About Me
Welcome to Lavender Honey! I’m Molly McGuigan and I started this blog to share my love of cooking, France, and favorite movies that inspire me to elevate daily life. I love curating a home that tells a story and surrounds me with memories and things I love. Finding beauty in the everyday moments and living la vie en rose is my approach to life.
About Me
I’ve loved being in the kitchen for as long as I can remember. My favorite toy when I was little was my play kitchen (thanks Dad for spending hours putting that together.) I remember being about 4 and cooking up a spectacular creation while I had my favorite movie on in the background, Baby Boom. Perhaps a bit of an odd movie for a 4 year old to love but I vividly remember watching it (more than once a day at times,) pretending to be J.C. Wiatt (played by Diane Keaton.) She was a powerhouse woman, entrepreneur, and mother. She did it all and I was inspired. I continued to be a fan of Diane Keaton in Father of the Bride 1 and 2 shortly after. Those movies always feel like a warm hug to me.
When I was a freshman in college, I saw a preview for Something’s Gotta Give and knew I had to see it.
Afterall, it was my favorite leading lady Diane Keaton again. She plays Erica Barry, a successful playwright with a house in the Hamptons, who loves to cook, and shares my love of Paris. I fell in love with this movie, and it remains my favorite movie of all time. The soundtrack has been on repeat since 2003 and I even dragged my friend Susan to Le Grand Colbert restaurant in Paris when we studied abroad. I made sure to sit in the same booth Erica did and ordered the roast chicken.
It wasn’t until The Holiday came out in 2006 that I made the connection to my favorite movies, director Nancy Meyers. I started thinking about what it was that I was drawn to and realized they all have strong smart women who are focused on their careers, families, and have cozy homes that you just want to jump into. I love watching scenes in the kitchens and dinner tables when the characters are enjoying lovely meals and conversations, creating memorable evenings. These scenes continue to inspire what I make in the kitchen and how I entertain.
In February of 2020, I watched It’s Complicated on a snowy winter night.
I have seen this movie so many times I’ve lost count but for some reason this time I was struck by Jane casually saying she made ‘lavender honey’ ice cream. I desperately wanted to try it. Ice cream with a little je nais se quoi (a little something extra.) I started thinking, it would be great to have a collection of recipes that evoked this feeling. From that moment, I was on a mission to do it and started crafting recipes which eventually led to this blog. I decided to call it Lavender Honey because it embodies everything I want it to: simplicity, pleasure, coziness, and touch of French flare.
As expected, I had some self-doubt as I was thinking about doing this but was soon given a sign to keep going. In March 2020, I picked up David Lebovitz’s book, The Sweet Life in Paris. I had no idea what it was going to be about other than him living in Paris. Halfway through the book he discussed how someone asked him to show their friend around Paris and although he usually does not say yes to being a tour guide often, he decided to do it. Guess who that guest was…yes, Nancy Meyers. I took this as a sign to keep this creative endeavor going and now here we are. I have created over 100 recipes during the last two years that embody and the way I love to cook: simplistic with a little bit of luxury and often a touch of French influence.
C’est si bon!
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