I enjoy spending time in the kitchen with Valerie Bertinelli. As she cooks up a casual get-together every week on "Valerie's Home Cooking," her Food Network series, that's exactly what I feel like I am there for as I've watched every episode during the two seasons. Viewers are given the impression they are on a stool at her kitchen island, listening one-on-one to her stories about family and friends and her self-deprecating humor as she expertly prepares the multiple dishes for the intimate gatherings, which are shown in each 30-minute episode's final scene.

Recently, Bertinelli, a still girlish-looking actress since the 1970s, when she starred as a teen my age, my favorite character on my favorite television series, the hit "One Day at a Time," spontaneously broke the fourth wall even more on her cooking series, proving the reality in this slice-of-life TV. As in many TV cooking series, we've been given the impression this is Bertinelli's home kitchen, and her husband and adult son sometimes pop in and help. I often thought, though, the kitchen looked so adorable, well-stocked and immaculate that perhaps it was a set and wondered if Bertinelli was really preparing all the innovative dishes in real time.

The recent episode had her cooking the food offerings for her longtime friends' wine club that she was showing how she was going to pack up for what was supposedly that day's event. As the episode was unfolding, Bertinelli became concerned that it was starting to rain. Then she looked out her kitchen window and her pool was shown with the rain beginning to drizzle on it. As the show rolled on, she looked out again and saw the rain coming down harder and was contemplating if the outdoor wine event could take place a few hours later.

I was amazed that Bertinelli really was in her own kitchen cooking all of those dishes on television for a real friend's get together just a few hours after the taping: This really was real reality television in this era of fake news and staged "reality" shows. She really is an outstanding cook (which is evident in each episode) who can time dishes perfectly, cook without written recipes in front of her on her kitchen island and speedily plate and present the dishes beautifully.

Soon her friends called cancelling the outdoor part due to the rain and Bertinelli shifted to inviting them over to have the event inside at her home and was shown quickly removing the dishes from her travel containers and instead placing them on lovely serving platters.

When another recent episode featured Bertinelli preparing a "homemade happy hour" for her longtime "glam squad" friends of her makeup artist, hairdresser and clothes stylist and showed them doing her up in a small, cute room off her kitchen, needless to say, I no longer had to wonder if this was a set.

Following is the fun Key Lime Pie Martini she made for them (most recipes, like this one, are favorites of Bertinelli's for many years).

KEY LIME PIE MARTINI

1/4-cup lime juice, plus three lime wedges

Crushed graham crackers, for rims

1/3-cup vodka

1/3-cup vanilla liqueur, such as Licor 43

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4-cup coconut milk creamer (see Note)

Yields 2 servings.

Rub a lime wedge around the rim of 2 martini glasses.

Place the graham cracker crumbs in a small saucer. Dip the rims of the glasses in the crumbs to coat. Freeze for 5 to 10 minutes while preparing the drink.

Combine the vodka, vanilla liqueur, lime juice, orange juice and coconut creamer in a cocktail shaker filled with ice (don't worry if the mixture looks curdled). Cover and shake vigorously until well chilled, about 30 seconds. Strain into the chilled martini glasses and garnish with lime wedges. Serve immediately.

Note: Coconut milk creamer comes in a variety of flavors (also, regular coffee creamer comes in coconut flavor). Feel free to experiment and tailor to your taste buds.

AFTER-WORK GOURMET COOKBOOK SHELF

Other than watching repeats of one of Bertinelli's additional hit television series, such as "Hot in Cleveland," another way to get to know her better is to read her two bestselling books on her ups and downs with weight and body issues over the decades. "Losing It: And Keeping Fit" and "Finding It: And Finally Satisfying My Hunger for Life" are written with honesty and wit and are full of anecdotes and replicable advice.

Lisa Messinger is a first-place winner in food writing from the Association of Food Journalists and the author of seven food books, including "Mrs. Cubbison's Best Stuffing Cookbook" and "The Sourdough Bread Bowl Cookbook." To find out more about Lisa Messinger and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.