Seeing red! Holly Madison wanted a kitchen as cheerful as her disposition. When she and her husband, music producer Pasquale Rotella, bought this six-bedroom L.A. spread in 2015, she painted the dark cabinets a crisp white and brought in 10 of her vintage cookie jars. “I always have a Snow White,” she says of her collectible. The mom of Rainbow, 4, and Forest, 8 months, then drew her accent color from the red knobs of her Wolf stove.
Madison, 37, began collecting vibrant Fiestaware because it embodies “that comfortable, casual California dining” style, and she fills glass jars with gum balls and other colorful sweets in variations of the hue. To avoid snacking, “I pick candy I don’t like!”
Other constants on the vintage enthusiasts countertop include a bright red KitchenAid mixer and her new favorite device: a “futuristic” Juicero machine. “They deliver these little juice packets to you every week that already have the fruits and vegetables inside,” she tells Us Weekly. “It just squeezes it, so it’s the easiest way to juice. I’m really into that right now, especially trying to get back in shape and running after two kids! It’s the most convenient thing.”
As busy as she is, Madison still loves to cook a big, elaborate meal once a week. When Game of Thrones is airing a new season, she and Rotella, 42, host a dinner party for every episode. “It’s always themed after a character,” she notes. “I started doing it two seasons ago, so the last two seasons I’ve done it every episode! I take some stuff from the Game of Thrones cookbook, but then I’ll invent stuff or find stuff online that I think fits the character. Some of the things I’ve made have become staple dishes for our family.”
Whenever Holly Madison bakes a batch of her mom’s oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, it reminds her of hovering over the mixer as a little girl. “I’d see her baking, and I’d want to be a part of it,” she says. Among the first recipes she learned: these perfectly chewy treats. Try them out for yourself using the recipe below.
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies by Holly’s Mom
Makes 2 dozen
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups oatmeal
1 package semisweet chocolate chips
Directions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl or in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar together. Add the eggs, vanilla, baking soda, baking powder and salt; beat the mixture until it’s fluffy and light in color.
- Stir in the flour and oatmeal, then add chocolate chips and mix until just combined.
- Drop the batter by the spoonful onto prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake for 11 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
