Tamera Mowry-Housley Says Hallmark's 'Baked With Love: Holiday' Felt Like Being At The North Pole

0:00Welcome to Snacks, the show where we get really deep into your favorite celebrities' weird snack obsessions. Today, my guest is one half of one of the most iconic television twins. She's an actress, a TV host, and so much more. Right now, she's hosting Baked With Love on the Hallmark Channel. We're excited to have Tamera Mowry-Housley, but first, we'll be right back. Are you hosting this holiday, or maybe you just want to bring a dish to someone's house that's definitely going to steal the show? Well, the Delish app presented by DoorDash has you covered. From crowd-pleasing mains to classics with a twist, you're definitely going to find a recipe that everyone will love without the stress.

0:38Plan your menu, save your favorites, and make this season your easiest and most inspired ever. Get dinner and the holidays done faster with the Delish app. Download for free today.

0:53You have one new message. Translating. Disney and Pixar's Hoppers is now available on Disney+. You could say that again. Critics are calling it Pixar's funniest movie ever and a wildly entertaining ride. Blizzard Potato. It's certified fresh and verified hot. Now we party. This is incredible! Wow, I am clear in the rest of the day. Disney and Pixar's Hoppers, now available on Disney+. Rated PG. I'm super excited to have you here, though, today because, first of all, you're on a baking show. And I'm just like, isn't that the dream? Like, first of all, holiday baking show feels to me like the dream.

1:37So, finally, someone else says it. I remember I was on The View, and it was Joy who asked me when I had done another baking show prior to this. She was like, being on a baking show is a dream job for you? Like, she just could not understand. It's so fun, right? It really is, especially if you love to cook and you love to bake. Yes. It is one of my dream jobs. So were you a fan of baking shows? Like, did you watch Great British Bake Off and all those things? Yes. And I actually competed in Food Network's Cupcake Wars. Oh, my gosh. And won. Oh, my gosh. Yeah. Holy cow. Tell me about what that was like.

2:17I told myself I would never do it again to compete. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because it's really challenging. It's like also tapping your head and rubbing your tummy at the same time because, I mean, baking in your home kitchen is one thing. Right. Baking in a kitchen in a studio with a host talking to you at the same time, judges walking around judging you, it's a different experience. What was the prep like, though? Tell me. I want kind of on all the details. My husband and I prepped, I want to say, probably about a week just like practicing baking quickly. Okay. And then also picking out your, you know, recipes that you think are going to win.

3:10You have to make it unique. You have to make it fun. Right. However, I noticed that when we were there, I was like, wait, that looks different than two cups of flour. Like, something's off. And when I measured them myself, because we did one batch, and I was like, this is not right. I can tell. I was like, did they do this on purpose to cause a little drama or something? I don't know if they did. I don't know if they did. Oh, my gosh. We're going to pretend they did because that makes a damn good story. Oh, my God. That's crazy. But it just shows you, like, things are just, they're different. Maybe they didn't pack it.

3:43You know what I mean? Maybe. A hundred percent. I don't know. Yeah. So what I did was I remeasured everything while I was there just to make sure, but I had to do it very, very quickly. Yes, that's probably why you won. And doing it made me a better host. Interesting. So when I speak to the bakers, I know and I can connect with them on a whole different level because of my personal experience being in a baking competition show. But it is a dream. Christmas is my favorite. As someone who watches baking shows and someone who's been writing about baking shows for a long time, everybody who watches a baking show is like, I could do that.

4:24Like, I could do that better. I would never have done it like that. I don't understand why these people are messing up and why they're, like, crying on the floor, looking in the oven, like, whatever. So, like, training for it. You said you timed yourself. What was that like? You literally stopped watching. So what was interesting is that I had had my daughter around this time. I want to say she was only like four or five months. And I was shooting The Real, the talk show that I was on. Right. When I was finished with that, I would come home. My husband would have everything lined up. And we would time ourselves.

4:58So let me ask you, are you a chaotic baker to begin with? Are you like clean as you go? I'm on a mise-en-closet, obviously. But while I am baking, there is flour everywhere. Sugar everywhere, butter. You don't clean while you go. No, that's a waste of time. I just want to get her done, you know, and have fun in doing it. And, you know, I always say baking is my love language. Yeah. So I want to put all the love into it. I don't want to be too precise and stiff. No, no, no, no, no. We go crazy and we have fun. Then do you clean at the end or do you leave it for being like, oh. No, I have to clean it at the end.

5:36Okay. That's the thing. Okay. I have to. I actually appreciate that. I'm an army brat. Yeah. So my parents, you know, they taught us to be. You pull your weight. I get it. And also be very, very clean. I mean, there's something to be said for that because I have to say here running a test kitchen, it's very much about like you are responsible for your area. And my team is amazing. Like very responsible. You take care of your stuff. When I'm at home, though, it's like a bomb went off. Yeah. That's what my husband says. He's always like, Tamara, it's like a bomb went off in here. That means. Like flour in the drawers.

6:08I don't shut the drawers. I'm scooping them out. I never close my cabinets. My husband's like, but he always loves the result. Yeah, I know. Well, that's exactly right. I'm like, you want it to be this? It's got to be like that. Like, I don't know what to say. It's almost like it doesn't come out as delicious if you haven't made a total disastrous mess. It's so true. That's true for me, at least. That's how I feel. It's like the more mess, the more love. Exactly. And I tell my daughter that, too. I'm like, if it's a mess, I know that you've had fun. A hundred percent. But clean up after yourself.

6:36Well, also, and then I'm yelling at my daughter to clean up. If my daughter is watching, she needs to know, or listening, she needs to know, no, no, no, you also have to clean up. Absolutely. Do as I say, not as I do. Okay, so talk to me about holiday baking. What's your go-to holiday treat? Cookies. I'm a cookie girl. What's specific? You've got to get more specific. I know. I need all that. You're at snacks here. I love chocolate chip cookies. Oh, purest. Yes. Very traditional, too. Very traditional. I love them because they're nostalgic. Yeah. I love family. So it always reminds me when I would come home after school.

7:17Like my mom never baked anything from scratch. She wasn't that type of baker. I think I started that tradition. She was a mix person. She liked to mix. Yes. Okay. But, you know, like she did, she bought things that were kind of, you know, like the Chips Ahoy. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It was frozen. Oh, got it. Oh, yeah, yeah. Yeah, those kinds of like break and bake kind of things out of the freezer or like the log. Yes, and the yellow cake in a box. Like that's what my mom did. And it was amazing. It's so good. It's so good. Box cakes mix is like so good. So that's how I started. But after school, I would love when she would bake chocolate chip cookies because it's the smell of the chocolate chip cookies that are, you know, it's that smell that's in your house.

8:01And you just feel warm, joyful. So when you say chocolate chip cookie here, now I also need you to know that like Mackenzie on our team, who is an incredible baker, she tested, I think she spent a thousand hours testing our chocolate chip cooking recipe. A thousand hours. Literally. And so I need to know, like, so when you say chocolate chip cookies here, you need to be like. Really specific. Really specific. Like crispy or chewy? Okay. I like both. I like crispy on the outside. Okay. Chewy in the middle. Okay. And then I like dark chocolate. it's dark instead of semi-sweet. I do. I do because you have all that sugar.

8:40And then also I like a little savory. So you put a little sea salt on the top. But I also like a good sugar cookie. So when I think of the holidays, immediately sugar cookie and wine. That's all sugar. But I love it. Okay, so you say wine. I hear you have a vineyard. Yeah. I'm like, which is blowing my mind. I do. It's also, you're like living the dream. Like the actual dream. Hallmark dream. Posting a Hallmark baking show and having a vineyard. So I feel like it's like all of the like mom dreams coming true at one time. And I have to tell you, I make sourdough now. No. Yes, and I'm going to get some chickens.

9:20I'm going to. So I'm living. I'm living in the mom. You're literally a walking Pinterest board. You're like Pinterest come to life. I love it. And I love it. I am so grateful. It never gets old. I love our community. I love the agriculture culture. They are farmers. They are hard workers. I love the farm-to-table experience there. I feel very blessed, and I am extremely happy. I've been living there for, I want to say, six years full-time. But my husband is from Northern California. Okay, so you're in like the true like Napa. I'm Napa, Napa. But my husband's family is, I don't know how many generations back, but they're San Franciscans.

10:10And they lived in Oakland. Oh my gosh. So they are Bay Area. Right, they know that whole area. Yes, I love the Bay Area so much. They've adopted me. I've lived in Hollywood for, well not Hollywood, Hollywood, but Southern California, Los Angeles area for over 30 years. So when I moved to Northern California, I didn't know what to expect. I love all of it. I love it. I just love that you've become such a part of that fabric. I have to then ask, because you said red wine and sugar cookie. Okay, so I'm going to give you a couple cookies, and you need to give me your wine pairing. Oh, Lord. Okay, let's see.

10:47Let's see how well you know your wine. And by the way, I don't know anything about wine, so you could literally answer anything. I'm the wife of a wine owner. Okay, I want to know more specifics. Sugar cookie and what kind of red? I'm not going to do, we'll see, around the holidays, I'm just going to be real. I'll drink anything. I mean, don't get, also, we love a Jell-O shot here at Delish, so, like, you're not talking to fancy people. I would say just, I'm more of a seasonal drinker. Okay. So, I immediately, when I think of sugar cookie, I think of Christmas. So, I'm going to go with a cab. Okay.

11:20I love a cab. However, and I'll tell you why, too. A cab, sometimes it's fruit forward, but it's not too fruity, so it's not too sweet. So when you have the sugar cookie and you have the cab, you have a little bit of that, like, tannin kind of, you know, in your throat. So it pairs well together. So you don't want to do too sweet with too sweet or like a zen. A zen, to me, is spicy. So a sugar cookie, well, I don't know, sugar and spice and everything nice. Wow, you know this. That's very good. I really do. I don't know if I would do it with white wine, though. When I think of a sugar cookie, I think of red.

11:55All right, so what about something like a chocolatey kind of one, like a chocolate chip? Ooh, a chocolate chip. Again, I would do because good pairing is chocolate with red wine. Okay. So when you're doing chocolate chip cookie, I'm going to do another red wine. Maybe something, a lemon cookie. Oh, yeah. Maybe with a nice sauvignon blanc. Oh. Because usually the sauvignon blancs can be citrus. Yeah. Lemon cookie. I feel like we're inspiring an entire generation to throw a wine-forward cookie swap this holiday. Don't you feel like? Yes. I would do that. I heard. I would not do that. Let me be real.

12:32But I will tell other people to do that. I heard that there are Christmas bars around. Oh, yeah. There's a lot in New York. Right? And they have inspired me to maybe do a Christmas movie about that at Hallmark. Oh, yes. Yes. Hallmark. But we could have, we can add some cookies. Because you know Christmas is all about baking cookies. Baking cookies. So that could be a really cool thing that we do in the film. So let's come back. I love that. And you come back when that's on the air. Okay. We'll make that promise. Okay. I will be back. Tell me about the baking and being a host and watching that stuff and watching people.

13:10Okay. Is it like coming to pieces? Are people losing their minds? Is it horrible to watch people fail? I can't imagine. Okay. So this is the thing. This is my third baking show that I have hosted. And I only say that because I have never experienced anything like I've experienced on this show. When Hallmark said that they wanted to do a baking reality show, I was like, really? Okay. Because they could be cutthroat. Right, yeah. Mean. Yes, mean. They could be really dramatic. And I was like, is that the Hallmark brand? Right. I don't know. Oh, my gosh. The casting, the writing. So the production company who did this show do the great British Bake Off.

13:58And so we shot this in the Cotswolds in England. Oh, my gosh. So I had only the best. And Mary Berry makes her way on our show. Oh, my gosh. Yes. So we had the creme de la creme shoot this show. And the casting was superb. because the moment I stepped into that barn, I was like, oh, I feel like I'm at the North Pole. Oh, my gosh. Everything is so festive. And it was all organic. There was nothing fake about it. Even the bakers, they were hallmark, like, couples. I was trying to get some tea, you know, from them. I'm like, well, you know, you lost that challenge. And they were, you know, family members.

14:43That's what makes this show different. Each pair, their family members, duos, whether it's husband and wife team, siblings, mother, son, father, son. So I have a family. You got it. You know duos. Yes. I know how things, yes, can get. They were so warm with each other. If someone messed up, they never pointed fingers. They were like, okay, how can we work together and do better? Isn't that amazing? It was so beautiful. Seriously. So emotional because you became invested. Yeah. The bakes, the Christmas bakes were recipes that were passed down from generations from their families. Wow. So even in their competing, it was like, yes, you went$50 ,000.

15:40But their main thing was like, okay, how can we make grandma proud? Right. Totally. How can we make our name proud on this show? And I think that helped whenever things went wrong. Yeah. You know, they had another agenda. Yeah. You know, and it was beautiful. So you would find yourself crying. Oh, my gosh. And you literally felt like you were in their house on Christmas Day. I mean, I think there's something to be said for and we we talked to Prue a long time ago about this here at Delish that like, you know, she said when they she had a certain standard of Great British Bake Off and the camaraderie of the of the talent there.

16:22And then when she did American Bake Off, she was like, everybody was terribly mean to each other. And I'm like, but there's something you're saying about that family aspect of that, right? That like, how can you be mean to someone who's like trying to bring their grandma's, you know, baking to life, right? Then think about the judges. Right. The hard job they had to do. Oh, my God. Forget it. Like, they're judging. Your grandma sucks. Yes. Right. No, 100%. You're not saying that. No. But they did it in such a way. Again, Hallmark was very wise. Right. The way they critiqued, because you've got to critique to grow.

17:01You've got to give constructive criticism. Otherwise, what's the point of this show? What's the point? And no one's perfect. There are a lot who struggled. The way they critiqued was just inspiring. I wanted to make them proud. So I know that the bakers wanted to make the judges proud. And I love Anna. Oh, my goodness. Her Irish accent was just scrumptious. I can't. But it's the way she would judge. They didn't give like little tasty bites. No. Scooping. They scooped. And the way she held her fork, she got down in there and she'll look, she'll taste. How do they do it? I don't know. I seriously don't know.

17:47But they were very knowledgeable, obviously. But also they wanted to teach. Yeah, yep, yep. Well, that's what you're there for. I mean, I do feel like that when you have the opportunity here. I mean, because people don't generally get the chance to, like, hear how they're doing. From, like, these professionals. From, like, real experts. Yes. But the bakers grew so much from the first week. How long is the show? How many episodes? Eight weeks. Oh, wow. Okay, so it's a long haul. Yeah, it is a long haul. Oh, my gosh. And, I mean, the growth was inspirational, too. Because I'm like, if they started, like, this pair started like this and is ending like this, I think I can do that.

18:27Right, totally. I think. Yeah, I'd like to think. Okay, so who wins? No, I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. Can't say. You can't say.

18:37This episode is brought to you by Google Chrome. You think you know a browser, but Gemini and Chrome, that's new. It can help you with practically anything on the web, like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50-page restoration block, or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks. Gemini and Chrome is here for it. Ready to make anything online make sense? there's no place like chrome check responses set up required compatibility and availability varies 18 plus are you and your husband good shares oh we're sharers okay so like you order communally eat off of his yeah yeah you know plate like when you're ordering dinner are you ordering like for the two of you like when you're yeah we can do that yeah however i'm also uh like my bites are not little.

19:20So he doesn't mind sharing. It's just how much. He's like, I said you can have a bite. Tamara, that's two. That's two bites. He's like, don't take it all. But also, that's love. It is. And eventually, you know how I, so when we were dating, he did this one thing, and I was like, huh. Just might be the one. He loved his dish and he gave me his last bite. Oh, come on. When a man does that. That's it. Especially when they love food. Yeah. It's like you said. That's really it. Yeah, like you can finish. My husband does that too. Yeah, so he is a sharer. He'll be like, you can finish that. It's just sometimes I take advantage of that with my love for food.

20:07I feel you on this so deeply. But I also have been known with my husband. And generally, I would say he's very good at like, do you want this before I finish it? Like, he'll be like, consider it like that. but then if he's not like that, like if he finishes it, and I was like, I wanted that. Like how did you inhale that so fast? I just wanted one bite. I also have three kids and two of them are boys and they inhale. Oh, yeah. That's like the difference. Do you notice, though, that I don't know what it is about my husband, but when he eats and when he drinks something, it just looks better. Oh, 100%.

20:41I think that's what it is. Like even water. Water is like I want your water. Yes. Well, like I will, I do notice my husband will do that. Like, you know, if I'm like, I don't want dessert. And then like he will, I know when he like comes, like he'll come sit on the couch with like ice cream or whatever. And then you want it. Well, he'll add extra to the bowl because he knows. He knows. I don't think Adam has learned that yet. He's like, I knew you were going to take half of this. And so therefore I gave myself like an extra half portion. And I'm like, there you go. That's what happens when you're together.

21:14Adam, if you're watching, that's a great tip. A hundred percent. All right, so we're going to do one final. We always do a little rapid fire at the end of snacks. Ooh, I love these. I was a talk show host for years. I know. These are my favorite. This is like, I feel like you know all the tricks of the trade here. But I want you to do rapid fire snack. First snack that comes to mind when I say these things. Okay. And wine is not a snack. Is wine a snack? It is for me. Okay, wine is a snack. Popcorn and wine? I guess that's true. It's amazing. But like, yeah, I guess that's true. Cheese, popcorn, and wine.

21:46Because you know cheese and wine. Yes. Okay. Wine as a snack. I guess we are now established wine as a snack. And I do feel like that might be a, that we might need to have that made into a t-shirt or something. Okay. Best snack to eat while baking. Damn it. I was going to say drink a glass of wine. Is wine every answer on this list? Probably is. Oh, no. That is so good. But that's what I think. Okay. Wine. That's an answer. Yeah. Okay. Do you have a go-to wine? What's your wine? I love a good red. You're a red girl. I feel like getting older, I can't drink as much red wine as I used to. So they say Chardonnay becomes when you're older.

22:28Yes, that's it. Or Sauvignon Blanc. It depends on which white you like. Chardonnay is a little bit more buttery sometimes. It depends on how it's aged. A good Chardonnay. And Sauvignon Blanc is a little bit more crisp. Yeah. Yeah. Red just like hits me hard, I feel like. Well, it does. It's that sugar. You love it, though. But I do. I can't get you off of it. I do. All right. I get it. All right. Snack you secretly hide from your kids. If you say wine. Okay, chocolate. Yes. Okay. What's your go-to chocolate? Dark chocolate. Just like straight bar? Yes. Wow. Okay. Because I like to have it with a glass of wine.

23:07Wine. We're getting that. We're in the theme. It's like every, honestly, it's just going to ding like every time you say wine. It's like ding. Wine. Okay. Red wine. Alright, snack that reminds you of home. Chocolate chip cookies. That's really cute. I won't say it. Snack that says I love you. Oh my gosh, I love you. Snack that says I love you. Rapid fire. Snack that says charcuterie. Oh, that's nice. Especially being in Napa. What's your go-to cheese? Oh, all kinds, but I love a good... I mean... You're near a lot of good cheeses. I am, darn it. I'm thinking goat, but no. So there's something French that I can't think of right now.

23:49Okay, like a camembert kind of melty maybe? Yes. I do love a melty cheese. Yes. But you're in goat cheese. You get good goat cheese where you are. We get amazing goat. That's why it was the first one that I thought, but I know that there's more. You honestly cannot go wrong with any cheese plate in Napa. And blue cheese. I normally, I mean, it's really good too. You've got to have the fig. With what? What is it good with? It's good with wine. That's what we've learned. Everything is good with wine. Any kind of, I will tell you this, a charcuterie, you can drink any wine. Right. And it's great.

24:19It is true. A pinot. You can have a Chardonnay. What wine are you having with your cereal in the morning? I'm just kidding. No, just don't answer that because I don't want to start a problem here. Not wine, though. Cheerios and red wine. Maybe a sangria. Yeah, exactly. Okay, and then what's your snack guilty pleasure? Like the thing that no one really knows about you. It's literally cheese popcorn. Really? I don't know how to stop. Like the orangey, like get your fingers orange? or are you talking about like white cheddar? White cheddar. White cheddar on popcorn? I don't, like, so my hands are always like that white cheesy.

24:52Yeah, yeah, yeah. I will find myself eating the entire. The entire bag. I love it so much. What was that brand that everybody was obsessed with? I swear, like, it's like when we were coming up as kids. Pirate's Booty. Pirate's Booty is so good. But then there's that smart food, the black bag, the smart food. Oh, I know what you're talking about. Which is like white. That has the corn. Yes, yes, it's the cheddar. I don't know. But that was like such a thing. It's so good. It's so good. I crossed my eyes on that one. But cheese popcorn. Cheese popcorn. I would say that's the most sophisticated guilty pleasure snack we've had on here.