasps]
-[chuckles]
I…
In the next three to four hours,
let's go make a beautiful cake
-because I know you have a sweet tooth.
-[gasps] A cake?
I already baked the cake in advance,
so now we just get to do the decorating.
And then by the time
our day comes to a close,
we'll have candles to send you home
and some for me to bring home.
-I don't wanna go home.
-You don't have to.
-Let's go.
-I wanna go to my cottage.
-Yes, I know.
-At your house!
[upbeat music playing]
[Meghan] Working hard for the honey.
Baking is not my favorite thing,
but I will do it
for one of my favorite people.
I am thinking,
because we have honey from our bees,
to do a three-layer,
honey lemon cake with berries.
Let's sift our dry ingredients together.
You don't need to sift sugar.
That's gonna go right in.
A cup and a half of sugar.
[pleasant music playing]
Three cups of flour.
A tablespoon and a half of baking powder.
One teaspoon of salt.
Fold that together.
This is all going to go in
with our wet ingredients in a second
Set that to the side.
Let's do our wet ingredients.
A cup and a half of milk.
Three-quarters cups of olive oil.
Four eggs.
Lemon zest of two lemons.
And we're just going to fold it in.
Three tablespoons of honey-honey.
Here we go.
Give that a nice blend.
We're going to try to do this as evenly
as possible because, of course,
we want all the levels of our cake
to be even.
Then, put these into the oven to bake
at around 350 for 25 to 30 minutes.
Good night, sweetheart.
Let's make a glaze.
Half a cup of honey.
A quarter cup of water.
And a quarter cup of lemon juice.
And the zest of a lemon.
We're gonna give that a stir.
Bring it up to a boil.
Let those flavors marry.
We are going to drizzle it
between each layer,
so the cake will absorb that flavor.
One, two, three.
We're in good shape. Let them cool.
Then, we will do our glazing
and our frosting and our entertaining.
-Apron, apron.
-Yes.
-Cake-making time.
-Cake-making time.
So, I did the heavy lifting for us.
Now we just do the artistic piece.
If we're making a layered cake,
these need to be level.
So, we use a serrated knife.
A bread knife will work.
I'll do this part.
-Yes, I've never done this.
-'Cause knives are not your friends.
[chuckling]
We've established that.
-So, all we're doing is making it even.
-Okay.
It's not rocket science.
Clearly, I'm not a rocket scientist.
Yeah. We'll take that bit off.
Actually, I should get a plate for that.
I don't think my children
would be mad at this.
-It's like an enormous pancake.
-I was, "Can you eat that?"
-'Course. It's cake.
-You can't waste it.
Well, this is a delicious cake
that I made for you.
-It has honey in it, lemon, lemon zest.
-Oh my God, yes.
You said lemon.
It made me think of your wedding cake.
Oh, my God. Yes.
-Was it lemon elderberry?
-Elderflower.
[Daniel] Elderflower.
-Yeah, good memory.
-'Cause I got to taste it.
-Remember?
-We did the tasting together.
We did the tasting together.
[Meghan] This is a honey glaze.
We want to infuse all this flavor
in each layer before we stack it.
Okay.
-Can I tell you what the plan is?
-Yes.
[Meghan] It's called a naked cake.
It's layered with buttercream that I made.
Some raspberries.
When we cut it, it'll be beautiful,
but we keep the outside exposed.
You know what it is?
-She's beautiful on the inside.
-Inside. Yes.
-Beautiful inside.
-Beautiful on the inside cake.
All this stuff to make her
look pretty on the outside.
-She's beautiful on the inside.
-I love that.
-My other hack I haven't shown you.
-Yeah.
I don't get the equipment, the piping bag.
I was going to say…
I'm just gonna use a plastic bag,
put it in a jar, fill it with the icing.
This is it. Cut the tip off.
And that will become your piping bag now.
And I always put a tiny bit here.
I'm putting that there,
so this isn't gonna shift around.
Okay. We're going to do this.
Okay. So, what I'm thinking is,
this almost like the cement, right?
That's gonna keep it together.
So, we need to seal the edges.
-Just like our hair.
-Right. Lay them down, girl.
I'm just gonna show you first.
-You're gonna find this very--
-It's one round squeeze.
Mm-hmm. Make sure
the outside is our sealant.
And then everything in here
we can go in the same pattern.
And then, good old,
homemade, raspberry preserves
in the layers in between.
Would you rather it be in a piping bag?
-I'm wondering.
-It'll do the same effect.
Yeah.
So…
-You're going to love this.
-Sorry. I had to taste this.
-Isn't it so good?
-Oh, my God.
[chuckles]
Those are berries from the garden.
[upbeat music playing]
Okay, so see what I'm doing there?
I'm just getting it to that point.
Cut just a tiny bit.
And this will be your piping bag now.
Just try to keep it on the inside.
It's going to be delicious.
[Daniel] I'm getting my workout.
Fantastic. On to the next layer.
Okay, go for it.
-See, I already messed up.
-No, you didn't. It's great.
No one's going to see these layers.
It's not about perfection.
Okay.
Gorgeous.
So, now, we're going to ice
the top of this with buttercream frosting.
In the fridge for 20 minutes.
We can check on our candles.
When we come back,
we can do the actual decor.
It's always the same ♪
There's something really satisfying
about a cake that is bare on the outside.
-But she's so beautiful on the inside.
-Mm-hmm.
And you just don't know how good she is
until you go deep…
-Don't pass judgment.
-…and you get to know her better.
-I know.
-No one knows your business.
Until you cut them open.
Into the fridge she goes.
-They look good. Oh my God.
-[giggling]
[Meghan] I mean, for a first time…
They're beautiful. I'm really impressed.
-[Meghan] A grand first attempt.
-I'm really impressed by our patience.
Our creativity. Oh, they smell so good.
-[Meghan] You can cut the wick down.
-Cut the wicks? Cutting it off like this?
[Meghan] Yeah, where you would actually
naturally want it.
My only basis of knowledge here
is the candles that I own at home.
We just made candles.
-I'm so…
-Should I put a little label on it?
Should I write something?
"Daniel's Candles"?
"Daniel's Candles"!
[Meghan] Do you want
one for Corey, one for you?
-[Daniel] This one's Corey's.
-Okay.
He's going to be so happy.
Sweet. And then this we're going to call
"Come Back to Montecito" candle.
-Aww.
-"Come Home Soon" candle?
"Come Home Soon" candle.
[Meghan] Sweet trio.
-Shall we?
-Yay.
Let's head back and check on our cake.
I'll come do this in a little bit.
I'm going to make you some tea.
[Meghan] Okay.
I'm very proud of us. We have our candles.
-Mm!
-Let's decorate our cake.
So I have this vision for this cake.
Say, if we were going to do
something like that,
we're going to anchor it with, um.…
a tiny bit of frosting.
So it's going to make it, uh… tacky?
You won't even see it.
But it will help it stick.
So if we do that there…
Mm.
I really like the sound effects from you.
-[chuckling] Sorry.
-It's helpful.
-"Mmm…"
-"Mmm…"
[Meghan] Put that one there.
We're going to add these small leaves.
Lemon verbena?
It doesn't need to feel so precious.
I'm literally on my tiptoes because I…
Well, I need to see.
[Meghan] And then maybe
we'll just dot a couple at the bottom.
Look at our sweet cake.
I'm going to go and put the kettle on.
I'm going to make you some tea
for your allergies.
[upbeat music playing]
Lemon, ginger.
We did it. It's sweet.
[Daniel] Ah, it's pretty.
Can you hand me the syrup that we made?
This has the honey. This has lemon.
This has lemon zest.
So I think when we add this
to some hot water,
and put some ginger in it,
a tiny bit of turmeric for you too,
then we're getting this elixir
that I think will be so healing.
Maybe a tiny kick of cayenne
if you can do it.
-Yeah, yeah, yeah.
-Okay.
[upbeat music playing]
Let's put a healthy amount of that there.
Let's add some fresh ginger to it.
And then I won't feel so guilty
eating the cake.
Because this, which is also in this,
is making me feel better.
-Whatever brings you joy.
-[laughing]
[Meghan] Tiniest bit of cayenne for you.
We have a lot
of lemon juice in there anyway,
but I think it's nice to have that.
[Meghan] Mm.
[Daniel] Oh, that looks so pretty.
So let's let that steep for a moment.
So you pour that,
I'm going to grab a knife
and some plates for us to enjoy our cake.
I'm going to bring us
some extra honey, honey.
Extra honey, honey.
This tea looks amazing.
It's like chartreuse.
Oh my gosh.
-Is it good?
-So good.
When you put the cayenne in there,
I was like, "Uh-oh."
-Mm-mm. Delicious.
-Delicious.
Let's see the magic we made here.
[gentle jazz music playing]
Oh, I'm so excited.
[Daniel] Ooh.
[softly] I love that.
Okay.
[Daniel] Oh, look at that. That's so cool.
-[Meghan] "Beautiful on the inside" cake.
-"Beautiful on the inside."
Let's do that right there.
All right, I'll grab us some napkins
once we get settled.
I'll be searching all day and night ♪
For someone to hold me tight ♪
[Meghan] Mmm.
-Oh my God, are you serious?
-[Meghan chuckles]
-[Daniel] What is this view?
-What is this? This is so pretty.
[Daniel] This is insane.
I feel like this is all fake.
It is not a backdrop.
This is not a green screen.
This is called Los Padres National Forest.
How high is that?
That is not a question
that I can answer for you.
I wish I knew.
Oh my God.
Shut up.
I can't.
[Meghan giggles]
That is very, very delicious. I will say.
-And it's so light.
-Very tasty.
It's so tasty.
Thank you so much for having me.
-I'm so happy you're here, my buddy.
-And just like…
-This was fun.
-And we got to learn stuff together, too.
Yeah.
-What have we had? We've had pasta.
-Pasta.
[Meghan] Made sure you soaked
and had a cozy bath.
-We have our cake.
-Yes.
-I have my candle.
-[Meghan] That you made.
Every time I light it,
I'm going to think of you.
You've always sent me home
with incredible things, but this basket…
-Enjoy them.
-And it goes back to, like,
-doing things with intention.
-And do it with someone that you love.
-Right.
-Or for someone that you love.
Exactly.
What a beautiful day.
So beautiful, yeah.
-To love.
-To love.
-Cheers, dear.
-Cheers, dear.
-Can't end on a better note than that.
-[chuckle]
Mm.
I used to think that love could be ♪
So damn ridiculous ♪
[Meghan] Next time you come,
we're gonna hike that.
-Okay.
-Bring your hiking boots.
You Cali people and your hikes.
I can't. Mm-mm.
[train honking]
-Toot-toot. Beep beep.
-My ride is here, girl. Gotta go.
[Meghan laughs]
You turn the dark, cold night
Into a brand-new, bright sunny day ♪
Now life is so adventurous ♪
I know true love is meant for us ♪
I'm so darn glad ♪
That you showed me the way ♪
You turn the dark, cold night ♪
You turn the dark, cold night ♪
You turn the dark, cold night
Into a brand-new, bright sunny day ♪
Bright sunny day ♪
Dum-bah-dum-bam ♪
Bah-dum-bam ♪