EW: What is your favorite recipe from the cookbook?

GP: "God, that’s so hard. There are some miso-glazed turnips that are incredible. And there’s also a one-pot clam dish that is amazing. There’s also a lot of fun breakfast recipes, like overnight oats, and stuff like that, so that in the morning you just don’t have to deal. I also expanded on avocado toast — I did a version that is almond butter, avocado, and bacon. Everyone thought I was crazy, but then they ate the whole thing. It’s so good."

EW: What’s your idea of a fast meal?

GP: "We focused more on ease, rather than time. We wanted the recipes to be around 30 minutes, but if something had to simmer or bake for longer… As long as it didn’t have a ton of ingredients and wasn’t complicated to do, we included them in the book. I didn’t want to cut recipes out if it didn’t make the 30-minutes-or-under thing, because there are occasions in life where, you know, it’s a weekend, you’re watching the kids and hanging out, maybe catching up on emails, and it’s not taxing to have something in the oven for an hour or so. So I would say, most of it is fast, but all of it is easy."

EW: You are such a busy woman — how often do you actually cook?

GP: "When we lived in London, I cooked every single meal. But since we moved to L.A., I have so much going on, I cannot cook the way I used to. But I always cook on the weekends. I’ll do like quick things and snacks, like guacamole and quesadillas. My kids really love it when I cook for them, and so whenever I have time, I do. And on the weekends, I cook all their meals. But it’s really hard — having a full-time job and two kids, and making it all work… But cooking, for me, is so relaxing and so grounding, and I miss when I can’t do it for a few days in a row."

EW: A lot of people are really addicted to Seamless and takeout. And it’s great to have easy, fast recipes, but what advice do you have to motivate people to actually get in their kitchens and cook for themelves?

GP: "You know, of course there are going to be nights when we’re going to order in food. Just the other night, I was completely exhausted and I ordered in Japanese on a delivery app. But I think there is something so nice and self-nurturing about making something for yourself, even if it’s really simple. There is a ritual of being in your kitchen, getting your hands dirty, and quickly frying something up, or making pasta. Even if you’re using a jar of sauce — that’s great! You’re making it, it tastes different, you’re invested in it differently, you know that there’s not a ton of hidden sugar and MSG. It’s always going to be healthier when you make it for yourself."

EW: We all have some kind of comfort food and/or drink for when we’ve have a really bad, stressful week — what is yours?

GP: "I love pasta with a slow-cooked turkey ragu, or some kind of thick, slow-cooked tomato sauce with sausage, or something. Fried food is my number one: like a fried clam roll and french fries, or fried shrimp with french fries, that will take away all my woes. And, I like either an Old Fashioned or a vodka martini — yum."