Skinnygirl Dish with Bethenny Frankel -- plus we are also giving away her MUST-READ!

Just last week, January 5^th to be exact, one of our favorite housewives of New York City and natural food chef, Bethenny Frankel, graced us with her second book - The Skinnygirl Dish: Easy Recipes For Your Naturally Thin Life. We were lucky enough to have a quick chat to catch-up and get the dish.

Cupcake Mag: When did you first become interested in cooking?

Bethenny: I became interested in cooking when I was a very young girl. I would watch cooking shows endlessly but never watch cartoons. My very first purchase ever was a jar of maraschino cherries for a recipe, and I begged my mother to let me go to the store to buy them.

CM: You have fed some of our favorite stars who continue to rave about you. What was your first break as a celebrity chef and who would you LOVE to cook for?

Bethenny: I don't love focusing on celebrities because everyone is a VIP, but cooking for Denis Leary was my favorite gig. He is the most real, nice, down to earth person who gave me free reign of the freezer box.

CM: We love how you don't starve yourself when it comes to being "Naturally Thin" and you don't make food your enemy - you have a great knack for making healthy food delicious. Do you have one all-time favorite recipe you enjoy cooking?

Bethenny: I love my crab cakes and old school Caesar salad

CM:Managing weight and eating during pregnancy can be a serious challenge but you seem to be doing a FAB job as you look great and glowing. We follow all your food tweets on twitter and seem to be craving the same! How has pregnancy changed the way you eat?

Bethenny: Your diet is a bank account and I just spend more freely. By no means is it license to be a full fledged animal. I think most people are always restricting themselves so they make pregnancy one long binge which is something to deal with later. I don't skip meals, I eat what I crave, but when possible I check myself when I wreck myself and have dessert only once a day.

CM: What are a few things some people may not know about you?

Bethenny: I'm very frugal, I rarely if ever, pay retail, I live on eBay and if i'm not dressed up for an event, I'm in pajamas. I hate getting dressed up and 90 percent of the time I'm a slob.

CM: And lastly, as big fans of Bravo's hit show, what do you enjoy the most about being part of The Real Housewives of New York City?

Bethenny: I enjoy the opportunities it has provided me and I really love the fans who have come to know me, who I've come to know and who have inspired me.

As for the upcoming season? It will be a season to remember that can't be topped.

Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images

Bethenny doesn’t just have a knack for style on the hit Bravo series The Real Housewives of New York; she is known for making healthy food taste delicious. With cooking starting out as a hobby, the celebrity natural food chef, creator of the phenomenal Skinnygirl Margarita, and The New York Times bestselling author of Naturally Thin has given us her second book in her no holds barred style. As for Bethenny's personal life – she lives In Manhattan with her dog cookie and will be marrying her other love, Jason, this spring. They will welcome their first child in early summer.
Click here to read more about her new book and check out THE Skinnygirl CHEF’S TEN ESSENTIAL KITCHEN RULES and how you can WIN your very own copy of the MUST READ!

Bethenny Frankel --- THE Skinnygirl CHEF’S TEN ESSENTIAL KITCHEN RULES (PLUS we are giving away 2 of copies of her NEW book!)

THE SKINNYGIRL DISH: Easy Recipes For Your Naturally Thin Life is the next step on the Skinnygirl journey and helps you get in touch with your inner chef while putting an end to the anxiety about what and how to eat.

With her nonstop Skinnygirl lifestyle, Bethenny empathizes with people who don’t have the time, patience or energy to cook. In THE SKINNYGIRL DISH, Bethenny walks readers through her kitchen, her cooking philosophy, the way she prepares for special occasions, or for a simple every day snack or meal. Throughout “the dish”, she inspires readers to use what they have, substitute empty calories for healthier ingredients, and create an endless array of simple, delicious, and creative dishes in their own kitchens, rather than limit themselves to someone else’s recipe. This is cooking the Skinnygirl way!

THE SKINNYGIRL DISH is divided into three parts:

• Part one teaches readers how to feel more confident with their cooking, how to stock their kitchen, how to cook by using what they have, and how to think like a chef. Bethenny also shares common cooking mistakes and how to avoid them.

• Part two contains recipes, amusing stories, tips for meals, snacks and drinks, and suggestions for how readers can tailor the recipes to their own needs and desires.

• Part three features chapters on Skinnygirl-style entertaining for special occasions and holidays. She also includes tips for personalizing recipes contributed by Chef Bobby Flay and stars from Top Chef.

THE Skinnygirl CHEF’S TEN ESSENTIAL KITCHEN RULES

From The Skinnygirl Dish by Bethenny Frankel

Rule #1 - Don’t Be a Hero

When convenient, use nonstick cookware instead of stainless steel. Use a quality broth instead of homemade stock. Buy pizza dough from your favorite local pizza joint.

Don’t be afraid to save time when it won’t significantly affect the outcome.

Rule #2 – Use What You Have

Substitute leeks or shallots for onions or scallions, dried herbs for fresh, basil for oregano, walnuts for onions, broccoli for zucchini, chicken for fish, etc.

Rule #3 – Something’s Got to Give

Taste should be your first priority, but being healthy can be delicious. Vegetables sautéed or roasted in oil taste richer. Bread is delicious with a bit of butter or olive oil.

Rule #4 – Embrace the “It Ain’t Worth It” Moment

Don’t torture yourself about every detail of a recipe. Step back and realize when it just isn’t worth the aggravation. You won’t want to cook if you don’t enjoy cooking.

Rule #5 – Taste As You Go

Good cooks always taste their food as they cook it. Amateur cooks simply follow a recipe, mix it all up and pray for the best.

Rule #6 – Mise en Place – the French Cooking Term You Should Know

“Put in place.” Pre-measure and put all ingredients into small ramekins or glass bowls. Line them up in the order you need them.

Take out all the tools you’ll need before you begin cooking.

Rule #7 – Memorize a Few Basics

Memorize a few key basics, like how many tablespoons are in a cup or whether you can bake muffins without using eggs. That way you won’t keep running to the Internet.

Rule #8 – Presentation is Everything

Garnish your dishes with brightly colored raw vegetables or herbs.

Contrast colors in your salads, and between main and side dishes.

Put fresh flowers on the table and light candles.

Rule #9 – Utilize the Leftovers

Use recyclable containers, label, and arrange leftovers into meal-sized portions. Be creative with recipes and substitute ingredients with what needs to be used.

Rule #10 – Minimize Clean-Up

Bribe friends and family with their favorite food. Bribery is perfectly acceptable if used for good, not evil – and cleaning your kitchen is always good.

In Naturally Thin Bethenny taught readers, “Your diet is your bank account.” In THE SKINNYGIRL DISH, she says, “Food is like your wardrobe.” It’s easy to open the closet and say that there’s nothing to wear, just as it’s easy to open the refrigerator and say there’s nothing to eat. With her famous wit and real-world sensibility, Bethenny shows how to start with the classic, base ingredients – the culinary versions of the perfect pair of jeans and the little black dress – and take risks, be daring, accessorize, and remember that even when eating healthy… variety is the spice of life.

We want to you to have your own copy for your coffee table or book shelf so we are giving two readers the chance to win YOUR very own copy! In a sentence below, tell us just why you can’t LIVE without Bethenny’s words of wisdom. Don’t forget to leave an email address too!

*All comments must be received by Monday, January 18th, at 11:59 EST. The winner will be chosen randomly. Open to U.S. residents only.*

For more information on THE SKINNYGIRL Dish please visit: www.bethenny.com or www.simonandschuster.com